Stomp the Yard (Blu-ray)

     At its core, Stomp the Yard is a romantic drama disguised as a dance film. Or is it the other way around? DJ (Columbus Short) is a troubled teen from Los Angeles who gets a chance for a better life when he is admitted into Atlanta's privileged Truth University. Just when he thought he had escaped a life of gangs, DJ finds himself in the middle of a "war" between two upper-crust fraternities where stepping (a popular dance form) is their weapon of choice. When DJ realizes the coed he falls for is the girlfriend of the school's champion stepper, he joins the rival fraternity to try to show her--and himself--that he's as good as anyone else there. Stomp the Yard is not an original film. Add some drums and you've got Drumline. Change some of the characters around and you've got Save the Last Dance. What sets the movie apart is the stepping. The precision involved at this level is impressively complicated and Short--a dancer and choreographer--is beautifully expressive both as an actor and a dancer. Sure the plot is predictable and hokey at times. But Short and Meagan Good (as his crush April) have wonderful chemistry together, and the supporting cast--including Harry J. Lennix as DJ's no-nonsense uncle--are delightful to watch.

     ScreenGems Stomp The Yard (Blu-ray)DJ (Columbus Short), an amazing underground street dancer, hasn't been in college for a day before he's entranced by the lovely April (Meagan Good). Working as a gardener to pay the bills, DJ doesn't fit in with the wealthier students around campus, but one thing does catch his attention - the rival fraternity competition known as - stepping. With April's help, DJ learns about the legacy and heritage behind the fraternities and decides to join up. Now part of an official step group, DJ must balance rehearsals, work, and school, while at the same time winning the heart of the girl of his dreams. With the National Step Championship drawing closer, DJ must learn to stop dancing as an individual, and start stepping as a team.

Comment:
      Director Sylvain White's STOMP THE YARD may not strike many as an ideal movie for the family to gather around and watch during holidays or other special occasions but it actually is because holidays are about reaping the benefits of tradition and this movie is about that too. It's not so clear at the film's beginning whether we're watching a violent video game or a demonstration of directorial genius. The distinction, however, soon becomes obvious and the genius apparent. The mesmerizing opening dance scenes come across a lot like video gladiator battle sequences. These give way to the urban realism of a more brutal --and fatal-- L.A. gang clash after the not-so-lethal dance battle. DJ, played pitch perfectly by Columbus Short, loses his brother Duron (singer Chris Brown does an impressive job in this role) to a bullet in the clash and life as DJ knows it then comes to a screeching halt. After a brief time in jail, he leaves the West Coast for Georgia, where he moves in with his aunt and uncle, then enrolls in college. It seems like the perfect strategy for rebuilding your life but DJ has problems with the idea that he's living his brother's dream of going to college and that his own is not all that definite. Perhaps among the most under-appreciated gifted actors of his generation, Harry Lennix gives one of the strongest performances of his career as the no-nonsense-taking uncle who pulls DJ out of his self-pitying funk. Their relationship proves to be one of tough-love and mutual respect. It also provides a rare glimpse into how black male relatives often function as surrogate fathers to youth whose biological fathers for whatever reason are nowhere to be seen. The move from West Coast to Georgia might appear coincidental but in fact it is crucial to this film because DJ's move takes him out of a region of the country where historically black institutions like Clark University and Tuskegee Institute do not exist, and into one where their presence and legacy remains strong. The move to Georgia turns into an inner journey to his ancestral beginnings where ultimately he discovers the strength and integrity needed to cope with the grief over his brother's death and move forward with a vision for his own life. Once he becomes a student at Truth University, DJ initially demonstrates the same kind of arrogance and self-absorption that got him into conflicts back in L.A. But he also discovers the world of stepping, both a new form of dance for him and a cultural tradition going back to the establishment of the first black Greek Letter fraternities and sororities in the early 1900s during the Harlem Renaissance. He becomes determined to help his chosen fraternity, Theta Nu Theta, end a seven-year long losing streak against their rivals Mu Gamma Xi, and to win the heart of co-ed April Palmer (played beautifully by Megan Good). His efforts take him through an inspiring rites of passage during which he learns a great deal about his ancestral legacies and the advantages of sometimes working as part of a team rather than thinking only of himself. The culminating dance competitions in Stomp the Yard have to be seen to be believed and rank among the best in cinema history. Ultimately, this film is one that stands alongside "You've Been Served," "Drumline," and others that accentuate the life-affirming power and beauty of many African-American college traditions. In the process, it confirms and celebrates that same potential in all human beings. by Author-Poet Aberjhani author of The Bridge of Silver Wings (Songs of the Angelic Gaze) and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File Library of American History) Stomp the Yard is a good movie, the movie is only 116 minutes long. The movie Stomp the Yard is about a teenage delinquent that is able to stay out of juvenile hall by going to collage where he becomes a dance star. It is a PG 13 rating movie. Some of the characters that played in the movie are Columbus Short who played as DJ and as a brother to Chris Brown who played as Duron, Megan Good played as April and as the girlfriend to DJ (Columbus Short). The director was Sylvain White, the movie was good although it is a drama movie it is still a good movie.

      I loved this movie and it was a surprise to me. Yes, the story's typical. Heck, the whole movie was to highlight the dancing. So what? The story was very well done and the characters show immense growth. DJ goes from "all about me" to a "team" player, even swallowing his pride to do so. April went from an insecure girl who was just hanging on to 'big man on campus' to please others to a woman who made her own choices for herself. And Grant, the nemesis of the movie was consistently shown up for his underhanded and too controlling ways. The dancing/stepping was awesome and a beautifully primal example of the fullness of being alive. The beats were all culturally significant and hinted at the old spirituals of days gone by. In a sense they spoke to the same strengths of the people. Columbus Short was really an amazing dancer. I'd watch him again and again. I think that even though this story was about African Americans and the dances were predominantly from that culture, the story and the moral of the story transcends any race. It's about respecting each other, about love, about teamwork and about being your best. I give this movie a full five stars for it's entertainment value, it's moral and mostly the wonderful dancing.