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Showing posts with label nostalgic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nostalgic. Show all posts

Monday, October 17, 2011

Footloose

Q: What’s the movie about?

A:  Based on the older and wiser movie of the same name, the new kid in town (Kenny Wormald)  is shocked to learn that public dancing under the age of 18 is illegal.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A:  Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, Andie MacDowell, Miles Teller, Ray McKinnon, Patrick John Flueger, Kim Dickens, Ziah Colon, Ser'Darius Blain, L. Warren Young, Brett Rice, Maggie Jones, Mary-Charles Jones, Enisha Brewster

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A:  PhotobucketProceed with Caution.  This movie is neither sexy enough nor cheesy enough.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A:  Like I said, it's not cheesy enough.  If it had taken itself a little less seriously and gone for the "so bad it's good" category, it could have had me rolling out of my seat in uncomfortable laughter.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A:  The friend I saw it with admitted to a couple of moments of getting teary-eyed, but she also admitted to being on diet pills, and I hear those make you emotional.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A:  Yes, the I Miss Kevin Bacon Award-- which is especially surprising when you consider that Kevin Bacon is in so many movies, that you hardly have time to miss him... But oh, how I do!

Q: How is the Acting?

A:  Kenny Wormald is-- I miss Kevin Bacon.  Dennis Quaid is a brave man to attempt to take on a role previously played by John Lithgow.  And did you know that Andie MacDowell is in this movie?  Neither did I, and I watched it.  Miles Teller in the Chris Penn role is the only one who comes close to matching his predecessor's energy.  That is not counting Julianne Hough, who blows Lori Singer's Ariel out of the water...  But I never did like Lori Singer.  Probably because she got to kiss Kevin Bacon.

Q: How is the Directing?

A:  As much as I loved Hustle & Flow, the directing on Footloose does not make Craig Brewer appear to know what he's doing.  The dance scenes are poorly choreographed-- I think-- it's hard to tell because they are shot and edited so haphazardly that you can hardly tell what's going on in them.  The director basically uses wide shots, often from high angles, or tight close-ups in which you can't see how anyone's body is moving.  The only dance shots that work are the ones that I recognized as  lifted directly from the original movie.  You'll have to trust me on this because despite the fact that I haven't seen it since 1984, I'm something of an expert on the original Footloose.  You see, I wrote a book report on it.  Yeah, for school.

Q: How is the story/script?

A:  They added some back story and took out all the sexiness.  I don't think they meant to, but  I sure do miss Kevin Bacon.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A:  They paid homage to many of the important songs from the original, Footloose, I Need a Hero, Let's Hear it for the Boy, Almost Paradise, but in many cases the remake versions of these songs leave you feeling tantric, like you're almost where you want to be, but you're pretty sure you're never gonna get there.   On the positive side, one of the original songs used was by one of my favorite new indie artists, Lissie, and it fit very well.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Footloose Trailer

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Sunday, May 15, 2011

Potiche


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An unappreciated trophy housewife (Catherine Deneuve), in the 1970s, has an opportunity to take over her husband’s company, and manages to turn the business around in three weeks, leading to her own and other women’s self-empowerment.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Catherine Deneuve, Gerard Depardieu, Fabrice Luchini, Karin Viard, Judith Godreche, Jeremie Renier

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. It’s French-style camp, but the humor doesn’t land.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Deneuve's attitude about her husband cheating is kind of charming.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: The photographs of how beautiful both Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu were in their youth, should make anyone on the wrong side of thirty-five cry— because whether we want it or not, this is the direction we’re all headed in.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Most Happily Dysfunctional Marriage ever portrayed on screen.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Sorry, I can’t focus on acting when there’s too much collagen in the lips. Is she pouting? Is she exasperated? Is that a smile? No I think it's a pout. But does she mean to pout? Or is it simply the only expression her mouth is capable of?... Oh, who cares.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: There is a ton of blurriness, especially in the first ten minutes. In some ways it helps to make the film feel old— as if the film had been left in someone’s wine cellar since the 1970s. In other ways, the blurriness helps the director seem like he needs to find a cinematographer who knows how to pull focus.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The story, relationships, and character motivations make virtually no logical sense, but Catherine Deneuve’s character is quite fun, and possibly the only reason to see this movie.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Potiche Trailer

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