Updates/News
The idea for this page came from something Henry said to me many years ago. He asked, "Did you see the episode of The Simpsons where the monkey break danced?" The episode he was referring to was the one where Troy McClure marries either Patti or Selma. Back then, that show wasn't releasing a season annualy on dvd, and I thought that I would use film, which is a more accessible medium than tv. Some films reviewed are good, some not so much. I won't review movies that has kung fu that could considered breaking, just breaking that is sprinkled into the movie for no reason in particular.
2 Fast 2 Furious
2 Fast 2 Furious made in 2003: Shows a guy doing a c-walk and maybe the same guy doing some awful looking gyros. The rest of the movie is very funny if you're into cars. But if you're not, then this movie will be the coolest thing you've ever seen.
And 1 Volume 9
And 1 Volume 9
And 1 Volume 9 Some guy on the team jokingly
does a six step, kneespin
attempted handspin, headstand. I only saw a five minute clip on youtube.com. But
if it's anything like other And 1 movies except for part 2 & 4, then it should
be a keeper.
Beat street
Beat street (1984) It's one of those movies that you have to see. Not because it's a great film, but because a lot of other people have seen it and if you don't you won't be in the club. It is a mediocre film. All the good breaking comes in during the first hour. I remember I watched it on TV once and I only caught the last half so I saw an uprocking battle that gets interrupted by cops and the final breaking performance at the end. The famous downloaded clip of the guy doing his electric popping in the club is from this movie. Story wise and not just admiring the dancing, this is a bad movie. Bad acting and although these guys live every aspect of hip hop, it's just not fascinating enough. The plot twist at the end is unexpected but it feels like the old gimmick of having babies appear onscreen just to get some kind of audience reaction.
The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers made in 1980 This movie came out before breakdancing but when James Brown gets the church crowd pumped up, some guy is in the center doing a bronco. Whole movie is funny and enjoyable. Your life isn't going to change as a result of it, but a lot of people tend to quote this movie so you'll fit in nicely.
Born To Fight
Born To Fight Thailand, 2004. One guy, gymnast apparently, jumps onto a barrel, t-flare kicks a gun out of a soldier's hand before kicking him wholeheartedly with his second revolution. Lots of fight scenes, but hard to actually recommend watching it for entertainment value. Lots of painful stunts and undeveloped story line. Campy, but not fun campy.
Breakin' and Breakin' 2 Electric Boogaloo
Breakin(1984) and Breakin 2 Electric Boogaloo (1984) These movies can be defined as exploitation movies, or an excuse to show off breakdancing while having a plot to merely move the breaking from one scene to another. There are some classic scenes that are downloadable from the internet from these movies, the first one would be the guy doing some popping while sweeping the street and the other one where he says, "You owe me $20." When another guy asks, "why", he replies, "Because I taught you how to dance sucker." Then moonwalks away. (Both from Breakin' 1). It's a movie you have to see just to say you saw it, there's no other reason behind it. Other movies in that same category include, Beat Street (1984), Wild Style (1983), Krush Groove (1985) and Scarface (1983). Both movies are barely passable entertainment with part one have more of a plot but part two having better breaking. The hospital scene in part two kills me where one guy starts windmilling after throwing his crutches down or standing up from a wheelchair
City Hunter
City Hunter made in 1992: Classic Jackie Chan movie that is so bad that it's funny. Bumbling girls with guns, White people speaking perfect Chinese, unlimited terrorists, some guy doing a handspin, Jackie doing a backspin, gyro, air track, popping, moonwalk and the worm. Not in a row of course but through the entire span of the movie. This movie has a better "Street Fighter" parody than that other Chinese movie "Future Cops".
Confessions Of A Teenage Drama Queen
Confessions Of A Teenage Drama Queen made in 2004. Near the end of the movie when Lindsay Lohan does her play and sings "That Girl", there's a guy in the background you see about to do a t-flare and later a hydro. Awful movie by the way. Makes junior high seem superficial and fake, which it is, but not in an enjoyable way.
DOA: Dead or Alive
DOA: Dead or Alive made in 2006. When Devon Aoki's man servant runs up the stairs to fend off ninjas, or whoever guards the stars, he does a sliding kick into a t flare to knock out one guy. That's it, looked real, didn't look like he used wires like the kung fu in the rest of the movie. This is a PG-13 movie with flashes of "Revenge of the Nerds" type of focus on girls. The movie is bad. Action is over run with CGI to make things better than they actually are. Plot is bad, something about stealing powers through sunglasses. It could have been even better if it was as campy as the volleyball match and the intros of the characters in the beginning of the movie. Later on if any of the actors of the movie becomes famous, they can look back on this as something they overcame.
Drive
Drive made in 1994 When Marc Dacascos is on top of the yellow Ford rod when he does a t-flare and takes out two guys. The t-flare is pretty sloppy, there's not a lot of elevation. Rest of the movie is so bad. Action wise it's ok, it seems like the movie makers had to make everything cool because it just lacks it originally. Get the uncut version.
Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo made in 2003 About thirty minutes into the movie, one of the baby turtles does a backspin for four or five rounds before ending up into the classic "what me worried?" pose with the legs crossed and his head rested on his hand. That's a classic ending because it is so easy to accomplish. This movie was only okay to me, Maybe I have to be younger to truly appreciate it. The writers got the marine biology right in most of the scenes. At least it was better than "Lilo & Stitch", that movie just sucked.
Flashdance
Flashdance made in 1983. Near the middle of the middle when the main character and her girlfriend is leaving the factory they come across a group of people breaking on the street. It's only a minute long but it concentrates a lot into that. First there's the robot machine powering up popping, leading to a guy being blown away by the wind popping to a guy doing a suicide almost, a guy doing some cool footwork leading to a climatic backspin. It comes out of nowhere. I'm sure everyone must have come across on the clip on the internet looking for free breaking clips. It actually is there. Also has the main character and her stunt dancers doing a backspin at the end to wow the judges for her audition. Movie is dated and slightly dull with moments of exciting dance sequences, it was barely passable entertainment back then. I don't see how this movie came to define a generation, maybe there's something else to it I'm missing.
Footloose
Footloose made in 1984: I only saw the last 30 minutes of this movie with Kevin Bacon in it. At the end, there is some popping by some guy in a tuxedo and some footwork before going into a freeze by another guy in a tux to celebrate the fact the ban on dancing has been lifted. Only thing wrong with this scene would have to be the guy smiling into the camera while doing a freeze with his cheek against the floor. That part of breaking is not fun and is not something you smile at.
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Girls Just Want to Have Fun made in 1985. Of course if it's a dancing movie from the eighties, there has to be some breakdancing in it. About 50 minutes in, there is a nun doing five second long t-flares off one of those Olympic horses. Stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt along with Shannen Doherty as co-stars. Movie is likeable fluff. From this movie I learned that people used to do a lot of spins for their solos. If you listen to the music, you understand why most of the dance moves are "step, head-look-down, bounce, step to the other foot. Repeat." Sometimes they get fancy and throw in a little spin in somewhere. Makes the dance sequence in "The Breakfast Club" (1985) look kind of lame.
Give them a chance
Give them a chance Hong Kong 2002 HK movie that seems to have been inspired by "You Got Served" even though it predates it. Where else can you see bent leg windmills, t-flares that barely get off the ground and have them be considered cool. Lots of closeups and quick edits of bad dancing, of the girls especially. I never knew backspins could still be considered in vogue. Weaksauce freezes and gyros have screen time, just because the actors doing them have lines. You would think the dancers who aren't actorscould have awesome moves, that isn't much of a case. I identified with the windmills at the mall, just because the tile has a circular pattern which just beckons to be used, plus we used to do that and at high school wherever there was a tiled area. Seeing Andy Hui doing some popping made it sort of worthwhile, like seeing David Schwimmer doing the robot on Friends, but not so much. Bad stilted movie, plot and dancing is also bad. Makes breakdancing and dancing in general not that fun.
High School Musical
High School Musical (2005) In the cafeteria someone does a t-flare. When they're singing in the cafeteria, the awkward moments leading up to the chorus of the songs is excrutiating, but once they start singing and dancing, you get caught up in the rapture. Very watchable movie, unrealistic and simple plot that doesn't try your patience. Makes me look forward to the sequel.
Killer Army
Killer Army Hong Kong movie made in 1980. At the gambling table, dude knocks dice out of other guy's hand, then gets up on the gambling table before doing a one round headspin. Not to fend anyone off, but to set up the fight afterwards. This is a more talking kung fu movie. Other people enjoyed the movie a lot, I thought it was ok, not enough to name a rap group over, but ok.
Legend of Seven Cutter
Legend of Seven Cutter Korean movie made in 2006 When the end credits roll, you see dude with an afro doing a headspin, later a t-flare and even still later a K kick on top of a table. It seems like goofing off on set instead of b-roll that was planned to be used in the movie. It's entertaining as a whole, but it's not exactly a good movie. The first half is coherent and mildly good, but then it felt like they ran out of material so they just decided to throw a bunch of wacky characters doing weird things for the sake of being funny and odd.
Marrying the Mafia 3
Marrying the Mafia 3 Korean, 2006. While in a flashback sequence, they're in an 80's nightclub, some footwork, t-flares, axles and freezes happen, they're not very era accurate, but it's still entertaining and awesome. This movie is hit or miss, but mostly hit and could imagine watching parts of it again. Every Marrying the Mafia movie gets better than it's predecessor, but the story line goes nowhere when it does have a point it's trying to follow. The karaoke scene prior to the battle will keep you entertained along with it's interpretation of 80's fashion.
My Sassy Girl
My Sassy Girl made in 2001: There's around five seconds of breakdancing when the two main characters meet at the subway station for their first date. In the widescreen edition, you can see some guy headspinning to the left of the girl. This Korean movie is worth watching even without the breaking. It is so funny and different from typical romantic comedies.
ninth happiness
My Sassy Girl Hong Kong movie made in 198: To fend off attackers, dude gets on top of a table and does two rounds of a t-flare. Rest of the movie is ok until when the whole town becomes evil, then the song and humor ends. Movie is novel songs are good and funny at times in the beginning, however the later parts makes the whole movie pretty bad.
Office Space
Office Space made in 1999: The only breaking in it would be when the guys celebrate getting fired and the programmer guy does a gyro. This movie isn't as good as other people say it is.
Ong Bak
Ong Bak Thailand 2003. This is sort of borderline inclusion in the site. Tony Jaa does some hard handed windmills on a table that takes out a henchman. The windmill is smooth even in slow motion, but it seems that he's relying on his kicks coming from resting his elbow on his stomach instead of the power from the kicks of the legs up in the air. Action gets suffocating after a while and the plot is a subplot used in many dramas but the line ""That's why Thai women come to my country to become hookers" is a classic and the movie grows on you if you know which scenes to repeatedly watch, such as the chase through the alleyway and flying elbows of death and flying knees to the chest.
Para Para Sakura
Para Para Sakura made in 2001: This movie is so bad that it's entertaining. But people who hate Hong Kong cinema will not be a believer after watching this. The beginning has Aaron Kwok doing some helicopter swipes and footwork. When the bad guy comes into the scene, they do some uprocking, concluding with both doing K's or Au Batidos at the end. Near the middle of the movie when some guys are attacking a girl, Aaron comes in fighting and finishes off a dude by doing a K on his head.
Rat Race
In the last scene when they're celebrating the end of the race, Cuba Gooding Jr does some popping/waving before going into gyros and a freeze.The whole movie was real fun except for the ending. But still is worth watching.
Running on Karma
Running on Karma made in 2003 Features Andy Lau or his stunt double doing two t-flares at a bar. The rest of the movie is very good. It's not a dumbed down entertainment piece, it really makes you think about fourty minutes in up until the end of the movie. Yet another Chinese movie whose Chinese name totally differs from the American version. In Chinese, the name of the movie would be translated into "big guy" or "Big and strong guy."
Shaolin Soccer
Shaolin Soccer made in 2001: This Stephen Chow movie is about Shaolin kung fu classmates who now use their skills for soccer. Very entertaining, it is so good that they're going to redub it in English and show it in America because the only way Asian people can get some cinema time is when they know martial arts. Features t-flaring a soccer ball around, gyro's and weird kung fu moves.
Shrek
Shrek made in 2001: Near the ending it has three pigs breakdancing. One is headspinning while the two others are backspinning before ending up into a pose. This movie is funny, entertaining, somewhat spellbinding.
Southpark the movie Bigger, longer, uncut.
Southpark the movie made in 1998 Features a breakdacing Saddam Huissen that says, "But baby I can change" before busting a move. Very funny in the theatres, almost as funny the second time, becomes repetitive by the third viewing.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made in 1990 The first fight when they're surrounded in April's apartment and fight against the foot soldiers. Michaelangelo does a back spin and takes out four of them. Movie is funny in a cheesy way. Watchable but I'm not sure whether it's because of it's nostalgia value, or whether it actually is watchable.
Wildstyle
Wildstyle Lots of footwork, backspins and some attempted headspins. Worth watching for breaking and entertainment value. When the security flashed a sawed off shotgun at the blonde and Zoro, that was realistic except for the part where they don't run away and then come back with their own guns because they didn't want to be punked. As the credits were rolling I couldn't help but think lack of the sideshow happening in the parking because that has happened at every hip hop event I've attended.
Varsity Blues
Varsity Blues made in 1999: Features that guy from Dawson's Creek sporting a horrible Texan accent and a guy doing bent legged windmills after a touchdown. It was in bad form, but what can you expect from breakdancing on grass? The rest of the movie is fun, passable entertainment.
You Got Served
You got served made in 2004. Not really a breakdancing movie. Features Crumbs doing his famous slow motion T-flare or windmill at the end. There are lots of freezes and some popping, but the rest of the moves are mostly taunts and hip hop moves that don't require a lot of strength to pull off. I liked the opening intro because I hate intros that just have words flashing with music playing in the background. In this movie, they showed the opening credits during a battle, so you hardly notice the words at all. Watch out for the Michael Jackson "Thriller"/ Usher "You remind me" rip off sequence where they start dancing in the rain, it is so funny.
This movie seems like it's targeted toward girls and the boyfriends being dragged to it. Pretty entertaining if you don't think about the plot too much and can laugh at all the poor acting. At least when they use slang, it sounds authentic unlike Eliza Dushku in "Bring it on."
-10 Things I Hate About You (1999)-
I think this movie was the one where Julia Stiles dances on the table to the tune of "Hypnotize". That totally ruined the song for me, but in a good way.
-American Graffiti (1973)-
The dance sequence at "The Bop" because that song is timeless
and the people look like they're having fun.
-Bet On My Disco
(2002)-
Near the end when the girl finally shows some emotion and puts on her handknitted red
mittens on the guy and just like magic it starts to snow and then they start dancing. It's
a nice scene. Reminds me of Frosty the Snowman when he dons his magical cap and comes to life.
-Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)-
When the couple is slow dancing during the prom and then all of a sudden the music switches to some techno/rave music. The once empty dance floor is now filled with a bunch of glowstick waving people jumping up and down. That is quite real and has happened so many times that it's becomes so funny onscreen.
-Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 3, episode 18, The Prom
(1999)-
Not really a movie but it has a nice dance
sequence between Angel and Buffy at the end of the show. Right
when everyone is coupling off and Buffy is all by herself, Angel
appears and they have a brief conversation before dancing.
-Carrie (1976)-.
During the prom before Carrie gets doused with pigs blood. It's amazing that Carrie and her date can have a conversation while spinning around and around. All dances I've ever been to you had to yell out stuff and half of it is never heard so the other person is just nodding back because whatever you're saying can't possibly be more important than dancing.
-Dawson's Creek Season 3, episode 22, The Anti-Prom
(2000)-
If there is only one memorable line that sticks out in the whole series, it is when Pacey and Joey are dancing and
near the end of their conversation Pacey leans into her ear and
whispers, "I remember everything." Not in a creepy way, you have to watch the previous five episodes to really appreciate it.
-Dirty Dancing (1987)-
Lots of moves that look good in movies but not in real life.
-Degrassi The Next Generation (2001)- Season two episode 13 White Wedding 2
When Emma scans the crowd looking at everyone dancing and you know Sean is going to show up because the show is cheesy that way, but when she finally spots him leaning against a tree you still feel happy for thme both.
-Purple Rain (1984)-
Seeing Prince dance was memorable in how disturbing it is.
-Shall We Dance (1998)-
The Japanese version at the end when the husband and wife dance together. A fleck of dust just gets into your eye.
-Virgin Suicides (2000)-.
Like all memorable dance sequences from teen movies, this one happens during a spring dance. The balloons fall from the ceiling and it just seems fun.
Breakdancing Related Books
Yes Yes Y'All: The Experience Music Project Oral History of Hip-Hop's
First Decadeby Jim Fricke (Editor) (2002)
Total of maybe 10 pages written about breaking with about 5 pages of breaking photos. Still a good read about hip hop and how it all got started. Even back then there was violence which is weird. Things I learned from this book: never sign a contract without a lawyer. After the advance money for a record, don't expect any subsequent royalties. I'm sure everyone interviewed might have bloated their contributions towards hip hop but even then it is still an entertaining read.