Top 5 Disney Songs

I loved Disney growing up, and still do. They may perhaps have taken a dip in quality over the last few years, but speaking as a guy who grew up in the late 90's and early 00's, back in my day, Disney could do no wrong. And one thing that Disney managed to hit out of the park time and time again was music. These are the top 5 songs ever to appear in a Disney film.

5. A Whole New World - Aladdin (Sung by Brad Kane and Lea Salonga)

This song is so romantic it makes me want to marry Aladdin. Of the four big Disney films to come out in the 90's, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King, Aladdin is usually considered the weakest. This song however is definitely one of Disney's best moments, a truly touching and sincere moment, bolstered massively by the fantastic vocal performance of Lea Salonga as Jasmine.  It's very genuine and emotionally driven in addition to being just a very good vocal performance. This song might have placed a little higher were it not for the less than stellar vocal performance of Brad Kane as Aladdin. Don't get me wrong, it isn't bad, but there are a few moments where it does let the song down a little. Still, indubitably a great song.

4. Friends on the Other Side - The Princess and the Frog (Sung by physics defying wizard, Keith David)

This is a film that some of you might not have seen, hell, even I haven't seen it, so it's a little hard to comment on this song from a story telling standpoint but OH... MY... GOD... this song is SO catchy. It is weaponised catchiness. The problem that of course is that there really isn't much else to say, it's a song that's pretty much on the list solely because it pushes my buttons as far as music goes, although it's certainly helped by impressive visuals and an excellent vocal performance from warlock master of time and space, Keith David. I guess all I can really say is give it a listen. It doesn't quite stack up critically to the rest of the songs on the list, but between that infections catchiness and the smooth vocals of Jedi Master and the legendary son of Zeus, Keith David Not the most professional review I've ever done, but hey, no one's perfect, I'm just the closest thing to it.

3. Circle of Life - The Lion King (Sung by Carmen Twillie and Lebo M)

*Clears throat* ...NAAAAAA ZE BETNYAAAAAAA

Sorry, couldn't resist

All kidding aside, I am more than willing to go on record and say that I think the opening to The Lion King is the greatest intro to a film I've ever seen. It introduces our main characters our main characters and sucks you into the film. I admit that without the visual accompaniment, this song wouldn't be so high on the list, but it is nigh impossible to sit watching that intro and not get chills down your spine. It really establishes the gravitas of the whole situation, the birth of the kings son, it sucks you in, it makes you feel that this really is a massive event that you're watching, that you're a part of. The song its self is very good, it obviously ties in with the films central "circle of life" theme, and really helps establish that theme right from the word go. With a duo as potent as Hanz zimmer and Elton John composing the soundtrack, The Lion King was always going to have awesome music, and it doesn't get much better than the Circle of Life.

2. Be Prepared - The Lion King (Sung by Jeremy Irons)

The primary antagonist of The Lion King, Scar, tends to divide opinion. Some people view him as whiny and camp, while others point out Jeremy Irons masterful vocal performance and the fact that Scar actually manages to achieve his goals, killing one of the main characters and taking over pride rock. I tend to lean more to the latter school of thought, but one thing most people agree on is that Be Prepared is one of the best Disney songs ever. Jeremy Irons is no singer, but he doesn't have to be, his vocal performance for Be Prepared is as excellent as it is throughout the rest of the film, as Scar reveals his plans to his Hyena minions. It's a perfect example of not sacrificing storytelling for good music, or vice versa, as this song manages both with panache. The visual accompaniment is excellent too, at one point Scar is seen looking down over an army of Hyenas bearing a less than coincidental resemblance to the traditional view of a certain army who fought in a certain war from 1939 to 1945... not naming any names. Some people don't like it, personally I think it works. Regardless, Be Prepared is a great song, and a great example of how to further a story through music.

1. Hellfire - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Sung by Tony Jay)

In terms of artistic merit, Hellfire may just be the highest peak that Disney have ever reached. This song is nothing short of masterful from beginning to end. Let's start with the actual performance. Tony Jay is a roaring wonder throughout the film as Frollo, one of the great Disney villains, thanks in no small part to this song. It's not the best pure singing performance you'll ever hear but it doesn't need to be. As an overall vocal performance, it's terrific, Jay's authoritative baritone anchoring what are some absolutely tremendous lyrics. The lyrics are quite buzz word heavy, a good example being the line "Don't let her fire sear my flesh and bone", but it isn't at the expense of substance as they suck you in like a black hole to Frollo's state of mind, his internal anguish at the thought of damning his soul in exchange for acting on his lust for Esmerelda. The song is excellently structured, starting off as a latin chant before evolving and building over the course of it's 3 and a quarter minutes into an intense, straight up scary finale, as Frollo accepts the fate of his decision. Hellfire is as an intense and gripping piece of music as you are likely to come across in any medium, blending music, storytelling and character development in spellbinding fashion. I don't hesitate for a moment to call it a masterpiece.

Ranking Every Christopher Nolan Film (Part 1)

I've never hesitated for a moment to say that I think Christopher Nolan is the greatest filmmaker of his generation. He has yet to make a bad film in eight attempts, and films such as The Dark Knight and Inception are frequently heralded as some of the best films of the last decade. I, Lee Woolsey, haven taken it upon myself, for the benefit of mankind, to settle the question once and for all... what is Christopher Nolan's best film... and what is his worst?

Honourable mentions: Following, Insomnia

These are the only two films that I have not seen from Nolan's collection, so there isn't much I can say about them... let's crack on

6. Memento

Memento was Nolan's first "big-budget" film (Even if Memento's budget of $9 million seems rather paltry compared to the $250 million spent on The Dark Knight Rises). It stars Guy Pearce as a man with amnesia attempting to get revenge for the murder of his wife. Memento's bread and butter is it's narrative structure. The film is told chronologically backwards, beginning with the ending scene and working it's way back to the beginning. The effect puts the audience in the shoes of the protagonist, perceiving reality as he does. It's clever and well executed and no doubt, but the fact is, strip it away, and Memento is rather unremarkable. It certainly isn't bad, it's well acted, it's themes are thought provoking and well handled, but you're still looking at a fairly run-of-the-mill revenge film (albeit a well above average one). Therefore, Memento must take it's place at the bottom of the pile. But against such fierce competition, even last place is nothing to be ashamed of. Just take a look at what's next.

5. The Dark Knight Rises

The biggest blockbuster of summer 2012 without a doubt was the third instalment in Nolan's Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises. And I won't lie, I was hyped. I had been hyped for a year. Were my expectations met? Yes... and no. The Dark Knight rises is very good, but it is only very good. It would have been unrealistic to expect it to meet the same lightning-in-a-bottle levels as it's predecessor, but the fact is, it is necessarily in a position where it must be compared to The Dark Knight. And it's absolute peak, The Dark Knight Rises isn't far off The Dark Knight's pace, the acting is very good, Anne Hathaway and Michael Caine in particular are tremendous in their roles. Bane is an excellent but flawed villain, his motivations aren't particularly strong, and the questions about him that intrigued me were never really given a good answer. The story progression is... interesting. The film almost goes through two different story arcs, one after the other, in the same film. A more accurate title might have been "The Dark Knight Rises Twice". The Dark Knight Rises is a very good film, more than worthy of it's place in the greatest film trilogy of all time, (yes, I said it) and though it may be the worst of the three, as with Memento, with competition this fierce, that's nothing to be ashamed of. 

4. Batman Begins

Batman Begins was the first Batman film since Joel Schumacher's execrable Batman and Robin, and was made at a time when young, up and coming director Christopher Nolan wasn't quite the household name he is today. For this reason, Batman Begins was possibly the most important film of Nolan's career. The Dark Knight may have been the film that launched Nolan into the stratosphere, but had Nolan failed with Batman Begins, The Dark Knight would never have existed. But as we know, Nolan didn't fail. He knocked it out of the park. With terrific performances across the board (Katie Holmes the only blemish), and Nolan's trademark non-linear narrative, Nolan created a film that could be enjoyed by someone who had never heard of Batman, he took the character of Batman and revamped and rebooted him for a modern world. Here was someone who so clearly understood the character of Batman, delving effortlessly into the psyche of Bruce Wayne, and perfectly grounding one of it's central themes: fear, virtually from the opening frame until the end credits, the film finishing with one of the best sequel teases you will ever see... for one of the best sequels you will ever see. But we'll get to that later. 

Join me again for part 2 when we finish grading the remaining three films, and find out what Christopher Nolan's greatest film really is.

The Mario Paradox

The most famous video game of all time is arguably Super Mario Bros. Mario as a brand is up there with Coca-Cola, David Beckham, Microsoft and Manchester United, it's one of those things that everyone has heard of. It's also a game series that causes me rather unhealthy amounts of frustration. It isn't that the game is bad. It's the fact that Nintendo have been releasing essentially the same game with a new coat of paint for the last 20+ years. This is inarguable. New Super Mario Bros. Wii, in addition to being a rather unpalatable title, is still fresh in the mind as the most recent reincarnation of that original classic, the only difference being a few different power ups and the addition of one of the more frustrating multiplayer modes you are likely to come across. And yet... people continue to buy it. This is a phenomenon that has perplexed me for some time. It should be clear that nintendo are just cashing on the brand name, beating a dead horse and any other cliche you can think of in order to make as much profit for as little effort as possible... but people still buy it. It's clear that the original hasn't gone anywhere, hell you can download an old SNES emulator online and play it totally free... but people continue to fork out the £40 hard earned pounds that Nintendo asks of them in order to play a game that they have probably already completed five different iterations of. This is a social phenomenon that I have dubbed: The Mario Paradox. My question? Why? It's a fair question, in my view, but it's never one that I've gotten a satisfying answer to. And I think I have a decent idea why. It's because nobody knows. No one has quite cracked the riddle of why, in these very difficult economic times, people would pay to buy a game that is almost identical to one they already have. So I will attempt to give it a shot.

I think the main reason, ironically enough, is that the current economy is actually the spur to buy these games, rather than the deterrent. Let's say you have two choices. You can buy New Super Mario Bros. Wii (henceforth known as NSMBW) or you can buy, just because it's a game I am familiar with, Mass Effect. Let's assume for the moment that they cost the same price, and that our hypothetical customer hasn't played either of them, and has no preference between platformers and RPG's. Chances are, she's not got a lot of spare change, and wants to take the purchase option with the least risk involved. Few people are going to argue that Mass Effect is the superior title, it has much more depth, great writing, superb characters and a wonderfully gripping story, taking your hero from a small human colony to beyond the furthest stars. But that doesn't matter. In fact, let's assume our customer knows all this, knows how critically well received the Mass Effect series has been. NSMBW is still the less risky choice. Why? Because she's already played it. She sees the Mario name attached to it, she knows she'll enjoy it, because, really, she's already played it. In the short term, we have one happy customer. In the long term... we have complacency. Game developers, like Nintendo, will continue to pump out the same game in a new suit over and over because they know it will make them money. What does this mean? It means we have fewer and fewer developers trying to push the boundaries of what gaming is, fewer developers trying to create a truly unique and creative experience, because... they don't need to.

The same is true of films. Did you know there is ANOTHER Resident Evil film coming out? Yeah, there is. The metaphor of the customer can be applied to the studio producing Resident Evil (don't know what studio that is, sorry) Supposing you are the studio. The Resident Evil guys come to you with another film in mind. Another instalment from a bankable, moderately successful franchise with an in-built fan base who will be happy to lap up another RE just to switch their brains off for a few hours. Now, supposing a small time director comes to you with a pitch. He's written a smart, engaging original screenplay, and he has come to you for financial backing. The film could be a beautiful story, centred around a wonderfully creative cast of emotionally engaging characters, something that will resonate with people, something that will make them sit up and take notice. Which one would they pick to finance? Resident Evil, every time. Why? Because the second film is a risk that they don't need to take because people will pay to see brain junk food, like Resident Evil.

In the end, humanity continues to be it's own worst enemy. Our art is what our descendants, hundreds of years from now, will remember us by. And for as long as we continue to accept mediocrity, mediocrity is what we will get. That is the word that will define this artistic period in human period. The age of mediocrity. Sure, there are a few diamonds in the rough that will stick out, and shine all the brighter next to the dross standing beside them. Mass Effect, Inception, Let the Right One In, The Dark Knight trilogy... but these are few and far between. In the end, we are far more likely to be held up to our descendants as an example of how things shouldn't be done. We will be remembered, not for our successes... but for our shortcomings.