Step Up 3

Step Up 3 (2010)
Starring: Rick Malambri, Adam Sevani, and Sharni Vinson
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
SC=5 V=4 C=4
Grade: A

This Step Up is awesome, but it's my least favorite of the three. Here's why: The guy (in this case, Rick Malambri) is likable and very good looking, but not as likeable as Channing Tatum or even Robert Hoffman, who, sometimes in the movie, comes across a little too cocky. The girl (Sharni Vinson) isn't as likeable as Jenna Dewan or as awesome as Briana Evigan, who is my favorite girl in any of the movies. The only thing this movie has that the others don't is Moose as a main character. He was in Step Up 2, but he's actually a main character in this movie. This movie also has Camielle, played by Alyson Stoner, and she's just awesome. The dancing in this movie also easily outdoes the first one and probably beats the second one as well. Luke (Malambri) runs a "house" for abandoned dancers, giving them a place to live and practice. When he meets Moose (Sevani), who is in town for college, Moose starts spending more time with the dancers and less time on his schoolwork. Coming into the group at the same time is Natalie (Vinson), a mysterious dancer also in need of a home. The two newcomers are just in time for World Jam, which is basically a larger version of The Streets from Step Up 2. After several events that put not only the house but the dancers in jeapardy, Luke must put together his old crew and win World Jam in order to save the house and the dancer's futures.

Step Up 2 The Streets

Step Up 2 The Streets (2008)
Starring: Robert Hoffman, Briana Evigan, and Adam Sevani
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
SC=5 V=5 C=4
Grade: A++

This is one of the best sequels ever, where it not only is as good as the original but almost tops it. Briana Evigan is, by far, the coolest of all of the Step Up girls and Robert Hoffman is awesome. Plus, Adam Sevani makes everything better. Andie (Evigan) is part of a dance crew that gets in trouble a lot. She's lived with her mom's friend since her mother died and the woman has had enough. Andie's friend Tyler Gage (cameo by Step Up star Channing Tatum) talks the woman into giving Andie one more chance to change by going to Maryland School of the Arts, the school that changed him. After Andie gets accepted, with a little help from the director's little brother Chase (Hoffman), she sees that going to this school will not be anything like she thought it would. But with her new friend Moose (Sevani) and help from Chase, she puts together a dance crew to compete with her old crew. Where will they battle? The Streets, of course. The Streets is a battle of the best dance crews, where they bring their best moves. But will Andie's new crew of misfits be able to bring it? Or will they end up burning out, just like Andie will if her second chance doesn't work? Not only does this movie have amazing dancing all the way through, but the dance at the end is one of the best dances I've ever seen (in the rain?! Heck yes.). Oh, and make sure to keep an eye out for Christopher Scott, choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance. He plays Hair.

Movie Review: Save the Last Dance

Save the Last Dance (2001)
Starring: Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas
Characters: Sara and Derek
Directed by: Thomas Carter
Tagline: The only person you need to be is yourself
Grade: B+

I love dance movies. I love dancing, so obviously I would love movies in which the characters dance. This was a pretty good dance movie, not one of the best, but still pretty good. I might be biased because my favorite dance movie is Step Up and Step Up 2 The Streets, which are both amazing. But this one was still pretty awesome. The movie is about a ballerina (Sara) who has to move in with her father, who lives in a pretty rough neighborhood, after her mother dies. There, she meets Derek, who is a very smart guy that wants to be a doctor. Sara decides that she wants to learn how to dance in a club, instead of just ballet. As he teaches her to dance, they start liking each other, which starts a lot of talk. One of the things I didn't like so much about this movie was all of the racial stuff, which I thought took away from the main point of the movie. Another thing I didn't like so much was the lack of dancing. There are a couple scenes, which are very short, where Derek is teaching her how to dance and a couple of club scenes. Other than those and the very long scene at the end, when Sara auditions for Julliard, there's not a whole lot of dancing. So, overall, a pretty good movie...it's a movie that involves dancing, I just wouldn't exactly call it a "dance" movie.
-MOT