Author Archives: Scott Malchus

DVD review: “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam – Extended Edition” Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Combo Pack

As if you need my opinion to tell you whether or not Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam- Extended Edition is worth your kids’ time. I’m sure they’re already clamoring to get the DVD after seeing the premiere on Disney Channel over Labor Day.  But guess what, this is one film that actually exceeds the original both in content, production value, and musical numbers. Whereas the original Camp Rock felt like a blatant attempt to ride the coattails of the High School Musical phenomenon, now that Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers are bigger stars than any of the HSM kids, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam doesn’t need to be tied to HSM in order to succeed.

In the new film, Mitchie (Lovato) is eager to return to Camp Rock, the summer music camp where she came into her own, and meet up with the friends she made the previous summer. At the same time, music stars Shane, Nate and Jason (Joe, Nick and Kevin Jonas) are excited to get off the road and away to the camp. Shane, especially, wants to spend as much time with Mitchie, the girl he met when he was forced to work at Camp Rock. What the camp rockers don’t expect is the opening of a slick, new musical camp (alas, only in a fantasy music would there be two music camps across the lake from each other) has drummed up some serious competition for Camp Rock.

Camp Star, the rival camp, threatens the future of Camp Rock’s existence. The only way to solve the differences between the two camps is with a live musical competition in which fans can vote for the best camp. Alright! With a storyline that could have come right out of the Mick and Judy book of movie musicals, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam is fun and enjoyable for the entire family.

The success of this film comes from the skilled performances of the four leads. Lovato and the Jonas brothers have all spend hundreds of hours in front of TV cameras since the last Camp Rock movie and the experience has made all of them better actors. While Lovato has natural screen presence, it’s the brothers Jonas who are the most improved. Their performances in the earlier film were kind of wooden and forced, but the three brothers look much more at home when acting. Joe and Demi have some palpable chemistry in the romance department; I believe they were dating at the time. Kevin proves that he actually good at something besides being the backup singer. The eldest Jonas brother shows some comic flair in the movie, especially in his scenes with young campers.

While Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam is not great art, it is great pop entertainment. The musical numbers are all wonderfully choreographed and the songs are all catchy, with a variety of styles throughout. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself humming a couple of them soon after the credits have rolled.

Bonus features on the DVD include the extended version of the film that contains two exclusive music sequences and the “Rock Along” version of the movie, with puts the lyrics up on screen during the movie. The Blu-ray has additional featurettes, one that introduces the new stars in the film and another that has music videos. Disney continues to lead the competition with their Blue-ray/DVD/Digital Combo packs. By including all three formats in one package, Disney is catering to the needs of all of their fans. People who don’t have Blu-ray players yet won’t have to go out and purchase a new copy of the movie if/when they step into the high def era. I like that a lot. There’s nothing more annoying than owning a huge collection of movies and having to replace it as soon as you get the latest technical gadget.

DVD Review: “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”

Based on the bestselling books by Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a funny film that the entire family can sit down and enjoy. It follows the first year of middle school for young Greg Heffley, as he does his best to become one of the most popular kids in school. His plans backfire and instead of becoming the most popular kid, he becomes one of the least popular students. Director Thor Freudenthal brings the same charm and knack for working with young actors that he brought to last year’s Hotel for Dogs. As with that film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid has a bright, enticing look and is wonderfully paced to keep everyone engaged. There is fine music and some enjoyable moments for the grown-ups, whenever Steve Zahn appears on screen. For all intents and purposes, this is a excellent movie. Well acted, beautifully shot, and it has a great message for kids about staying true to who you are and trying not to worry about the opinion of others. This message is especially important in those formative years that take place in junior high/middle school, which is where Diary of a Wimpy Kid is set.

However, I have problems with its lead character, Greg. To quote my daughter, “he’s a jerk.”  There you have it, the hero is a jerk and honestly, he really doesn’t learn any lesson by the end of the movie.  Moreover, he’s not even a lovable jerk. That bothered me.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to heroes in films being jerks. I’ve sat through many feature films where the main character never changes while everyone around the, evolves. Yet, all of those films have been about adults (mostly indie films). For some reason, because this is a film about children, and it’s for children, the effect isn’t the same. Is it because children are impressionable and maybe they’ll watch the movie and think that the lead character’s behavior is okay? That’s part of it. Is it because he shows little to no remorse for his actions? Yep. Making matters worse, Zachary Gordon, the young actor playing Greg, does such an exceptional job in the role that I started to hate him before the movie was over (the character, not the actor).

Who is the favorite character in the movie? It’s not the snarky older girl, Angie (Chloe Moretz) who walks around in a beret, expounds of the dullness of trying to be popular and carries a camera, like some kind of bohemian 7th grader? No, it’s Rowley Jefferson (an adorable Robert Capron), the nerdy, awkward boy who isn’t afraid to express his feelings and proceeds through life as his own person. While watching the film with my kids, I asked them who their favorite character in the movie was. Without hesitation they said it was Rowley. Why? Because he’s the one character that stays true to himself, the one character who tries his best and isn’t afraid to fail, and the one character who is an individual and isn’t trying so hard to fit in with the cool crowd.

Perhaps that was the point Freudenthal and Kinney were going for. I can only assume, yes; but damn it, they did such a good job with this film at making the hero a jerk, that I just couldn’t love the movie as much as I wanted to.

Despite my reservations about Greg, Diary of a Wimpy kid should be checked out, even if it inspires conversations with your kids about Greg’s behavior and why Rowley is so awesome. The Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Copy of the movie is an excellent deal. Besides the three different formats to play the movie, there are some great bonus features, including diary pages from Rowley (written by Kinney) and deleted scenes.

DVD review: Disney’s “Starstruck- 2 Disc DVD/CD Extended Edition”

Starstruck is the latest Disney Channel movie crafted as a vehicle for one of their television stars, in this case Sterling Knight, one of the cast members from the hit series, Sonny with a Chance. It would be easy to write it off as just another way for the network to get huge ratings, but this Starstruck is actually a lot better than most of the movies the Disney Channel churns out.

Danielle Campbell, a relatively unknown teen actress whose biggest credit is the un-tween friendly Prison Break, stars as Jessica, a Michigan teenager on a family vacation to visit her grandmother in Los Angeles. Her older sister, Sara (Maggie Castle) is obsessed with pop star Christopher Wilde (Knight) and thinks she’ll be able to track him down while in California (only in a Disney movie). Jessica could care less for the world of movie stars and pop musicians, she’d rather go sightseeing and spend some time on the beach, so when Sara drags her along in search of Christopher Wilde, she does so dragging her feet.

Just who is Christopher Wilde? You’d expect him to be some stuck up snob, the kind of character that Knight plays so effectively on Sonny with a Chance. However, Wilde is actually just a lucky kid whose parents are consumed with his career and making decisions without his input. They want him to tour endlessly and possibly take a role in a big movie project that could make the family more money. No one seems to have his best interests in mind, especially not his fame hungry girlfriend (Chelsea Staub). His lone voice of reason and loyalty is his best friend, played by Brandon Mychal Smith (also from Sonny With a Chance).

Like the best romantic comedies that Starstruck is emulating, dating back to the dawn of talking motion pictures, the privileged Christopher Wilde and the uninterested Jessica are destines to meet, fall for each other, get photographed by paparazzi, have a misunderstanding that leads to a fall out and ultimately come back together. It’s like Notting Hill for a much younger crowd, except that Starstruck is actually more enjoyable than Notting Hill.

Campbell is a bright young star that lights up the screen when she’s on camera. If the head honchos at Disney don’t already have more projects with her in the works, they’re idiots. And Knight has a great comic timing and boatloads of charm. As I mentioned earlier, he plays a real jerk on Sonny with a Chance. In this film, he’s funny, serious and heartfelt. Starstuck may follow a formula, but it is well written, has some great performances and promotes strong messages of honesty, humility, self-acceptance and strength of character. Chalk this one up as a winner for girls and families alike.

This being a movie about a pop singer, there are plenty of opportunities for Knight to perform. The kid has a nice voice, as heard on the CD that accompanies this 2-disc DVD and CD set. Other features on the DVD include an extended version of the movie that is only available on DVD, three music videos, plus eight “rock along” tracks that give girls (and boys) the opportunity to sing along with the stars.