Rating: Summary: Even better then Harry Potter! hehehe Review: I always really wanted to see this movie because from the commercials on TV it looked really good. I was in dance myself for six years so that's one of the reasons I like it so much. But, it's so much more than the dancing. I got it at Target like 7 months ago because my mom and I couldn't find it anywhere to rent. I love the characters and situations in this movie. I'm so glad I got it because I watch it over and over again. Plus I bought the sountrack and had to have the Clash's "London Calling" CD. Thank you Billy Elliot now I have 4 Clash CD's and they are my favorite band all because London Calling was in the movie. GO SEE IT!
Rating: Summary: let them see what you really want Review: It is a story that shows that it is always good to follow your heart even if you go against a stereotyping environment.
Rating: Summary: A VERY delightful movie! Review: I rented this movie a few weeks ago,wondering if it would be any good...I popped it in,watched it,and fell in love with it.It's a very heart-warming story of a11-year old boy who reaches for his dreams while along the way, having to go through many trials.It's a lovely film that you shouldn't miss out on seeing.I give it a 5 out of 5.
Rating: Summary: What A Pleasure Review: This is a wonderful movie although it can be hard to understand until your ear becomes accustomed to the dialect. It is about following your heart and knowing where your real talent lies. Quite encouraging and uplifting.
Rating: Summary: A Terrific Tale of Redemption and the Father-Son Dynamic Review: Jamie Bell is pure magic in this wonderful coming-0f-age film that tells the story of a working class English lad who takes up ballet as a way to hone his boxing skills. In the process, he discovers himself, learnes some valuable life lessons, and fills a deep void left by the death of his beloved mum. Despite his family's strong objections (and financial straits) Billy ends up studying dance from a local teacher (the effervescent Julie Walters, who won an Oscar nomination for her work here). Her lessons - both technical and moral - serve as the basis for a devastatingly real connection between Billy and his disgusted macho father. What ensues is a dramatic comedy that inspires us at every turn without condescension or pity. The heartening interaction that develops between father and son is truly evocative, especially so for anyone who ever followed (or didn't) their dreams despite their family's objections. Not only does Billy "Dance!!" for his supper...he befriends the local outcast gay teenager and copes with questions about his own sexual orientation - heady topics for a movie about a dancing teen. All of this is handled in a mature, thoughtful manner, which makes the film a visceral, haunting experience. You can take or leave it's many messages, but theere is no denying its emotional core.It's rare for a movie to challenge social mores and values by focusing on the dominant male principals. But "Billy Elliot" succeeds on more levels than other underdog-come-from-behind flicks. First, its based on a true story and resonates with truth, integrity and spirit. And, Bell's brash, authentic portrayal is pure magic. His feet literally take over his soul...he dances in the street, mimmicking Gene Kelly, and in the process taps his way into your heart. The performance is so accomplished it's a wonder Bell didn't receive an Oscar nomination. Even Russell Crowe - who won the 2000 BAFTA and Oscar for "Gladiator" - admitted Bell deserved the BAFTA Prize instead. Having resisted "Billy Elliot" at the movies, I finally caught it recently on HBO and was taken in immediately. This is a film your entire family can and should enjoy...if they don't, perhaps a little side trip to an English coal-mining town will help them appreciate this wonderful heartwarming film. Seriously, in this day and age, every one of us could use more Billy Elliots and fewer Scorpion Kings. A keeper!
Rating: Summary: One of My Favourites Review: I first saw this picture at the cinemas when first released and was crying at the end. I saw so much of myself as an artist and identified completely with Billy. I think we all have personal struggles, especially in youth, and Billy gives us hope that we can win. This picture is one of my favourites and I must have it for my collection. The sound track is fabulous and probably worth owning on it's own for T-Rex and Stephen Gately. The symbolism is simply brilliant. I hope everyone notices the swans on the wallpaper during the feather pillow fight scene. This ties in with the whole theme of wings, feathers, flying to freedom, and "Swan Lake", with a genius interpretation of the ugly-duckling-to-swan metamorphosis that Billy makes, only he is quite cute. The story is all about overcoming the unrecognised oppression that males face straight or gay. There is also a sense of anger/fear changing to cathartic tenderness between men and it's about time we have more of this in pictures. Men's liberation has only begun. I would recommend this picture for everyone young or old, fed up to the back teeth with the constrictions of antiquated thinking, and seeking great entertainment. The violence is the only thing I would be concerned with children seeing/hearing. Everything else is a fact of life.
Rating: Summary: Worth seeing Review: When I first saw previews for this I thought it looked very stupid, so I never saw it. One day though I came home and my parents had rented it, reluctantly I watched it. It was the best movie! It brought me to tears of joy at the end. This movie is about being able to express yourself and just being able to be who you are, even if you are a guy and you like ballet. This movie was so touching, not to mention I loved the music. When Billy (Jamie Bell) would dance I felt so happy and I just wanted to get up and dance along with him. This is one of the greatest movies I've seen, no wonder Jamie Bell won an oscar for it!
Rating: Summary: billy elliot -wow Review: My whole family loved this video. All emotions were used up in this film. Even though the dancing made me want to get up and dance along, I was entralled by the lifelong friendship of 2 boys, the changing relationonship between Billie and his father and the struggle of the family going on strike from the coal mines. We laughed and cried and cheered. But mostly "We Loved to Boogie!"
Rating: Summary: awe inspiring, touching, and hillarious Review: This has got to be the best movie i NEVER wanted to watch. My friend suggested it to me the first i heard of it but i was not at all interested. One more reason why you should not judge a book by its cover. you see, outwardly this movie reaks of boredom and shall i say gayness. Once you get yourself to watch it tho, you'll discover this magical british production of great calliber. The story is set in 1984 or 5 during the coal miners strike in durham, northeast england. A family suffering through the loss of their mother and the poverty of a coal mining town finds beuty in life through billy, the younger of the two boys. Billy is kicked around by his father, his peers and worst of all his older brother... He one day stumbles in to a ballet class and truely discovers himself. The movie has one of the funniest dialogues i've come across in a long time, if you can get through the accent. the accent is not quite british and not quite irish.... its funny. The heart of the movie is just about self expression, comeing into your own and transcending those everyday things that hold us down. Billy Elliot is a movie that will be enjoyed by all viewers alike, i guarantee it. This movie has also inspired me to take dancing lessons! but dont worry you macho guys out there. This movie has some violence and plenty of cursing to keep you happy. But whats more is that this movie touches that area inside of us that we all have. Some show it and some dont, some dont even know they have it. That is what is so brilliant about this movie. It brings out the billy elliot in all of us!
Rating: Summary: Another gritty winner from northern England Review: If successful films made money for their locales, northern England would be rolling in it: Little Voice, Brassed Off, The Full Monty, Chicken Run, and "Billy Elliot" (aka Little Dancer). This movie has a similar background of mining communities and strikes, but the "odd man out" is even more out of step with everyone else: a boy who prefers ballet to boxing, and his friend who wears his sister's dresses when she's out. I enjoyed this movie enough to buy the DVD. Several scenes stick in my memory: a pillow fight between Billy and his ballet teacher's daughter, full of pubescent sexual tension; and Billy's dad, turned "scab" to pay for Billy's ballet career, riding the police-guarded bus through the picket lines; and Billy and his teacher dancing in the gym. The tension in Billy himself between his environment's "boys don't do ballet" attitudes and his own love of dancing is nicely played out. I felt everyone came around to a supportive position a little too easily and predictably, like, "Come on, there's only a 30 minutes of this movie left, so we better gather round and drop all the negativity", but that may be a comment on the editing rather than the acting or direction. The colours and photography were great, tho the winter scenes were so completely unconvincing it was funny! And Jamie Bell himself is brilliant - his acting even more than his dancing. This is an interesting story, about the difficulty of growing up without a mother, about breaking social and sexual expectations; it is NOT a movie about miners or politics. Too bad about the swearing, which, like "Little Voice" makes me hesitant to heartily recommend this movie for kids, who would otherwise enjoy it.
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