Dance and Music: 93

The Get Down (2016–2017), a creation of Baz Luhrmann and Stephen Adly Guirgis, is an American musical drama that premiered on Netflix on August 12, 2016. Sadly, it was cancelled after just one season. The show is set in the 1970s in New York City’s Bronx borough and tells the story of a group of teens who witness the rise of hip-hop and disco music. At the start of each episode, we see MC Books, a renowned artist, performing for a large crowd in 1996. Using rap as his medium, he recaps previous events and sets the stage for what’s to come. Throughout the ...

Sing (2016) is an American animated jukebox musical comedy film produced by Illumination Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. In Calatonia, a city of anthropomorphic animals, koala Buster Moon faces financial struggle with his theater. Bank representative llama Judith threatens foreclosure. To save his theater, Buster decides to hold a singing competition with a grand prize of $1,000. However, a mistake made by his assistant iguana Miss Crawly causes the flyers to advertise a prize of $100,000 instead. The flyers are unfortunately blown out of the window before proofreading can take place, causing animals from all over the city to show up for ...

Vinyl (2016), an American period drama television series, was created by Mick Jagger, Martin Scorsese, Rich Cohen and Terence Winter. The show follows Richie Finestra, a record executive in the 1970s. The pilot episode was directed by Scorsese, from a teleplay by Winter and George Mastras, with a story by

The award-winning film, La La Land (2016), penned and helmed by Damien Chazelle, follows the story of jazz musician Sebastian ‘Seb’ Wilder and aspiring actress Mia Dolan. Seb’s frustration with Los Angeles traffic leads to a moment of road rage directed at Mia. Later on, Mia’s audition, which was interrupted by a phone call, ends badly causing disappointment for her. In an attempt to lift her spirits, her roommates take her to a party in the Hollywood Hills where she hopes to make career connections. However, things take a turn for the worse when her car gets towed and she is forced to walk home ...

My Big Night (2015) is an Spanish comedy film, directed and co-written by Álex de la Iglesia and Jorge Guerricaechevarría respectively. The story follows José, an extra hired by an employment agency four months in advance, for a New Year’s Eve television special being filmed in an industrial pavilion outside Madrid. This leaves his mother Dolores, who is attached to a large crucifix she took from her husband’s grave, alone at home. José has been brought in to replace another extra who passed away due to an accident with a production crane during rehearsals. He ...

Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery (2015), released in 2015, is an animated crossover comedy mystery film, marking the twenty-fifth installment in the series of Scooby-Doo films. The gang – Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo – head to Kiss World amusement park for their Halloween concert, with Daphne’s crush on Starchild driving their motive. Despite opposition from security chief Delilah Domino, a former government defense employee, the gang sneaks in. However, they are quickly caught by Delilah who accuses them of vigilantism and bans them from the park. Fortunately, Kiss arrives at that moment and after learning of the ...

Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) is an American musical comedy directed and produced by Elizabeth Banks, marking her feature directorial debut (not counting her involvement in Movie 43). The screenplay, written by Kay Cannon, follows the Barden Bellas three years after their first championship win. This time around, they are under the leadership of senior Beca Mitchell and three-time super senior Chloe Beale. Having dominated the ICCA National competition for three consecutive years, the group faces a national controversy (nicknamed ‘Muffgate’) when Patricia ...

Youth (2015) is a comedy-drama film by writer and director Paolo Sorrentino. This marks his second English-language work. The story follows septuagenarian friends Fred Ballinger and Mick Boyle, who are currently vacationing at a luxurious spa in the Swiss Alps called Wiesen. Fred, a retired classical music composer, is approached by a representative for Queen Elizabeth II during their stay. The Queen wishes to grant him a knighthood and invites him to perform his popular composition ‘Simple Song #3’ at Prince Philip’s birthday concert. However, Fred declines the offer, stating that he has no interest ...

The American epic biographical drama film directed by F. Gary Gray, Straight Outta Compton (2015), tells the story of the rise and fall of N.W.A., a hip hop group. Set in 1986, Compton, California is depicted as a chaotic dystopia overrun by street gangs, drug dealers, and police brutality. One night, Eazy-E narrowly escapes a police raid at a crack house. The following day, Dr. Dre is at a crossroads in life and is confronted by his mother for missing a job interview. Meanwhile, high school senior Ice Cube dreams of becoming a rapper. When Dre hears Cube’s ‘reality raps’ about the struggles faced by ...

Jersey Boys (2014) is a film based on the award-winning musical of the same name. Directed and produced by Clint Eastwood, it tells the story of Tommy DeVito, his brother Nicky, and their friend Nick Massi who perform as The Variety Trio in Belleville, New Jersey in 1951. One day, they meet 16-year-old Frankie Castelluccio, known for his impressive singing voice. He catches the eye of mafia boss Angelo ‘Gyp’ DeCarlo who takes an interest in him. However, when the group attempts a robbery and gets arrested, Frankie gets off with a warning while Tommy goes to prison for six months. Upon his release, Tommy ...

In Rio 2 (2014), an animated musical comedy from Blue Sky Studios and directed by Carlos Saldanha, Blu and Jewel are busy raising their three children – Carla, Bia, and Tiago – in the city. Unfortunately, Jewel is disappointed that her children seem to be adopting their father’s domesticated ways. Meanwhile, Linda and Tulio embark on an expedition in the Amazon and stumble upon a blue Spix’s macaw who loses a feather after tumbling down a waterfall. Once the news of this encounter is broadcasted on television, Jewel becomes determined to go to the Amazon to find more of these rare birds. Despite ...

Whiplash (2014), an American indie psychological drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle, follows jazz drummer Andrew Neiman as he attends the prestigious Shaffer Conservatory in hopes of achieving the same success as his childhood hero Buddy Rich. The conductor of the Studio Band, Terence Fletcher, recruits him to play for the ensemble as an alternate for core drummer Carl Tanner. However, Andrew soon discovers that Fletcher is exceedingly strict and abusive towards his students. This becomes apparent when Fletcher throws a chair at Andrew and then physically and verbally assaults him for not keeping tempo ...

The Blue Umbrella (2013), a Pixar short film paired with Monsters University, brings a city scene to life amidst a rainstorm. Various objects – signs, lights, awnings, mailboxes, buildings, and more – are animated with faces and expressions, delighting in the shower. Amidst the passing people under their black umbrellas is one standout: a lone blue umbrella. While its owner pauses at a street corner, the blue umbrella catches sight of a charming red umbrella nearby. Their exchanged glances reveal an instant attraction, but fate pulls them apart as their owners continue on separate paths. However, the other objects on the street conspire to bring the two ...

Behind the Candelabra (2013), an American biographical comedy drama television film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Richard LaGravenese, is based on the book of the same name by Scott Thorson and Alex Thorleifson. In 1977, 18-year-old Scott, an animal trainer for movies, meets Hollywood producer Bob Black in a gay bar in Los Angeles. Encouraged by Black, he leaves his adopted home in search of better job opportunities. Black introduces him to Liberace, who ...

Pitch Perfect (2012), an American musical comedy film directed by Jason Moore and written by Kay Cannon, follows the story of Barden University’s all-female a cappella group, the Barden Bellas. At the 2011 International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) Finals held at Lincoln Center, they suffer a humiliating defeat to their all-male rivals, the Barden Treblemakers. Their loss can be attributed to junior member Aubrey Posen’s unfortunate onstage incident of vomiting during her solo. This causes the Bellas’ reputation to plummet within both the ...

Rock of Ages (2012) is a film directed by Adam Shankman, based on the Broadway musical by Chris D’Arienzo. Set in 1987 Los Angeles, Sherrie Christian arrives from Oklahoma with hopes of becoming a singer. However, her suitcase is stolen and she is left stranded. Drew Boley, a barback at the Bourbon Room, helps her out by getting her a job as a waitress after the previous one quits (‘Sister Christian/Just Like Paradise/Nothin’ But a Good Time’). The Bourbon Room, facing financial troubles due to tax debt, desperately books Stacee Jaxx, a ...

Noah Baumbach’s American black-and-white comedy-drama, Frances Ha (2012), stars Greta Gerwig as the titular character. Frances is a 27-year-old dancer living in New York City with her college best friend, Sophie. However, their living arrangement is disrupted when Sophie announces she will be moving to her dream neighborhood, Tribeca, with another friend. As a struggling apprentice at a dance company, Frances cannot afford the Brooklyn apartment on her own and must find alternative housing. She temporarily moves in with friends Lev and Benji in Chinatown. Meanwhile, ...

This Must Be the Place (2011), an Italian-French-Irish drama directed and written by Paolo Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello respectively, tells the story of Cheyenne. The former wealthy rock star has been living a mundane and uninspired life in Dublin for the past two decades. His retirement was prompted by the tragic suicides of two of his teenage fans. Seeking some sort of redemption, he makes the journey to New York to make amends with his dying father, only to arrive too late. His justification for not being in contact for 30 years was due to his father’s rejection when he began experimenting with goth ...

George Miller directed, produced and co-wrote the 2011 animated jukebox musical comedy film, Happy Feet Two (2011). Erik, son of Mumble and Gloria, struggles to keep up with his fellow Emperor-Land penguins on the dance floor. Along with his friends Bo and Atticus, he follows Ramón, leader of the Amigos and one of Mumble’s pals, to Adélie-Land. This snowy land is now under the rule of Sven, a flying penguin who is not all he seems. Sven had previously convinced the humans to spare him by showing off his impressive flight skills before joining forces with Lovelace (formerly known as ‘Guru’). Lovelace ...

Rio (2011), an American animated musical adventure comedy film produced by Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox Animation, follows the story of Blu – an orphaned male Spix’s macaw hatchling who was illegally brought to Moose Lake, Minnesota. After being discovered by Linda Gunderson, Blu becomes her beloved pet for fifteen years despite his inability to fly and constant teasing from Canada geese. However, when ornithologist Túlio Monteiro invites them to Rio de Janeiro to mate with the last female of their species, Linda and Blu embark on a wild journey. There, Blu meets Jewel – a strong-willed macaw who dreams of returning to the wild. But things take a turn ...