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4 Stars

Power Ballad (2026)

After the backwash of films like Ray (2004) and Walk the Line (2005), the last two plus years of musical biopics have (for the most part) been quantity over quality.

In that time, there is director John Carney, who has specialized in dramas revolving around music. Nearly two decades since 2007’s Once, he has helmed Begin Again (2014), Sing Street (2016), and Flora and Son (2023). Now comes Power Ballad, proving he knows the idea of how to do quality over quantity (Flora and Son is probably his most forgettable, but that does not make it a bad flick).

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Mark's 21st Century Movie Milestones Movies

Number 5…

Looking back, most would agree that no other year this century had a more top-notch lineup of films than 2007 (although 2019 would come to mind).

That said, it is somewhat forgotten that the year was also solid in its output of musicals. You had originals like Enchanted (which showed the world how alluring Amy Adams can be) and High School Musical 2 (though not as adaquate as the original in my book, the music to that trilogy had popularity like you would not believe). Then there were stage-to-screen adaptations, such as Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (one of Tim Burton’s very best films) and Hairspray, which took delight to a whole new level. Still, no musical (of any year) had me rushing to iTunes to buy the whole album quicker than Once.