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December 14, 2015 · 12:16 pm

Sound & Motion Pictures: endings with a dance scene

In the holiday spirit of good and uplifting feelings I thought that some happy group dance scenes would be the right thing this week. These scenes wrap up good films, some of which are cult classic that live forever in the collective imagination. The music is catchy and light and you can’t help but feeling good. As always this is a list of favorites: enjoy!

Dirty Dancing – (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life, Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (1987)

Nobody puts baby in a corner!

Swayze knows his stuff and it’s memorable! You finally get to see the famous jump.

Footloose – Footloose, Kenny Loggins (1984)

A whole school learn to dance and have a good time (very fast and very proficiently!). Kevin Bacon is a hero of the eighties (as Peter Quill reminded us!).

Slumdog Millionaire – Jai Ho, A.R. Rahman (2008)

A happy ending to a tale of woes in modern India with… a Bollywood musical number! That’s just perfect. The song stays with you for days.

Beetlejuice – Jump In Line (Shake, Senora) Harry Belafonte (1961)

Floating Winona Rider dancing with ghosts to an Harry Belafonte’s song… only Tim Burton could have come up with it. Plus shrinking heads!

The Blues Brothers – Jailhouse Rock, The Blues Brothers (1980)

Well, what’s better than making the best of it when you end up in jail with a classic song? Perfect conclusion to an epic film.

Shrek – I’m a Believer, Smash Mouth (2001)

The most irreverent fairy tale of them all and the best wedding party in animation history.

Bonus for a laugh: Tropic Thunder – Get Back, Ludacris (2004)

Unrecognizable and with a great sense of self-irony, Tom Cruise gives us this pearl of comedy.

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Filed under Odds and ends, Sound & Motion Pictures

Tagged as A.R. Rahman, Beetlejuice, Danny Boyle, Dirty Dancing, Harry Belafonte, John Landis, Kenny Loggins, Kevin Bacon, Ludacris, Patrick Swayze, Shrek, Slumdog Millionaire, Smash Mouth, The Blues Brothers, Tim Burton, Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder, Winona Rider

June 8, 2015 · 1:36 am

Sound & Motion Pictures: impromptu dance scenes 2

Here’s another round of unexpected dance scenes: funny, heart-warming, intriguing or slightly disturbing, to each his own. Again, late sixties/seventies/early eighties music is a very popular choice as perfect soundtrack to these scenes, most of the songs were already quite famous before these films came out but they are now even more so. So, without further ado, this is my second list of favorites.

Beettlejuice – Day-O (The Banana Boat song), Harry Belafonte (1956)

Guess what happens if ghosts hijack a dinner party and they have a penchant for Caribbean music? Well, the result is pretty hilarious.

Pride – Shame, Shame, Shame, Shirley & Company (1975)

The comment of Jonathan Blake (Dominic West) at the end of the scene says it all: “God, I miss disco!”

Little Miss Sunshine – Super Freak, Rick James (1981)

Olive’s (Abigail Breslin) dance routine might be a shocker to the pageant judges but it was a loving effort made by her grandfather… even if it’s not age appropriate. The family joins in to show support and that is what’s important!

Michael – Chain of Fools, Aretha Franklin (1968)

After Pulp Fiction it seems that John Travolta has to have a dance number to show off his skills. On the captivating notes of Aretha’s Chain of Fools he shakes, rocks and rolls and become a veritable magnet for all the women in the room.