Q: What’s the movie about?A: Remake of the 1980 musical about a group of kids who attend New York's High School for the Performing Arts.
Q: Who’s in the movie?A: Kay Panabaker, Walter Perez, Naturi Naughton, Asher Book, Kherington Payne, Collins Pennie, Kristy Flores, Paul McGill, Paul Iacono, Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, and Cody Longo. And as their supervisors: Kelsey Grammer, Charles S. Dutton, Bebe Neuwirth, Megan Mullally, Debbie Allen.
Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?A:
Proceed with Caution. More than anything this movie will make you long to see the original, partly because the nostalgic element is completely missed in the new version, and partly so you can find out if it was equally as trite as this one, and the only reason you didn't notice was because back then, you were too young to know better.
Q: Will this movie make me laugh?A: Not so much. Unless, like me, you have an adorable 6 year old boy sitting next to you, making peanut gallery comments like, "That song was beautiful!" And, "I like the lion!" Which refers to the MGM lion that roars at the beginning of the movie.
Q: Will this movie make me cry?A: I was on the verge of tears for a non-continuous 30% of the film. It was completely unjustifiable, and most likely had nothing to do with the content. Maybe it was hormones.
Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?A: They wrote a lot of new songs in their efforts to update this piece to present day sensibilities, but in all their efforts, the only song that really moves you is the one they kept from the original, "Out Here on My Own." And I'm pretty sure that won't qualify as Best
Original Song.
Q: How is the Acting?A: The one reason this is worth seeing is that you will have the opportunity to feel like you've discovered some great new talent. In particular, Naturi Naughton, who sings like a next generation Mary J. Blige, and Asher Book, whose vocal stylings make you hope he will fall in love with you. On the other hand, Kherington Payne-- who I just found out was a winner on "So You Think You Can Dance?"-- is not nearly as good a dancer as the extras who are playing backup dancers to her lead. The professional dancers surrounding her hit each move with a sharpness and precision, that make Kherington look like she was discovered on a reality show... This is just more proof, that when America votes, they get second tier stars.
Q: How is the Directing?A: Using lots of long lenses with action in the foreground doesn't make the story any more engrossing, and sometimes, you find yourself actually getting a little impatient with the scenes, as you wonder if anything interesting is going to happen once the director is done indulging himself in his own sense of beautifulness.
Q: How is the story/script?A: A lot of the conflict is completely illogical, as kids fight with their parents over things their parents would never fight them for. Plus there are times when the dialogue seems either generic and predictable, or simply unnecessary.
Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie? A: After opening on an elaborate audition montage, it's hard to imagine how the majority of the main characters got into the school, with auditions that are sometimes humiliating, and shouldn't have garnered much more than a "Don't call us, we'll call you."
Q: Where can I see the trailer? A:
http://www.moviefone.com/movie/fame/30945/trailers
Go! This movie is an instant classic... Which isn't to say that it's not slow and boring at times.
