Camp Rock: Extended Rock Star Edition on Blu-ray

Camp Rock is a Disney Channel original movie about a rockin’ teen summer camp that’s highly appealing to tweens and young teens despite the movie’s failure to favorably compare with truly great Disney Channel movies like High School Musical. Joe Jonas (of the Jonas Brothers stars as Shane Gray, a member of the rock band Connect 3, who is compelled to serve as an instructor at Camp Rock in order to counteract his increasingly negative public image. Tess Tyler (Meaghan Jette Martin) is the camp diva whose self-absorption defies description, Caitlyn (Alyson Stoner) is a past Tess groupie who’s now ostracized from the popular kids at camp, and Mitchie (Demi Lovato) is a camp newcomer whose mother is the camp cook. Caitlyn initially befriends Mitchie, but the friendship wanes when Mitchie makes up an elaborate story about her family to get accepted into Tess’s exclusive clique.

As Mitchie struggles to maintain her façade around camp, Shane begins to reform his bad-boy ways and find his own personal voice and he and Mitchie become friends–unfortunately, their new relationship is based partially on Mitchie’s lies. In the end, Mitchie’s deception is exposed as is Tess’ true villainy and the perfect summer camp experience threatens to turn into the worst summer ever for everyone involved. Camp Rock is infused with lots of energy, fun choreography, and a ton of good, if not particularly memorable, music. Add in the cast of generally unlikable characters with extreme characteristics whose changes of heart at the end of the film are not particularly believable, and Disney’s got an entertaining film for tweens and teens that adults might just as well skip.
By Tami Horiuchi

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Best of Both Worlds Concert: The 3-D Movie on Blu-ray

The Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds live concert was a sold-out sensation everywhere it played, and this concert video is the next best thing to being there for all the fans that couldn’t get tickets to attend the concert in person. The movie opens with Miley Cyrus backstage in make-up and hair, warming up with vocal exercises, then cuts to Hannah Montana (her alter ego)’s performance of “Rock Star,” and then back in time to four weeks before her performance when concert rehearsals were just beginning.

It runs like a backstage special feature for a while, following Hannah Montana through coaching, choreography scenes with Kenny Ortega, and rehearsal sessions. Then it’s back to concert footage from opening night in St. Louis and all along the tour, seasoned here and there with some fun looks at the concerts’ special effects, quick costume changes, other logistical challenges (Hannah gets dropped during a routine early in the tour), and lots of shots of the enthusiastic, mostly female ‘tween audiences. The 3D format gives the audience a nice sense of being there and includes some effective, if somewhat overused shots of the crowd waving, Hannah/Miley reaching out to the audience, and fun stunts like the drummer’s twirling stick thrown high in the air and the guitar player’s pick being tossed out into the audience. The sound is adequate, but fails to replicate the live concert experience (the plus side is that the audience’s ears won’t be ringing for hours after the performance).

Hannah Montana’s performance includes “Rock Star,” “Life’s What You Make It,” “Just Like You,” “Nobody’s Perfect,” and “We Got the Party.” The Jonas Brothers perform “When You Look Me In the Eyes” and “Year 3000,” and then Miley hits the stage with “Start All Over,” “I Got Nerve,” “I Miss You” (which Miley wrote in honor of her Granddad’s passing), “Going Away,” “GNO: Girl’s Night Out,” and “The Best of Both Worlds.” This 3D concert presentation truly is the “best of both worlds,” a 3D concert experience with easy availability and minimal expense. Better yet is the message that girls can do anything they want if they put their minds and hearts to it. (Ages 7 and older)
By Tami Horiuchi

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