Fame (2009) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I was excited to go see this movie, and really did not know what to expect.
This would have made a much better new TV series than a movie. I would love to see it fleshed out as a TV series and get some real developement in characters and plot.
Unfortuntely it fell into that unsasifactory category where you saw most of the best dancing\singing parts on the theatrical teasers so you are left with virtually no WOW factors sitting and watching it in the theatre.
I was expecting more dancing and singing in the movie as a whole, but found that aspect to be disappointingly skimpy, with few actual "full" musical numbers.
I do not think they fleshed out any defining plot and came across aimless. I do not think they developed any one set of characters enough to hook you into any of the many moments they crammed into one film. They also Cliched too much in this movie. The Characters, the "hardships" the hook-ups most of which felt forced to fit a formula for the movie, the struggles. No one character carried any full personality, they all seemed cliched and safe. Part of that I feel, is because they made it an ensemble cast but made that core ensemble too large to get any real screen time to feel attached to anyone.
I feel like there was soooooo much potential here that was just left undeveloped and instead I was shown an "outline" of what could be a great TV series.
At time I felt confused as to if they were trying to make it feel like the same time as the origional Fame instead of completely updating it to be a modern twist, but caught todays conviences and clothing style..
I LOVED who they picked to be teachers and wanted more from them.. I liked most of the young actors but don't feel like I got to really know any of their characters or felt that many of them actually grew from freshamn year to senior year.

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Fame soars even higher with the EXTENDED DANCE EDITION of the film, featuring over 15 minutes of thrilling dance footage you couldn't see in theaters! Passions will be tested. Hearts will be broken. Talent, dedication and hard work will triumph! Fame is the inspiring story of a group of dancers, singers, musicians and actors at the New York City High School of Performing Arts, and their spirited drive to live out their dreams of stardom. In an incredibly competitive atmosphere, each student must shine amidst the tumult of school work, deep friendships, budding romance and self-discovery. Debbie Allen, Charles S. Dutton, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally and Bebe Neuwirth co-star along side a group of gifted young performers in This soaring reinvention of the Oscar®-Winning hit film*.
Audio: English: 5.1 Dolby Digital / Spanish & French: Dolby Surround
Language: Dubbed & Subtitled: English, French & Spanish
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: Widescreen: 2.35:1

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Fame: Dance Workout Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)It must be rough to revive a film franchise that offers no opportunity for mainstream merchandising via toys, lunchboxes, and backpacks. The lack thereof probably torpedoes a good many films that deserve to be made but just aren't "commercially viable" due to a lack of avenues for alternate profit. Take Fame, for example. Back when the original film debuted there was a television spin-off that followed shortly thereafter. With the remake of last year, there are similar talks of an accompanying television series, but there's also a full-court press into a new industry that didn't possess nearly the steam that it does now: direct-to-DVD (or video, back then) workout features. This new incarnation of Fame has done just that, and well, the results are rather ho-hum.
Broken into three distinct parts, the routine is taught by the three main characters (Kristy Flores, Kherington Payne, and Paul McGill) of the new film with varying degrees of success and competency.
The first portion has the best pacing of all, never going too fast or too slow. Yet, the preliminarily well-paced aspect of the DVD makes the successive two thirds seem ridiculously fast and difficult in comparison. It almost begs you to repeat the first section over and over until you feel you've progressed to a certain level of expertise that you're ready for the faster and clearly more difficult second and third parts.
It's not just the speed though. The styles of dance change erratically from one instructor to the next instead of providing a disc with a constant sensibility that gradually increases in speed and difficulty. What we get is three different styles at three different speeds by three different "instructors" with noticeably different levels of patience for instructing an audience they can't see. If changing styles from one section to the next doesn't throw you off, then the speed and technicality disparities will.
There's enough repetition that you should be able to keep up, but don't be surprised (or disappointed) if you have to repeatedly hit rewind so you don't fall hopelessly behind. The DVD's cover is wholly misleading when it tells you that it has "4 Fun Dance Routines" as what it really means is that it has three, and then it puts those three back-to-back to make a "fourth", but who they think they're fooling, I'm not sure. One plus one plus one equals three, last I checked.
They cashed in on the new film's popularity(?) really quickly and churned out this really cynical fitness product, which also takes aim at that market share willing to lay down $10 for an hour-long exercise routine starring their current pop culture idol. Some people enjoy Jillian Michaels barking orders, others prefer the young nubile bodies of a pseudo-hit blockbuster.
You can easily do better than this if you're looking for an at-home dance instructor or a way to shed a few pounds from the comfort of your living room. With that goal though, you have the pick of a shockingly large litter to choose from at your local retailer, so why you'd choose this rather weak Fame-driven product could only be justified if you went absolutely ga-ga for the new film and its youngsters. Otherwise, you'll be smart to avoid it.

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Step onto the dance floor and give it your all with this exclusive dance workout inspired by the hit movie, FAME! Now you can learn to move like the newest students at the New York Academy of Performing Arts with dance steps and the song from the new movie. Get fit and get your groove on with this '80s favorite. What are you waiting for? Now is your time for FAME!

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