I love this scene from the 2011 Best Picture winner The Artist because, to me, it perfectly captures both the wonder of film and the beauty of dance. If watching Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo dance doesn’t make you happy, then there is no hope for you.
Neighbors is coming out in 2014. While the trailer doesn’t particularly make the film appear to be the epitome of cinematic brilliance, how can you resist a film that features Seth Rogen, Dave Franco, and Zac Efron?
We Are What We Are is a remake of a disturbingly intense 2010 Mexican film about a family of cannibals. Will the remake match the original’s intensity? It’s hard to imagine that it could but, judging from the trailer, the filmmakers are at least going to try.
Today’s dance scene that I love comes from Spike Lee’s frustrating yet brilliant 1998 film, Summer of Sam. In this scene, a perpetually unfaithful husband (John Leguizamo) dances with his wife (Mira Sorvino). In this scene, Lee establishes the dynamic of Leguizamo and Sorvino’s troubled marriage. Leguizamo may be the man but Sorvino is definitely the star.
Yay! It’s another trailer featuring my favorite actor — JAMES FRANCO! He not only stars in Palo Alto but he produced it and it’s even based on his short stories. Can we just go ahead and announce that 2013 will be forever remembered as the Year of Franco?
Last year’s Step Up Revolution is, in many ways, the epitome of guilty pleasure. On the one hand, it’s totally and complete ludicrous. And, then on the other hand — well, there is no other hand, to be honest. It’s a silly little film but the dancing is really good and how can you not love something that over-the-top? With it’s quick-cut editing, relentless beat, and hilarious attempts at being socially relevant, Step Up Revolution is the type of film that, in the future, our children will watch and laugh at even as we savor the nostalgia.
Case in point: the film’s opening dance sequence.
Today’s dance scene that I love comes from the 1981 cult classic, Strange Behavior. This scene proves that every horror films needs a totally random dance sequence.
There’s no way that I could ever write about the dance scenes that I love without including at least one scene from 1961’s best picture winner, West Side Story.
Sadly, people tend to underappreciate West Side Story. They focus on the fact that the singing voices of Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer are overdubbed by Marni Nixon and Jimmy Bryant, respectively. They laugh at the sight of “tough” street kids dancing around and singing that when you’re a jet, you’re the best.
Well, they’re wrong.
West Side Story is still one of the best musicals ever made and every time I see it, it’s a magical experience for me.
I think my favorite number from the film remains America. Watching this scene, you can tell why both Rita Moreno and George Chakiris won Academy Awards for their performances. They both bring a lot of fire and passion to their roles and nowhere is that more apparent then in America.
This year is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and I have to admit that I’m surprised that there aren’t a few hundred JFK-related films coming out this year. Seriously, since January, it’s something that those of us in Dallas have had to hear about it on a daily basis.
Then again, it’s because I’m from Texas that I’m somewhat glad that there aren’t a lot of films coming out about that day back in 1963. Quite frankly, I don’t need to sit through a hundred films featuring a bunch of character actors butchering my state’s native accent.
If you can’t do the accent, don’t accept the damn role. End of story.
However, just because there aren’t a lot of them, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be films looking to exploit the anniversary. For example, there’s Parkland. Judging from the trailer below, Parkland appears to be an ensemble film about “ordinary” people dealing with the assassination of President Kennedy.
A lot of critics have been saying that Parkland might be a dark horse contender for best picture but it looks dreadfully earnest to me. Add to that, this seems like just the subject matter to bring out the pompousness that always seems to be hiding underneath the surface of producer Tom Hanks.
That said, I know I’ll end up seeing it.
It’s about my hometown, after all.
Today’s dance scene that I love comes from the 1957 musical Silk Stockings.
This is a special scene for me because it features one of my favorite dancers, the legendary Cyd Charisse. Many years ago, before I discovered that I wanted to be a writer, I dreamed of growing up and being a beautiful and talented dancer like Cyd Charisse.
In Silk Stockings, Cyd Charisse plays a humorless Russian who, when she comes to Paris discovers that life doesn’t have to be drab and boring. She discovers the joy of freedom and what better to express freedom than through dance?
