You know that feeling you get when everyone in the room turns to look at you and you don't know why. You sit up a little straighter and look behind you in the vain hope that there is some idiot behind you and everyone is looking at the idiot? You know that feeling...
Well, I don't think there is an idiot behind me. I think it's me.
I thought I was blogging tomorrow. But since no one has posted today and the blogging calendar says, "Idiot." Then this must be my day. And you are all looking at me waiting for me to do something. So, I'm posting this. In fact I'll be reposting this several times in the next few minutes as I create a blog right before your eyes. No safety net. No spell check. Just slamming words into the keyboard. Stay tuned...more to come.
Sorry, took a client call, but I am right here at my computer.
Okay! On to the MONDAY MORNING REVIEW.
One of the joys of having signed on to NetFlix is that I don't have to trudge around the movie rental store. But that's not the only joy. I'm able to enjoy movies that just never made it to my town.
For some reason they just didn't think there would be enough of an audience for KINKY BOOTS in my Southern redneck of the woods. Why, you ask?
1. It's an English movie. (foreign film, doncha know?)
2. The cast is unknown.
3. It's about shoes for Drag Queens.
4. It's based on a true story.
As far as I'm concerned...what's not to like?
A real shoe factory in England found itself about to go out of business because there just wasn't a market for its high quality, labor intensive men's shoes anymore. Cheap imports were crushing this solid bazillion-year-old, family-owned factory. Patriarch dies. Son must take over the factory and discovers that his father had no orders but just kept on making shoes. The son, gives up the life he had planned away from this small factory town and must now take over the factory, firing people so that the company doesn't go under from the weight of the payroll. What choice does he have? No one wants their shoes.
The firings are painful. He says the usual, "Gee, I'm sorry. What can I do?" Until a female worker challenges him to do something rather than nothing. Asking him to honestly ask himself what he can do. Our hapless hero is now feeling the full weight of holding the future of his workers in his hands.
Having recently saved a drag queen from a beating and witnessed how poorly his/her boots held up, our hero has the glimmer of an idea. What if he found a niche market? A market willing to pay top dollar for a quality product they couldn't get anywhere else?
Enter the drag queen who is FABULOUS. I adored the musical sequences and confess to rewinding the DVD to watch many of them again.
The movie answers the burning question of how a drag queen becomes a shoe designer and saves a shoe factory from death's door. The final dance sequence which is on the runway of Milan for the company's big unveiling of their new shoe line is priceless.
Was this this greatest movie ever? No. But tons of fun. A romance thrown in. Great dance numbers and endearing actors. Rent this movie, give it some time to work through its setup and then enjoy the ride.
WEDNESDAY TREAT! Jenny Cruise will be riding with us! Prepare to be entertained.
9 comments:
You know, this is a great idea. A list of not-well-known movies that are really fun.
I'll have to think on it. Simply Ballroom, maybe, though I don't know how many of you have already seen that.
Susie
I loved Simply Ballroom. Anyone see Waiting for Ned Divine? I loved that movie. It's a little Irish flick.
That is a great idea, Susie, and Deb this movie sounds like a hoot. I'm putting in on my to be watched list.
I love Waiting for Ned Divine. And the one about the little boy who wants to do ballet.
But the shoe factory story reminds me of the money I shelled out yesterday for some board shorts that are part of Son 1's volleyball uniform. Almost $50 from a company called Monkey Butt. Okay, they're made in Malibu, CA (at least I hope they are for that price, and by the hand of some cute beach bunny) but they're just board shorts! If you ordered 2 pair you got a sweatshirt or T-shirt for free...I almost fell for that until I realized that said freebie would be emblazoned with "Monkey Butt" and I resisted.
See? I love this. Movie recommendations for movies I should see but didn't get splashed over every billboard, bus and tv commercial when they were first out.
I'm off to put both movies in my queue.
Christie-- What in particular charmed you about the boy-ballet movie? I also noticed one of the cable channels gave cameras to kids to shoot their "lives." One is a boy who does ballet.
Kinky Boots-- love the title and the concept! Can't wait to try this one!
Eddie Izzard is one of my secret crushes!
In the same vein-- sort of-- is the more recent movie "History Boys." Also very British and very touching. . . pun intended. See it, mes amis, and let me know what you think.
LOVED Simply Ballroom and Ned Devine. Have the soundtracks for both movies. Both great.
I've been wanting to see Kinky Boots, and will!
My favorite not-oft-known-about movie is FARINELLI. It's French (of course) and is about the famous castrato in the 18th century. Great costumes. Awesome singing and the castrato is very sexy. Fun, because I'm into costumes. (Yeah, Marie Antoinette won the costume Oscar!)
Also, yet another historical 18th century (but England!) about down-on-their-luck highwayman, PLUNKETT AND MCLAINE. Liv Tyler, Robert Carlyle, Alan Cummings, and a few other famous faces in a little-seen flick that's just fun.
Oh! THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH for great Irish accents and the selkie, and that little boy who romps about in the meadow naked. :-)
THe boy ballet movie...is that BILLY ELLIOT? Great show!
Michele
Betina-- I've got an Izzard movie in my queue. I'm not really familiar with him. How can there be so many people I still don't know well enough to have an opinion about???
Michele-- The castroti (sp?) have fascinated me since reading Anne Rice's CRY TO HEAVEN. And I have Roan Inish in my queue too.
Stop giving me great suggestions!! My queue is groaning. (g)
Oh, Deb, Cry To Heaven is what started my fascination too! Great movie; do add it to your groaning pile.
M
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