MUSICAL FLICKS

So stoked for Musical Flicks! Tonights movie will be Chicago

Musical Flicks With Billy Disaster #1 Last nights movie was Chicago starring Renee Zellweger♥️ and Catherine Zeta Jones♥️ . There have been a few “Billy” songs written (“Billy Don’t be a Hero”, PJ Harvey’s “C’mon Billy”, “Billy’s got a Gun” etc. ). But none of them come close to the GREATEST SONG OF ALL TIME, “All I Care About”! The lyrics in the song “We want Billy, B-I-double L-Y, we’re all his” is so poetic it brings a tear to my eye. In fact, all of the music by (mostly) John Kander in this movie is killer. I really love jazz based musical numbers and Chicago doesn’t disappoint.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! (Aside from my new use of paragraphs)..Kim Novak is history! Congratulations to Renee Zellweger♥️ on becoming my new Celebrity Girlfriend! She is so cute and sexy in this movie that I wanted to kiss my TV. And CZJ is just as wonderful the way she mischievously lights up the screen.

Richard Gere as Billy Flynn is flick magic in this. I read that he took tap dancing lessons for 3 months to prep for this movie and finished his dance scene in half a day. To think that Michael Jackson and John Travolta were considered for the part of Billy Flynn is inconceivable after watching Gere SLAY his role.

All of the other performances (John C Reilly, Queen Latifah etc.) were excellent as was the entire production of this. I loved every moment. 5 Tavoltas for Chicago🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽 . Tonight’s movie will be Guys and Dolls reviewed exclusively on billydisaster.com. BTW..thank you all so much for the Venmo donations! It helps a ton to keep these going! ♥️You

Musical Flicks With Billy Disaster #2

Last nights movie was Guys and Dolls starring Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando.

My favorite character in this was Nicely Nicely Johnson played by Stubby Kaye. The song where he is introduced (Fugue for Tinhorns) was my favorite song in the whole movie (in a flick full of great songs). He is such a likable character (in a flick full of likable characters).

The story is impressive in the way that it doesn't seem to have any plot holes. They covered every base. It's basically about some fun loving guys who want to gamble along side some missionaries who want to keep them from having too much fun. My favorite premise is how Jean Simmons (one of the missionaries) spends so much energy trying to convince people to live straight, God fearing lives, but then gets drunk and starts a bar fight in Havana (keeping in mind that she was basically roofied by Brando). (It was just rum laced milk)

One great scene was the beautifully choreographed craps game and the face off between Nathan Detroit and Big Jule (the names in this flick are so cool!) with dice with no spots. Another was the dressing room scene with Vivian Blaine singing Adelaide's Lament with that heavy (Jersey?) accent.

I cried for two reasons at the end...#1 the fun guys ended up giving up to the Mission to lead lives without drinking and gambling (two of my favorite things). And #2...The wedding. I always cry at weddings.

A final note...Much of the music was arranged by my very favorite musician from that era, Nelson Riddle giving this flick extra credit.

5 Travoltas for Guys and Dolls 🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽. Tonights movie will be Singing in the Rain. ♥️You

Musical Flicks With Billy Disaster #3 Last nights movie was Singing in the Rain starring Donald O’Connor, Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Jean Hagan.

This was the 1st time I’ve ever seen this. It made me think that I was neglected as a kid. This movie should be required by law.

The scene where Donald O’Connor performs the number “Make ‘Em Laugh” is maybe the greatest physical comedy I’ve ever seen. The talent of this guy is as world class as it gets. I laughed so hard that Mrs. Disaster almost dialed 9-1-1. Truly amazing.

Then there’s the performance of Jean Hagan. “I make more money than Calvin Coolidge put together!” She was so entertaining that she could’ve been a character in Looney Tunes.

Then there was the incredible scene where Don and Cosmo are pitching a flick to R.F. Simpson that ends up being a movie within a movie. The sequence of “Gotta Dance” was pure stunning entertainment. I particularly loved the way the dance with the girl in the green dress was filmed with the different angles.

The craft of this entire movie was clever and flawless. Oh! And let’s not forget the unbelievably perfect and stunning performances of Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. They are what movie stars should be. What a great flick! 5 Travoltas for Singing in the Rain🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽. Tonight‘s movie will be Moulin Rouge (2001). ♥️you #moviereview #moviereviews #singingintherain

Musical Flicks With Billy Disaster #4

Last nights movie was was Moulin Rouge starring Nicole Kidman♥️ and Ewan McGregor.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Nicole Kidman is so drop dead gorgeous that I couldn’t take my eyes off of the screen (as much as I wanted to at times. We’ll get to that in a sec). She was such a fox in this movie. And ultimately, her performance was terrific. As was everyone else in this. Particularly Jim Broadbent as Harold Zidler who dominated his role and reminded me of The Wizard of Oz. And Richard Roxburgh as The Duke who was such a great comedic Monty Python style character.

The love triangle story in this was beautiful and sad. McGragor’s jealous heartbreak as well as his ultimate heartbreak was truly, well, heartbreaking. Him and Kidman were also terrific in the hilarious sex/poetry reading confusion sequence. Perhaps the highlight of this flick. The sets, lighting, and costumes were all killer...

....BUT THEN....THERE IS THE MUSIC🤢. When the 1st medley with”Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend with Madonna’s “Material Girl” and then throwing in Nirvana? Please! The music upset me so much that I developed Tourette’s syndrome. And when they went into Elton John’s “Your Song”?🤮 Well let’s just say I have to buy a new TV. I did not like the fact that they abused these songs and didn’t write their own. It was cheap and disengaging. Is the 1952 version any good? I’m curious. 3 Travoltas for Moulin Rouge🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽 . Tonight’s movie will be Bugsy Malone. ♥️ you #moviereview #moviereviews #moulinrouge #nicolekidman

Musical Flicks With Billy Disaster #5

Last nights movie was Bugsy Malone starring John Cassisi, Jodi Foster and Scott Baio.

This movie came out of left field for me. I’d never even heard of it. It was certainly unique and really fun.

In case you’ve also never heard of it, it’s a 20’s era gangster flick cast entirely with kids. I love kid actors and this movie lets them shine. It was almost like watching The Little Rascals.

It’s a classic gang vs. gang story with a side little love tale. Are there gangster shootouts? Totally! But instead of bullets, the ammo is marshmallows and cream. The violence is basically a food fight. Another cool detail is the old cars they drive that are pedaled like tricycles. The great thing about it is that it’s all used without feeling like a children’s movie.

The actors are all terrific. 13 year old Jodi Foster shows that she was already a pro at that age. Same for the 16 year old Scott Baio. But the real star here is John Cassisi as Fat Sam. Not only did it seem like he was born to play an over the top Italian Gangster boss, but Fat Sam is now one of my favorite gangster characters of all time. He was terrific.

The music by Paul Williams was also very cool. The songs sounded as if they could’ve been written by Randy Newman. Charming and clever.

Thank you to those of you that recommended this flick to me. 4 Travoltas for Bugsy Malone🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽 . Tonight’s movie will be Pal Joey. ♥️you #moviereview #moviereviews #bugsymalone #fatsam

Musical Flicks With Billy Disaster #6

Last nights movie was Pal Joey starring Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak♥️ and Rita Hayworth.

It was cool to see my Celebrity Ex Girlfriend Kim Novak again even if it was a little awkward since we only broke up about a week and a half ago.

This movie features The Chairman of the Board in his prime (IMO). However, his character is kind of an asshole reminiscent of Pepé Le Pew. He plays Joey, a club singer with a troubled reputation who has a dream of opening his own club. He finds a wealthy woman to seduce (Hayworth) and help fund his club. But he also has a bit of a situation with the SMOKIN HOT Novak♥️. And so we have a simple little love triangle.

There are some problems with this flick. 1st off is the rehashed songs from other musicals (My Funny Valentine, The Lady is a Tramp). I feel like it’s lazy to not write original material if your gonna do a musical. 2nd of all, Sinatra’s character is likable but can be a real jerk.

That being said, Frank’s performance is pretty damn good and his singing is so very good. The musical arrangements are by Nelson Riddle. One of my all time favorites. (Check out Sinatra and Riddle on the album “Songs for Swinging Lovers” and Ella Fitzgerald’s Ballads Songbook.

There are some great one liners in this movie... * “ You think anyone with pants on is cute”....” that’s a lie, I like lots of people without pants”😅

* “ my sister worked with you in Fresno. She told me all about you”...” which one was she?”...” The one you didn’t get to first base with”...” oh, she was the ugly one. You must be twins.”🤣

3 Travoltas for Pal Joey🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽. Tonight‘s movie will be The Muppets (2011). ♥️you #moviereview #moviereviews #franksinatra #paljoey

Musical Flicks With Billy Disaster #7 Last nights movie was The Muppets (2011) starring Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear.

This was about (real human) Jason Segel and his puppet pal Walter taking a trip to Hollywood where Walter is stoked to see the real and run down Muppets studio (and hopefully real Muppet stars). They discover that the studio is under threat of being taken over by an evil businessman (the great Chris Cooper) who wants to tear it down because there is oil under it. Walter and Segel (along with girlfriend Amy Adam’s) find Kermit and they all go out to get the old Muppets gang to put on a telethon show to save the studio.

The 1st half of this flick was awesome. It was super nostalgic for me and was cleverly self aware of its campiness and age. The gags come out like a machine gun and a few of the musical numbers are hilarious and smart. I found my self telling Mrs. Disaster that this might end up being a 5 Travolta flick!

But then the last half kicked in and shit went downhill. It got waaayyy too sentimental and forgot what was making this so much fun💤. It ceased to make fun of itself when it got too serious. What a shame. Hollywood really needs to renew its tired formula of storytelling. (Slow clap anyone?)

3 Travoltas for The Muppets🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽. Tonight’s movie will be West Side Story. ♥️ you

Musical Flicks With Billy Disaster #8

Last nights movie was West Side Story starring Natalie Wood, George Chakiris and Richard Beymer

This was my 1st time seeing this and I wish I could have seen it at a theatre with the full 70mm film. It’s awesome seeing a movie like this with such incredible choreography and performances on big sets with great long shots and creative editing. Particularly after watching so many movies these days with CGI and super fast computer edits.

My favorite song was “Gee, Officer Krupke” which was borderline punk rock. It reminded me (lyrically)of “ institutionalized” by Suicidal Tendencies”. And my other favorite song was “Jet Song”...”When you’re a Jet, You’re a Jet all the way. From your 1st cigarette till your last dying day”. What a great lyric by Stephen Sondheim!

I also liked the story about how the Jets main concern was The Sharks gentrifying their neighborhood. Puerto Rican style! (I wish that would happen in my neighborhood!). And I loved that no matter how much the gangs hated each other, no one rats the other out to that asshole beat cop Lieutenant Schrank.

The Leonard Bernstein music is unbelievably good! Not every song was my taste (I truly hate sappy love songs in musicals) but I still appreciate them nonetheless.

5 Travoltas for West Side Story🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽 . Tonight’s movie will be Fiddler on the Roof. Never seen it. ♥️you. (Except you Lieutenant Schrank) #moviereview#moviereviews#westsidestory

Musical Flicks With Billy Disaster #9

(Dedicated to Paul Brennan🖕)

Last nights movie was Hedwig and the Angry Inch starring John Cameron Mitchell.

The opening number “Tear Me Down” explodes onto the screen in a perfect set up for this tragic story. Watching Hedwig’s band perform in a small seafood restaurant like they were headlining Madison Square Garden was both exciting and sad.

This one is about our hero, Hedwig who undergoes a gender reassignment surgery in order to please her fiancé. (Who ends up leaving her😢). To make things worse, the surgery goes wrong and Hedwig is left with a 1 inch member (sound familiar Paul?🖕). The movie spends most of its time telling her tale of betrayal on small stages with her band. The betrayal comes from her former protegé, Tommy Gnosis who ends up making it big in the music biz. It also touches heavily upon her heroic ability to navigate life in search of strength and happiness. It’s bizarre, punk rock and touching all at once.

This might be my favorite musical I’ve watched in this series. John Cameron Mitchell played his roll so well that Hedwig has become one of my all time favorite characters. The music was exactly my pint of Guinness (Happy St Patrick’s Day!☘️). And the story was so profound and well told that I almost forgot about Paul. And the song Origins of Love? That may be the perfect song.

Who’s Paul Brennan? He’s an asshole whose been trolling me on Facebook that hates Billy Disaster. He must be a film elitist that loves to talk down to other movie lovers from his high chair with nothing to offer. 1 Travolta for Paul Brennan🕺🏽and 5 Travoltas for Hedwig and the Angry Inch🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽. Tonight’s movie will be Top Hat. ♥️you. (Except you Paul🖕 douche bag!) #moviereview #MovieReviews #hedwigandtheangryinch #johncameronmitchell

Musical Flicks With Billy Disaster #10

Last nights movie was Top Hat starring Fred Astaire🤘and Ginger Rogers♥️.

“Let the rain pitter-patter but it really doesn’t matter if the sky’s are grey. As long as I can be with you it’s a lovely day”... one of my favorite lyrics of all time.

Breaking tradition, I have seen this movie before. Many times. My Grandmother♥️ introduced this to me when I was a kid and it was love at 1st sight.

The opening act where Astaire’s mischievous character is introduced in the Gentlemens club is the perfect set up. The next act featuring the soft shoe to menace Ginger Rogers is an excellent reinforcement of Astaire’s playful charm. And the following act of “Isn’t it a Lovely Day” is the full establishment of the true mastery of not only Astaire and Rogers, but of the incredible Irving Berlin.

But the headliner in this flick is the “Top Hat” sequence with Astaire‘s machine gun choreography that was military grade music and choreography.

And let’s not forget “Cheek to Cheek” which may be the most elegant scene I’ve ever seen.

The story is charming but takes a back seat to the craft of this movie. It’s funny and clever ( the plural personality of the valet, Bates). It’s the definition of elegance and supreme talent.

This is one of my favorite flicks of all time. 5 Travoltas for Top Hat🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽. Tonight’s movie will be The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. ♥️you #moviereview#moviereviews#tophat#fredastaire#gingerrogers

Musical Flicks With Billy Disaster #11

Last nights movie was The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

One of the many cool things about Irene Castle is that she designed the logo of the Chicago Blackhawks back in the 1920’s. She was married to my Grandmother’s uncle, Fredrick McLaughlin (after Vernon Castle was killed in an airplane accident) who founded the Blackhawks. She was also a fashion icon at the time who popularized “The Bob” hairstyle.

Before there was Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, there was Vernon and Irene Castle. The superstar ballroom dance duo that starred in the early Irving Berlin productions. They introduced a few dance styles to the mass public including “The Foxtrot” among others.

I think it’s so cool that Astaire and Rogers paid tribute to The Castles by making a movie about them and had Irene Castle consult on the production. It’s not quite Top Hat but it’s still wonderful with a tearful ending. 4 Travoltas for The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽 . Tonight’s movie, Saturday Night Fever will be the final Musical Flick. You all were so great (except Paul) to follow along with me. I hope you’ll join me for Zombie Flicks With Billy Disaster. And check out the other series we’ve done on billydisaster.com.♥️you #moviereview#MovieReviews#irenecastle#chicagoblackhawks

Musical Flicks With Billy Disaster #12

Last nights movie was Saturday Night Fever Starring Vinnie Barbarino

Having never been to the east coast and not really knowing any Italian American families, the characters in this movie are almost like cartoon characters. Ive seen people talk like this in other movies (and Welcome Back Kotter) but not in real life. And all I knew about this flick was that it featured the great music of The Bee Gees and Barbarino is a disco dancer. I had no idea that this was such a serious story.

I found it endearing that, no matter how angry and dysfunctional Vinnie's (actually Tony's) family was, they still had dinner together every night. They were going through some tough times, but they had each other to report to.

Tony is a likable guy who has a lot to learn about life and women. Not to say that he needs to learn how to attract women, but how to treat them respectfully. And thats kind of what this story is about. His status as a popular dancer at the disco affords him some confidence and he is, at times, on top of his world. But he has a lot of lumps to take ands growing up to do.

The dancing and music in this flick are pretty awesome, and may I say, Tony is kind of the weakest dancer of all the good one's here (as he finds out). It's a stretch to call this a musical, but whatever.

There are some truly disturbing topics in here. Rape, racism, suicide, misogyny. And the uber 70's cliche fight scene seemed like it was forced in (that terrible "fight scene" music!). However, I thought this was a seriously good movie. 5 Travoltas For Saturday Night Fever🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽 ♥️You