Best of the Decade: Musicals and Family Films
All right. So, I'm back with the 4th part of my series of blogs that looks back on the movies of the decade and counts down the best. I've finally reached a point where I can be more consistent about how often I post blogs. I hope to be able to post once a week from now on.
So, this week I will be counting down the best in musicals and family films. Let me begin with musicals. The musical genre had a bit of a resurgence this decade, beginning with the success of Moulin Rouge in 2001. I believe this lead to a release that averaged one or two musicals per year (excluding animated features). Unfortunately, some were not very good and others were adequate. Due to the lack of output and quality, it was impossible for me to create a top 10 list. Therefore, I present to you the top five musicals of the decade:
5. Hairspray
4. Bride & Prejudice
3. Dancer in the Dark
2. Once
1. Moulin Rouge
Honorable mention: Dreamgirls
And now for family films. The reason this was quite difficult was because family films are one of the most commonly produced genres of film. Unfortunately, most are pretty bad or mediocre because they either talk down to kids or rely on formulas and cliches to tell stories. But there were enough exceptions to formulate a list of ten great family films. These are typically fantastical, but almost always have some message about the importance of family. So, here they are:
10. Peter Pan
9. The Spiderwick Chronicles
8. Bridge to Terabithia
7. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
6. Charlotte's Web
5. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
4. Elf
3. Enchanted
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
1. Where the Wild Things Are
Honorable mention: Because of Winn-Dixie, the Harry Potter series, Prince Caspian
So, there are my picks for the best in musicals and family films. To be honest, I'm kind of glad to be done with this one. I hope to be back next week with the best in foreign films (non-English language films) and action films. Until then, feel free as always to leave comments below on where you and I differ or what you agree with. I'd love to hear what you think.
So, this week I will be counting down the best in musicals and family films. Let me begin with musicals. The musical genre had a bit of a resurgence this decade, beginning with the success of Moulin Rouge in 2001. I believe this lead to a release that averaged one or two musicals per year (excluding animated features). Unfortunately, some were not very good and others were adequate. Due to the lack of output and quality, it was impossible for me to create a top 10 list. Therefore, I present to you the top five musicals of the decade:
4. Bride & Prejudice
3. Dancer in the Dark
2. Once
1. Moulin Rouge
Honorable mention: Dreamgirls
And now for family films. The reason this was quite difficult was because family films are one of the most commonly produced genres of film. Unfortunately, most are pretty bad or mediocre because they either talk down to kids or rely on formulas and cliches to tell stories. But there were enough exceptions to formulate a list of ten great family films. These are typically fantastical, but almost always have some message about the importance of family. So, here they are:
10. Peter Pan
9. The Spiderwick Chronicles
8. Bridge to Terabithia
7. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
6. Charlotte's Web
5. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
4. Elf
3. Enchanted
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
1. Where the Wild Things Are
Honorable mention: Because of Winn-Dixie, the Harry Potter series, Prince Caspian
So, there are my picks for the best in musicals and family films. To be honest, I'm kind of glad to be done with this one. I hope to be back next week with the best in foreign films (non-English language films) and action films. Until then, feel free as always to leave comments below on where you and I differ or what you agree with. I'd love to hear what you think.