Joel Harding

25 May 2012

Generation changer

As a movie Flash Dance was not a great film, but what this film did wasappeal to the masses. When the movie came out in 1983 I was living inPittsburgh, where the movie was filmed and based, and dating aballerina, so the movie was near and dear to my heart. The plot wastotally unbelievable, the sets were unrealistic and the people were tooshallow, but still, our generation suspended reality and just enjoyedthe movie.Through the years I began understanding what an impact Flash Dance hadon my generation, it especially hit home when I met my future wife inNew York City and saw pictures of her and her sisters during that timeperiod. Their hair was modeled after Jennifer Beals', their dress andmany of the things they did developed from the movie. An entiregeneration of young women embraced the 'big, curly hair' look, the offthe shoulder sweatshirt and tank-top look and wearing tights and anklewarmers, much to the enjoyment of the men around them. Jennifer Beals'big eyes, brilliant smile and joy of life became endearing qualitiesthat only a lucky few women could properly emulate, I still enjoy thatlook today.This is a wonderful movie where one should not criticize the finetechnical details, instead the viewer should just sit back and enjoy avery nice feel-good movie.

24 May 2012

Very Good Best Ive seen in a long time about success

Jennifer and her strugle to succede is an all american story.

Terry

22 May 2012

Wow....

Verve, beauty, reality. This is no cinematic epic but the story is electric. Small town galbreaks into a man's world while aspiring to be a dancer.Romance, some Pittsburgh clips. (yep, i grew up around there.)Great music, choreography. Makes me cry every time when I FEEL whatthis gal wants and I want her to get it. I had to buy this moviebecause I think it is very inspirational in an artistic way.

keren-7

22 May 2012

Trashdance - lewd, sordid and painful

I'm a dance teacher and was looking forward to some good dance routinesin this film. How sad to have been subjected to such a painfulexperience. I had major problems with Jennifer Beals and her character. I foundAlex extremely repellent. Beals' face is so young, sweet and innocent,and this very incongruous with Alex's very disturbing lewdness,especially in that disgusting restaurant scene. She also has the tempertantrums of a toddler. It is very difficult to believe that Nick wouldkeep coming back to such a moody teenager after her frequent rantingsand ravings, especially after she opens the door of a moving car andchucks a stiletto at him, opting rather to walk home - in the middle ofthe road - with only one shoe!!!. And what about after her idioticbehaviour after the night at the ballet. In fact, the whole romance wasvery disturbing - the 30 something year old man going after a girl wholooks about 16. Yuck. As for the dancing, I'm afraid this 80s style is totally dated. What onearth was that TV dance sequence about in the club? Who was supposed tobe dancing? I wasn't even sure if it was a woman or a man in drag! Andeven that famous final sequence is pretty disappointing, especiallygiven the context of an audition for a ballet company. The camera shotsof her leap actually ruin it's effect because you can't see what she'sdoing. And what on earth was she doing when she went past each of thepanel pointing at them? And as many other comments have pointed out,she would NEVER get into a ballet company on the strength of thataudition - perhaps that's why they don't actually say at the endwhether she was successful or not, the closure is the fact that sheovercame her fear in the end. Of the 'Flashdancers', I actually thoughtthe best sequence belonged to Cynthia Rhodes (Penny in Dirty Dancing).You could see that she was a real dancer, and her acrobatics were veryimpressive. This is of course if you can get past her appalling costumeand makeup. There were two good bits in this film - the ballet dancers stretchingwhen Alex goes for the first time to apply for an audition - they lookso lovely and classy, and at least this helps to underline thedifference between her current dance career and the one she aspires to.The other good scene was the break dancing in the street. I also likedthe ice skater's parents, they were funny.Some other random points - who was Hanna and how did Alex get to knowher? What was an 18 year old doing living in a converted warehouse allalone? How did she afford that lovely barre and all the furniture?Wherewere her family? Was that scene in the 'nude' club really necessary?The person who wrote in their comment that it was something like aDisney film needs their head examined. And anyway, what happened to theice skater? Many people said the film was poor but they liked the message - don'tgive up hope, keep on trying, and your dreams will come true. Watch"The Little Mermaid" instead.

22 May 2012

You can have it all!

As a young girl I saw this movie and it has stayed with me ever since. This was a kick-a** chick flick. The scene where Nick and Grunt were waiting with roses for Alex after she rocked the dance audition still gets to me. Alex is a modern day heroine. This film inspires you to follow your dreams and to never give up. Alex's spririt was just contagious. You felt her highs, lows and frustrations as a young person finding her way and could relate. I love this film. Yes, this movie was a blockbuster,the soundtrack was a mega hit, and the cut-out, off the shoulder sweatshirt spawned a fashion frenzy, but that wasn't even a factor to me. I saw this movie after it went to video and had no idea of the film's popularity. To this day, in my opinion it remains one of the most inspirational films for women. The film's energy will resonate within you long after you see it. You care about the characters and what happens to them because they are just like you and I. Then of course there is the soundtrack. Back in the day I think I scrambled 2 flashdance soundtrack cassettes from playing it so often. Watch it and enjoy!

21 May 2012

Guilty Pleasure POOR DVD PACKAGE THOUGH

I remember when the film came out. The big deal that was made about it.I caught it on pay cable TV. I liked it.Music is the best part of course. The Oscar winning song & the other hit songs from it.With the DVD it is good to FINALLY see the film widescreen.STILL TO THIS DAY THE EDITING BETWEEN JENNIFER BEALS & Marine Jahan WHO DID THE DANCING IS A PUT OFF. Why? The wigs. Simple. The far away shots of Alex dancing when it is when you can tell that was NOT Jennifer by the bad wigs.The 80's package. A LOT OF PROBLEMS.1. THESE HORRIBLE LITTLE FLIP OPEN DVD PLASTIC CASE2. NO EXTRAS AT ALL, NO MAKING OF OR ANYTHING3. The 80's DVD package here comes with a CD with it. SO, YOU WOULD EXPECT SONGS FROM THE FILM, REMEMBERING OF COURSE AN OSCAR WINNING SONG & SEVERAL HITS. NOPE, 4 songs NOT related to the film.Small part with Cynthia Rhodes who had the larger part in Dirty Dancing. And, character actress Micole Mercurio who also appeared in While You Were Sleeping & The Client & Robert Wuhl from Batman, Bull Durham & Cobb.Buy this edition ONLY if you are a fan of the film & DON'T EXPECT ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE FILM.

NytCrawlr1976

20 May 2012

Its not the best, but its a keeper...

While this movie probably isn't the best out there, and could have beenalotbetter, I still think it's a keeper.Yes, the plot was pretty much non-existant, but the story overall wassolidand was a good bit on real life. While I also live real life, I still liketo see movies based on real life, helps me relate sometimes.Anyways, this movie is a keeper in my eyes, and if you haven't seen it,youshould. Can't believe it took me this long to see it. It was way beforeitstime and very sketchy for its time as well, which makes me wonder how itdidso well to begin with.Might want to also check out the behind the scenes/making of this moviethatyou can see on T.V. and cable as well as should be on the DVD, it's worththe watch.NytCrawlr

Eric-1226

19 May 2012

Some may call it heavenly in its brilliance, others are just entertained

Although I've long known, generally speaking, what this movie is about, Inever saw it when it came out in 1983 or 1984, because I was too busy"living" the 80's (yeah, right, whatever that means!). But I just saw itrecently, in its entirety, the other night on TV.I don't know, maybe it's the current sorry state of affairs of the worldtoday that made me want to watch this film, just so I could revisit the"happy days(?)" of the eighties, when, although the world was also in asorry state of affairs, at least there was an underlying pretense of hopeand glory, a pervasive (albeit childlike) adherence to the belief thatwishes DO sometimes come true, miracles CAN happen, and for every ugly frogthere IS a beautiful princess waiting to kiss him...This movie sucks, bigtime... but it also rocks! And that, people, is thehonest to God truth. This movie is so bad it reeks of the stench of the veryphoney-baloney on which it is based (and we all know how awful THAT is).BUT, it also rocks you to your very soul, and hey, how can you possiblyfault a movie that dares to offer people (and not just young people, but ALLpeople) that little thing called HOPE??? I hope you don't take my "critique" the wrong way... Honestly, I don't thinkthe movie is really all that good, but the message, and the feeling, and thespirit of this movie, are all very wonderful and infectious indeed andshould NOT be discounted. It makes it a wonderful movie. Strange, isn't it?If those of you reading this are parents with up-and-coming kids, make themsit through this film!! Make them watch it!! I guarantee you, at least thereis not a single scene in it where some teenager just HAS to have sex with abaked pastry object!! Finally, let me comment on the fact that many in filmdom have dissedJennifer Beals over the fact that a stand-in dancer performed various orseveral of her dance segments. Well let me just mention, that at the veryend of the film, in the credit roll, there is a disclaimer that states: "Thepeople and events in this film are fictional. Any similarity to actualpeople or events is unintentional." So, with this in mind… a stunt doubleperformed some of the dance steps!?? I was shocked, shocked to find thatstunt doubles are used in Hollywood!!

Steve Browne

19 May 2012

Fun feminism

This movie is purely fun feminism, full of good feelings and good music.Now, more than ever, people whose lives are defined by walls of steel andstone need to break out into higher aspirations and originality. It is acomplete mystery to me why it hasn't been reissued on DVD.

19 May 2012

Visually and Musically Iconic, and Manages to Counterbalance Its Own Clichs.

"Flashdance" was a landmark film of the 1980s, singlehandedly sparking the fashion trends of off-the-shoulder shirts, legwarmers, and ripped jeans, not to mention fueling the aerobics craze. It was a fun film at the time, but the set-up seems stranger now than it did then: A fresh-faced young woman, Alex (Jennifer Beals), is a welder by day and exotic dancer by night, while she lives in a converted warehouse and dreams of being a ballerina. Alex has saved enough money to support herself if she should join Pittsburgh's dance repertory company, but she's too intimidated to apply. One evening her boss Nick Hurley (Michael Nouri) sees Alex dancing at Mawby's Bar and is enchanted. The beginning of a bumpy romance.I've been revisiting movies of my youth to see if they were really worth remembering. "Flashdance" is. There must have been a lot of knock-offs, but I haven't seen anything quite like it since. Much of the film's appeal is in Jennifer Beal's unaffected performance. Alex is so natural that she easily overcomes the hackneyed plot and its various contrivances. Alex is also only 18 years old (and looks it). I haven't seen a film that treated a young person as an adult in 20 years. And, of course, there is the iconic dancing. The dance sequences aren't as technically impressive as I remembered them, but Jeffery Hornaday's jerky choreography creates a strong image. It has an aggression that I haven't seen in a dance movie since. "Flashdance" is, on one hand, a by-the-numbers combo of a romance and one of those films where the protagonist must find the courage to pursue her or his dreams. But it's a particularly good example. Not only does it create strong visual and auditory images -with its chart-topping, award-winning soundtrack, it's not entirely saccharine. The working class characters seem authentic, and their dreams don't always come true. Produced in 1983, there is a bit of 1970s malaise in the film that prevents it from getting too sweet. That's the kind of thing I noticed in retrospect that was not obvious to me the first time I saw it. So this one is worth a re-viewing.

17 May 2012

Dancing In The Dark

I first saw Flashdance when I was 13 years old. I've seen it like 300 times and can almost recite the whole movie. I still enjoy it to this day. I love the music and all the dance numbers. My favourite is the dance to Imagination. It's so 80's and I love the strobe light effect. If ur in a dark room it totally strobes and trips you out. Flashdance has a wonderful underlying message and that is to go after your dreams, don't give up on urself and believe in the power of dance and music.

pc95

17 May 2012

At Least Its 80s

Re-watched Flashdance recently and felt compelled to write a bit onthis early 80s dud. Every time it seems I re-watch this movie it getsworse and worse as I recognize how trite and pathetic the cardboardstory and dialog is. It doesn't hold up as a good movie in today'scinema. There's a bare bones plot about following one's dreams, butessentially the movie is about 45min of story and 45min of MTV-stylecuts. Jennifer Beals is energetic and certainly in outstanding shapefor her quasi-interesting dance machines, but her acting and more tothe point the movie's script is dirt poor and woefully dated. The finalnumber featuring the theme song showed a stand-in and stunt doubleplopped in for almost half the number. Can't recommend - but maybe -for nostalgia's sake. Check out Saturday Night Fever for a betternostalgia trip.

16 May 2012

GREAT DANCING AND SOUNDTRACK!!!

FLASHDANCE IS MY FAVORITE MOVIE!! MY GRANDMA INTRODUCED IT TO ME WHEN I WAS 5 YEARS OLD AND I'VE BEEN CRAZY ABOUT IT SINCE!!! ANY1 WHO HASNT SEEN IT MUST SEE IT THE DANCING IS TO DIE FOR!!

15 May 2012

FlashDance

This review is from: Flashdance (DVD) I have always enjoyed this movie as its very inspirational.This movie gives hope to people who has dreams and desires intheir lives.In parts of this movie there are no so good seen.But, this will show you no matter how bad life can be,that thereare happy endings too.

15 May 2012

Overall good movie

I've seen this movie many times, even once in French. The dancing & music are great. The story is little slow but women love it that way.

14 May 2012

WHAT A FEELING!

This movie is an incredible snapshot of everything hot about the 1980's. With the new genre of music videos becoming popular, the youth of this decade were crying out for a film that combined both incredible music with an incredible visual accompanyment. This movie delivers. Almost every scene appears to have been shot to suit the music rather than the other way around. The charachter Beals plays is believable and likeable and her fight to succeed will break your heart and lift your spirits. The typical Cinderella plot works as a complicated storyline would detract from what is essentially the star of this movie, dance.It inspired me, along many other girls to become a dancer.It will inspire you.

dotpointer

13 May 2012

Some kind of balette-dance-movie...

I thought this movie would be good. I like Studio 54 and some parts ofSaturday Night Fever - but I went wrong. This movie is a typicalB-movie.Alex works in a steelfactory on the days and SOME (you will only see afew!)nights she dances in a Nightclub. One day the boss for the steelfactorycomes to the nightclub and then yes - he starts to love her. Thought youwould get out of the dirty steelwork? No way, she LIVES in some kind of -eh- storage room with her dog...The movie is okay, it's a B-movie but the big error is thebalette-dancing... WHY balette to such a nice track as Flashdance? I meanthis movie puts dirt on the music with the same name. I want to see whentheactor dance IN SYNC with the song - not some kind ofown-made-jump-around-stuff.The next bad thing is that they don't actually play the nice song in themovie - only in the beginning and the endscene... so well... see somethingelse instead ;)

13 May 2012

What a lovely movie

Just finished watching a video copy of FlashDance, not sure what time,maybeeighth, maybe tenth. Only Pretty Woman is more worn out in my videolibrary. When a film and a sound track plus a great cast all fit into onefantastic movie experience it's rare but in the case of Flashdance it isreal. Many times driving the freeways in So.CA I pop in the audio tape ofthe sound tract and forget about the traffic. Great music, great acting andsome super funny scenes mixed in make for a four star film.

triple8

13 May 2012

The idea is better then the movie itself.

Flashdance is about as dated as you can get. The problem with this movie asi've found is that the story itself is rather flat in certain areas. Also,you have to really like the music featured in this movie, because if youdon't, being that there's SO MUCH of that type of music it maybeirritating.I did like this when I was a kid moderately, but not for the story atall-for the music. But now, that music just seems dated as anything and Ireally am not into Flashdance at all anymore.There is nothing wrong with the movie. But it can't touch something likeSaturday night fever(it's been compared to that). I wouldn't call Flashdancea classic, not really and the movie lacks the electricity of a "saturdaynight fever". It is an empowering movie though and shows if you have adream-never give up. But I did give up on repeated viewings of this, didn'tage well with me and I'd give it a 5 out of 10.

13 May 2012

Great Feel-Good Movie, Very Influential

"Flashdance" is the movie that got me hooked on dancing, and I used to love it to death. After reading bad reviews that said it is just a music video with extra scenes, I've realized that it is true, but that doesn't stop me from loving this movie. It is about an 18 year old girl named Alex who dreams of going to the Pittsburgh dance company, but she can't afford it. She lives in a broken down warehouse, and works as a welder by day and Flashdancer by night. She doesn't strip naked, but strips down to skimpy leotards. The most tittilating scene is probably when she is doused with the bucket of water. The cinematography on that shot is just brilliant! Anyway, she falls in love with her boss, who looks like he's WAY too old for her. Her friend Jeanie wants to be a professional ice skater, and Jeanie's boyfriend Richie wants to be a stand up comedian. They both make an attempt to pursue their goals, but Alex is to afraid to apply to the company; everyone there is rich and glamorous, with high heels and fancy clothes. Alex walks in with big poofy hair, thick boots, and army jacket, and beat up jeans. She has an elderly lady named Hanna who guides her along the way. No one is really sure of Hanna's relationship with Alex; is she her grandmother, or simply an old ballerina? Another setback for Alex is the bar across the street from the one she works at. The owner is a total sleazebag, and treats Alex like an object. Alex finally musters up the courage to audition, in the most energetic and triumphant dance scene ever filmed. The song she dances to is the Academy Award winning "Flashdance...What A Feeling", one my favorite songs ever. If you are a dancer or just like watching people dance, then go out and rent this movie.