Movie Reviews
Film and television reviewed the way I’d want to read them — with a rating that means something, an honest accounting of what works and what doesn’t, and craft notes for writers who want to understand how the machinery operates.
Each review includes a craft notes section for writers — specific observations about structure, character, world-building, and what the film does that you can actually use. Not theory. Technique you can steal.
Musical (17)
May 19, 2026All That Jazz (1979)
Bob Fosse's 1979 autobiographical musical about his own self-destruction. Roy Scheider as the Fosse stand-in. Brutal and brilliant.
May 19, 2026An American in Paris (1951)
Vincente Minnelli's 1951 Gershwin musical. Gene Kelly as American painter in Paris. Won six Academy Awards including Best Picture.
May 19, 2026Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
Bryan Singer's 2018 Freddie Mercury biopic. Rami Malek won Best Actor. Queen's Live Aid recreation. Historical compression.
May 19, 2026Cabaret (1972)
Bob Fosse's 1972 Weimar Berlin musical. Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles. Nazi rise as backdrop. Won eight Academy Awards.
May 19, 2026Chicago (2002)
Rob Marshall's 2002 jazz-age murder musical. Zellweger, Zeta-Jones, Gere. Won six Academy Awards including Best Picture.
May 19, 2026Holiday Inn (1942)
A singer retires to a Connecticut farm and converts it into an inn that only opens on holidays, leading to a rivalry with his former dance partner.
May 19, 2026La La Land (2016)
Damien Chazelle's 2016 Hollywood musical. Stone, Gosling. Almost won Best Picture before envelope correction. Audition song.
May 19, 2026Mary Poppins (1964)
Disney's 1964 Travers adaptation. Julie Andrews flying with umbrella, Dick Van Dyke as cockney chimney sweep. Live action animation hybrid.
May 19, 2026Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
An American family in 1903 St. Louis faces upheaval when the father announces a move to New York, with Christmas as the season of crisis.
May 19, 2026Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Baz Luhrmann's 2001 jukebox musical. Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor in turn-of-century Paris. Maximalist visual assault.
May 19, 2026Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
Brian De Palma's 1974 cult musical horror. Faust crossed with Phantom of the Opera. Paul Williams as the devil. Strange and singular.
May 17, 2026Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Donen and Kelly's 1952 musical comedy about the talkie transition. Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds. The musical other musicals measure against.
May 19, 2026The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Michael Caine plays Scrooge opposite Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the Muppet ensemble in a sincere adaptation of Dickens.
May 19, 2026Top Hat (1935)
1935 Astaire-Rogers peak. Irving Berlin score. The Cheek to Cheek number is canonical. Their fifth collaboration and their best.
May 19, 2026Walk the Line (2005)
James Mangold's 2005 Johnny Cash biopic. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon as Cash and June Carter. Witherspoon won Best Actress.
May 19, 2026West Side Story (1961)
1961 Robbins-Wise adaptation of the Sondheim-Bernstein stage musical. Romeo and Juliet on Manhattan streets. Won ten Academy Awards.
May 19, 2026White Christmas (1954)
Two singers join a sister act and follow them to a Vermont inn run by their former Army general, where they stage a Christmas show to save it.