Review - Hanna Montana (Series 3, part 2)

A concern for many parents of growing children is the selection of appropriate television and DVDs. With increasing laxity in classification standards violence and questionable moral themes have begun to creep into the PG bands; making many parents wary of modern reality style shows depicting tweenage children and their daily lives.   With television one of the major influences for young people, its important, therefore to be careful with the selection of role models.

Unless you have been living under rock at the back of a distant cave, you will have been exposed at some point to the Empire of Hannah Montana, complete with its huge merchandising range and DVDs.  Unike some television personalities and shows which appeal to the tweenage market, the concepts and themes presented in Hannah Montana  remain clean, ethical and inspiring; despite its longevity.  August 4th marks the release of Series 3 part 2 of the DVD range and is certain not to disappoint.

For those who may have escaped her marketing and shows, Hannah Montana is a world famous pop star who hides her real identity behind Miley Stewart - a normal teenage girl.  The formula for episodes revolve around issues in the lives of Miley and her best friend Lilly; interspersed with  the girls' gawky other friend, Oliver. Mileys real life father - Billy Ray Cryrus, plays her father, lending his experience and knowledge as he advises her through her challenges in her split lifestyle.

Disney continues a popular plotline made famous with shows such as Superman or Bewitched where the main characters real identity must be kept a secret.  Girls in particular identify strongly with the clumsy goofy Miley and dream about being the confident and popular Hannah.

After three series, it's become a little hazy on who's ‘in’ on the teenager's huge, unlikely, impractical secret, but since it's basically become perfect fodder for most of the  jokes, it doesn't ultimately matter.

Every episode generally packs a life lesson where characters learn not to lie, learn about forgiveness, and humility. Overall, the series itself is about not forgetting your roots, which can be an important lesson for anyone to learn. As its often taught in a series of humorous events, viewers do not feel that they are being preached at.

Series 3 sees Miley juggle the challenges of growing-up such as getting her driver's license, sticking her foot in her mouth on a radio talk show and dealing with secret crushes.  As always, with the help of her father and timely reality checks from best friends Lilly and Oliver, Miley learns valuable lessons in trusting her instincts and ways to make decisions which are right for her.  Series 3 part 2 also resolves the cliffhanger "What Will Miley Ultimately Decide?” left from part 1.

Disney is usually reluctant to allow most of their shows continue past 50 episodes, siting that the original ingredients cannot be reproduced over a lengthy period of time, that creativity dries up and fans become more demanding and specific about what they want and need to see their icons do and say.  In the case of Hanna Montana, they have made an exception.  With over 70 episodes now made, the Hanna Montana empire appears as strong and robust as it has ever been. Whilst the script may never make the Nobel Prize, its filled with fun and delivered with a freshness which is envied throughout Hollywood.  For die hard Hannah Fans, this is a must buy and see.  For those looking for entertainment for their tweenagers which will uphold a strong social basis, you could do alot worse than investing in the entire stock of Hannah Montana DVDs.

IMAGE via Wiki

Jonas Rock stars the house

 DVD Review of Season 1, Volume 2

The Jonas Brothers are an American Boy Band promoted and given  greater popularity through their Disney Channel Television Show and subsequent DVD releases. They are best known for their wholesome, but overly Christian lifestyle and outlook on life;  one which most families would be more than happy to have promoted within their own walls. 

The series follows the daily lives of the three brothers, throughout school and band practice. There is a large amount of brotherly teasing and plenty of songs sprinkled through the episodes which reflect the mood or message being promoted.

The rest of the cast are made up by their father and two friends, Stella and Macey. These two innocent and adorable lasses provide fans an accessible connection to the brothers.Any plot line which may steer into a girlfriend/boyfriend situation is quickly focused on the communication and friendship aspect. 

The show balances between shots of the boys on tour or practicing and them having to undergo normal teenage chores and homework. Its refreshing to see the scriptwriting focus on gratitude and manners; where the boys acknowledge that they are lucky to live the incredible life they do and that it has to do with hard work and dedication.

The Partridge Family started the TV series formula and Disney has seen no reason to fix or alter a recipe which works as well as it does. The basic template which made Frankie and Annette movies, The Monkeys and countless others  sees Disney successfully plugging new talent to an eager audience.

Although shot into relative fame after appearing in Camp Rock in 2008, the Jonas brothers have been committed musicians for most of their lives, thanks to the tireless efforts and passion from their father. 

The Jonas Brothers are an inoffensive, charming group who promote strong family friendly themes. With the plethora of questionable moralistic tween - ager shows out there, this is one I would be more than happy for my children to continue to watch.

Old Dogs .... chews a tired old bone.

Old Dogs has all the hallmarks of a formulaic family comedy produced by Disney. John Travolta and Robin Williams team up as two friends who run a successful marketing business and are on the brink of the biggest deal of their careers before their past catches up on them.

The story of a hapless and clueless father whose children suddenly appear and are dumped on him for a fortnight had the potential to comment on a number of things; most importantly ageism and the role of absentee fathers, but is so full of cliches that it ends up being an embarrassing tumble  of formulaic slapstick scenes. Travolta never quite makes it believable as the personable playboy, Williams apologetic in his role as a financial brains behind the business.

The plot quickly falls apart with the introduction of too many themes and variables. With half of the film based in the boardroom and the other in fairgrounds; its difficult to decide on what audience its trying to reach, and at the end ensuring its not accessible to neither children nor adults.

Most of the cultural faux pas may have been amusing ten years ago; but one would hope that we as an audience have matured beyond making fun of the asian culture, of same sex marriages and of toilet humour.  The plot is so full of improbable and outrageous situations, the audiences belief needs to be completely suspended before any enjoyment can be obtained.

Despite its hit and mostly miss plot, this film is (embarrassingly) full of belly laughs.  Although most gags can be seen building a mile away, they are still enjoyable when they peak. Particularly amusing are the references to getting older, the creaks and groans ones body makes informing all it is not as young as it used to be and of the blunders young parents make.  If you are a sucker for predictable gags, shots of cute animals adding their silent comments on the action, then this film will fit your bill perfectly.

As to be expected with a Disney film, the main characters see the errors of their ways, make extraordinary efforts to right the wrongs they have committed and the family unit is reunited once again. 

Although Old Dogs is flawed in many ways, its undemanding on the mind and perfect for a Sunday afternoon session for the whole family.


An interesting aside - For the 30th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, Old Dogs was nominated in four categories: Worst Picture, Worst Actor for John Travolta, Worst Supporting Actress for Kelly Preston and Worst Director for Walt Becker, but did not win any of them.. in fact , despite its negative feedback and criticism, it ended up being a minor box office success.


Film Poster via Wikipedia.


For the record, I did enjoy it, laughed alot; but was kind of embarrassed afterwards....

Wizards of Waverly Place a Winner

My second DVD review..

"Wizards of Waverly Place" focuses on the Russo family who live in a suburban TV style large city. With a fairly typical middle class family,( which includes a mother, father and three kids) they live a normal life; except that the children are wizards in training a fact they attempt to hide from friends and other family members with sometimes disastrous results. Disney won several awards when this was first aired, and for good reasons.

Most of the story lines focus on the sibling rivalry between the children as the rules within this magical world is that only one child in a family may keep their powers. As each episode is revealed, the audiences opinions as to which one is likely to be triumphant, changes. When all of the children within the family turn 18 a family competition is to be held to determine who keeps their power. This is a constant threat and promise throughout the episodes. Each episode looks at how each child wields their powers and the lessons they may learn from abusing or using it.

The show is a definite winner in the Tweenage market; but has plenty of humour and one liners which keeps older family members amused. Although the humour can be a little cheesy, its clean and doesn’t lower itself into bathroom behaviour or language to gain its laughs. As it is rated PG, the material is suitable for young children and contains very little ‘scary’ or unnerving aspects.

The storylines are held together by strong characters, who unlike may family sit coms, are not perfect. The family members are accessible and believable to a wide range of young people. The Russos are dysfunctional on a number of levels, proving that even with special powers, themes of sibling rivalry, jealousy, bickering and love are constant throughout. Although the characters may fight amongst themselves or compete, they still manage to stay friends; upholding the Disney banner of blood being thicker than water and the importance of family ties.

The Episodes reviewed came from Season 1, Volume 2 ; which was launched this week in stores. The titles include Curb Your Dragon, Movies, Pop Me And We Both Go Down, Potion Commotion, Justin's Little Sister, Wizard School Part 1, Wizard School Part 2.

My kids loved it and have watched the entire series twice this week. ( ages 5 and 7)