"You have [no] talent. Now let's see what we can do with it."

*this picture does not depict any characters from Fame because they can't actually dance*

Fame: A well-known show on Broadway that is still discussed today. Made into a film in 1980, Fame is now out on DVD again as an attempt to recreate an already great movie. Was the second attempt better than the first? Not even close.

For those who have never heard of the Broadway show, the 1980 film, or the 2009 film, Fame is about students at the New York Academy of the Performing Arts and their journeys in becoming actors, singers, and dancers. The school's limited acceptance number causes stress among the characters, as well as their future career path. While the 1980 film creates a good representation of this story, the 2009 film falls short.

The film begins with Jenny Garrison, played by Kay Panabaker, an uptight actress/singer who can't seem to do anything right. Then, without learning a lot about Jenny, we move on to Alice Ellerton, played by Kherington Payne, an emotionless, talentless yet still appealing (?) dancer who is considered competition. And, without even hearing her speak, we meet Denise Dupree, played by Naturi Naughton, who is the only talented singer thus far. Thankfully, we get to actually learn about her and her predestined life as a pianist. But, she finds out she has a larger range than Jennifer Hudson. Surprising? Not really.

We also meet some other uninteresting characters who aren't talented, but mentioning all fifty or so would take too long.

So the story continues with Jenny, the uptight bad singer, and her problems with her uptightedness. She fails in all of her acting classes but it still supported by her soon-to-be boyfriend (raise your hand if you saw that coming). Spoiler alert: they break up but get back together at the end of the movie. (Hand still raised?)

Then we see Alice again and she, without saying anything or dancing impressively, woos a future DJ mixer student. But she breaks his heart anyway, with the actual use of words. Surprised this time? Yes.

Finally, it's the end of the movie. How do I know? All the characters have come out on stage and begun showing off their talents. Remind you of any other school-of-talented-students-who-struggle-with-their-lives-but-find-their-true-selves-through-music movies? This scene is random, but also expected (shoulders hurting?). And the film ends with everyone dancing and singing at their... graduation? I'm not sure, but I was glad the film ended.

For Fame, Allyson gives the rating:

"I feel old. But not very wise."

The movie An Education takes place in London in the 1960s is about a sixteen-year old named Jenny Mellor (Carey Mulligan). Her parents want her to study at Oxford, so she has dedicated the rest of her high school years to studying.

Her simple life is changed when she meets David Goldman (Peter Sarsgaard), a man who is twice her age. He exposes her to a luxurious life, where she experiences shopping in Paris, buying expensive paintings, and traveling to new places. David and Jenny's relationship becomes more romantic. But, as she learns more about David and his life, she realizes she has to decide between two different educations.

Exciting, joyful, and sad, this movie will leave you satisfied with Jenny's decision.

Other Actors: Olivia Williams, Alfred Molina, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike

From dull to vibrant, this movie receives a rating of:

"Did I know that I just met the most dangerous dark wizard of all time? No."

Talley: Welcome back, this is part two of our Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince discussion. Allyson, what do you think the worst part of HBP was?

Allyson: I think the worst part was the scene when the death eaters go to the Weasley home because I didn't think it was necessary (from what I remember) and it wasn't portrayed well.

Talley: I didn't like that scene either, because it wasn't in the books, but what I really hates was how the memories were handled, how Dumbledore didn't know that it was Horcruxes they were looking for and that he didn't give Harry the information he's going to need. But I thought that Dumbledore as a character was much better this time around- less angry.

Allyson: Yeah, in the past couple of movies Dumbledore was too angry and not loving like he should be, so I definitely liked him better in this movie. And I also agree that the memories weren't done right, they were too dark and some of the important ones were missing.

Talley: On the other hand, I loved the boy playing young Tom Riddle.

Allyson: Same here! I recognized him from somewhere, was he in another movie?

Talley: His name is Hero Fiennes-Tiffen, and is Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort)'s nephew. He was in a movie called 'Bigga Than Ben'.

Allyson: That's cool that he is related to the actor who plays Voldemort!

Talley: Okay, Everyone, that's the end of our Harry Potter commentary for now- check back later for Avatar and/or Star Trek, later this week.

From Dull to Vibrant, Allyson gives this movie:

From Dull to Vibrant, Talley gives this movie:

"Oh, to be young and feel love's keen sting!"

Talley and Allyson discussed the six film in the Harry Potter series, The Half-Blood Prince.

Talley: Hey everyone! Today, Allyson and I are going to discuss the hit award-winning movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. First opinion, Allyson?

Allyson: I really liked the movie's edits of the book. Because of course they need to remove parts in order to make the movie 2 hours.

Talley: I thought that the director, David Yates, did a really wonderful job of condensing the story, like you said, and that it was way more relatable than the first five movies, with a lot more connections to the real world. Do you think that the PG rating was appropriate?

Allyson: For the most part yes, but there were many 6-8 year olds in the theater when I was there, and I think that certain parts could have scared them. For instance, the scene where Harry is in the cave on the beach where Voldemort's horcrux is hidden. That was pretty dark for a PG movie.

Talley: It was a really dramatic, very scary movie to be rated PG. I think the cave was way too much for a PG movie, and it could easily have been rated PG-13.

Allyson: Yes, but I think they rated it PG (not only for more viewers) but also because there was humor and themes of friendship.

Talley: I see that, but then you get from 6 which was a strong PG and then your going to be jumping to 7, which I think will end up being a very strong PG-13. Now, something I really loved was the opening on modern London with the Deatheaters and lots of little details, like Ollivander being taken away. What was your opinion on the real-world scenes?

Allyson: Yes I really loved the opening! The real-world bits in London were exciting because people have actually been there, as opposed to Hogwarts and Diagon Alley. I also thought the graphics were really good with the apparation of the Deatheaters and Ollivander.
What did you think of Helena Bonham Carter's performance in the movie?

Talley: I find her to be the perfect representation of Bellatrix, and the scene with her, Alan Rickman as Snape, and Narcissia Malfoy at Spinner's End was one of the best and most cannon-accurate scenes. She was phenomenal in 5, but even better in 6.

Allyson: I really liked her in 6 because she had more scenes to illustrate the character for the viewers who didn't read the books.

TO BE CONTINUED

"Bingo, Asians. They pack light, travel efficiently, and have a thing for slip-on shoes. Gotta love 'em."

Up in the Air is about Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) and his job: to fire other companies' employees. This requires him to fly all over the country regardless of his personal concerns. Bingham is lucky, though, because he has no family or friends to miss whenever he leaves. He loves traveling by himself, the airports, the airplanes, and all of the privileges he receives.

But during a meeting with his boss and co-workers, he discovers that a fresh, intelligent graduate has devised a new way to fire employees: through a webcam. This, of course, eliminates the need for people like Bingham to fly to a company. Bingham is completely against this and takes the graduate, Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick), to many companies so she can experience the difficulty of firing people.

"Anybody who ever built an empire, or changed the world, sat where you are now. And its because they sat there that they were able to do it."

The movie is full of witty remarks and unlikely events that entertain the audience. There is also a serious side to the plot that people can relate to.

Other Actors: Vera Farmiga, Jason Bateman, Danny McBride, Zack Galifianakis


From Dull to Vibrant, this movie receives a rating of:

What to Expect

This month, The Dull Drama hopes to review...

-Avatar

-Up in the Air

-Fame

-The Blind Side

-An Education

-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

-Star Trek

-The Princess and the Frog