Simply Perfect

Memorable, crazy movie

Admirable film.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Normally, I try to stay away from movies that are just about dancing. The one exception for this moment is this film, Save the Last Dance. The movie is more than just dancing, it is a human story that explores themes such as passion, family tragedy, and interracial love. I found the latter part interesting because it is relatively uncommon to see in movies and I thought that part in the movie worked very well. As for the dancing, it's not too bad and the choreography is halfway decent. Thomas Carter's film is about a girl named Sara who dreams to be a ballerina are shattered when an unfortunate family tragedy occurs and she is forced to move to the other side of town, where the town is predominantly black. Sara is able to befriend Chenille, whom in turn introduces her to her brother, Derek. Together, Sara and Derek work together to help Sara train for a dance audition for Jubilee. The acting was not too bad. Julia Stiles handled the dramatic part effectively, although I'm not sure if she makes for a talented dancer, especially in hip-hop dance. Sean Patrick Thomas does a solid job as Derek and I really liked Kerry Washington in her role as Chenille. Overall, Save the Last Dance is nowhere close to a great movie, but it does have some entertaining moments. In particular, the dance moments are quite effective, although not perfect. The drama was handled well and I quite liked the beginning of the film the best, although the narrative seems to stumble midway. This is not a bad film though. My Grade: B-

This movie is so under-rated. No, it may not be the most original storyline, but it contains so much more than a story about a girl who dances, and meets a guy that dances. It's about a girl who's trying to find her way in a life that suddenly gets turned right on its head. She loses her mom, her best friend and her biggest supporter, blaming herself for the accident that kills her mom. That amount of guilt would make anyone give up their dream, and Sarah is no different. She doesn't feel like she deserves to be happy anymore, like she should feel guilty for doing what she's always dreamed of doing, because of what happened. She's forced to live with a father she barely knows, and becomes part of a society she doesn't understand and doesn't fit into. And then comes Derek, the first person that cares enough to dig through the walls Sarah's built around herself. He's the first person to understand where she's coming from, and he helps her meld her world with his. It's a great movie. I've loved it since the first time I watched it--people shouldn't write it off so much. There's meat beneath the seemingly superficial salad on the surface.

Dancing can be defined as movements done in accordance with an accompanying sound or music. Still, dancing is a limitless universal language. Being able to relate and connect to a movie requires not only a good script but a rational way to put film right into the watchers' hearts. In the movie "Save the Last Dance", literary, theatric, and cinematic techniques combine to enhance the message and understanding of the movie. Set in the city of Chicago the main character, Sara, embarks on a journey in a world completely different from the one she knew, getting back to who she is by overcoming hardship. She gives up dancing after her mother dies in a hurry to make it to Sarah's Julliard audition. The new school Sara attends is gritty and underprivileged emphasizing its inner city features. Another set is Sara's father's house, which she has to move too. It is decrepit and greatly contrasts to her previous sheltered and secure life. The tone is the story is sad and cathartic. The theme indulges in this tone because it is about following dreams and overcoming adversity. One grows to credit and trust Sara, allowing one to agree with Sara's judgments or views of others. The hip-hop club that Sara and her new friends always flee to clearly foreshadows the return to her passion for Ballet. One of the prime symbols is falling during a dance. Each time Sara falls during a dance piece a significant event occurs. As Sara dances her mother dies. As Sara trips, her anger overwhelms her dream. When Sara finally masters her dance the fact that she does not fall is significant to her growth not only as a dancer but as a person. One first meets Sara in dark clothes, which reflects her inner isolation. Also, her simple clothes suggest her "simple" lifestyle and detachment from the hard lives others live. The boys in the gritty inner city school are recognizable in their over-sized coats and baggy pants. The girls wear "bling" and flashy pants. When another troublemaker of the story enters, her makeup and clothing is dark. The acting itself it realistic and not overdone. When students share their stories about their hardships, their expressions and sometimes tears seem genuine. Costumes are kept modern for realistic purposes. Props are used minimally in this story, which reinforces the focus on the lives of the kids, thus not distracting the viewer from the messages. It is the cinematic elements that make the movie unique. Opening with eye-level angles and close ups on Sara's face, one meets Sara as she goes through a transition from security to estrangement. Dark and wintery lighting give the effect of sadness, guilt, and apprehension. The movie opens with dark blues, greys, and whites. As flashbacks of happiness occur, one notices the transition from dark to bright clothes and brighter lighting. To show where a character stands in comparison to his or her environment, medium and long shots are used often. The camera moves in a long shot when the movie watcher meets Derek, the future lover and guide to Sara. This definitely makes him stand out and highlights his interest in intelligence in contrast to his classmates. Long shots are used when one meets most of the other characters, including Malakai, the antagonist of the story. Importantly, music is greatly and effectively used. The music plays when there is sadness. Piano solos and string symphony cue when Sara is reminiscing. The music undoubtedly carries the story. It emphasizes sadness, strength, moving forward, and guilt. One major chord can pull a heartstring and such riffs and pitches effectively enhance the emotion.

This is a teen movie. This means it works under strict formulas, ruled by market and by what the big bosses of Hollywood think teenagers want. There is a big contradiction behind the majority of these teens movies.: In most cases (this is no exception) these films tell stories of people who try to outdo themselves. These characters try to make special things, to get over the underdeveloped environments (socially, culturally, economically) from which they come from. So, ordinary people trying to reach special goals, trying to be special people. But than, all these films are perfectly ordinary, made massively, one copying the other, with absolutely nothing special beyond any of them. This one doesn't totally enter that kind of film for one redeeming element, but it practically does it.Here, the female character is someone whose attempt to grab her personal dreams led her (in her view) to a personal downfall, her male match is someone who fits perfectly the stereotype i described above. The matching of one against the other and the conflict this generates is mildly interesting, though not enough to take the film out of its vulgarity. The redeeming element is how dance is used to illustrate this contradiction. Ballet vs hip-hop, internal vs external forms of expression. I frankly thought Julia Stiles didn't go well in this part. She was strangely stiff and uneasy. She has a sober way of acting, but here it sounds like if she wasn't quite sure of how to express, like if she couldn't "dance". Yet the idea of placing dance as a displayer of characters attitudes towards their reality and what happened/may happen to them was interesting. The overall product was quite flawed.My opinion: 2/5 interesting concepthttp://www.7eyes.wordpress.com