Footloose

Rating:
Summary: One of the defining movies of 1984
Review: Will there ever be another year like 1984? this film is quite entertaining about a big city kid(Kevin Bacon) as Ren McCormick, who moves with his family to a small bible-belt community, & meets oppression every where he goes, & attracts the attention of the preacher's daughter played by Lori Singer, (V's Marc Singer's sister) who is a wild child to say the least & does not share her father's conservative values, the whole film is built on the community's oppression to dancing & Rock-n-Roll, the scary part is that there are still towns like this across the country, so this film is real in that respect, but it does scream 80's, it should be noted that MTV marketed this film big time, & it was one of the first films to capitalize on a soundtrack, with Prince's "Purple Rain" following just months later in 1984, since Michael Jackson's 1983 video "Thriller", MTV & Hollywood got in bed together & saw a marketing strategy that did for a time work, this film was perfect timing & still holds up well for its story, other films such as "Steets of Fire", "Ghostbusters", "Beverly Hills Cop", T.V."s "Miami Vice", all from 1984 capitalized on their movie soundtracks, MTV's videos became flashy, I don't think we will ever see another year like 1984, where movies & music became one, this one made Kevin Bacon a star & John Lithgow is very convincing as the Reverend who holds strongly to his convictions, although PG, I agree that it should have been PG-13 because of some of its content, Lori Singer's sexual antics as well as her & her boyfriend's violent breakup, but again this was released months before "Gremlins" & "Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom, also in 1984 that sparked the PG-13 rating, however this should not stop one's enjoyment of the film.

Rating:
Summary: An OK Movie ... Good Music
Review: This movie is pretty good. I was personally uncomfortable watching it, but that might just be me.

It's a great idea for a movie ... A town has outlawed dancing, and the teens, led by a newcomer, try to get dancing back.

The acting is good, and the music rocks, but there are some unrealistic scenes - things that would never ever happen in real life - and we are left saying "Oh come on."

The dancing is OK ... a little unnatural maybe ... but I sort-of wished there was more of it.

The female lead (the minister's daughter) is made to be quite promiscuous, and maybe this was aimed at the teenage males in the target audience, but, if I was Kevin Bacon, I would have steered clear of her (he goes after her, of course).

But it's a fun movie at heart, and Kevin Bacon does a good job.




Rating:
Summary: Let's hear it for the boy! This movie eats dirt!
Review: This movie absolutely sucks. Yeah, the soundtrack is alright, but other than that this movie bored me out of my mind. If this is supposed to be 'dance' film, I fail to see how it's supposed to be one. There's hardly any dancing in it. The little bit of dancing that is shown isn't even anything spectacular. Toward the end of the movie when everyone is at the prom, these wanksters come out and try to breakdance. No real skills at all. Skip "Footloose" at all costs. If you want to see some REAL breakdancing, see "Breakin'."

Rating:
Summary: Somebody's Eyes Are Watchin'
Review: I remember growing up with this movie in Jr. High. The soundtrack was introduced to me before I saw the movie. I loved every song on the soundtrack except for The Girl Gets Around. I mean it is ok. I also remember seeing the play a few years ago. That went into more detail on the preacher's wife, and Ren's mother. They have a song they sung together about having inner feelings that they dare not share. The preacher's wife staying so humble to her husband all through the years, and Ren's mom feeling trapped as well.
The movie was based on a true story. The producers/writers etc. went to small towns in Oklahoma. They attended their chirches and listend to converstaions of the town. They found out becasue of a stupid religous belief, that dancing was not allowed. So that is pretty much where the idea came to be about making a story/movie about that situation. Unfortunatly, religion plays a bigp part in a lot of places. I was glad to see that the kids in this movie stood up for their right to dance. Even thought it was thought that dancing could lead to drugs/sex/violance etc. It is the same way with say homosexuality. Religon says that it is a sin and that it could lead to STD's, Aids Etc. As adults we are responsible for our own actions. The point that Ren was making is that there is a time for EVERYTHING under heven. The teens were not going to have a dance thinking it would lead to SEX/Violance/drugs etc. They were old enough to know what is right and what is wrong. It is so much a shame that we the people listen to the big churches and letting them "control" people's lives. I agree that the transfer could be better, and that the sound is pretty lame. However the film shines through all that. Paromount can be laxed in the restoring/extras dept. I had the first virson and then traded it in for theis version. The difference between the two is the extra features. The film and sound are the same. They go into more detail about how the film came about. You can select 2 different commintaries. One with writer/produce and I think Lori Singer. The other is with Keven Bacon only. I have not had the chance to hear it all yet but ill bet it would be worth it.


Rating:
Summary: For the prize of a pizza...
Review: ...you can have a copy of this film that defined a generation. Well, okay, maybe not quite DEFINED, but Kevin Bacon's "Footloose" was and is a pop culture milestone of sorts, and even launched a wave of similar films of varying merit. "Footloose" is earnest, yet fun.

The story involves a big city kid who has to move to a smallish town in Oklahoma/Texas/wherever, a town that's so far removed from his big city ways that it views him with suspicion. Yep, things used to be that way, and still are in some places. Bacon plays the new kid quite well for someone well out of his teens (ain't that show biz), and the character is drawn as one who's not a bad guy but just misunderstood. Kinda James Dean Lite.

The plot tension involves rock'n'roll and dancing. Both are very much frowned upon in this town on the buckle of the Bible Belt. These days many may wonder why that was the case, and indeed it was back in the early 1980s and previous. Parents feared several things about dancing to rock'n'roll, such as the fact that drinking and dope often accompanies such events (see RAVE) and the suspicion that healthy young people will often be sexually excited by seeing each other shake their booties, leading to unplanned babies and all of the attendant problems thereto.

Understandable parental concerns, of course. But Ren, the new kid, eventually wins over the town because he's a good guy and he turns the kids his way, causing a somewhat good-natured rebellion that still has its tense moments. John Lithgow is excellent here as the old-fashioned preacher with a personal ax to grind regarding this subject, and after the necessary confrontations have moved the story along, we have a nice happy ending with a Hollywood musical feel to it.

OK, so the film is far better than my description of it. And it certainly is dated in some ways, but that's part of why this film is noteworthy. In the early '80s it was just becoming acceptable for a movie to present youth culture as a stylish snapshot of itself. Prior to this, such films were mostly renegade productions or judgemental/cautionary tales of said youth culture. "Footloose" was in the first wave of films that celebrated the culture of youth in a positive way, and while the clothes, hairstyles, and music now look and sound like relics from a Museum Of Past Coolness, it deserves a place in history for that.

It was also one of the first films to produce a soundtrack album designed as a marketing tie-in, with multiple hit songs by various popular artists created especially for the project, including Kenny Loggins's title track, Deneice Williams's "Let's Hear it For the Boy," Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out For a Hero," and "Almost Paradise," a vapid rock ballad sung by the lead vocalists from Heart and Loverboy, as well as a few other cuts that had already been popular.

Beyond that, it's a feel-good film that pulls all the typical Hollywood Movie Strings and pushes all your buttons like a good manipulative Major Motion Picture should. It works. Naw, it's no major work of art, but a pop culture phenomenon that won't be forgotten anytime soon.

Rating:
Summary: DISMAL IMAGE QUALITY NEEDS TO BE "CUT LOOSE"!
Review: Herbert Ross' "Footloose" is one of those feel good flicks from the 80s that has dated at about twice the rate of most films from other decades. Its story is based in fact: that of a town ordinance that banned any form of public dancing. When Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon) arrives with his family he can barely contain his distemper over the outdated law. He's young, rebellious and full of energy that just needs to be expressed. Together with the rest of the town's high school brethren, Ren resolves to challenge the law and its most ardent supporter, Rev. Shaw Moore - who lost his only son after a night of drunken abandonment and a fatal car accident and thereafter blamed rock music for everything. Moore's daughter Ariel (Lori Singer) is behind Ren's move to ditch the law. Actually, she's the model of good girl/bad girl, staying out late, smoking and making out with her studly boyfriend. The film also co-stars Chris Penn as Willard, a clutsy cowboy who becomes a high steppin' catch after Red teaches him all the right moves. And somewhere in this little trifle you'll find Sarah Jessica Parker as Rusty, another high school senior in desperate need of a better hairdo and a lot less lipstick.

Before you pull out you're wallet and cut loose you may want to consider that Paramount's new Special Edition of "Footloose" offers NO improvement over the previously issued DVD. The transfers are identical in their image and sound quality and a complete and thorough disappointment to watch. An incredible amount of film grain plagues many of the opening scenes. There's also more than ample digital grit and aliasing and edge enhancement problems to go around. Age related artifacts crop up everywhere and are distracting. Colors are muted and, at times, extremely muddy and dated. Black levels are never black but a tonal mess of brown and gray. Really, there's nothing to get excited about here. Extras include a three part documentary (it's beyond me why Paramount continues to take one documentary and chop it into three short featurettes that can't be simultaneously played) that includes interviews with the cast and crew and the film's theatrical trailer. Truthfully, though, this is not an outstanding or even ample effort for the folks on the mountain.