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Fame

**

Stars: Naturi Naughton, Kay Panabaker, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally, Bebe Neuwirth, Kherington Payne

Director: Kevin Tancharoen

Rated: PG

Showing: Liberty Theatre, daily at 2:30pm, 6:30pm

Runtime: 107 minutes

Musical/drama

A reinvention of the Oscar-winning musical from 1980 about the fame-hungry ­students of the New York City High School for the Performing Arts.

Here, kids from all walks of life get the chance to pursue their dreams of stardom - the real and lasting kind that only comes from dedication and hard work as well as ­talent. But in addition to their ­artistic goals, the teens must deal with the everyday pressures of high school - schoolwork, romance and self-discovery.

With High School Musical and Hannah Montana so popular, a ­remake of Fame, the king of the genre, was only to be expected.

But it is disappointing. For a start, there are too many clichés - including a dancer who can't impress his teacher no matter how hard he tries and a girl forced by her parents to play piano when she longs to sing.

Also, the movie crams in too much. There are a host of main characters living out four years in 100 ­minutes. You don't get to know any of them very well so can't care about them.

But the movie has some plus points - notably the outstanding musical and dance performances from the talented young cast.

Watch if you liked: Fame, High School Musical.

Coming soon: Zombieland.

For more information about film times, call 292-7296

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