My love for the musical...

Okay okay...so I'm still at 1 for my Best Picture nominees, but I have been watching movies. They just happen to be a bit older than the ones on my Oscar list. For instance, last night I re-watched An American in Paris - the Best Picture Oscar winner, mind you, for 1951 - and reconnected with my love for Gene Kelly. Being Valentine's Day and all I thought, why not do something that I love: watch my favorite movies that happen to be super sappy romances. Give me a break, I'm in recovery. Anyhow, the reason I decided to watch this one lends itself to the fact that I saw the Law & Order: SVU episode with Leslie Caron (for which she won an Emmy) and felt it was time to re-see her in the film which she danced with the master himself and also introduced her to American audiences. The sets are completely glossy - as any MGM musical should be - and the random bursting into song and dance is as gloriously unrealistic - as any musical should be. The thing I love most about this film is the choreography. Having no rhythm myself, I appreciate those who do possess that talent. Gene Kelly choreographed the film, and it was his part in this which lead to the making of that quintessential Gene film - Singin' in the Rain. In my opinion, no musical tops Singin', but An American in Paris is breathtaking and entertaining. Besides: How can any film taken from Gershwin be bad?

And while I'm on the topic of musicals, last week at work I started screening Funny Girl (an Oscar contender for 1968), and I have to say, I enjoyed it just as much as I did when I was five. Say what you will about Barbara Streisand, but damn! She's brilliant! Her voice is amazing (in that Broadway-way) and she's exceptionally funny! Apparently my mother's tastes aren't as tasteless as originally thought. I feel a Barbara retrospective on the horizon...