100 Things #11: First Position
Or, "Oops, so much for posting twice a week." Sigh.
Today was tentatively scheduled for dress shopping round two, but it turned out not to be necessary or even feasible, so instead, I went to a movie about ballet.
#11: First Position - A documentary that follows six young dancers from around the world as they prepare for the Youth America Grand Prix, one of the most prestigious ballet competitions in the world. [imdb] [trailer (recommended!)]
I have a great love fondness for the dance/cheerleading/performance competition genre of film. They're all basically the same and I'll never see them in theatres, but I eat that shit up on cable. That, plus my status as a grown up theatre kid, meant this movie appealed to me as soon as I saw the first trailer.
The movie delivers on the description and the trailer. It's exactly what you expect: no unwelcome dramatic surprises but genuine and with a lot of heart. You root for every kid. It's completely engrossing; our theatre gasped and (quietly) applauded at a few points. Watching the dancers at their craft is a delight. I did have to squinch my eyes at the close-ups of their unwrapped feet, but I figured that was coming at some point. Ugh, ballet feet are the worst. I guess if you have a thing against feet in general, this movie might be a problem.
I didn't know going in that one of the featured families was local - as in, the first location they displayed for them was the same city as the theatre we were in (the family moves later). Unfortunately, it's probably the family that got the most critical look due to the stage mom and the conflict with her younger child. But their coach was hilarious.
Anyway, it's a lovely film and I would recommend it to all.
I just started a Netflix 30-day free trial, so I hope to stock up on discussion topics!
Today was tentatively scheduled for dress shopping round two, but it turned out not to be necessary or even feasible, so instead, I went to a movie about ballet.
#11: First Position - A documentary that follows six young dancers from around the world as they prepare for the Youth America Grand Prix, one of the most prestigious ballet competitions in the world. [imdb] [trailer (recommended!)]
I have a great love fondness for the dance/cheerleading/performance competition genre of film. They're all basically the same and I'll never see them in theatres, but I eat that shit up on cable. That, plus my status as a grown up theatre kid, meant this movie appealed to me as soon as I saw the first trailer.
The movie delivers on the description and the trailer. It's exactly what you expect: no unwelcome dramatic surprises but genuine and with a lot of heart. You root for every kid. It's completely engrossing; our theatre gasped and (quietly) applauded at a few points. Watching the dancers at their craft is a delight. I did have to squinch my eyes at the close-ups of their unwrapped feet, but I figured that was coming at some point. Ugh, ballet feet are the worst. I guess if you have a thing against feet in general, this movie might be a problem.
I didn't know going in that one of the featured families was local - as in, the first location they displayed for them was the same city as the theatre we were in (the family moves later). Unfortunately, it's probably the family that got the most critical look due to the stage mom and the conflict with her younger child. But their coach was hilarious.
Anyway, it's a lovely film and I would recommend it to all.
I just started a Netflix 30-day free trial, so I hope to stock up on discussion topics!