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Billy Elliot

Billy Elliot

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Passion on FIRE! (alt. title : Gattaca today...)
Review: This movie came as a shockingly well-orchestrated film! I wasn't going watch this, thinking it's boring old drama (I usually go for sci-fi, action, special effects) and went into the movie by way of entertaining my cousin, who wanted to watch it. But surprise surprise!!! The dance sequences ARE the special effects! They weren't ballet as such, more of a combination of Michael Flatley's Riverdance moves, with quite a lot of Stomp, modern dance and only a pinch of ballet. The choreography convinced me that it was all the action I need in a movie.

True to British movies, Billy Elliot is chocka-block full of subtle messages (e.g. true friendship, the human spirit, following one's own passion, history, brushing off stereotypes, family values, etc.). A major message of the movie is "have guts to follow your passion". In fact, we could almost use Gattaca's line for this movie : "There is no gene for the human spirit". Very positive messages emanate throughout the film. The fact that Stephen Daldry sidestepped political issues was a blessing in order to give the movie the crispy richness of its content.

Jamie Bell (who TOTALLY deserves his BAFTA - hey where's his Academy Award?) and Julie Walters (feisty and funny at the same time!) truly shine in this film. Stephen Daldry, keep up the great work you're producing! What's next?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Jamie Bell!! Mmmm..worth the rental fee!!
Review: The movie was OK, but hottie Jamie Bell really stole the show. He's 15 and absolutely SIZZLES. I saw him in a tux for the Oscars, and I seriously almost drooled. *hott!*

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Simply Awesome!
Review: "Billy Elliot" Is One Of The Best Movies Ever Produced. Jamie Bell, (Billy Elliot) Plays The Part Amazingly Superb. The Soundtrack Is Awesome. And With Jamie Bell Doing All His Own Dancing Is Also A Great Plus. The Movies Shows How We As People Should Do What We Feel Best For Ourselfs Regardless Of What Others May Think. By The Middle Of The Movie You Will Have Formed an Emotion For Each Character, and At times Mixed Emotions. But One Thing For Sure You Will Totally Fall In Love With Jamie Bell's Character, "Billy Elliot" He Will Appeal To You In Every Aspect Possible, And Will Touch Your Heart & Your Soul. Jamie Bell As "Billy Elliot" Will Makes You Feel As If You Can Do Anything You Put Your Mind to. And The More You Watch It The More You Learn. I rated it "4 stars" just because It Was Somewhat Confusing At Times. I Had To Watch It A few Times to Get It All But That Is No Reason Not To Watch It. The Editing From Scene To Scene was marvelous As Well; With the Music Playing a Roll. Some Of the Camera Angles Were Magic. The Movie Was over-all wonderful & Heart Felt. I'd recommend It To anyone. Buy It, Rent It, Borrow It. Just As Long As you See it!! One More Thing Its Rated "R" ONLY For some swearing, But I think it would be Perfect for pre-teens and Young teens maybe teach them something about Doing what They Believe In No Matter What The Others May think. Teens these days Always feel they have to "FIT IN" So if your A parent don't be scared to show this amazing Movie to them View it yourself first if you don't want to take my word for it. Its Lessons is Larger then its offence. There is No sex in it. Trust Me If You See it once You wouldn't mind seeing it again with your son or daughter. It's just that good. I work in a Movie theatre so I get to watch movies and I went into that movie on my Break even though it was he same part a lot of the time I still went into it because it was that compelling. See it Learn from it Love it. Trust me. :)

With Care To Everyone, I wish you all the best of life NOW AND FOREVER.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: no American smaltz
Review: I love this film, as well as being a feel good film it is excently made. As well as the fantastically believable portrayal of Billy by Jamie Bell (who really deserved his BAFTA) you also get to see, even if it is only for 2 mins the absolutely fantastic..and gorgeous Adam Cooper as the adult Billy in AMP's Swan Lake. I must admit when I went to see it at the cinema I went to see Adam Cooper, but I came out having really loved the film and couldn't wait to get it on DVD!!! It portrayed the miners stike really well, having been really young when it happened it awoke memories in me. I cannot recomend this picture enough.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fantastic feel good film
Review: Hi there as I am the only one here so far that is English, I thought i would have to write a review. Billy Elliot, is to me the best film of this year,.I loved it so much from the very beginging to the very end, not one bit of the film was boring, it kept up the pace the whole time. Jamie bell is so wacthable, & a good dancer & is so sweet I wanted to give him a great big cuddle. This film will make you cry, beause of Jamie`s performance & because of the story line. Coming from England & reading about the mine strike when i was little made it feel even more real. Also I loved the music & my favouite bit is when the brillant julie walters, (another of my favourite pepole), & billy danced to T~Rex`s "I want to Boogie", I love that song. You will be moved by this film,. There is quite a bit swearing , but its almost fitting in that atmosphere where real pepole went through a lot of suffering. I recomend you buy it or rent it, but wacth it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Formulaic
Review: My companion and I were quite disappointed upon viewing this film after all of the hype. It was very much a paint-by-the-numbers, Hollywood, feel-good screenplay. Although, if it were in fact produced by Hollywood, it would have been unsufferable. Good performances by Bell and Walters, but far too familiar in it's plot to be anything more than mildly entertaining.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Likeable schmaltz
Review: While one could quibble with some of the heavy-handed dialogue and obvious plot development, the leads, especially Jamie Bell and Julie Walters, put it over with heart and a real commitment to their characters. It's too bad Bell got overlooked at the Oscars since he single-handedly carried this movie charmingly and convincingly. Somebody should cataloque all the swiftly advancing and retreating facial expressions as his character wrestled with issues of gender, familial loyalty, grief and self-fulfillment. I especially liked the big grin that came over his face as he accepted his friend's gayness. Nice moment that. Someone should consider re-issuing this film without the American-style, insulting and obtrusive soundtrack telling us how to feel at every moment. Imagine Billy's defiant solo in front of his father without the bombastic symphony and you'll get a real idea of what Billy was talking about when he explained how he felt while dancing: "Electricity, that's it." And the coda _was_ a tad bathetic wasn't it? But anyway there are certainly enough moments of real art that makes me wonder what this movie would have been like without the constraints obviously put upon it by the demands of American distribution.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Flippin' wonderful!
Review: Billy Elliot

Score: 88/100

One of the most critically accepted movies of 2000, Billy Elliot is a real charmer of a movie that gets better with every minute. It certainly deserves all of its success, and should've been a Best Picture runner-up at the Oscar's 2001, but unfortunately, all it got was 3 nods. Oh, well. At least it got that, or else I would have been pouncing on the Academy!

1984: In a northern England mining town, miners are on strike and the atmosphere is tense. Eleven-year old Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell), whose father (Gary Lewis) and brother (Jamie Draven) are participating in the strike, whose mother has died quite some time ago and whose grandmother is not completely aware of what's going on, doesn't like the brutal boxing lessons at school. Instead, he falls for the girls' ballet lessons. When his folks find out about this unusual love of his, Billy is in trouble. Being supported by the ballet teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson (Julie Walters), he keeps on training secretly while the work situation as well as the problems at home get worse. Finally, Mrs. Wilkinson manages to get Billy an audition for the Royal Ballet School, but now he also has to open his heart to his family.

There are heaps of shining stars in the movies that make it all worth while: Stephen Daldry, director, nominated for his extroadinary effort this year, Gary Lewis, who brutally and brilliantly displays his anger and Julie Walters who stuns our emotion every time she peeps a word. But, the film belongs to the amazingly talented Jamie Bell, he is Oscar-worthy and very natural in his role as Billy, and it hasn't been since Haley Joel Osment's performance in The Sixth Sense 2 years ago that we have seen such an engaging child actor. The film is also able to mix comedy, drama and a slight touch of romance into a very acceptable running time, and do it completely relaxed and with style.

Billy Elliot is simply not to be missed! A wonderful achievement!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: EXCELLENT MOVIE!!!!!
Review: Jamie Bell is definitely better than Haley Joel Osment. This movie is amazing...it is just fantastic. I think that this movie will be famous for more than one or two years. Julie Walters is a great actress. This movie is very funny and I just love it more than any other movie I've seen so far. GET IT AND YOU WILL NEVER REGRET IT!!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Great Movie
Review: Billy Elliot is an amazing movie about a boy growing during the 1984 coal miner strike. He has a special talent for dancing, but is struggling to participate in dance classes because his family is opposed to it, calling it "for poofs". Eventually his dance instructor convinces Billy's father to let him audition for the Royal Ballet School. This is a feel good film, but lacks the cheesiness of most feel good films. The title character is played by Jamie Bell, who was selected in a search of over 2,000 other boys. He won a BAFTA for Best Actor for his performance in Billy Elliot. Julie Walters, who plays Billy's dance teacher, won a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress. I strongly recomend this movie to everyone, although there is some language which may be inappropriate for children.


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