ABCs at the Movies: The Doubles Round!

[southendmd]

IMDb:  This Name Band Musical short from Universal (production number 6222) features Freddie Slack and his orchestra, with Martha Mears the featured singer. The Tanner Sisters (Betty, Martha and Mickey) also have a song, and Sunnie O'Dea dances, as does The Knight Sisters, an adagio dance team. No Universal short was complete without some kind of vaudeville act tossed in, and the tossed-in act here is a roller-skating team called The Lightning Trio.

[memento]

IMDB: A poor but beautiful girl named Jeanne takes part in a beauty contest but fails to be crowned its queen. Nevertheless both her determination and her shapely figure impress Sal Satori, the organizer, so much that he gives her a job as a carnival dancer. He becomes her friend and, before long, her great love. However, being a hootchie-kootchie dancer is not Jeanne's dream: she wants to be an actress. That is why Jeanne takes advantage of the Satori company being in New York to consult a renowned drama teacher, Mrs. Neilson. The latter thinks she CAN act and she is proved right since the audience of the first play Jeanne is in responds favorably. But Jeanne will only feel wholly satisfied when she acquires star status. She soon obtains the part which will lead her to stardom by stealing it from Elsie Desmond, an aging actress who planned a comeback through it. In desperation, Elsie commits suicide...

[Fran]

Also known as:  Control

From IMDb:  Ghost trains and ghostly characters, figuratively speaking of course, are what run through the perpetual night of this underground metro system. Bulcsú's (Sándor Csányi) life that once was, on the surface, where the real people go home after work, who go to the movies or a fine restaurant is now replaced by the dark, cold and solitude arena of his new dwellings. Him [sic] and his motley crew of ragtag metro ticket Kontrollers must patrol the trains that run these City dwellers back and forth and, with daily ritual, check that no one dare come down into their world for a free ride. With indifferent passengers, a possible love interest, a regime set on competition and to top it all a mysterious serial killer at large, Kontroll is a dark and bleak comedy of the world of the ticket inspector who, in the end, must keep this Metro system running. If not, what would be the worst that could happen, if they ever lost control? Dare you ride here for free, too?

Plot Keywords:  Dance | Dancer

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJQnWCPMrII[/youtube]
Trailer

[southendmd]

IMDb:  2002: Jake Mitchell is the defending World West Coast Swing Champion. He's got everything going for him: looks, personality, and style. He's at the top of his game when he and his partner Corinne are crowned the unexpected winners at the World Swing Dance Championships. As the crowd cheers and the celebration begins, Jake appears uneasy. Did he really deserve to win? The music blasts and the bass is thumping, and Jake hears none of it. He feels it. Jake is completely deaf, due to an ear infection when he was a teenager. He learned how to dance by feeling the vibrations of the music. Now he feels something else: that perhaps the judges gave him the win out of sympathy. Present Day: Jessica Donovan's life is boring. When she was younger, she was a dancer who had dreams of Broadway. Now she's an English teacher for disinterested, upper class middle school kids, and she's dying to let loose...

[oilgun]

Montenegro is, without a doubt, one the freshest, most original and seldom seen gems on the planet. Anspach delivers a personal best as a housewife on the brink of insanity who befriends a band of eccentrics at the Zanzi Bar. What follows is a bizarre odyssey of sexual and emotional discovery. Robust characters, Pinter's beautiful cinematography, and tart humor make this a must. The stuff of life.

There is much Dancing at the Zanzi Bar.

Montenegro

[Fran]

Original title:  Nirgendwo in Afrika

From IMDb:  Based on a true story, a Jewish family escapes Nazi Germany and relocates to Kenya. Traumatic at first, then the family discovers a new way of life to be not without its rewards.

Listening from a portable radio in Africa about the details of Jewish Holocaust is somewhat confining but a wonderful way of providing emotional tension central to this story. Instead of being witness to visceral aspects of the war, we are left to examine the resilience of human spirit and infinite possibilities of life. Vast and captivating African sceneries are not only beautiful but also gives spiritual lift that guide the family along their journey. Caroline Link does not discover new territories with this traditionally-told melodrama but succeeds in making "Nowhere in Africa" a timeless and moving film.

Keyword:  Dancing

[memento]

also known as Black Orpheus

IMDB: In Rio, Orfeo is a trolley conductor and musician, engaged to Mira. During Carnival week, he sees Eurydice, who's fled her village in fear of a stalker; it's love at first sight. Her cousin Sarafina, with whom she stays in Rio, is a friend of Orfeo and Mira, so the star-crossed lovers meet again. Later, during the revels, wearing Sarafina's costume, Eurydice dances a provocative samba with Orfeo. Not only is Mira enraged when her rival is unmasked, but she is being stalked by Death: Eurydice is in danger, pursued through noisy crowds and a morgue. Can Orfeo conduct her to safety? Don't look back.

[oilgun]

Image soon to be censored on Photobucket, I'm sure

IMDb:  The star attraction of the Piccadilly Club is the dancing team of Mabel and Vic. Victor is infatuated with Mabel, but she rejects his advances, since she is in love with Valentine Wilmot, the club's owner. One night, as Mabel and Vic perform their act, there is a disruption caused by a customer who is unhappy about a dirty plate. When Wilmot goes back to the kitchen to investigate, he finds several employees in the scullery watching Shosho, one of the dishwashers, dancing on a table. That night, Wilmot fires both Shosho and Victor. But the club's sagging fortunes soon lead him to re-evaluate Shosho's talent

[Fran]

From AllMovie.com:   In this romantic drama, two teenagers in love struggle to look past their differences. After the unexpected death of her mother, Sarah Johnson (Julia Stiles) moves to Chicago to live with her father. Knowing no one at her new school and not at home in a gritty, inner-city high school, Sarah has trouble adjusting, but she soon becomes friends with Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas), who has talent and street smarts but a checkered past. Sarah was an avid student of ballet before her mother's death sidelined her studies, while Derek has some serious hip-hop moves, and their mutual love of dance leads their friendship into something deeper. However, since Sarah is white and Derek is black, they have more to contend with than the average high school couple; Sarah gets static from Nikki (Bianca Lawson), Derek's former girlfriend, while Derek has to deal with his friend Malakai (Fredro Starr), who is still deep in the thug life Derek is trying to avoid.

[southendmd]

IMDb:  A provocative erotic drama, stylishly rendered by Andre Techine, who won the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival for this compelling investigation into the intersection of sexual and artistic passion.

Keyword:  dance rehearsal.