9. The King and I (1956)

The story of the King of Siam and Anna, his children’s governess, The King and I is one of the most engaging musicals, ever!  Anna (Deborah Kerr) and the King (Yul Brenner) are so incredible in these roles it’s hard to see anyone else in them. The relationship between the fiery monarch and his British nemesis is more like an irresistible force versus an immovable object than a personal relationship. His commanding presence and her respectful condescension, yet never quite bending to his will, is fascinating.

The King and I is a clever departure from the typical musical fare with bright costuming, exotic music and one of the best scores ever. Yul Brenner will forever be King Mongkut of Siam and Deborah Kerr his beautiful, charming foil.

10. Grease (1978)

Of course it has to be on the list, it’s Grease. John Travolta, Olivia Newton John and Stockard Channing, all geriatric teenagers, lead an all-star cast, of funny, charming and talented actors in a great musical tribute. Originally a great stage production, Grease stands as one of the most successful musicals of all time. The movie although “differently” cast, and tame compared to the 1971 original, manages to be funny, entertaining and a blast. You should take some time and listen to the original risque soundtrack, if you get a chance. It’s worth it.

The cast, a mixture of “A” and “B” list actors includes such famous comedic actors as Sid Caesar, Eve Arden, Didi Conn, Joan Blondell and Dody Goodman, all stars in their day, and at their best. There are few Heartthrobs: Frankie Avalon and Lorenzo Lamas, and a collection of “teenagers” bring fun and frivolity to a dynamite film. The score is legendary, the plot simple but great and story elements that make this one of America’s best.

Hey everyone! Grab your bathing suit, your boxers or briefs or just your birthday suit and jump in. We at Movie Madness are taking the Hot Tub Time Machine back to 1984. Doug, Mr. Jeremy and me, the Movie Maniac, are heading back to choose the best movies of the year. 1984 was a great year for movies, but not just the ones about which you’ve heard.

Doug and I came up with movies that surprised both of us, and I think, scared Jeremy. But guess what? You will never know unless you tune in and listen. Remember, we want your own favorites so we can announce them on the podcast, so listen and then leave your comments at: moviemadnesspodcast@gmail.com or call the voice mail # 260-573-0015 or post them to Twitter, Facebook or the Ultimate Movie Geeks community on Google+

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Devoid of laughter, ripe with female stereotypes and with no relationship between the characters, Hot Pursuit is a black hole of comedy. All of the life seems to be sucked out of it. Reese Witherspoon and Sophia Vergara, in a buddy movie, seems a natural. Unfortunately there’s not a hint of a connection between them.  The characters are extremely exaggerated (not in a good way) and the dialogue is some of the worst I’ve heard.

I’m blaming this almost entirely on a poor choice of directors. There are plenty of great buddy movie directors and any of them would have been a better choice than Anne Fletcher. The director of such great action films as 27 Dresses and The Proposal (tongue stuck firmly in cheek), does not belong at the helm. The film plays more like Mean Girls than The Odd Couple. I was definitely looking forward to a female version of the latter.

Wiitherspoon plays Cooper, an unlikeable female Barney Fife-like character (hard to imagine) and Vergara is Daniella Riva, a drug lord’s shrewish wife. Vergara’s husband is testifying against his boss and Cooper is charged with getting he and his wife to court. The plot was good and could have been fun, but the characters are so incredibly annoying Hot Pursuit falls flat.

This film just doesn’t work. The writing is stilted, at best. The direction doesn’t make any sense. Why would you not want the audience to root for the Cooper and Riva? Both seemed clueless and uninteresting and I could have cared less. Even the villains were bland and generic. I would miss this movie like avoiding a zombie locked in an outhouse. Why bother. It’s just not worth the trouble.

Rating: .5 out of five stars

11. Chicago (2002)

Based on the award winning Broadway musical and with some of the more prolific Hollywood stars: Richard Gere, Katherine Zeta Jones and Renee Zellweger. Chicago sprung on the screen with a bang, literally.

The film, centered in the prohibition, era focuses on Zellweger, a cold as ice heartless killer, sentenced to death and rightly so.  Successful for several reasons: the score is great, superlative acting by the entire cast and stunningly good performances by John C. Reilly and Richard Gere mark the film as one of the best. The exceptional cinematography tops the charts and adds a little cherry to the dark chocolate sundae that is Chicago.

12. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

There’s something pure and wonderful about Yankee Doodle Dandy. It’s just like America should be: full of music and joy! A great gangster, roughneck and tough guy in other films, James Cagney still manages to, single handedly, make this film one of the great musicals of all time. There’s something incredibly patriotic about Cagney’s portrayal of George M. Cohan and elevated an already sterling career.

The writer of such great songs as “Over There” and “It’s a Grand Old Flag,” and a star of both Vaudeville and Broadway, Cohan really is (and was) an American hero. Cagney’s performance honored Cohan as few actors could, and, provided Cohan with his only Oscar win. He more than deserved it! Cagney had to play a world class singer, dancer and actor and he did it in brilliant style.

One thing you cannot miss, if you’re a Movie Maniac like me, is Eddie Foy Jr. playing Eddie Foy Sr. from “Eddie Foy and The Seven Little Foys.” He’s great in the role, and the interplay between he and Cagney is legendary. It must be experienced to be believed. Check out the film, you will not be disappointed.

Okay, I promise, this movie will make a ton at the box office…unfortunately so. San Andreas will probably be the most physically (and geologically) impossible catastrophe movie ever made and spawn more of the same. I trust that people will see it in droves, without any thought to the logic inspiring it. What will be unbearable, at least to me, is the presence of Dwayne Johnson.

It makes a bad disaster film somewhat tolerable, should there be an excellent actor, but when a pure action hero shows up it usually makes a disaster film a mockery. I hearken to The Day After Tomorrow. Dennis Quaid is hardly an excellent actor but he brought some gravitas to an otherwise ludicrous attempt. I bemoan the choice of “The Rock,” but, oh well, I’ll be there the first weekend. Stay tuned for the review! See you there May 29th!

Hey, have you ever wondered which Sci-Fi movie characters are the absolute best? Well, we at the Movie Madness Podcast sure have. Doug, Jeremy and I were fierce in defense of our favorite picks and almost came to blows (slight exaggeration :)). I guarantee you’re going to be shocked at some of our picks, just as we were.

We decided to add a little something special to this episode. Just imagine you’re in the Black Hills of South Dakota and, instead of presidents on Mt. Rushmore, you see your favorite science fiction characters. How much fun would that be. I’m telling you…visits to Mt. Rushmore would skyrocket! Heck, I’d go at least once a year.

I can guarantee a few shocks, a few pleasant surprises and even nice pat on the head for me from Doug. I had a blast doing this episode and even more fun listening to it afterwards. I think the other guys did too but you’re going to have to listen to find out!

I dare you to listen to us and come up with five better. You’ll be hard pressed, I promise. Just think about it. Would you pick Captain Kirk or Jean-Luc Picard, or how about Robbie the Robot, Hal 9000, or maybe one of the Terminators. Would you rather have a beer with Godzilla or King Kong? I can tell you which ones I’d choose, but you’re definitely going to have to tune in to find out if we picked any one of these, or did we go a whole different direction? You don’t listen, you’ll never know. Once you do, please give us your picks at: moviemadnesspodcast@gmail.com or call the voice mail # 260-573-0015 or post them to Twitter, Facebook or the Ultimate Movie Geeks community on Google+

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Ex Machina looks creepy good, but I’m not sure it’s for everyone. That said, it’s definitely for me. I love the edgy feel of “real” Sci-Fi and love the idea and reality of this film. Stay tuned for my review when this one comes out! Now I just have to hunt it down so I can watch it.

13. Moulin Rouge (2001)

There are moments in Moulin Rouge that were so chilling that I couldn’t take my eyes from the screen, Nicole Kidman so startlingly beautiful and delicate that my heart rose to my throat and Ewan McGregor so innocent and vulnerable that my heart ached. Even the music, though modern and distracting at times, manages to get a rise of emotions in me few films have done. Had the director been able to do that with original music Moulin Rouge would have been in the top ten, but as it stands it’s still one of the best ever.