KATY PERRY: PART OF ME: Not Like the Movies

Note: I actually saw this film on July 3rd, the night before the film came out. By the time I was able to reach a viable Wi-Fi connection, too much time had gone by to post the review. So I decided to wait until the Blu-Ray was released, which is today. Give it a watch! Thanks - Zack

A few nights ago, I had the pleasure of attending a screening of Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D. The screening was hosted by one of the film’s executive producers, Craig Brewer (director of Footloose). After the last-minute delay of G.I. Joe: Retaliation, this film became Paramount’s only major release of the summer and they wanted to send it off right by hosting sneak preview screenings all over the country, some attended by Katy Perry herself.

After pre-show live entertainment by a local artist, Craig Brewer introduced the film and said how proud he was of it and how he learned so much about Katy Perry. He concluded by asking the younger viewers of the audience to help the adults sing the Katy Perry songs, but told the adults there would be something special for them at the beginning of the film that they should help the younger viewers sing. As promised, before the film began, a Paramount vault appeared on screen and behind it was a digitally-remastered scene from Randal Kleiser’s Grease: the ever-popular “You’re the One That I Want” number, featuring 3D sing-a-long lyrics. I don’t consider myself a Grease fanatic, but even I have to admit I had never seen or heard the film better.

The movie centers around Katy Perry’s “California Dreams” 2011 tour which spent nearly a year going through the United States and around the world. While the film only features the musical numbers of the concerts, I did some reading and found out that there was a whole multimedia presentation which gave a fantasy world narrative to each concert ala Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. Seeing that, given the 3D aspect, would have been stunning. Yet, I can see from the way the film tries to tell the real story of Katy Perry, adding in the fantasy element would have been somewhat jarring.

The film goes into the history of Katy back when she was still Katy Hudson, Pentecostal Christian gospel singer. While living with her minister parents came restrictions from not being able to eat Lucky Charms cereal and the only mainstream movie she could watch was Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (oddly enough, the original Sister Act was not considered recommend viewing). When she came of age, she moved to LA where she spent her time being the wild child that she hadn’t been before. Inspired by Alanis Morissette, Perry spent time writing angry, edgy songs. Realizing she wasn’t being true to herself, she decided to abandon the dark nature of her earlier work and embrace the fun, pop songs we all know today. You delight in seeing the absolute joy as she hears “I Kissed a Girl” on the radio for the first time.

If there’s one thing I took away from this movie is that Katy Perry is the hardest working woman in music today. She seriously goes out and gives it her all in front of hundreds of people. This is why it is so tragic when her husband, Russell Brand, effectively ended their marriage. You can tell Perry is clearly devastated and yet people are still filing in for a concert. How on Earth could you ask ANYONE to go out and perform in front of hundreds of thousands of people when their most cherished loved one no longer loves them? She manages to pull herself together enough to go out and perform. However, you can see this sadness in her eyes when she helps her sister pick out a wedding dress. Undoubtedly, people will come away with a respect for Miss Perry.

Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D was spectacular. The behind-the-scenes looks at the tour, the look back into Katy’s early career and managing to take a concert tour and find a narrative inside. I have to give a hand to the filmmakers for spending months of going through nearly a year’s worth of footage. That can’t be an easy job for anyone. The end result is a sweet, colorful, fun film led by a beautiful, talented and hard-working songstress.



P.S. My favorite Katy Perry song is “Hot N Cold”. Yes.

Best of 2011

2011, as a whole, wasn't a great year. With 27 sequels, who could blame it? Certainly Hollywood needs some fixing, but I still think it has some life left in it. Why? Because these movies rose from the dark and gave me laughs, cheers and smiles. Here they are, my best of 2011

10. Real Steel

As I said in my review, this is Shawn Levy’s big breakaway from comedies into more serious territory. Nice guy Hugh Jackman delivers a fine performance as not-so-nice-guy Charlie Kenton. The boxing robot effects are great, a nice blend of practical effects and motion capture. For a much derided film, it builds its premise up fairly well.

9. The Green Hornet

It’s not the sturdiest of superhero movies, but it’s plenty better than another “Green” superhero (who would’ve guessed?). A film that pays respect to its predecessors in radio, comics and television while also working for a modern audience, Michel Gondry’s first major mainstream film swiftly mixes comedy and action. It’s got to be given props for coming up with some pretty outlandish set pieces – most done practically (such as the opening club explosion). It’s clear that Seth Rogen did his homework on all things Green Hornet, from the look of the Black Beauty to a small nod to the original Kato, Bruce Lee. The only nitpick I would have with it is that barely any of the characters are remotely likable. Also, I have never seen a worse candidate for an IMAX 3D film. I saw this in 3D, and I saw nothing that would be worthy of an IMAX 3D release. Absolutely nothing. If you saw it in IMAX, you have no soul.

8. Super 8

Ever since Iron Man 2, we were waiting on Super 8. J.J. Abrams’ first original film as director gets a lot of praise for being a great proponent of do-it-yourself filmmaking. The performances from the children are fantastic, not to mention Kyle Chandler. Where this film gets a lot of hate is the “half-hearted and uneven” depiction of the alien monster with unsympathetic goals. Personally, I’m a fan of Abrams’ films. I think he’s an interesting filmmaker to keep an eye on. The action and suspense were thrilling, especially the train crash sequence which was amazing. It seemed like much of the effects were done for real; for instance, the tipping bus. In the production design, Abrams masterfully recreates a Spielbergian town that looks truly authentic as though it had never been touched by modern times. In all, Super 8 is quality entertainment. It also shines a large and positive light on filmmaking, which I was very impressed with.

7. The Muppets

I know I’m gonna get a lot of flak for putting it so low on the list, but as I said in my review, I did enjoy the film. I just still could not get past the disappearing Muppets and the disappointing Amy Adams. Still, the songs were wildly enjoyable and the film’s bouncy bubbly enthusiasm will leave audiences of any age smiling. Jason Segal has done the impossible: bring the Muppets back from the brink and give them a film where they are again the stars.

6. Thor

For a superhero’s first depiction in film, Thor does leave some things to be desired that serves the purposes of linking to The Avengers but hopefully a sequel (if it can just stick to a director) will expand on the vast universe surrounding Asgard set up in this film. Chris Hemsworth shines as Thor, going from selfish to selfless perhaps a bit too quickly but believably. Although Natalie Portman is enjoyable in the film, her role isn’t particularly demanding. Everybody gives a lot of crap to the very pretty Kat Dennings and her comedy chops, but she wasn’t in the film enough to bug me. Anthony Hopkins is an inspired choice for Odin, but borderlines on over-the-top on some line deliveries. Who knows? Maybe Odin needs to be over-the-top. By far, the funniest Stan Lee cameo yet; I’m sure I was laughing louder than anyone else in the theater when he showed up. The sets are very well done, thanks to master production designer Bo Welch (who has a particular touch in his work). Kenneth Branagh does a fine job of directing, but has a much hated fascination with Dutch angles that many will be happy to see gone in Thor 2.

5. X-Men: First Class

One might think that because of the rushed production schedule that this film would be a studio controlled mess. On the contrary, this film appears to have been made by Fox throwing money at Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn and saying, “Money is no object. We trust you.” The cast -- in particular James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender -- is outstanding. Kevin Bacon plays a killer villain as eternally youthful Sebastian Shaw. The best part of the film is of course its pitch-perfect cameo of Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman (who, with this film, breaks Christopher Reeve’s previous record of most times playing a superhero). The period is used well to the film’s advantage but more recognizable songs would’ve been more appreciated.

4. Rise of the Planet of the Apes

When I heard this film announced, I predicted doom right from the start. I assumed Fox had lost their minds and were flogging a dead horse. Never in my moviegoing years have I been happier to be proven wrong. After the double fiasco of the Oscars and Your Highness (but a great cameo in The Green Hornet), this is precisely what James Franco needed -- a performance that allowed him to be subtle -- though the unarguable star of the film is Andy Serkis who brings performance capture to new heights. Evolving a technique initially used in bringing Davy Jones to life in the productions of the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels, Serkis performed the role of smart simian Caesar live on set. This helps to give excellent performances out of Franco and John Lithgow, whose enthusiasm is unbridled. I eagerly anticipate a sequel.

3. Drive

I enjoyed this film much more than Fast Five (not that it wasn’t good, just not as great as this film). As I said in my review, I will never underestimate Ryan Gosling as an actor ever again. He delivers a fantastic performance as the mostly silent Driver who is out for revenge after a heist gone wrong. It balances sweet scenes of the Driver driving through the sunset and the violence acts he has to incur to protect the ones he cares about. I’m not gonna say much more about it, but you can read my review and then go see for yourself. It’s a fantastic drama with action that doesn’t get over-the-top like Fast Five does.

2. Footloose

I can’t think of many critics who would have this film in their top 10 lists, much less top 3. But I’m not a critic (most of ‘em are cynical). I’m a movie buff and film optimist. This film gave me two of the greatest moviegoing experiences of the year. The first time I saw it was in July, when director Craig Brewer brought the film to town for a special sneak preview. I waited in line in front of a local DVD/Blu-Ray store at 8 AM, he came and brought donuts, recognized me BY NAME (nearly lost my $#*!) and handed out tickets. I drove over to the theater and waited across the parking lot outside of a Whole Foods Market sweating to death with only my laptop, a Mexican Coca-Cola and a small cup of Ben & Jerry’s. Finally, it came time to see the movie (before waiting in another line). Mr. Brewer came out to introduce it, told us some stories about how he was offered the movie and what the original Footloose meant to him. I saw it, I enjoyed it immensely. I thanked Mr. Brewer for the opportunity to see the movie early, got a picture with him and an autograph. Then came October 14th, when the movie was released to the general public. I didn’t have the money to go see it opening day, but I heard Craig Brewer was in town to open it up locally and I wanted to wish him good luck for the movie’s opening weekend. I went by the theater where he was, bumped into him and said good luck to him. He asked me if I was seeing the movie that night. I told him, I would love to, but I simply didn’t have the money. He says, “No problem,” and he hands me a free ticket. Cue exuberance. So I brought my laptop into the lobby, sat at a table and started writing while he’s signing posters and posing for pictures with people. After about two minutes with no one coming in, he comes over and sits down and we start chatting. Then, his phone rings. He says, “I’m sorry, I gotta take this.” He then looks at the screen and says, “Look who it is.” He shows me the screen and it says “Dennis Quaid”. Cue awesomeness. He gets to talking to him and I’m just sitting in awe. So, if it’s any correlation of the man to his film, Footloose is full of great times, well-performed drama and killer dance moves (for more specific info, please read my review).

1. The Adventures of Tintin

Steven Spielberg’s first foray in 3D makes for his most fun film in years. I’m not sure what got him on the kick of doing historical dramas and dark science-fiction pieces (with the occasional E.T. re-release and Crystal Skull thrown in), but it is so refreshing to see something so new and inventive from Spielberg. There was clearly a lot of care taken with the characters, the story and the partnership with Peter Jackson is unbeatable. See my full review.

Honorable mentions:
I hated to put these movies here, because they are very, very good, but I simply ran out of room in the top 10. By no means do these omissions mean I like them less or more than what is on the list.

Captain America: The First Avenger
The Tree of Life
30 Minutes or Less
Attack the Block
Source Code
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Drive Angry

Worst movies:
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Green Lantern
The Smurfs
The Dilemma

The Learning Curve

"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so."

- Anton Ego (Peter O'Toole) Ratatouille (2007)

I've been garnering a lot of approval of my positive review of Drive and my negative review of Yogi Bear. However, I've also gained highly negative criticism for my positive review of Footloose. This is not to say people can't enjoy one film and not another. This is America, the land of opportunity. Anybody can say whatever they want about a film they enjoy or don't enjoy.

I can't change my opinion of Footloose. It is a highly entertaining, wonderfully charming and all-in-all sweet film. Many, including film fans that I have deep respect for, have flat-out told me that Craig Brewer should not have wasted his time on this "stupid remake of that $#*!ty-ass '80s movie". Others have said:

"He has NO valid artistic reason for doing this!"

"If you think Footloose is a good movie, then I think drug testing is in order."

"Here's how much [I] want to see Footloose..... ZERO."

"Why anyone would want to remake a piece of tripe like Footloose is beyond me!"

I would imagine you get the point. If Footloose was as painful-looking as Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star, I would gladly join them. But enough care and time was given to it by Craig Brewer to elevate it beyond the simple title of "unwanted remake". It includes a lot of warmth and love to soften even the hardest critic's heart, if they are legitimately open to it and not let cynicism rule their lives. Filmmakers often get too much anger over their projects and when they come out to explain their choices, fanboys often rip them to shreds and want to string them up by the celluloid strips of their most-hated films.

As I've said before, Steven Spielberg received a lot of anger and hatred from displeased fanboys over elements (and to some, the whole) of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Spielberg did his best to douse the flames by proclaiming that the Blu-Ray of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial would only include the original 1982 version of the film and not the 2002 Anniversary Edition featuring digitized walkie-talkies replacing shotguns. And now, Spielberg has finally answered the damning 2008-era critics.

"I'm very happy with the movie. I always have been... I sympathise with people who didn't like the MacGuffin because I never liked the MacGuffin. George and I had big arguments about the MacGuffin. I didn't want these things to be either aliens or inter-dimensional beings. But I am loyal to my best friend. When he writes a story he believes in - even if I don't believe in it - I'm going to shoot the movie the way George envisaged it. I'll add my own touches, I'll bring my own cast in, I'll shoot the way I want to shoot it, but I will always defer to George as the storyteller of the Indy series. I will never fight him on that."

"Hey, George? George! Watch me invent the troll face!"

Now, granted, I can see how easy it would be for Spielberg in his position to say, "IT WAS ALL GEORGE'S IDEA! IT WASN'T MY FAULT! I SWEAR!" Especially when most people are seeing red after the double-whammys of the altered Star Wars Blu-Rays and the upcoming release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 3D. I'm sure he's received a damn decent share of death threats (maybe even from people I consider friends).

"Man... I'm standing next to Steven Spielberg. My life has meaning!"

May 22, 2008: When many people claimed their childhood was raped. When their hero was seemingly destroyed across a vast cinematic canvass. Indiana Jones, to them, was dead. The blame game had started. In 2010, during press tours for Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps, Shia LaBeouf was reportedly prodded about his role in Crystal Skull and its derided place in pop culture. LaBeouf was said to have gotten heated over the question and said, "I think the audience is pretty intelligent. I think they know when you’ve made (slop). And I think if you don’t acknowledge it, then why do they trust you the next time you’re promoting a movie. You can blame it on the writer and you can blame it on Steven.... We [Ford and LaBeouf] had major discussions. He wasn't happy with it either. Look, the movie could have been updated. There was a reason it wasn’t universally accepted….We need to be able to satiate the appetite. I think we just misinterpreted what we were trying to satiate. I’ll probably get a call. But he needs to hear this. I love him. I love Steven. I have a relationship with Steven that supersedes our business work. And believe me, I talk to him often enough to know that I’m not out of line. And I would never disrespect the man. I think he’s a genius, and he’s given me my whole life. He’s done so much great work that there’s no need for him to feel vulnerable about one film. But when you drop the ball you drop the ball." A year later, during his own press tours for Cowboys & Aliens, Harrison Ford had simply this to say, "I think he was a f*cking idiot. As an actor, I think it's my obligation to support the film without making a complete a** of myself."

So who is really at fault here? Many would scream their heads off saying, "LUCAS!" Others would vehemently say, "SPIELBERG!" Still few would say, "LABEOUF SUCKS," and not even be referring to Crystal Skull (while they beat him up outside a bar). Personally, I don't know why anyone hasn't blamed Jeff Nathanson, specifically by name. Oh wait. Cause he only wrote Crystal Skull, Catch Me If You Can, Rush Hour 2 and 3, The Terminal, Speed 2: Cruise Control and the upcoming Tower Heist (and we all know there's plenty wrong with that movie). Not the best track record ever.

I would like to think Steven Spielberg is one of those rare directors who learns from his mistakes. Take 1941. Yes, 1941. This was after Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He was on top of the world. This was his chance to do a real big-budget comedy epic. About the day after Pearl Harbor. Yeah. Though he was smart to make fun of his own movie Jaws in the opening scene, Spielberg was dismayed to see that no one was laughing in a test screening. Although the film was a financial hit, it did not make the same amount of money that Spielberg's previous films made. Spielberg was practically defeated. Until he was sitting on a beach in Hawaii with a friend of his who had a new idea for a film that would feature America's version of James Bond. That friend was George Lucas and the movie was Raiders of the Lost Ark.

I would take Spielberg at his word here and trust that he will not lead audiences astray with The Adventures of Tintin. And from all the reviews coming from overseas, it appears that we Americans have quite a treat coming in December. And if you don't like that... hey, you get a drama from Spielberg. War Horse.

FOOTLOOSE: Let's Hear it for the Boy!

NOTE: Please be courteous and read the ENTIRE review before responding. Thanks - Zack

"I know you gotta do what you gotta do, but that ain't gonna stop it from happening."

"This is our time."

- Ren McCormack (Kenny Wormald) Footloose (2011)

Public opinion is an immovable, unshakable animal. It can either lift movies onto a pedestal (The Hangover, The Blind Side) or tear them apart and throw them into the abyss (Mars Needs Moms, Take Me Home Tonight). This is, in part, due to instantaneous social media like Twitter and Facebook. Today, a film's reputation can live or die online before a person even walks into a theater. The type of films with automatically bad reputations these days are remakes. Most people think of remakes as Hollywood scraping the bottom of the barrel, eager to find something easy to slap a brand name on. People are disappointed to see recast, retooled, reinvented versions of movies they knew from the past. Now, I'm not saying all remakes are bad. Many great filmmakers have helmed remakes - Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear, the Coen Bros.' True Grit, John Carpenter's The Thing (which of course also gets a remake/prequel today as well, Peter Jackson's King Kong, and Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds. Good remakes must always pay tribute to its predecessors (in subtle and tasteful ways) while also telling their own version of the same story. This is completely true of the 2011 version of the classic "fight-for-your-right" dancing movie Footloose, directed by Memphian Craig Brewer.



The original Footloose was released on February 17th, 1984 starring rising star Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, Chris Penn, Dianne Wiest, (a young) Sarah Jessica Parker and John Lithgow. With an $8 million budget, the film skyrocketed to an impressive $80 million worldwide. The film's rockin' title song performed by Kenny Loggins and Deniece Williams' "Let's Hear It for The Boy" were nominated for an Academy Award (alongside Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters"). A decade later, Footloose was adapted into a stage musical which revived popularity in the film. Actors like Bacon and Lithgow were asked if they would attend a few of these performances, which they genuinely enjoyed.


However, in Hollywood, many executives saw value in these dance films like Footloose, Dirty Dancing, and Flashdance and wanted to replicate them - as cheaply as possible. So movies like Step Up, You Got Served and Honey were made. Out of these, only Step Up found immense success and led to three sequels. In 2006, Disney Channel landed an unexpected cash cow with famed choreographer/director Kenny Ortega's popular TV movie High School Musical. With bright, happy young people dancing and grooving singing to hip music - it was a license to print money. Then came the repercussions - a remake of the John Waters film Hairspray (which was based more off of the Broadway musical), a remake of Fame (which, although the film was a box office success, went nowhere with the general public) and the popular TV show "Glee" (which is worshiped by the general public). Paramount still thought a Footloose remake had value and after Adam Goodman stepped in as the head of the studio, he wanted a new director.

Enter Craig Brewer. He had directed the urban hit Hustle & Flow (which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" by Three 6 Mafia) and the blues drama Black Snake Moan (starring Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci and Justin Timberlake). Brewer had grown up being a fan of the '84 film, even going so far as to record the entire film on a Walkman so he could listen to it wherever he went. He could identify with Ren McCormack, the city boy who came down to the country and was chastised for listening to rock music. Brewer was offered the director's chair two separate times and turned it down both times. He didn't see the need to tell a story when he felt it had already been told better the first time. A few months later, he realized that there was another way the story could be told: bringing an emphasis on the overreaction of the Bomont townspeople and why they banned dancing. In the '84 film, audiences learn an hour into the film as to why public dancing is outlawed. He returned to Paramount and agreed to direct as long as he didn't have to make the cutesy Ortega musical version (there is only one instance of people singing in the original Footloose, in the church scene where the congregation stands and sings "What a Friend We Have in Jesus"). He asked the executives to go back and watch the original film to see how much they got away with in 1984. The executives agreed to let Brewer make the film his own way.

Kenny Wormald plays 18-year-old Ren McCormack who comes to Bomont, GA. He boards up with his aunt's family after a personal tragedy. As he soon discovers, the town is under strict laws prohibiting public dancing and loud music. This is due to a horrible accident that took the lives of five teenagers. The head pastor of the town, Rev. Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid) - who lost a son in the crash - was behind the ban. Ren decides he is going to stick up for the beleaguered teen population and protest the law. As he does so, he falls in love with the preacher's licentious, sexually-driven daughter, Ariel (played to near perfection by Julianne Hough) which, of course, raises the ire of her father and her stock-car driver boyfriend Chuck (Patrick John Flueger). With nearly everyone in town against him, Ren becomes a rebel with a cause and must be true to himself in order to cut loose. Footloose.

The acting in the film is incredible. They are not "Glee" rejects or bland, unimaginative line-readers. These are quality actors who deeply care about making their performances real and believable. Like his extremely light and athletic counterpart, Kenny Wormald will be springing from near obscurity to the top of the spotlight. He is much better than Zac Efron and Chase Crawford would ever have been. Likewise, Julianne Hough's performance personifies the vivacious Southern bad girl who falls hard for the boy from Boston. She is definitely one to watch. What more can be said about Dennis Quaid? I love his films - especially Innerspace, The Rookie and Great Balls of Fire. His role of Rev. Shaw Moore is actually more credible today that John Lithgow's was in 1984. Because Quaid chooses to play an ACTUAL Baptist preacher rather than the well-known and well-derided screaming pastor stereotype, he adds emotionality to what was once a one-dimensional character. Not to say Lithgow isn't a quality actor, but - to me - he just went straight for the stereotype.

The supporting cast is just as impressive - Miles Teller is a comedic wunderkind who must surely have a long and healthy career or I will be highly, highly disappointed. He brings the film a sense of light and fun in between the drama. In fact, if you are not smiling or laughing when (the original) "Let's Hear It For the Boy" comes on, you have no soul. Ziah Colon, who takes up the role of Rusty from Sarah Jessica Parker, is an absolute vision. She is just so much fun to watch and her scenes with Teller are genius. Like Quaid, Ray McKennon takes the relatively mild and thankless role of Uncle Wes from 1984 and brings a warmth and heart to the character in 2011. It really shows that Ren is not alone in his fight.

In the end, Footloose's message of fighting (either peacefully or violently) for your rights is an important one for the former generation and today's generation. Although dancing is a large part of the film's celebration, it also celebrates friendship and morality. If one takes both films with this in mind, there shouldn't be any hate or snarkiness. You should just be true to yourself and cut loose. Footloose.


"It seems that a lot of people are pointing the finger in your direction lately."
"And what have they said?"

- Wes (Arthur Rosenberg) and Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon) Footloose (1984)

Song: "Footloose" by Blake Shelton

"'You deal with your pain in extremes,' the minister is told. The line is a key to Brewer's filmography: All the director's movies are about people who deal with their pain in extremes, and the plots chronicle the consequences of their coping." - Commercial Appeal
"Footloose is fancy-free, an iconic movie's tribute that could stand on its own two, tapping feet." - St. Petersberg Times
"Sure, it sings a familiar tune. But it's got a good beat, and you can dance to it." - Hollywood.com
"'Footloose' remake is almost paradise." - Boston Herald
"By the time four little girls teach a dorky guy to dance to (the original) "Let's Hear It for the Boy" I was a gelatinous blob of pure affection." - New York Post
"It's the single most harmless teen movie in the recent cinematic landscape, and also one of the most charmingly fun." - Movies.com
"Give credit to Craig Brewer, the filmmaker behind the new Footloose, for realizing a new step was in order." - Dallas Morning News
"It's a vibrant youth musical that will appeal to audiences who haven't seen the 1984 original. And it has enough charm and life to it to compete with the memory of the earlier version." - San Francisco Chronicle
"Brewer's hot-and-bothered remake uncorks the original's raging libido, and it's as seamy and sordid as that damnable PG-13 rating will allow." - A.V. Club
"Don't hate Footloose because it's a remake. The dance-movie-love-story-freedom-of-expression thumper is a rollicking good time." - Cleveland Plain Dealer
"It's as if Brewer is taking a stand for movies that look like movies instead of audience hipness barometers." - Movieline
"If you can leave your cynicism at the door then this is top-quality Saturday night popcorn entertainment." - Digital Spy

UPDATE
How the above picture was taken (from my Best of 2011 list):
"The first time I saw it was in July, when director Craig Brewer brought the film to town for a special sneak preview. I waited in line in front of a local DVD/Blu-Ray store at 8 AM, he came and brought donuts, recognized me BY NAME (nearly lost my $#*!) and handed out tickets. I drove over to the theater and waited across the parking lot outside of a Whole Foods Market sweating to death with only my laptop, a Mexican Coca-Cola and a small cup of Ben & Jerry’s. Finally, it came time to see the movie (before waiting in another line). Mr. Brewer came out to introduce it, told us some stories about how he was offered the movie and what the original Footloose meant to him. I saw it, I enjoyed it immensely. I thanked Mr. Brewer for the opportunity to see the movie early, got a picture with him and an autograph. Then came October 14th, when the movie was released to the general public. I didn’t have the money to go see it opening day, but I heard Craig Brewer was in town to open it up locally and I wanted to wish him good luck for the movie’s opening weekend. I went by the theater where he was, bumped into him and said good luck to him. He asked me if I was seeing the movie that night. I told him, I would love to, but I simply didn’t have the money. He says, 'No problem,' and he hands me a free ticket. Cue exuberance. So I brought my laptop into the lobby, sat at a table and started writing while he’s signing posters and posing for pictures with people. After about two minutes with no one coming in, he comes over and sits down and we start chatting. Then, his phone rings. He says, 'I’m sorry, I gotta take this.' He then looks at the screen and says, 'Look who it is.' He shows me the screen and it says 'Dennis Quaid'. Cue awesomeness. He gets to talking to him and I’m just sitting in awe."