je_and_la
Lifetime Total
1+
IMDb Member
12 years
Reviews
Teen Beach Movie (2013)
Fun '60s Inspired Beach Party Flick
Back in 2009 Disney Channel brought us "Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie" from the shores of Puerto Rico. Now they bring us "Teen Beach Movie", a fun beach party inspired film. McKenzie (Maia Mitchell) and Brady (Ross Lynch) are two surfers who are magically transported inside a classic '60s beach party film, Wet Side Story, where a surf-and-turf war between the surfers and bikers is in full swing. After accidentally changing the film's plot causing the film's hero and heroine to fall for them instead of each other, Mack and Brady must find a way to change the plot back whilst also finding a way back home.
The storyline progressed at an easy pace for the audience to follow, while still taking the time to learn about each of the four main characters in detail. The plot line of Wet Side Story, a spoof off of the popular film "West Side Story", was both funny and enjoyable to watch. McKenzie's insistence that girls can do anything boys can do provided a great message to the audience, as well as adding extra conflict to the plot.
The acting was typical for a Disney Channel Original Movie and most of the cast did a terrific job at over-acting their parts when it came to the Wet Side Story characters. Lynch and Mitchell had very believable chemistry, while Grace Phipps (Lela) and Garrett Clayton (Tanner) did a great job at over-acting their own character's relationship.
The film was let down as it was laced with continuity errors. One such error occurred towards the end of the film when Mitchell's hair changed from being up to down from shot to shot. Other errors occurred throughout the film, though this was the most noticeable.
The costumes for this film were very similar to those that were used in beach party movies in the '60s. The girls in this film wore high-waisted bikinis which covered their navels, a nod to Ms. Annette Funicello to whom the film was dedicated.
The movie's soundtrack was reminiscent of '60s beach party tunes, and contained tracks that were catchy and fun to listen to. 'Can't Stop Singing', sung by Lynch and Mitchell, reflected the plot and worked to parody the genre of movie-musical with lyrics such as 'this can't be happening' and 'don't tell me it's a song'.
As we saw back in 2009, Puerto Rico has some beautiful beaches which we got to see again in this film. It's a shame however that in the 'Can't Stop Singing' scene, there was a modern city visible in the background although this part of the film was set in the '60s.
With catchy tunes, a progressive storyline and a beautiful location, Disney Channel has once again produced a thoroughly enjoyable film, deserving of the 8/10 rating given.
The storyline progressed at an easy pace for the audience to follow, while still taking the time to learn about each of the four main characters in detail. The plot line of Wet Side Story, a spoof off of the popular film "West Side Story", was both funny and enjoyable to watch. McKenzie's insistence that girls can do anything boys can do provided a great message to the audience, as well as adding extra conflict to the plot.
The acting was typical for a Disney Channel Original Movie and most of the cast did a terrific job at over-acting their parts when it came to the Wet Side Story characters. Lynch and Mitchell had very believable chemistry, while Grace Phipps (Lela) and Garrett Clayton (Tanner) did a great job at over-acting their own character's relationship.
The film was let down as it was laced with continuity errors. One such error occurred towards the end of the film when Mitchell's hair changed from being up to down from shot to shot. Other errors occurred throughout the film, though this was the most noticeable.
The costumes for this film were very similar to those that were used in beach party movies in the '60s. The girls in this film wore high-waisted bikinis which covered their navels, a nod to Ms. Annette Funicello to whom the film was dedicated.
The movie's soundtrack was reminiscent of '60s beach party tunes, and contained tracks that were catchy and fun to listen to. 'Can't Stop Singing', sung by Lynch and Mitchell, reflected the plot and worked to parody the genre of movie-musical with lyrics such as 'this can't be happening' and 'don't tell me it's a song'.
As we saw back in 2009, Puerto Rico has some beautiful beaches which we got to see again in this film. It's a shame however that in the 'Can't Stop Singing' scene, there was a modern city visible in the background although this part of the film was set in the '60s.
With catchy tunes, a progressive storyline and a beautiful location, Disney Channel has once again produced a thoroughly enjoyable film, deserving of the 8/10 rating given.
I Didn't Do It (2014)
Disappointing sitcom with a promising premise
The newest Disney Channel Original Series to grace the television screen is I Didn't Do It, a series about ultra-competitive twins Lindy (Olivia Holt) and Logan Watson (Austin North) who, together with their three best friends attempt to navigate freshman year of high school.
The plot for the pilot episode revolved around the twins throwing a party while their parents are away to impress a senior at high school. However, before the party begins they come to believe that their elderly baby-sitter has passed away. Even for a Disney Channel series this plot is quite unbelievable and gives off a message to kids watching that it is okay to disobey their parents and to ignore when someone dies.
During the pilot episode, virtually no character development occurred, leaving the audience wondering who these five best friends truly are. After twenty-three minutes, we still don't really know anything about the five main characters other than their names, they are in high school and they will be getting in trouble in each and every episode.
The acting from the entire cast seemed very stiff and wooden in places - even from Holt who is headlining the show. Peyton Clark (Garret), Piper Curda (Jasmine) and in particular Sarah Gilman (Delia), were not given much screen-time in this episode as most of the action revolved around Lindy and Logan.
The premise of the show is interesting, in that each episode will start at the end of the conflict and the episode will use flashbacks to show Lindy and Logan's versions of what happened. Although this premise has promise, this could get old very quickly if the outcome of each episode is basically the same - the kids get grounded.
All in all the show had promise but did not deliver and is well deserving of the 4 out of 10 rating given.
The plot for the pilot episode revolved around the twins throwing a party while their parents are away to impress a senior at high school. However, before the party begins they come to believe that their elderly baby-sitter has passed away. Even for a Disney Channel series this plot is quite unbelievable and gives off a message to kids watching that it is okay to disobey their parents and to ignore when someone dies.
During the pilot episode, virtually no character development occurred, leaving the audience wondering who these five best friends truly are. After twenty-three minutes, we still don't really know anything about the five main characters other than their names, they are in high school and they will be getting in trouble in each and every episode.
The acting from the entire cast seemed very stiff and wooden in places - even from Holt who is headlining the show. Peyton Clark (Garret), Piper Curda (Jasmine) and in particular Sarah Gilman (Delia), were not given much screen-time in this episode as most of the action revolved around Lindy and Logan.
The premise of the show is interesting, in that each episode will start at the end of the conflict and the episode will use flashbacks to show Lindy and Logan's versions of what happened. Although this premise has promise, this could get old very quickly if the outcome of each episode is basically the same - the kids get grounded.
All in all the show had promise but did not deliver and is well deserving of the 4 out of 10 rating given.
Cloud 9 (2014)
Predictable but delightful DCOM
Once again the Disney Channel has provided us with a typical story of self-discovery, laced with conflict and the formation of new friendships. In this story we meet Kayla Morgan (Dove Cameron), a pampered snowboarder whose Father owns the ski-lodge where she snowboards. Also heading the cast is Will Cloud (Luke Benward), a snowboarder turned dog groomer after a particularly memorable fall during his failed attempt at the coveted Cloud 9. When it is revealed to Kayla that she only won a place on the snowboarding team as a result of her Father owning the resort, she turns to Will to learn the Cloud 9 to prove to everyone that she truly is the best female snowboarder around.
Both Cameron and Benward delivered good performances throughout the film, though there were times when their chemistry together was not very believable. The entire cast, including Mike C. Manning (Nick Swift), Amy Farrington (Andrea Cloud) and Jeffrey Nordling (Sebastian Swift) brought this story to life in a very believable and enjoyable manner. It is a shame that Kiersey Clemons (Skye Sailor) did not have a more prominent role in the film as her acting was very enjoyable to watch. Praise must be given to the stunt coordinator Kathy Jarvis and to the stunt doubles who did an incredible job with the snowboarding scenes. My eyes were glued to the screen, anxious to see whether they would land their jumps or not, and I found myself breathing a sigh of relief when they did.
The story itself progressed at a reasonable pace despite its predictability. There never seemed to be a time where the story was lacking or where the pace of the film was too fast. Two big thumbs up to the screenwriters Don D. Scott, Justin Ware and Katie Wech for penning such a captivating film.
Utah, USA is a beautiful place and that beauty was reflected in this film. The scenery in Cloud 9 was incredible and was a perfect back-drop for a film centered on snowboarding.
The ending let this film down in as much as it was disappointing and relatively anti-climatic. The film itself was very enjoyable to watch and I found myself waiting anxiously to see what the final outcome would be, and though the film was very predictable, I found myself disappointed with how it ended.
All in all this was a very enjoyable, although predictable, Disney Channel Original Film, and is deserving of the 7/10 rating given.
Both Cameron and Benward delivered good performances throughout the film, though there were times when their chemistry together was not very believable. The entire cast, including Mike C. Manning (Nick Swift), Amy Farrington (Andrea Cloud) and Jeffrey Nordling (Sebastian Swift) brought this story to life in a very believable and enjoyable manner. It is a shame that Kiersey Clemons (Skye Sailor) did not have a more prominent role in the film as her acting was very enjoyable to watch. Praise must be given to the stunt coordinator Kathy Jarvis and to the stunt doubles who did an incredible job with the snowboarding scenes. My eyes were glued to the screen, anxious to see whether they would land their jumps or not, and I found myself breathing a sigh of relief when they did.
The story itself progressed at a reasonable pace despite its predictability. There never seemed to be a time where the story was lacking or where the pace of the film was too fast. Two big thumbs up to the screenwriters Don D. Scott, Justin Ware and Katie Wech for penning such a captivating film.
Utah, USA is a beautiful place and that beauty was reflected in this film. The scenery in Cloud 9 was incredible and was a perfect back-drop for a film centered on snowboarding.
The ending let this film down in as much as it was disappointing and relatively anti-climatic. The film itself was very enjoyable to watch and I found myself waiting anxiously to see what the final outcome would be, and though the film was very predictable, I found myself disappointed with how it ended.
All in all this was a very enjoyable, although predictable, Disney Channel Original Film, and is deserving of the 7/10 rating given.