Andrew Lloyd Webber can be said with some certainty to be the most renowned contemporary composer, and the musicals which bear his name have the same tendency of success as Holly Willoughby would have on the pull in a Forbidden Planet.
There have been however, a significant number of other musicals in recent, and the not so recent, years with just as much right for your viewing - and above all, aural - pleasures, if not more.
Hopefully we can avoid any Cats-fights with the disclaimer that these are based on their songs over the films themselves - although the films are bloody good too, for the most part at least (Is it more or less? Who knows ...) - and should be viewed whenever the chance arises.
And remember kids, these are alternatives, so Fiddler on the Roof, Pal Joey, Phantom of the Opera, Singin' in the Rain et al are taking a back seat here.
#10 - The Blues Brothers (1980)
Riding on the success of their SNL skit, Belushi and Aykroyd star as the eponymous siblings who seek to save their childhood home. The songs are recent (at the time of release) hits and popular songs. It's a cut favourite, but it only makes the cusp of this list because the songs are (sorry to the fans) quite mediocre and unoriginal. Despite that, it's aged well and retains its humour and relevance in contemporary culture.
#9 - Team America: World Police (2004)
The notorious cast-creators of South Park continue their satirical war against the world with an homage to someone that it seems they never really liked. Inspired by Gerry Anderson, they nevertheless found Thunderbirds and the like too expository and serious - overtones obviously missing from their puppet parody. The parody extends into the songs as well, with expertly displayed genre-awareness of the types of music more conventional films would exhibit. #8 - Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
The video has been flipped horizontally by the uploader for some reason.
A combination of classics including Phantom of the Opera and The Picture of Dorian Gray, it lacks the success of the similar Rocky Horror, or to be blunt, the charm, but it still stands as a great novelty movie for a campy night in with the girls / boys / assorted others, and gives a novel take on some great literature - just in case you ever need a reason to justify a peek at what still remains a non-mainstream classic.
With an impressively large number of nominations and awards, both for the film itself and the soundtrack, the film was a greater success than I'd suspect Matt and Trey ever anticipated. Another full-frontal lampoon towards the world at large and censorship in particular, the lewd and obscene songs are as catchy as many of the more fashionable types of STI and just as fun to spread around. Even if you abhor the series from whence it came, once watched, the music will be bouncing around in your head for long after.
#5 - The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
A slight break from formation here as this was originally a stage musical. The success and gaudy flare with which screenings and performances alike have been enjoyed, and the mass cult appreciation / dislike of the film have wedged it firmly into the pop culture of the last few generations. The songs are memorable and can even be considered beautiful in the right light - a thought appropriate to the majority of the film, with the characters and sets often benefiting from limited lighting. An intensely sad story, for those who see through the camp casing, the songs range from the humourous to the melancholy and are a great condensation of pop culture in the tail-end of the 20th century.
#4 - Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
A subtly cathartic joy-ride of thrills, spills and kills, this will draw you just as literally as Audrey 2 could, and is another movie that sprouted from a musical. Steve Martin plays a dentist who'd make you prefer The Marathon Man's specialist, and the songs are all suitably over-the-top. It isn't for everybody, but even those averse to schtick and schlock may find it growing on them. #8, #5, this and the following #3 would be a great run of films to watch together if you ever have a spare night and are in the mood for a meretricious musical marathon.
#3 - Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)
I debated putting this in the number-two slot, and even dallied with giving it the top-spot, but I think my overt appreciation for Anthony Stewart Head may be at play in my considerations there. Despite any possible bias, it more than deserves the bronze medal for the incredible storyline, mis en scene, casting (well, most of them), and of course the songs. Disturbing, enthralling and above all thought-provoking, Repo! is still something of a sleeper hit. Buy it now before it breaks and HMV jacks up the price 500%.
#2 - The Lion King (1994)
A second, more traditional Disney musical, it remains the only stereotpical Disney outing here as it has the quantity of quality which Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast etc. lack. The songs are fun, the story sad but fulfilling and it has great supporting characters who more than steal the show. This is the one most likely to have been seen by everyone on the list, and deservedly so as it remains a solid example of how to rip off other peoples' work and make a profit from it.
#1 - Moulin Rouge! (2001)
With more songs sampled than you can wave a conductor's baton at, it took almost two years to secure the rights for all of the songs used. It's a meta-musical and I find it astounding. The overt sexuality of the subject is handled remarkably well, prioritizing entertainment and true vaudevillian entertainment over more illicit and explicit possibilites. The mix of songs and pop references is staggering and they are masterfully concocted that repeat viewings will continue to refresh and imbue if not another smile, then at least a continued appreciation for the phenomenal crafting of the music and the showmanship. The story is sweet (and again, what shall politely be called eternal) with the roles well cast and the theatrics articulated and choreographed with deceptively precise abandon. It's a must-see for any who enjoy music in any form.
And as a special mention, the enjoyably awkward The American Astronaut's songs are engagingly baroque and ellicit a visceral pull upon the viewer as they are so engrained within the film's narrative. Imagine David Lynch doing The Blues Brothers and you'll be half-way there.
