Alice Upside Down (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a movie about a girl who has to start life over again in a new town just as she enters the most awkward time of life -- middle school. Her mother passed away when she was five and she doesn't have any maternal role models.
The cast has a lot of potential to put together an outstanding movie. I have watched Alyison Stoner grow up on Disney as "Mike's spunky (and smarter) sister" on the quickie "Mike's Supershort Show". She has developed into a fine young actress and obviously has a lot of talent in terms of acting, singing and even dancing. Lucas Grabeel of High School Musical fame is given a better opportunity to be a likable character and show his talent.
In a way, this movie reminds me of a tragic version High School Drama Queen with Lindsey Lohan. You watch as everything goes wrong for Alice and after awhile, you just wish SOMETHING would go right... And if the stuff that went wrong was somewhat funny, it would be easier to take. But very little of it is funny... just sad.
It tries to involve too many themes and does none of them justice. You find yourself feeling like you came in in the middle and missed critical pieces. Like what happened to her mom? Who is the lady they left behind in Chicago and why does the dad want to get away from her when she clearly was a help to Alice? Lucas' character gets caught dating 2 girls at the same time but we didn't even realize that he was dating one of them so that scene just seemed out of place. The dad starts dating an old high school friend but once again, that never gets fully fleshed out and doesn't really seem to be relevant.
Despite the shortcomings, I would still recommend the movie -- particularly if you have a tween-ager. I started watching this movie with my son who just started sixth grade today and his experience was pretty similar to Alice's. Kids won't be bothered by the continuity stuff but they will be able to relate to the awkwardness and the feeling that nothing ever goes their way. And, in the end, Alice does finally find her way so the movie ends on a high-note.

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Still mourning the death of her mother a few years back, Alice McKinley finds her life seriously disrupted when her father Ben buys a store and moves her and her older brother Lester to a new town. In the painful throes of adolescence, Alice has a rough time adjusting to her new school, especially after she gets the stern Mrs. Plotkin as her core teacher. Feeling shy and isolated, Alice frequently escapes into a vivid fantasy life that occasionally gets her into hot water. But with a little unexpected help from Mrs. Plotkin, Alice learns not to judge by appearances or jump to conclusions. More importantly, she confronts her father over his inability to accept their loss and move on into the future.

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High School Musical 2 (Extended Edition) (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)I was amazed by the amount of extras on this 2-Disc DVD set. What a fantastic set--with over 5 hours of bonus material. The story is typically light-hearted fun as you would expect from this franchise. It's the last day of school, and all your favorite East High Wildcats are counting down the seconds for the final bell that tells them it's finally summer! The rousing opening song is "What Time Is It?" and gets the movie off to a high energy start. Troy (Zac Efron), Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens), and the gang must get summer jobs; meanwhile, Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) wants to get Troy a job at her country club, Lava Springs, so that he can sing with her at the talent show and become her new boyfriend. Unbeknownst to her, the club's manager, Mr. Fulton (Mark L. Taylor), has to hire the entire gang to get Troy...including Troy's girlfriend Gabriella. Sharpay does everything she can to break the two up, including setting Zac up with a sweet college scholarship. Can Zac resist?
Visually, this movie is a technicolor feast that harks back to the Esther Williams/Busby Berkeley musicals of MGM. One of the most spectacular numbers if "Fabulous," sung by Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) as she lets everyone at the pool know that she has impossibly high standards. Her brother, played by Lucas Grabeel, is dolled up like Elton John and plays a pink piano in the shallow end of the pool while wearing a white tux with hot pink lapels. Definitely classic!
Spec-wise, the DVD audio is a speaker blowing Dolby Digital 5.1 mix and the video is full-frame. Sure, for those with 16x9 or widescreen TVs it's a disappointment. However, this movie was originally shown on the Disney Channel, and as you can clearly see in the behind-the-scenes documentaries (as you look over the shoulder of the camera and see the framing), this movie was COMPOSED for full-screen, even though there was spillover frame to fill out a widescreen. Minor quibbling point...still a great piece of entertainment suitable for ALL ages.
Now onto the extras...there's a ton! You get a great sneak-peak at High School Musical 3 (which will actually debut in theaters), which shows that the whole gang is back, along with three newcomers (looks like Sharpay may have some competition in the conniving department from the new girl). There are also some deleted scenes; although they were trimmed for the right reasons, one does explain a little bit of how Gabriela got to the Country Club for the talent show. Backstage Disney also gives you High School Confidential, an assortment of LOTS of featurettes such as:
*Manly the Dog: director Kenny Ortega's dog who has a featured spot in the movie as Sharpay's pampered pet.
*Sharpettes: Sharpay's sidekicks, featured in the "Fabulous" number
*Hilarious one about Ashley Tisdale; all her costars say she is like Sharpay, even though she protests. Very cute.
*Zac Factor: All about Zac Efron
*Special photo gallery where you can guess what baby photos match your fave HSM star.
*The Making Of "HUMUHUMUNUKUNUKUAPUA'A."
*Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus is actually in HSM2; never knew that until I saw the featurette about her cameo!
*Cast Favorites: The stars dish (except for Zac who is not in this one) about their favorite singers, movie actors, desserts, and more.
*On Location - Visit the resort area of St. George, Utah
*In The Kitchen - Lucas Grabeel takes fans behind the scenes of the clubhouse kitchen set.
In the Music & More section you get:
*Dance Along: follow along to the moves of "What Time is it?" and "All For One." You'll be doing these dances in no time by following multiple camera angles.
*Music Video "All For One" - A special performance of the song is intercut with the cast recording session and behind-the-scenes footage.
And lots more! All HSM fans should add this one to their collections!

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Schools out and Troy, his teammates, and Gabrielle all get jobs at a country club for the summer. Sharpay s father runs the club so she is used to getting her way around there. Sharpay is determined to win the club s summer talent show, an event she has dominated for the last six years. She thinks getting Troy to perform with her will cinch the win, so she dumps Ryan as her partner and schemes to get Troy away from Gabriella so she can perform with him.

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High School Musical (Encore Edition) (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)Let me begin with this caveat; I have no teenage daughter at home. I find this the most fun and refreshing thing I've seen in a long time, and probably for the very reasons "serious" critics find it silly or pedestrian: the movie embraces its cliches and campiness wholeheartedly and makes me laugh aloud each time I watch it (and I've watched it more times than I care to admit) and the songs are hummable and singable and delightful. I've listened to the soundtrack at least once a day since I got it from amazon, usually on my way to work because the songs put me in a good mood. I mean, who doesn't want to do one of those cool dance moves in the car when "Stick to the Status Quo" or "We're All in This Together" comes on? I do refrain. I love theatre, I love show music, and I love "High School Musical"!

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The all-new, smash hit Disney Channel Original Movie everyone is talking about is now available for the first time ever on DVD -- with never-before-seen bonus features that will rock your house! Troy (Zac Efron), the popular captain of the basketball team, and Gabriella (Vanessa Anne Hudgens), the brainy and beautiful member of the academic club, break all the rules of East High society when they secretly audition for the leads in the school's musical. As they reach for the stars and follow their dreams, everyone learns about acceptance, teamwork, and being yourself. And it's all set to fun tunes and very cool dance moves! Featuring the hottest talent, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL celebrates the power of music in this hip, entertaining, gotta-get-up-and-dance movie. Own all the excitement and the exclusive extras available only on this Encore Edition DVD.

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