Eight of The Most Enjoyable Musicals You Will Ever Watch!

            I’m not much of a musical kind of guy, but the movie industry is weird, and there are a trillion ways to do everything! So as with most things, it’s always going to be the more unconventional musicals that leave some kind of impression on me. With that I humbly present to you, “Eight of The Most Enjoyable Musicals You Will Ever Watch!” This list is in no particular order, and I hope you walk away from this list having discovered some titles you never knew existed.

1, Across the Universe. (2007)

            This film starring Jim Sturgess and Evan Rachel Wood, follows a love struck couple as they live out their lives, and coming into adulthood during the time of the Vietnam War. Along the way, scenes and montages are accompanied by covers of popular Beatles songs sung by the cast.

2, Rock of Ages. (2012)

            Proving that Tom Cruise is eternal, Rock of Ages follows the story of a small town girl and a city boy meeting on the sunset strip as they follow their Hollywood dreams. Throughout the film they are joined by colorful characters played by a cast of talented character actors such as Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin, and Bryan Cranston.

3, Little Shop of Horrors. (1986)

            A more traditional movie musical, Little Shop of Horrors follows wimpy little Seymour Krelborn, played by the always funny Rick Moranis. Seymour is forced to kill for his strange plant from outer space, Audrey II, who feeds on human blood, and promises Seymour fame and fortune while seeking to fulfill its own, more sinister endeavors.

4, Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny. (2006)

            Next on the list is one of the raunchier picks. Tenacious D is an actual two man band made up of Jack Black and Kyle Gass with a long history of stage and television appearances. Their only feature film to date, the movie is meant to be the band’s first fictional adventure. In the movie they go on a cross country road trip on the hunt for, the Pick of Destiny. The pick is an item of myth that’s said to be the Devil’s tooth, and it’s able to grant any musician mastery over guitar playing.

5, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. (1999)

            Another rated R, over the top, musical romp, is South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut. Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creative heads behind all things South Park, never fail to be hilarious. These comedy geniuses deliver a comedy musical to end all comedy musicals with a story that intertwines satire of the late 90’s, with prophecies that threaten to send the world into biblical chaos!

6, Heavy Metal. (1981)

            Although not exactly a musical, (it’s my list, I do what I want, get off my back) Heavy Metal is a movie with scenes punctuated by great soundtracks from 1980’s rock bands. Among the talent that lent their sound to this movie are bands like Cheap Trick, Black Sabbath, Journey, and Blue Oyster Cult. Heavy Metal is an interesting pick because it’s an anthology film made up of eight separate stories. It’s also a cartoon, but don’t be fooled, it earns its R rating with a ton of violence, nudity, and scenes of aliens abusing drugs… (Sex, drugs, and rock & roll indeed!)

7, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead. (2006)

            We’ve all heard me sing Troma’s praises in the past, is it really any surprise a Troma film would make it onto this list? Poultrygeist is a Horror/Comedy/Zombie/Musical, that follows its lead character, Arby, as he tries to prove himself a man to his ex-girlfriend, turned activist/feminist/lesbian by becoming a cashier at a fast food restaurant. Little does this cast of characters suspect, the ground they walk on is sitting on top of an old Native American burial ground, and the spirits are angry! Possession, and a finale that displays utter chaos as an entire town turns into a mob of zombie chickens in a matter of hours is the highlight of the film. And yes, it’s B-Movie gold.

8, Gwar: Phallus in Wonderland. (1992)

            (A note about Gwar. They are a band with lore behind them. A fictional history that details the origins of these Space Barbarians from the planet of Skum-Dogia. When the earth was young, Gwar crash landed in the arctic while looking for a planet to overthrow with their mighty influence! Fast forward to the late 80’s early 90’s, Gwar was thawed out by their now Manager, Sleazy P. Martini. Since their awakening, Gwar has used their alien lifestyle, and lack of respect for anything earthly to systematically wipe out humanity through Heavy Metal music.)

            Phallus in wonderland tells the story of a court battle through which Gwar front man, Oderus Urungus, loses his precious, “Cuttlefish of Cthulhu,” an item so near and dear to Oderus, you could say it’s a part of him! (It is, I just won’t say what part) Now it’s up to Gwar to literally fight a group known as, The Morality Squad, to get the Cuttlefish back, and set everything right with the world! This movie runs about an hour long, and is really just made up of music videos by the band along with new scenes to fill out a narrative structure. If your into metal, but don’t want to watch the movie, I suggest listening to the album this film is based on, “America Must Be Destroyed.” But if you don’t watch the movie, then you’re missing out on the film’s finale involving Gwar’s pet mutant Tyrannosaurus Rex awaking from a million year sleep just to eat anything and everything that stands in his way… Including his own family!

            I hope you enjoyed the list. Remember that a few of these movies are in the Rated R-NC17 range due to violence and such. But nothing here has any shortage of over the top fun and strangeness we all know and love. Honestly though, if anyone reading this happens to be a parent, keep your kids away from this material, it’s not meant for them, stick to Disney or watch these movies on you own time.