Director Kevin Tancharoen makes it clear right from the start that he wants his remake of Fame to be something like the anti-American Idol, a celebration of hard work and dedication to craft. This message gets hammered home early on by Principal Simms (Debbie Allen), the head of the High School for the Performing Arts (P.A. for short), in a forceful speech to incoming freshmen about how if they want fame they’ll have to pay for it — in sweat.

And, for the first half-hour, the movie gets by on showing us just that. The opening montage of kids auditioning for the school has a seductive flow; the rapid editing gives the movie momentum, although it’s a little too quick to let us fully appreciate the dancing. Sadly, as we get to know this new crop of students, the energy quickly dissipates because, when it comes to their lives, screenwriter Allison Burnett leaves no cliché behind. Troubled youth from a broken inner-city home? Check. Driven dance diva who has no time for a personal life? Check. Classical pianist who really wants to sing R&B?
Check. Casting couch? Check. No supportive parents in the entire universe? Check, check, and check.

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Most anybody who was a teenager after 1955 can relate completely to the idea of rock & roll as the path of deliverance from adolescent angst. Director Todd Graff takes full advantage of this in Bandslam. The story centers on teenage music lover Will Burton (Gaelan Connell), a social misfit who shuts out the classmates he hates with the help of his omnipresent iPod. He wants nothing more than to leave his Cleveland school, and one day that dream unexpectedly comes true when his single mother (Lisa Kudrow) lands a job in New Jersey. At his new school, Will is just happy to be anonymous, but he eventually starts a tentative friendship with a fellow misfit (Vanessa Hudgens) whose name, Sa5m, has a silent “5.” And when the most popular girl in school (Aly Michalka) realizes (thanks to their shared appreciation for the Velvet Underground) that Will has spectacular taste in music, she gets him to manage her rock group so they can defeat her ex-boyfriend’s band in Bandslam, an annual battle of the bands contest.

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Some big-screen adaptations of TV hits don’t demand any real knowledge about the show to enjoy them — like, for instance, the South Park movie. Some, like the first X-Files film, do. Hannah Montana: The Movie, however, requires a pre-digested knowledge of, and unconditional love for, the titular pop princess. So as a service to everyone else, here’s the sitcom’s setup: typical high schooler Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) keeps a secret from everyone but her closest friends — she’s actually the superstar singing sensation Hannah Montana. She maintains a double life because she wants, as her theme song states, “the best of both worlds” — the perks of fame and the anonymity of life outside the public eye.

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The phenomenally successful High School Musical franchise makes the leap onto the big screen with the third installment, High School Musical 3: Senior Year. As the name implies, this time out the students at East High are dealing with impending changes in their lives as Graduation nears. Troy (Zac Efron) wins another basketball championship with his best friend and teammate Chad (Corbin Bleu), and finds himself conflicted about his college plans, unable to choose between basketball and theater. And as if this weren’t enough, he’s also struggling to figure out how to maintain his relationship with loving girlfriend Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) when she opts for early admission to Stanford.

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Back when movie musicals were as commonplace as newsreels, Cyd Charisse, who passed away earlier this week, danced with every great and near great male dancer the screen could throw at her, and she made each and every one of them better. If you know you dislike musicals, there is nothing I can say here to convince you otherwise; either you are transported by the emotional release of singing and dancing or you aren’t. Whether or not you enjoy them, however, know that if Fred Astaire had Ginger Rogers - Gene Kelly had Cyd Charisse. Kelly was an athletic dancer with a gymnast’s zeal for movement. Strong and powerful, he looked full of energy even when he stood still. Charisse was the best on-screen dance partner he ever had, in large part because her formidable physical presence matched up with Kelly’s athletic bearing. Their work together in Brigadoon, It’s Always Fair Weather, and especially Singin’ In the Rain, showcased the depth of their talents. If you only think you dislike musicals, start with those and maybe you’ll acquire a taste for this once dominant art form. If you appreciate how emotional, how sensual, how playful, and how full of life her dancing was, the sadness of her passing is all the more profound.

Midnight Ballad for Ghost Theater FTW!

John Turturro’s blue-collar musical Romance & Cigarettes, a film that has had nearly every obstacle thrown in its way — from completion up through a halfhearted theatrical release — finally gets a DVD release two days before Valentine’s Day. Watching it, one can see why studios were flummoxed by its combination of grand emotions, gritty setting, and explicit sexual talk. The film represents a unique and singular vision – there really hasn’t been anything quite like it. The film’s closest relative might be Martin Scorsese’s New York, New York, another film that attempted to collide naturalism with artificial theatricality. But where the Scorsese picture kept the characters grounded in reality while serving up the most stylish sets and photography imaginable, Romance & Cigarettes keeps a gritty, street-level feel while allowing the performers to play in a grand manner.

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