- Actors: Peter Gallagher, Sascha Radetsky, Ethan Stiefel, Kenny Wormald
- Director: Director X.
- Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
- Language: English
- Subtitles: Spanish, English
- Region: Region 1
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Rated: PG
- Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- DVD Release Date: September 6, 2016
- Run Time: 92 minutes
Center Stage is a franchise that has
somehow stayed alive, despite the mediocrity of the original movie. As far as
dance films go, these have always been a bit more sophisticated than the Step-Up films, though this latest sequel
begins the inclusion of contemporary dance styles. The original film also
featured some truly impressive dancing because of the casting of dancers over
actors. While Center Stage: On Pointe
has learned from this tactic by casting actual actors, making for far better
scenes of dialogue, it also means that the dancing is far less impressive to
watch.
Although the Center Stage franchise has kept some of
the same characters around in the roles of the teachers, the main connection in
this film ties the narrative to the previous sequel far more than the original
film. Continuing the storyline of dancers at the prestigious American Ballet
Academy, this time we
follow the path of Bella Parker (Nicole Muñoz), younger sister to the last
sequel’s protagonist. Bella joins the program with the decision by Jonathan
Reeves (Peter Gallagher) to integrate modern dance into the curriculum.
Before she can
be accepted, Bella must compete at a training camp alongside a group of
traditional ballet dancers and other untraditional applicants. The new group of
hopeful recruits is taught by the characters from the first film returning as
choreographers. This includes Charlie (Sascha Radetsky), Cooper (Ethan
Stiefel), and Tommy (Kenny Wormald), who each get their chance for brief dance
sequences.
Center Stage: On Pointe is a fairly
inoffensive entry into one of the blander dance franchises. It is also one of
the more positive franchises, focusing on hard work and humble attitudes while
keeping the film’s romantic narratives tame enough to keep the tradition of a
PG-rating. These are films for dance lovers more than movie fans, and the
special features on the DVD make this clear with a dance tutorial from Chloe
Lukasiak, best known for her reality TV stint on “Dance Moms.”
Entertainment Value:
6/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 5.5/10
Historical
Significance: 1/10
Special Features: 3/10
No comments:
Post a Comment