Footloose the remake opens this Friday in the Tri-Cities, Walla Walla and around the nation.

It’s at Carmike and Fairchild Cinemas and at Walla Walla Grand Cinemas if you’re thinking of catching it.

While not my favorite movie, I loved the original. I was working top-40 radio in 1984 and the soundtrack is packed with top-40 hits. Let’s Hear if for the Boy, Holding Out for a Hero, Almost Paradise, Somebody’s Eyes and — of course — one of the great pop rock songs of all time, Footloose.

Two seconds of the song and the toes are moving. It’s one of the few songs ever recorded that forces you to move when it’s playing. You absolutely cannot hold still. The other pop song that does that to me is Michael Jackson’s Billy Jean. Hold still. I dare you.

While I can’t tell you much about the new version because critics and studios have this unspoken agreement to not let things slip and to not review a film until it opens, the good news about the remake is that they keep Kenny Loggins’ original version in the film.

Footloose wouldn’t be footloose without it.

I was talking with Bob Scarborough who books film for Carmike in Tri-Cities. During the past 10 years we’ve developed an interesting friendship and often our conversations never touch the topic of movies. Bob’s a fun guy with a great sense of humor. This morning he was telling me that Carmike has been promoting the film heavily and encouraged its theater managers to come up with creative ways to get the job done.

That’s why I’m writing today. The theater manager in Chubbuck, Idaho — right next door to Pocatello if you’re not familiar — came up with a novel idea to promote it in that area. The theater crew did a dance video. It’s terrific. And it looks like they had a blast doing it.

Here’s the link. Enjoy. And look for my review on Friday.