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A dazzling fever dream, Moulin Rouge!, about a poor writer who falls in love with a courtesan in France, is full of amazing music, colors, and style. I watched this movie when it first came out in theaters in 2001, but I only saw it that once. Then, when a version of Moulin Rouge! got…
A wonderful and intimate look at the 15-hour vocal recording, Original Cast Album: Company shows you what the actors, orchestra, and creators of the show faced behind-the-scenes. Having been raised on musicals and later becoming a Chicago theatre critic, I have long been a Broadway nerd. I have favorite musicals that I listen to on…
A fantastic musical film about a bloodthirsty plant that gets its owner to keep feeding it, Little Shop Of Horrors features a great cast and is packed with earworms. When Little Shop Of Horrors was first released on VHS tape, my friends and I were obsessed with it. We planned a performance of our own,…
Filled with theatricality, Blue Moon, about lyricist Lorenz Hart on the night former partner Richard Rodgers opens Oklahoma! with lyricist Oscar Hammerstein, is like watching a play in three acts. I was raised on the likes of Rodgers and Hammerstein. If The King And I wasn’t playing, Carousel was on. If it was too silent…
A heartwarming film about an autistic teen musician who befriends a former pop star, I Used To Be Famous is fairly predictable, but it will put a smile on your face. There are some films out there that stick with you because they are different types of feel-good buddy comedies. I love both About A…
A musical movie about a young cantor who wants a commercial singing career, The Jazz Singer is an uneven film with a fantastic original soundtrack and an early 80s Neil Diamond. My mother loved this movie. When I was a kid, sometime after it was released on VHS, my mom bought a copy of The…
Based on a true story about a singing duo who perform a Neil Diamond experience and have a family, Song Sung Blue is an entertaining musical film that runs a little long. I was raised on Neil Diamond music. As a young child of the late 70s and early 80s, I remember my father playing…
A weaker sequel to the first half of the Broadway musical movie, Wicked: For Good, about what ultimately happens to the characters in Oz, hits some high notes, but it takes awhile. As I’ve mentioned before, I am a huge theatre nerd. I have seen the musical Wicked on stage approximately eight times, two of…
An excellent tribute to the life and legacy of the famous singer who left too soon, Selena y Los Dinos provides countless family photos, videos, and interviews to let people know the real woman behind the voice. Having grown up in Chicago in the 80s and 90s and having never been exposed to specific Latin…
A respectable biopic about two years in the singer’s life, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere offers excellent insights into his music creation, but doesn’t grip you with his story. I don’t know a lot about Bruce Springsteen. I have always enjoyed his music on the radio, but I don’t know anything about his life, loves,…
A striking new musical about an Argentine revolutionary and a gay movie buff who tells stories to occupy their minds in jail, Kiss Of The Spider Woman highlights a creative narrative, a good score, and an outstanding performance – but it’s not who you might expect. When I first heard that they were going to…
Chock full of incredible music and dancing, A Chorus Line, about performers auditioning for a Broadway show, is a treat for the eyes and ears – if you can separate it from the stage musical. There are some movies that are a piece of you. I grew up with A Chorus Line, fell in love…
