Really Surprised!

Fantastic!

A Masterpiece!

A different way of telling a story

I have to unfortunately start with with the Grand Finale due to the passing of David A. Prior, who thankfully with his long time collaborator David Winters, could provide us with one last treat to remember. For those familiar with the catalog of the film company named AIP, this one is an unusual one. It's a dance film instead of an action picture. What's cool about it, is that you get a David A. Prior script in another genre. I also note that it is the only script David A. Prior wrote that David Winters directed. The acting of the lead actors and story development has a lot of AIP films elements that one with the fondness of these films would love. For this they get a ten out of ten. I really appreciated the great moments AIP provided us, it's a perfect conclusion to the David Duo. David A. Prior thank you very much for this last treat, and David Winters bring on more.What is fun with David Winters directing is that when he is offered the task that he digs best for elements to make a film unique, to be packaged within a genre. In my opinion you can see this in his films "Alice Cooper: Welcome to my Nightmare", "The Last Horror Film", and "Thrashin'". The story take place in an hotel where everyone is an artist. Hence, aside from the dancers turned actors, he takes the time to hire other artists, a mime, acrobats, gymnasts to create atmosphere. So we have unusual situations compared to the usual "Boy meet girl" type of film. I've always appreciated that with his directing style. It is obvious that Winters made that film because he had immediate distribution, and had to do a cliché riddled story about dancing. However it shows that David Winters still does his best with what he's got, packaged it, and made a genuine effort. He also acts in the film and his performance is good.The film moves along very well and for its target audience it's totally acceptable. The dancing is great, and the music fits the film. The performances of dancers/actors Russell Ferguson, Matt Marr, and Jordan Clark stand out compared to the leads. Action actor Gary Daniels plays a part and does a good job. I bash the two leads but without them the AIP feel wouldn't stand out.My final thoughts are, it's a stellar AIP movie grand finale you can watch with your family. Dance films are not my type, but it moves along fast and never bores you. I think people who don't know the AIP history and the target audience of this film would find it at least passable and maybe better. The last film by the David duo it is truly appreciated. Good bye David Prior thanks again for the entertainment, and I hope David Winters directs another film, it's always a fun ride.

This movie gets a 3 only because the actors (if you can call them that) can dance really well. The dancing was fun to watch. That's it for the good stuff. The acting. Where to begin? So wooden and awful! This movie seemed like a parody that a late night comedian would put out...it was laughably bad. Including the part where Ken, the main actor, said "I just need some SPACE right now!" Wow. High School Musical and Step Up were INFINITELY better than this movie, and that is saying something. The main girl, Whitney Carson, was not so bad, but everyone else, from her dad to the "Captain," we're just weak.

DANCIN' IT'S ON (2015) is amateurish on most levels and boasts some of the worst acting I've seen on the big screen in decades, but it has crude charm and a consistent vitality that I found quite endearing and loads of fun. It's set in an alternate universe (identified on screen as Panama City Beach, Florida) where random people break out into spontaneous dance numbers at all hours of the day at the drop of a hat. What's not to love? The hoary plot has to do with a rich girl who loves to dance staying at her father's hotel for the summer who falls in love with a dishwasher who's a great dancer while her disapproving father has lined up his snotty protégé as the intended suitor for her, leading to all sorts of class conflict clichés that went out of favor decades ago. All this is just an excuse for two things: a steady stream of dance numbers and frequent infomercial spots extolling the virtues of Panama City Beach as a tourist resort. That's actually not a bad trade-off, especially since it leads to an exhilarating dance finale at the Florida Statewide Dance Contest where true love wins out and competing couples dance their hearts out.Witney Carson, from the TV show, "Dancing with the Stars," plays the lead character, Jennifer, and she's awfully cute and a skilled dancer even if her line readings sound like...well, line readings! Her co-star, with the unwieldy name of Chehon Wespi-Tschopp, actually puts some effort into creating his character, Ken, the dishwasher-dancer, and deserves some props for trying, even if some acting lessons are still in order. He hails from the show, "So You Think You Can Dance." The other young performers are noticeably lacking in charisma, although the dreadlocked Russell Ferguson, also from "So You Think You Can Dance," brings abundant good cheer and punctuates the proceedings with trademark arm and hand moves from the "Electric Boogie" school of dance that flourished 30 years ago. He plays the youthful but all-knowing hotel doorman, known as "the Captain," and shows up as the MC at the big dance contest.My favorite sequence finds poor Jennifer, brooding after a breakup, sitting alone on a bench on a darkened shopping street in downtown Panama City Beach at night, suddenly interrupted by a row of SUVs turning on their lights and a Latin band, complete with percussion section, suddenly appearing to perform while a hundred dancers descend on the street to execute a highly-choreographed number into which they pull the awestruck Jennifer. Now THAT's an alternate universe I can enjoy.The only name actors in it are Gary Daniels, an English martial arts performer known to me from FIST OF THE NORTH STAR (1995) and THE EXPENDABLES (2010), who plays Jennifer's father, and David Winters, renowned for playing A-rab, one of the Jets in WEST SIDE STORY (1961). Winters also co-wrote, produced and directed the film. He appears as an elderly hotel resident who reveals his dance background to the young leads at a crucial moment and offers his assistance as they prepare for the dance contest. At one point, Ken, the dishwasher, looks up Winters' character on the computer and finds an old dance clip of his from a TV show from decades ago. I wish I knew where that clip is from. Winters dedicates the film to Sadie Winters, presumably his mother, "who is up there dancing with the angels," and to Gene Kelly, the legendary Hollywood musical star, who inspired him to take up dance.I saw the film at a 42nd Street multiplex on a weekday afternoon knowing very little about it beforehand. As far as I know, it didn't even get reviewed. I was the only one in the theater. I attended an advance screening of SPECTRE at the same theater later that day, packed with people, and I can assure you I had more fun with DANCIN' IT'S ON than I did with SPECTRE.As of this writing, I'm the only one I know who's even heard of this film, let alone seen it. This has all the makings of a cult film, but it needs a way to find its cult. If any film qualifies to be this generation's BREAKIN' 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO, it's this one.

A must see movie. The storyline is perfect with a beautiful love story. A movie for everyone.Great production,great dancers,great director and producer. The sound in the theater was great. David Winters is an Icon in the entertainment industry. I have seen the movie more than five times and see more messages in the story every time I watch it. There is many messages in the movie to a meaning of life for family and friends. I give this movie two thumbs up!!!! The music was great. The choreography was perfect. Location was beautiful. To see David dance after so many years was just awesome. A sequel? Lets cross our fingers! Can't wait to see what David Winters has up for next production.