High School Musical 2

Gillian Flynn started her review by saying, “Upon being compelled to watch last year’s Disney-movie songfest High School Musical, I cried. As in, I was moved to tears by the story of Troy (Hairspray‘s Zac Efron), a varsity basketball star who learns to love his inner crooner, thanks to Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens), a gorgeous mathlete. I am almost grotesque in my vulnerability to stories in which kids grow and love and explore their potential — as long as they do it with jazz hands and a lot of faux-motional singing. Don’t even get me started on Maxwell Caulfield’s haunting Grease 2 solo, “Charades.””

Flynn continued, “In short, I am no snob about simplistic, low-bar, rainbow-colored sing-alongs. I wanted to enjoy High School Musical 2 as much as I enjoyed High School Musical: in moderation, with a pleasant blush and a benevolent, the-kids-are-alright smile. Well, bummer for me! This inevitable sequel — a third film is already in the works — feels too simplistic, too low-bar. (The colors are still pretty.)” Troy and Gabriella and their Wildcat friends get summer jobs at the exclusive golf club owned by the parents of drama siblings, Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) and Ryan (Lucas Grabeel). The spoiled Sharpay immediately starts persuading Troy with potential college scholarships and a nice job as a golf teacher! A lot is done in this not-highly honest problem. Troy misses a date with Gabriella, practices with the university basketball team and enjoys his new Italian golf shoes (Flynn is right when she said, “it’s always amusing when marketing juggernaut Disney lectures kids on acquisitiveness”).

Flynn mentioned, “Unfortunately, the franchise is overly cautious about the image of its likable, tween-idol star: Mindful that eighth graders nationwide are daydreaming of Efron giving them their first kiss while holding a teddy bear who’s holding a tiny Mylar balloon, Disney never lets the guy get too mean, too spoiled, or too…anything. By the time an enraged/ashamed/sun-fevered Troy is running across the golf course, dressed in black, jabbing and spinning while he sings a song I think is called ”Bet on It! (Bet on It! (Bet on It!))” the issue is so confused, it’s not even clear what the wager is. Ambition? Loyalty? Um…stuff?”

Obviously, musicals don’t rely on a lot of storytelling, because they have music! Here, the songs differ from enjoyable fun (Sharpay sings a bubbly little number called Fabulous) to just bad (Flynn noted, “there’s a massive dance number on a baseball diamond that’s so surreally amateurish, Will Ferrell may be behind it”). “High School Musical 2,” released in 2007, ends with silly “outtakes” that say what the whole movie is: When they’re truly silly, they make you grin – but too much of it feels forced.

Now to the film’s credit, there were parts that I actually enjoyed seeing and would like to see those parts again. But everything else is just typical, predictable stuff that is relatable to the age demographic it targeted towards. For everyone else, they will know they aren’t the right age group to be watching it. So if you weren’t a fan of the first movie, don’t watch this one. But for everyone else who liked the first one, this one is the show-stopping number for you.

Look out tomorrow when I review the “Twitches” sequel in “Disney Channel Original Movie Month.”

Return to Halloweentown

Felix Vasquez started his review by saying, “I’m not sure why, but Kimberly J. Brown is nowhere to be found in this final film of the “Halloweentown” series. I read an interview online from Kimberly J. Brown that explains she never got a call to come back to the movies, even though she was more than willing. I peg it to the fact that Sara Paxton was then blossoming to be tailored for Disney Channel stardom, thus they kicked out the very adorable and quite talented Brown in exchange for the more streamlined and younger Sara Paxton.” The difference is very noticeable as the character appears completely different from the original Marnie. Sara Paxton is a good actress, but she’s not as lovable or nice spoke as Kimberly J. Brown was, and there’s an element missing from this final film. Also, Debbie Reynolds is nowhere in the film, another sad fact seeing how she was a main person to help form Marnie. She was her mentor figure. Without her, Marnie is just another character.

Vasquez noted, “I’m also assuming Disney just wanted to reboot the whole shebang, which fails on every level.” The greatness of the franchise is Kimberly J. Brown and without her, this last movie is just empty. “Return to Halloweentown,” released in 2006, is in no way a Halloween movie despite they try to convince the audience it’s a part of the series. It shows hinds to the character Sophie who apparently is so far into her training she’s traveling galaxies, while Marnie is still learning her magic (how does that work?), she is never seen or heard but we hear she’s doing better than Marnie and yet the movies never focused on Sophie. Vasquez said, “Marnie is now a ditzy bubble head prone to using her magic in about as girliest a way as possible in spite of seeing her mature in a more matriarchal position in the former films, and Aggie is seen in only a few moments with Millicent Martin added to replace Mrs. Reynolds in her absence.” There is also no mention to any of the other characters from the previous films including Marnie’s boyfriend Cody.

Instead, Marnie is now just a self-involved college girl starting Witch University disobeying her mom, reprised by Judith Hoag, who wants her to go to school in the mortal realm. With Dylan, reprised by Joey Zimmerman, going with her, she sees the same clichés of school life we saw in “Halloweentown High” except now we really get to see a lot more monsters and the town, which was the point of the franchise initially. Lucas Grabeel who was rising to stardom in “High School Musical” is completely forgettable as Ethan Dalloway, Marnie’s love interest who had his powers taken away in the third film and returns to help Marnie when she tries to stop a brotherhood wanting to rule Halloweentown through Marnie who is a prophesized queen. Because there never mentioned a queen or king in the last films, it’s really convenient.

To its credit, this attempted reboot wants to try and attract a new audience with Paxton’s popularity, however it’s a boring a completely confusing little kids film with none of the innocence or originality of the first two films, and it doesn’t have any of the trouble of the first movies particularly because everything’s been done before. Vasquez noted, “But what with Paxton and Grabeel being the poster children for Disney at the year this was made, “Return to Halloweentown” is much more concerned with being a vehicle for the two stars than making any sense or acting as a proper finisher for the series.” For those who enjoyed the franchise, this is a shame. This just wants to raise popularity and nothing more. It recycles old plot themes, wanders from the real story, collects no entertainment or inspiration from its audience and is in the end a lifeless and lethargic conclusion to what as an enjoyable family franchise. Vasquez ended his review by saying, “But that’s okay, there is at least “Wizards of Waverly Place” to come along years later, an admitted guilty pleasure of mine. Don’t judge me, man.”

Sorry to say, but this film is the weakest of the franchise. If you liked the first two movies, don’t bother with the last two because they are just weak and boring. You will not like any minute of watching it, so just avoid it.

Tomorrow I will look at the second “High School Musical” movie in “Disney Channel Original Movie Month.”

The Cheetah Girls 2

Whitney Pastorek started her review by saying, “There’s a long tradition of musicals for kids out there, stretching all the way back to Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney staging a play in an old barn.” Lately, the genre has gone to an unexpected level of commercial reputation: After “The Cheetah Girls” movie came out on the Disney Channel in 2003, its soundtrack was No. 2, a success that led in part to the unbelievable phenomenon of “High School Musical.” Now the group is back with a 2006 sequel “The Cheetah Girls 2” (directed by Kenny Ortega).

Based on the kids’ book series, the Cheetah Girls are a teen signing group led by determined Galleria Garibaldi, played by Raven-Symoné, who also executive produces. The other three members – sensitive Chanel (Adrienne Bailon), playful Aquanetta (Kiely Williams), disjointed foster kid Dorinda (Sabrina Bryan) – are both her backups and her best friends. When Chanel has to spend her summer in Barcelona, the entire group goes with her to participate in a music competition. On their trip, everyone learns lessons about friendship, class problems, and the scary truth that parents have lives of their own.

Pastorek said, “Yes, it’s a bit ridiculous watching four calculatedly multiracial girls lip-synch to peppy songs about changing the world. But even a saccharine version of girl power — or, to quote the Cheetahs, ”Growl Power” — is better than other tween-bait options, like MTV’s The Hills, that teach girls to put their boyfriends first.” The Cheetahs at least have a message…and the messages are always easier to learn when accompanied by a well-done dance.

Now I know what everyone is thinking, did I like this movie? Better than the first one, but it still came off as kind of boring. For the most part, it’s very forgettable, but not nearly as bad as the first one was. However, you can see it and be fine, but I would say give it a pass. Overall, I would say this is for those who love the Cheetah Girls and loved the first movie. They could see the second one and fall in love with it fine, but for everyone else, they won’t need to see it if they saw the first one and hated it. Like I said, they would like it fine and would take boring over the first one, but they would still forget about it very quickly.

Stay tuned tomorrow when I finally wrap up the “Halloweentown” franchise in “Disney Channel Original Movie Month.”

Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior

Here’s a fun fact: “Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior,” released in 2006, is a martial arts movie from the Disney Channel.

Mostly that is the case. David Cornelius said in his review, “Despite its typically cornball Disney Channel plot, featherweight jokes, and girls-love-to-go-shopping themes, there's actually a serious attempt to present some fun action throughout.” Disney protagonist Brenda Strong, a tae-kwon-do black belt in real life, does most of her own stunts (the exceptions are obvious but surprisingly rare), while classic “wire fu” techniques let this actress to flip and fly like a pro. The whole thing ends with a stunt-heavy finale of a kung fu statue beast, which director John Laing and stunt coordinator Mark Harris (who also worked on the “Power Rangers” and “Hercules” shows) along with a rage of family-friendly action delight.

Cornelius admitted, “So yes, I'm actually surprised to say it, but for a lightweight, kid-centric action movie, "Wendy Wu" does a pretty good job in the butt-kicking department.”

However it stumbles all over the place thanks to the decision to keep this in line with your typical Disney Channel movie about a spoiled teen who finds out there are more important things in life than being popular and buying new clothes. Cornelius said, “The result, then, is something of an update on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," remixed with the Disney formula:” Wendy, played by Brenda Strong, the most popular girl in school, has a high chance to win the vote for homecoming queen, but she’s about to learn that she’s also the descendent of ancient warriors that have to fight evil villains every ninety years. When her sworn protector, Shen, played by Shin Koyamada, arrives from China to train her, she must decide which is more important, saving the world or winning the homecoming queen vote.

The whole thing is exactly as dull, predictable and uninspired as it sounds. The screenplay (credited to four writers) throws in hobble jokes about Wendy’s petty boyfriend, Shen adapting to American living, teachers turning into kung fu warriors, and Wendy herself being too self-centered and girly to want to train. We also get a weak subplot with Wendy’s rival for homecoming queen, played by Ellen Woglom, which is basically not fresh or interesting.

What is really a problem with the film is the ongoing theme of cultural heritage. Here, the filmmakers walk a very thin line – they should be credited for allowing the richness of the Chinese culture to be the highlight with the story where Wendy’s grandmother, played by Tsai Chin, mourns her family’s increasing Americanization and ignoring family traditions as a result, yet they should also be mindful that the actual story of the movie risks reinforcing the stereotype that all Chinese people are martial arts experts. Cornelius noted, “It's a balancing act that doesn't always work - Grandma turns out to be a warrior herself - but in the quieter scenes, the ones where the family talks about mooncakes and other almost-forgotten customs, the film's good intentions manage to win out.”

Cornelius continued, “In fact, this is the one place the movie does rise above its Disney Channel roots; the idea of a family lamenting the loss of its heritage when joining the melting pot is far more interesting than the typical teen-queen-learns-right plotlines, and it's a theme that translate across races and cultures throughout the nation.”

Neither that, the admirable action scenes, nor Strong’s likeable lead performance are enough to make “Wendy Wu” a hit. Cornelius mentioned, “The film is ultimately too mired in its own Disney Channel-ness, with all the cheesy comedy, flimsy plotting, and character cliché that comes with it.”

The action is nice and the family theme is sweet, but “Wendy Wu” basically falls under the weight of every necessary Disney Channel formula. Kids may want to go easy on the film, ignoring the weak, predictable areas and just wanting to enjoy the fun stuff, but older teens and parents will grow tired of the weaker parts too quickly.

Like I said, this is alright, but it’s just a typical film. I know I sound repetitive when I say that I’m not the right age group for these films, but I’m not. However, there are good films, but this one I just find average. See it if you want.

Wait until tomorrow when I look at the “Cheetah Girls” sequel in “Disney Channel Original Movie Month.”

High School Musical

All I can say is that “High School Musical” is subtle.

“Enough reading!” a worried mother tells her teenage daughter firmly. This all starts on New Year’s Eve. The daughter responds, “Can I have my book back?” Here is where viewers can easily gather that the girl, Gabriella Montez, played by Vanessa Anne Hudgens, is one of those shy, smart kids.

However, people watching this don’t have to do much gathering in this silly Disney Channel movie, released in 2006. Smart students are formal, athletes are noisy, and teachers say superior, absurd things in superior, absurd ways. Anita Gates said in her review, “A drama teacher, for instance, informs insufficiently respectful students trying out for the winter musical that theater -- she pronounces it the-a-TUH -- "is a temple of art." The bad singers who try out are screechier than anything ever heard on "American Idol."”

The winter musical is the entire movie’s story. Gabrielle, the new girl in school, has a great voice and may try out. Troy Bolton, voiced by Zac Efron, the all-star basketball star, wants to but knows his teammates will make fun of him. Gabrielle and Troy have met before, when they were forced into a karaoke duet while on vacation with their families.

When they do try out and are a hit, the rightly named Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) and Ryan (Lucas Grabeel), who always play the leads in every high school musicals, are worried. During the extremely long time between the main auditions and the callbacks, a lot goes on.

Sharpay and Ryan plan against Gabrielle and Troy. The basketball players want Troy to focus on the upcoming big game instead. Gabrielle’s smart friends explain how much they need her in the scholastic decathlon. (Both of these events will happen on the same day as the callbacks.) There’s a huge musical number about the qualities of fitting in with your friends. Gates said, “The lyrics, in response to confessions like one male athlete's about his secret love of baking, include "No, no, no/ Stick to the stuff you know" and "Stick to the status quo."”

Kenny Ortega, the director, is a choreographer who also worked on movies like “Dirty Dancing.” Gates noted, “Here, his all-student-body dance numbers hint at a combination of influences: a little Bollywood and a little of Patricia Birch's work from "Grease."” His directing influences are immeasurable.

Gates said, “There are those who may make the argument that young viewers are such idiots that they need constant repetition and wild exaggeration to get whatever point a story is trying to make. (Well, maybe some 3-year-olds.) And it would be unfair not to salute the movie's message about broadening one's horizons and not being limited by stereotypes or peer pressure. But when an admirable message is packaged in such treacle, it just makes the message seem treacly, too.”

I know that I may be praising this movie, but I actually found this to be somewhat dull. I know for a fact that I’m not the right target audience for this movie. Maybe if I saw this when it came out when I was in the second half of high school, I might have related to this a lot, but seeing it now, even though I think it touches on serious issues that high school students go through, I just didn’t get into this. Like I said, as an adult watching this, I knew I was the wrong person to watch this, despite there were good things about it. Some of the songs were nice, but it could have used more energized numbers other than the slow moments. Check it out if you want and see for yourself.

Tomorrow I will look at another decent film in “Disney Channel Original Movie Month.”

Twitches

For today’s review, we’re going to look at the 2005 magical adventure, “Twitches.” Disney Channel loves their holiday-themed movies and making guilty pleasures that are right for the season, like during Christmas or Valentine’s Day. Justin Carreiro said in his review, “I can’t get enough of Halloween! Twitches had the perfect mix of what I love: magic, drama, and the return of 90’s teen stars, Tia and Tamera Mowry. I mean, I LOVED Sister, Sister when I was younger; I think that’s why Twitches was a DCOM that I had to watch.”

“Twitches” is the story of twin sisters, played obviously by Tia and Tamera, who meet each other for the first time and find out that they’re witch princesses from a different area. They were separated at birth to hide from a villain that is trying to kill them. This is like a combination of “Sister, Sister” and “Harry Potter.” This is all completely new for them, along with the audience.

Carreiro admitted, “As a Harry Potter fan, I love stories where people discover they’re magical for the first time.” There was this new place these twins were put into and a story that was larger than just a villain chasing them. Two magical sisters reunited for the first time to try and save the kingdom. The story of “twins reuniting for the first time after being separated by birth” is a little common for a story idea. Carreiro said, “Though, as someone who definitely does not have a twin, I can’t deny that I wished it happened to me. (I will meet my non-existent twin one day!)”

Carreiro continued, “I felt a connection to Twitches when I watched it for the first time. DCOMs tended to feature younger characters and focus on elementary/high school storylines for a while and I wanted something different. I was 15 years old when Twitches premiered; I was one of those awkward and sarcastic preppy kids in high school.” Seeing how “Twitches” is a story about more grounded characters in their 20s felt really nice. Actually, the characters are “grounded” with magical powers. These characters needed jobs and they went to school – it was more mature in a way.

Carreiro said, “After re-watching it now, I still enjoy the movie, probably not as much as I used to in the past. The one thing that popped up more so this time around is that I noticed the CGI.” Seeing how “Twitches” was released in 2005, it did not have the best special effects. Carreiro said, “I may have laughed a bit watching some of the scenes from the magical land.” The Disney Channel Original Movie budget and attention to detail has grown from the success of recent movies.

However, it still is a good movie and a nice one from Halloweens past. “Twitches” will be in the same league as other lighthearted Halloween classics like “Halloweentown,” “Tower of Terror” and hands down, “Hocus Pocus.”

If you were like me and grew up watching “Sister, Sister” in the 90s, seeing how that introduced everyone to Tia and Tamera Mowry, and you want see something that is in the same vain as that, see this movie. It was definitely enjoyable and funny. You will absolutely love this, I promise you. Don’t miss this one.

Now tomorrow I will look at a film that I’m definitely not in the age range for liking in “Disney Channel Original Movie Month.”

The Proud Family Movie

“The Proud Family” started on the Disney Channel in 2001 as a way of broadening the network’s scale of racial diversity. Aaron Wallace noted in his review, “With storylines that touch on racial harmony and black history, dialogue that is playfully laced with Ebonics, and a theme song by R&B group Destiny's Child, the cartoon series clearly seems targeted toward a specific demographic (or stereotype, depending on how you read it).” However, that doesn’t mean its demand is limited nor does it feel like it’s racially insensitive. The series doesn’t really have the best of television animation, but it’s entertaining enough to distract and never annoying enough to keep away.

Like most shows that started on the Disney Channel, “The Proud Family” had a periodic run of four years on TV before being taken off after about three seasons’ worth of episodes. There was a time when Disney’s shows would all of a sudden stop on an episode like any other without giving a feeling of ending. Thankfully, it looks like those days are in the past. Nowadays, they’re often ending with a feature-length film to cap off the series and that’s exactly what “The Proud Family Movie,” released in 2005, is.

Wallace noted, “The nature of the series-turned-movie is typically adventuresome, suggesting something a bit more eventful. In the Proud Family's case, the event at hand is quite a departure from the series itself.” The main character, Penny Proud, voiced by Kyla Pratt, is still fighting with her family and friends as her sixteenth birthday is arriving (which is a highlight to end on). As always, her father, Oscar Proud, voiced by Tommy Davidson, doesn’t like her childish behavior and refuses to let her appear in rapper Fifteen Cent’s new music video or even date him, which is exactly what Penny wants to do.

That’s basically typical “Proud Family” stuff, but what takes this story out of the usual is the other story: Oscar has invented a new peanut-based snack that attracts Dr. Carver, voiced by former TV host Arsenio Hall, an evil, peanut-crazed scientist who invites the Proud family to his private island, where he and his team of peanut clones are ready to use whatever they can to capture Oscar’s peanut formula for their own plans. Even Penny’s funny grandmother, famously called Suga Mama, voiced by Harriette Winslow from “Family Matters,” Jo Marie Payton, joins them. Wallace noted, “The story plays out more like The Incredibles than an episode of "The Proud Family," but as it stays true to the characters, it doesn't feel entirely out of place and the quirky premise seems excusable.” Even though it may not be that hilarious or enjoyable – nor does it completely end the show – it’s very deflecting and does tie together different elements of the original show.

“The Proud Family Movie” gives a decent but not outstanding end to an alright but likable animated series. Being familiar with or enjoying the original show isn’t necessary for understanding it, but the movie doesn’t impress enough to give a recommendation for those who haven’t already seen “The Proud Family.” Wallace ended his review by saying, “Fans (even casual ones), however, are likely to find a nice little diversion in this release and the satisfactory presentation and bonus short subjects only serve to sweeten this nutty deal.”

I only saw an ending to one episode when Penny was in her Spelling Bee and Oscar had cheated by helping her how to spell “bobbin.” Other than that, I actually had found myself enjoying this movie when I watched it. If you have or haven’t seen the show, watch this movie because I think everyone will find something enjoyable in it. Check it out and see for yourself.

Look out tomorrow where I look at another film that I enjoyed in “Disney Channel Original Movie Month.”