How She Move
Directed by Ian Iqbal Rashid
By Travis Mackenzie Hoover

Canada throws its hat into the Stomp the Yard dance genre ring, only without the emotional heft or the pleasure of the dancing you’d normally expect.

Where the American version would have a desperate young black person clawing their way up via killer moves and Horatio Alger elbow grease, this assumes that its female protagonist was on her way to academic glory before a death in her family killed her tuition to an elite private school. Her descent back into inner-city hell is naturally cushioned by the entry into step-dance competition, earning her a bad girl rival and head-spinning politics in terms of who dances with who and who deserves to run a crew.

Those politics might have earned the film a star for complexity if the characters were better drawn and the performers a little more charismatic but the dialogue is mostly functional and the actors never quite assert themselves as people doing more than saying lines. The dull spin on the thematics gives it a sort of spinster/schoolteacher flavour, and the bland visuals make the whole thing seem pretty flat — not enough to make you hate it, but enough to make you remember the movies it’s aping with more fondness than they probably deserve.

All this I could accept if the film had some kick-ass dance sequences, but Ian Iqbal Rashid directs them with the same pokey flavour as the dialogue scenes. There’s no triumph, dynamism or sensuality, just a bunch of people stepping and hoping you don’t boo them off the stage.

The good intentions of the thing make it easy enough to watch, but this is nothing you can’t get better stateside. (Mongrel Media)
Film Reviews: The Twilight Saga: New Moon - Dir. by Chris Weitz
Film Reviews: Planet 51 - Dir. by Jorge Blanco
Film Reviews: Mary and Max - Dir. by Adam Elliott
Film Reviews: The Blind Side - Dir. by John Lee Hancock
Film Reviews: Fantastic Mr. Fox - Dir. by Wes Anderson
Film Reviews: Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire - Dir. by Lee Edwards
Film Reviews: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans - Dir. by Werner Herzog
Videogame Reviews: GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony [Xbox 360]
Videogame Reviews: Dragon Age: Origins [Multi-platform]
Dvd Reviews: The Limits Of Control - Dir. by Jim Jarmusch
Dvd Reviews: In The Loop - Dir. by Armando Iannucci
Dvd Reviews: I Sell the Dead - Dir. by Glenn McQuaid
Dvd Reviews: Thirst - Dir. by Park Chan-wook
Dvd Reviews: Up - Dir. by Pete Docter
Dvd Reviews: Brüno - Dir. by Larry Charles
Dvd Reviews: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - Dir. by Shawn Levy
Dvd Reviews: The Transformers The Complete Series
Dvd Reviews: Franklyn - Dir. by Gerald McMorrow
Dvd Reviews: My One and Only - Dir. by Richard Loncraine
Dvd Reviews: My Effortless Brilliance - Dir. by Lynn Shelton
Music DVD Reviews: Marilyn Manson - Guns, God and Government Live in L.A. [Blu-Ray]
Dvd Reviews: Monty Python: Almost the Truth The Laywer’s Cut
Dvd Reviews: Battlestar Galactica: The Plan - Dir. by Edward James Olmos
Film Reviews: The Horse Boy - Dir. by Michel Orion Scott
Film Reviews: Love & Savagery - Dir. by John N. Smith
Film Reviews: Pirate Radio - Dir. by Richard Curtis
Film Reviews: I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell - Dir. by Bob Gosse
Film Reviews: 2012 - Dir. by Roland Emmerich
Film Reviews: The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day - Dir. by Troy Duffy
Film Reviews: Antichrist - Dir. by Lars von Trier
Film Reviews: Prom Night in Mississippi - Dir. by Paul Saltzman
Music DVD Reviews: Brutal Truth - For the Ugly and Unwanted: This Is Grindcore
Music DVD Reviews: Bob Marley - Stations of the Cross
Dvd Reviews: Aliens in the Attic - Dir. by John Schultz
Dvd Reviews: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation: 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition [Blu-ray] - Dir. by Jeremiah S. Chechik
Dvd Reviews: Kathy Griffin: She’ll Cut a Bitch - Dir. by Paul Miller
Dvd Reviews: The Ugly Truth - Dir. by Robert Luketic
Dvd Reviews: Merry Sitcom! Christmas Classics From TV’s Golden Age
Dvd Reviews: Animation Express
Dvd Reviews: Passchendaele - Dir. by Paul Gross
Dvd Reviews: Bald - Dir. by Blake Leibel
Dvd Reviews: Mystery Science Theater 3000 XVI
Dvd Reviews: Film Noir Classics 1 - Dir. by Various
Dvd Reviews: The L-Word: The Complete Final Season
Dvd Reviews: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Box Set
Dvd Reviews: Il Divo - Dir. by Paolo Sorrentino
Film Reviews: The Box - Dir. by Richard Kelly
Film Reviews: The Fourth Kind - Dir. by Olatunde Osunsanmi
Film Reviews: A Christmas Carol - Dir. by Robert Zemeckis
Film Reviews: Gentlemen Broncos - Dir. by Jared Hess
Film Reviews: Inside Hana’s Suitcase - Dir. by Larry Weinstein
Music DVD Reviews: Damon & Naomi - 1001 Nights
Music DVD Reviews: Leonard Cohen & His Army - Leonard Cohen Live at the Isle of Wight 1970
Music DVD Reviews: Roxy Music - The Story of Roxy Music: More Than This
Dvd Reviews: Orphan [Blu-Ray] - Dir. by Jaume Collet-Serra
Dvd Reviews: G. I. Joe — Season 1.2
Dvd Reviews: The Taking of Pelham 123 - Dir. by Tony Scott
Dvd Reviews: The Narrows - Dir. by Francois Valle
Dvd Reviews: The Answer Man - Dir. by John Hindman
Dvd Reviews: Easy Rider — 40th Anniversary Edition [Blu-Ray] - Dir. by Dennis Hopper
Dvd Reviews: Monsters Vs. Aliens - Dir. by Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon
Film Reviews: More than a Game - Dir. by Kristopher Belman
Film Reviews: Amreeka - Dir. by Charion Dabis
Film Reviews: The Collector - Dir. by Marcus Dunstan
Film Reviews: Bronson - Dir. by Nicolas Winding Refn
Dvd Reviews: Vega$: The First Season — Volume 1
Dvd Reviews: Stan Helsing - Dir. by Bo Zenga
Dvd Reviews: Spin City: Season Three
Dvd Reviews: Natural Born Killers — Director’s Cut - Dir. by Oliver Stone
Dvd Reviews: Frownland - Dir. by Ronald Bronstein
Dvd Reviews: Flashpoint: The First Season
Dvd Reviews: Afterwards - Dir. by Gilles Bourdos
Film Reviews: Michael Jackson’s This Is It - Dir. by Kenny Ortega
Film Reviews: Three Blind Mice - Dir. by Matthew Newton
Film Reviews: The September Issue - Dir. by R.J. Cutler
Film Reviews: Astroboy - Dir. by David Bowers
Film Reviews: Amelia - Dir. by Mira Nair
Music DVD Reviews: Various - The Secret Policeman Rocks!
Music DVD Reviews: The Beatles - Rare and Unseen
Music DVD Reviews: The Moody Blues - Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970
Music DVD Reviews: All the Way From Michigan Not Mars - Dir. by Matt Boyd
Dvd Reviews: Gigantic - Dir. by Matt Aselton
Dvd Reviews: The Proposal - Dir. by Anne Fletcher
Dvd Reviews: Andy Barker, P.I. The Complete Series
Dvd Reviews: 30 Rock Season 3
Dvd Reviews: High School Record - Dir. by Ben Wolfinsohn
Dvd Reviews: I Love You, Beth Cooper - Dir. by Chris Columbus
Dvd Reviews: Year One - Dir. by Harold Ramis
Dvd Reviews: Superman/Batman: Public Enemies [Blu-Ray] - Dir. by Sam Liu
Dvd Reviews: Dead Snow - Dir. by Tommy Wirkola
Dvd Reviews: Nip/Tuck: Season Five, Part Two
Film Reviews: Taqwacore - Dir. by Omar Majeed
Film Reviews: The Men Who Stare At Goats - Dir. by Grant Heslov
Film Reviews: The Men Who Stare At Goats - Dir. by Grant Heslov
On his second album, Unbalance, 2562 continues to fuse genres and theories about rhythmic persuasion. Less atmospheric than his highly acclaimed avant-dub-step debut, this new disc further showcases 2562's unerring sense of swing. Though he denies any intentional influences from Africa... Full Review
Gurpreet "The Tabla Guy" Chana combines a deep knowledge of Indian classical music and a lifetime of Canadian musical experiences into a unique approach to percussion. He is both a spellbinding solo performer and a consummate collaborator. Raised in Hamilton, now residing in Toronto, Chana's tabla education began at age three. He relates a time-honoured musical starting point, albeit with specific cultural resonance.... Read More
"Slayer!" Second only to pleas for Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird," virtually every concert-goer of the past quarter-century has heard this passionate cry unleashed during a show, metal or otherwise. There's a reason. The Huntington, California metal quartet is hands-down one of the boldest, most agile, impassioned bands in the history of recorded music. There's no mistaking Slayer.... Read More
Viewing the December 2007 Issue: Contents PageNewsClick Hear • Articles --> Front Five  •  Points  •  Year In Review  •  Questionnaire  •  Release Dates  •  Timeline  •  Videogames  •  Web Exclusives • Music Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Aggressive Tendencies  •  Beats & Rhymes  •  Destination Out  •  Frequencies  •  Groove  •  No Future  •  Pop Rocks  •  Wood, Wires & Whiskey  •  Concert Reviews • Motion Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Dvd Reviews  •  Film Reviews  •  Music DVD Reviews  •  Videogame Reviews • Music School --> Label Life  •  Need to Know  •  What I Play Contests • Contact --> About Us  • Advertising  • Distribution  • Getting Reviewed  • Getting Published  • Letters To The Editor  • Partnerships  • Subscriptions • Exclaim! Radio --> Aggressive Tendencies Radio  • Beats & Rhymes Radio  • Frequencies Radio  • Destination Out Radio  • Groove Radio  • No Future Radio  • Pop Rocks Radio  • Wood, Wires & Whiskey Radio Exclaim! TV • Home & Latest Issue Browse Issues