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Reviews
Shall We Dance? (2004)
Shall We Dance? - No
Last night at the Bijou I wasn't bored, but I was disappointed. Richard Gere as in "Chicago" once again has good editing and schtick to sneak by as a dancer. Frank Sinatra in his narration of "That's Entertainment" said of Astaire, Kelly, Powell, Charise, "you can hope and pray but you won't see the likes of them again". Films like this prove it. Dance sequences are edited 80% with close up and waist up shots. The few full body shots (where you actually see feet dancing) are cleverly edited in no more than a couple of dance steps lasting a couple of seconds. I imagine they worked long and hard with many takes getting some decent head to toe footage. Jennifer Lopez, who I understand was trained as a dancer, is at best 2nd rate. Gere cannot be rated, he's not a dancer. You do get to see some great dancing, but its cuts of Astaire and Charise on TV in the background. A harsh reminder of how poor Gere and Lopez do it. Poor Susan Sarandon is terribly miscast as the suspicious wife, but she tries hard to make convincing the implausible spouses conflict sub plot which is near laughable. A good film to wait for the DVD
Unsavory Characters (2001)
Richard W. Haines' tribute to Film Noir works....
Once again Richard W. Haines shows his talent in putting every dollar possible in a low budget film up on the screen to be seen. Haines as editor, producer and director puts this B&W/color entry as a tribute to the film noir classics of the forties. Outstanding photography, lighting, sound well beyond what you'd expect in a low budget. Some excellent perofrmances from supporting cast, but the leads best not give up their day jobs. I liked the female lead's attempt to equal a young Lauren Bacall and she generates some heat in scenes, but somehow I'm left with the taste of an amateur performance. The male leads holds up his end,but you have to be patient. His pace and timing are too slow. Good story, Haines adds the polish and its definitely worth your time.