Footloose is better than the original! It’s not often that a remake sticks to its roots or outshines the first version…this one does both. It has all the great qualities from the 1984 movie while modernizing it to “our” time. It even fixes some of the plot holes and problems that the original had. While following the same core storyline, writer/director Craig Brewer threw in a lot more serious undertones and went more in depth with a few characters. Footloose fans are going to love it and new fans are going to wonder what the original was like. It’s a fun and really hilarious movie that just makes you smile and move your feet. Trust me, your feet will move.
The movie starts off with the iconic theme song from Kenny Loggins and don’t worry, they didn’t remake the song…they just updated it a bit with a hype man yelling over the track. You’re also treated with those classic shoes and socks moving but you quickly see that this isn’t just a scene by scene copy of the original. Set in the small town of Bomont, GA with a population of 19,300, lives a group of people who have outlawed loud music, set a curfew on their teenagers and banned lewd and lascivious dancing. In the bible belt of Georgia, there really isn’t a separation of church and state and not only is public dancing considered a sin, it’s against the law! What is a young hip kid from Boston supposed to do if he can’t dance!?
Country Line Dancing..."a white man's wet dream"
Kenny Wormald stars as Ren McCormack, that young kid who is also a gymnast and car aficionado. He has the look. He has the smirk. He has the moves. He has the hair. He makes a great replacement for Kevin Bacon (who refused to make a cameo in this updated rendition). His beautiful and wild counterpart playing Ariel Moore is Julianne Hough with her dazzling blue eyes. She’s the preacher’s daughter who doesn’t act like a preacher’s daughter. Dennis Quaid replaces John Lithgow as Reverend Shaw Moore and Ziah Colon replaced Sarah Jessica Parker as Rusty…I wasn’t mad at any of those choices. My favorite character and the source for most of the laughs is our redneck pal Willard played by the talented Southern-accent-having Miles Teller. I lived in the South for a few years and he did a remarkable job reminding me of my redneck friends. Footloose is actually the best depiction of the south I’ve seen in recent years. Middle America is going to fall in love with this film.
Hi, I'm Willard. I like you.
As mentioned before, this movie has a lot of the memories from the original but spruced them up for the current generation. For example, the bad ass yellow bug is back but it’s entrance music is “Black & Yellow” from Wiz Khalifa. The kids still dance at a drive-in but instead of listening to a forbidden cassette tape, they’re listening to a bootleg cd of David Banner (I know, who uses CDs anymore?). Many of the iconic dance moves can still be found in this one but they’re combined with crumping, break dancing and country line dancing aka the “white man’s wet dream.” A quick note about the language: while the original is rated PG, this version will probably be rated PG-13 because it throws almost every single curse word at you…even one that definitely wasn’t needed and doesn’t belong.
There are some bad bad people in this movie...who don't dance! *gasp*
I had a great time watching the 2011 Footloose – I didn’t expect the remake to be this good or surpass the original. I was tapping my feet along, dancing in my chair and couldn’t help but laugh at the great dialogue between characters. Even with some more serious tones, the filmmakers kept it light and fluffy…I mean come on, we are watching a movie about your right to dance here. Along with the upgraded script, music and dance moves came upgraded cinematography. There were some picture perfect frames that caught me off guard. Typical recent blockbusters don’t take the time to line up great shots, this one did. But still, there were some very blunt music and camera choices that kept Footloose in the realm of a popcorn movie. My only gripe with this movie is that they never seemed to finish their beers (they kept throwing them to the ground!) and they had a Georgia Bulldogs hat. Piss on em! GO YELLOW JACKETS!
There are still plenty of free upcoming screenings for Footloose!
Crazy, Stupid, Love is a rock solid romantic comedy. It’s a simple story of the tangled webs of love and hardships of a relationship told by a remarkable cast. Honestly, the storyline is nothing special, mashing together a bunch of played out and cheesy plots into one convoluted anecdote. However, the emotional range and incredible talent of the entire cast makes it something special. We already know Julianne Moore is one of the greatest actresses of present day and her performance in this movie differs no less from her excellent previous roles but Steve Carell does an amazing job proving to the world that he can break out of comedy and take on serious characters.
Just like with the different X-Men comic book series, X-Men: First Class is a totally different style and tone than the other films in the franchise. Don’t expect a complete action film, it’s more like a dramatized biopic/documentary of the origin of the X-Men. I enjoyed it but I’m not sure if it’s because I’m an X-Men fan and love the stories and universe that Marvel created. The movie as a whole missed the mark in a lot of areas but all of the comic book tidbits and the ending made me a happy geek leaving the theater…I will actually enjoy watching this one again.
“All it takes to be a superhero is the choice to fight evil.” SUPER is not just another movie about an average nobody who decides to help the greater good and become a superhero. Ok, it is, but it’s darker, funnier, and has Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page in it. This is shock and awe at its best as Super pushes the limits off what it says and does. Expect the unexpected because this movie goes on random wild tangents as it tells the simple story of a simple guy trying to get his wife back…his simple life back. In the process he turns into The Crimson Bold and all he has to say is, “Shut Up, Crime!”
This post is part of our SXSW Film Festival coverage
Comic-Con is the leading comic book convention in the world. Over the years, it has become a platform for movie studios to debut exclusive information and footage from their upcoming films.
