Jason KingFame ($6-)
September 23rd 2009 12:11
:
FAME = FAIL
Category: No Category
Fame ($6-)
I had the pleasure of attending the WORLD PREMIERE of Fame last night and my beautiful date, Carrie, and I headed off to the stunning Sydney Harbour to mingle with the local B graders and pretend we were it people
The event was held at the awesome Dendy Circualr Quay Cinema overlooking Sydney harbour and after a couple of drinks at Opera Bar we headed to the black carpet. Minor mishaps aside it was a good event. I don't suggest running out of popcorn at a premiere and if I ever meet the AV guy I may have to shoot him. As the lead actors could not make the night we got a video link onscreen with them talking about the film etc but we will never know because we got no sound. FAIL
However the film presentation was great and if you know me this is a big compliment
Now, the film, BIGGER FAIL!!!
I don't know where to begin but want to keep it brief in fear of being attacked for rambling about my dislikes.
You all should know about FAME, a reinvention of the original Oscar winning hit film from 1980, following a talented group of dancers, singers, actors, and artists over four years at the New York City High School of Performing Arts, a diverse, creative powerhouse where students from all walks of life are given a chance to live out their dreams and achieve real and lasting fame...the kind that comes only from talent, dedication, and hard work.
In an incredibly competitive atmosphere, plagued by self-doubt, each student's passion will be put to the test. In addition to their artistic goals, they have to deal with everything else that goes along with high school, a tumultuous time full of schoolwork, deep friendships, budding romance, and self-discovery.
As each student strives for his or her moment in the spotlight, they'll discover who among them has the innate talent and necessary discipline to succeed. With the love and support of their friends and fellow artists, they'll find out who amongst them will achieve Fame.
The cast includes Asher Book as Marco, Kristy Flores as Rosie, Paul Iacono as Neil, Paul McGill as Kevin, Naturi Naughton as Denise, Kay Panabaker as Jenny, Kherington Payne as Alice, Collins Pennie as Malik, Walter Perez as Victor, and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle as Joy. Their instructors include Debbie Allen as Principal Simms, Charles S. Dutton as Alvin Dowd, Kelsey Grammer as Joel Cranston, Megan Mullally as Fran Rowan, and Bebe Neuwirth as Lynn Kraft. Thanks for the synopsis MGM.
- this is the Carnevil Clip
OK, there are a few decent numbers in the show. But this is a film that is there for providing amazing musical and talented dance numbers. You see most of them in the trailer. There is one scene that was amazing - the Carnevil night was great and this is what I wanted more of. I also loved Naturi Naughton, she has a voice that early Whitney, Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson would be proud of, but she starts as a piano player and ends up a singer. Her story was ok. I loved her mum's hand up towards the end.
I also loved that Kelsey Grammer and Megan Mullally were in it. In fact all the teachers are well known NY actors and yet their parts are so minimal. I thought Kelsey was going somewhere with the history of him and another teacher at one stage but it did not eventuate.
My biggest gripe is because of so many lead actors there is limited character development or the development we see is so quick it had no effect. I really did not care for any of the students. OK - one of them, Paul McGill as Kevin. He tries and tries but the teacher, played by Bebe Neuwirth, says he will never be good enough, next scene suicide attempt, and then next scene given up but dances the finale. I wanted the overcoming of adversity and to stick it to the teacher and to let himself dance with his heart to win out. But NO - end of story.
Imagine an hour and three quarter film trying to cover about 10 lead actors over 4yrs while managing to showcase their talent and let us see some personality - FAIL. I do know with the original film that it was followed by a fairly long running TV show so we got to see endless development with the characters and my brain cannot remember that far back as to whether the original movie was lacking the same. Something I look forward to rewatching. I worshipped the TV show and the FAME song tape single was one of the first I ever had and I played the single over and over again wanting to be one of the performers.This film needed less students to focus on and some of them with more talent. The one uber talented HOT lady dancer, Johanna Braddy as Katie, could dance so amazing and yet she has about three small scenes where she talks. I didn't give a rats about her.
Then let's move on to the supposed main lead characters, Asher Book as Marco is totally HOT and can sing the pants off anything, there is also Kay Panabaker as Jenny, his love interest. Jenny is meant to be in the school for her acting talent and she is SHOCKING. I do not know why or how she got into the school. She adds no value to the film and her chemistry with Book is just non existent. I have more chemistry with my cat, she also looks so young it was like Book was kissing his younger sister. And BOOK - he is HOT, he can sing but boy oh boy he cannot act - he looks like a young Billy from the original Melrose Place.
When I said to friends that Fame was a big fail one of my friends sarcastically remarked "why, did you have high expectations for another film?". Of course I did!!! I have high expectations for every film I see - what is the point of making a film unless people in the world want to see it and have high expectations? For a restarting of FAME, this film had a lot to answer for and as usual the trailer looked like it could deliver.... unfortunately not. Shame!
The film is shot well and it does capture the tone of the NY Fame School and the feeling of the original but it is not Centre Stage or close to the original which you cab gran for $28- on Blu Ray from most stores at the moment. It starts out well and has many great moments but skydives quickly with not much WOW factor.The film lacks out trying to do to much but it's out tomorrow so make up your own mind at cinemas. Worth $6-. Similar to what Lynn says to Kevin - "it is my job to tell you......personally I don't think you will ever be a succesful dancer (film)". This won't live forever and sadly I don't think it will fly high.
I had the pleasure of attending the WORLD PREMIERE of Fame last night and my beautiful date, Carrie, and I headed off to the stunning Sydney Harbour to mingle with the local B graders and pretend we were it people
The event was held at the awesome Dendy Circualr Quay Cinema overlooking Sydney harbour and after a couple of drinks at Opera Bar we headed to the black carpet. Minor mishaps aside it was a good event. I don't suggest running out of popcorn at a premiere and if I ever meet the AV guy I may have to shoot him. As the lead actors could not make the night we got a video link onscreen with them talking about the film etc but we will never know because we got no sound. FAIL
However the film presentation was great and if you know me this is a big compliment
Now, the film, BIGGER FAIL!!!
I don't know where to begin but want to keep it brief in fear of being attacked for rambling about my dislikes.
You all should know about FAME, a reinvention of the original Oscar winning hit film from 1980, following a talented group of dancers, singers, actors, and artists over four years at the New York City High School of Performing Arts, a diverse, creative powerhouse where students from all walks of life are given a chance to live out their dreams and achieve real and lasting fame...the kind that comes only from talent, dedication, and hard work.
In an incredibly competitive atmosphere, plagued by self-doubt, each student's passion will be put to the test. In addition to their artistic goals, they have to deal with everything else that goes along with high school, a tumultuous time full of schoolwork, deep friendships, budding romance, and self-discovery.
As each student strives for his or her moment in the spotlight, they'll discover who among them has the innate talent and necessary discipline to succeed. With the love and support of their friends and fellow artists, they'll find out who amongst them will achieve Fame.
The cast includes Asher Book as Marco, Kristy Flores as Rosie, Paul Iacono as Neil, Paul McGill as Kevin, Naturi Naughton as Denise, Kay Panabaker as Jenny, Kherington Payne as Alice, Collins Pennie as Malik, Walter Perez as Victor, and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle as Joy. Their instructors include Debbie Allen as Principal Simms, Charles S. Dutton as Alvin Dowd, Kelsey Grammer as Joel Cranston, Megan Mullally as Fran Rowan, and Bebe Neuwirth as Lynn Kraft. Thanks for the synopsis MGM.
- this is the Carnevil Clip
OK, there are a few decent numbers in the show. But this is a film that is there for providing amazing musical and talented dance numbers. You see most of them in the trailer. There is one scene that was amazing - the Carnevil night was great and this is what I wanted more of. I also loved Naturi Naughton, she has a voice that early Whitney, Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson would be proud of, but she starts as a piano player and ends up a singer. Her story was ok. I loved her mum's hand up towards the end.
I also loved that Kelsey Grammer and Megan Mullally were in it. In fact all the teachers are well known NY actors and yet their parts are so minimal. I thought Kelsey was going somewhere with the history of him and another teacher at one stage but it did not eventuate.
My biggest gripe is because of so many lead actors there is limited character development or the development we see is so quick it had no effect. I really did not care for any of the students. OK - one of them, Paul McGill as Kevin. He tries and tries but the teacher, played by Bebe Neuwirth, says he will never be good enough, next scene suicide attempt, and then next scene given up but dances the finale. I wanted the overcoming of adversity and to stick it to the teacher and to let himself dance with his heart to win out. But NO - end of story.
Imagine an hour and three quarter film trying to cover about 10 lead actors over 4yrs while managing to showcase their talent and let us see some personality - FAIL. I do know with the original film that it was followed by a fairly long running TV show so we got to see endless development with the characters and my brain cannot remember that far back as to whether the original movie was lacking the same. Something I look forward to rewatching. I worshipped the TV show and the FAME song tape single was one of the first I ever had and I played the single over and over again wanting to be one of the performers.This film needed less students to focus on and some of them with more talent. The one uber talented HOT lady dancer, Johanna Braddy as Katie, could dance so amazing and yet she has about three small scenes where she talks. I didn't give a rats about her.
Then let's move on to the supposed main lead characters, Asher Book as Marco is totally HOT and can sing the pants off anything, there is also Kay Panabaker as Jenny, his love interest. Jenny is meant to be in the school for her acting talent and she is SHOCKING. I do not know why or how she got into the school. She adds no value to the film and her chemistry with Book is just non existent. I have more chemistry with my cat, she also looks so young it was like Book was kissing his younger sister. And BOOK - he is HOT, he can sing but boy oh boy he cannot act - he looks like a young Billy from the original Melrose Place.
When I said to friends that Fame was a big fail one of my friends sarcastically remarked "why, did you have high expectations for another film?". Of course I did!!! I have high expectations for every film I see - what is the point of making a film unless people in the world want to see it and have high expectations? For a restarting of FAME, this film had a lot to answer for and as usual the trailer looked like it could deliver.... unfortunately not. Shame!
The film is shot well and it does capture the tone of the NY Fame School and the feeling of the original but it is not Centre Stage or close to the original which you cab gran for $28- on Blu Ray from most stores at the moment. It starts out well and has many great moments but skydives quickly with not much WOW factor.The film lacks out trying to do to much but it's out tomorrow so make up your own mind at cinemas. Worth $6-. Similar to what Lynn says to Kevin - "it is my job to tell you......personally I don't think you will ever be a succesful dancer (film)". This won't live forever and sadly I don't think it will fly high.
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Comment by Cinema Rat
Rat Chat
I was so looking forward to seeing/reviewing this one too! Think I'll push it back to a cheap Tuesday screening. Lucky you for getting to the premiere though !
-CR.
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Comment by Helen Randell
Rough Cooking
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
I wanted so much more. Thanks for reading!
Comment by filmfanatic
And the name of that 'one uber talented HOT lady dancer' is Kherington Payne who plays 'Alice'. Insanely underused in the movie, either that or she had all her scenes cut from the movie.
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
That could explain why it has minimal story and character development.
I was meant to put Kherington Payne's name next to that comment - but if you mouse over the picture of her her name comes up
Boo MGM!
Comment by filmfinatic
But managing those stories, and the hallmarks of the original movie the stage fright and puppy love, parental disapproval and casting couch proved difficult: the directors cut was three and a half hours long. I had overshot the texture, Mr. Tancharoen said.
The dancers in this movie got screwed over big time. So much screentime was wasted on 'Jenny', where characters (with actual talent) like Alice, Kevin and Rosie have been completely neglected.
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Comment by Wilson Pon
Health 2 Know
Adventure Toes
Techno Stuffs
boxing sound
Business Rope
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Anonymous - Alice does dance well and she is pretty but she just isn't in the film enough.
Alice ROX but FAME Sux