Dance Movie reviews

I'm one of those people that is a day late and a dollar short when it comes to seeing movies. I don't like going to the movie theater so I wait for movies to come on cable or rent them from Blockbuster. Recently, I watched "One Last Dance" starring Patrick Swayze and wife, writer and director, Lisa Niemi and "The Company" starring Neve Campbell and Malcolm McDowell.

Although the plot in "One Last Dance" is a bit hard to swallow because of the ages of the 3 principals, I ultimately enjoyed the dancing. Being a little familiar with the dance world, the movie features some amazing choreographers and dancers, especially Desmond Richardson & Rasta Thomas, etc. These two were voted two of the 2006 "sexiest" dancers in the world by Dance Magazine although I have yet to read or see the article. The extra stuff on the DVD has interviews with Patrick, Lisa, George De La Pena, Desmond, Rasta and several choreographers. For me, I get a better appreciation for the artists after hearing them discuss what it is they do and hope to accomplish. Desmond has the nicest voice and mannerisms, too.

Plot Outline: Three dancers are forced to reconcile their differences.
Plot Synopsis: When a New York dance company's brilliant artistic director dies, three former stars of the company are brought back in hopes of saving the company by resurrecting a dance piece that was created for them years ago, but never performed - the very dance that ended all their careers in a heartbreaking way. Given one last chance to discover a dream they lost, the three dancers battle against time and damaged relationships, finding they must first face themselves before they can face the dance. Ultimately this movie is about how the 3 leading characters work out the demons among them. We watch this movie through the narrative of the choreography as it develops. I will probably buy this movie.



Uh, these are some more guys I would love to watch flopping around in tights.



BTW, Desmond stars in the ballet "Othello," and I found clips of the three principle dancers, choreographer, Lar Lubovitch (also in "The Company" below), and composer, Elliot Goldenthal discussing their role in the making of the ballet.

Plot Outline: Ensemble drama centered around a group of ballet dancers, with a focus on one young dancer (Campbell) who's poised to become a principal performer.
Plot Synopsis: An inside look at the world of ballet. With the complete cooperation of the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, Altman follows the stories of the dancers, whose professional and personal lives grow impossibly close, as they cope with the demands of a life in the ballet. Campbell plays a gifted but conflicted company member on the verge of becoming a principal dancer at a fictional Chicago troupe, with McDowell the company's co-founder and artistic director, considered one of America's most exciting choreographers. Franco plays Campbell's boyfriend and one of the few characters not involved in the world of dance.

I had barely seen this movie last year on HBO while in the Caribbean so I didn't realize that it featured the Joffrey Ballet, including much of their artistic and production staff. Two famous choreographers have acting roles as themselves in the movie so one really gets a perspective on how ballets are put together. Awesome! How amazing that I not only have seen many of these dancers live but have met several of them as well. I like this movie as much as "Center Stage;" however, the choreography, realism and behind the scenes feel of "The Company" is better by comparison. Perhaps because I know more, I can appreciate it more. Also, I'm seeing this movie after having seen the Joffrey Ballet perform, and I love them. Neve Campbell did a terrific job acting, dancing and putting this movie together; she is amazing. I'll probably buy this from Amazon.com.

Best,

Chi