Disney Movies - Days 55-57
As I mentioned in my stitching post, it wasn't a good weekend for getting things done, especially for stitching, but also in the Disney movie viewing department. I managed one Friday night, one Saturday, and I was able to clear out a few Sunday.
Friday I started with another 2 movie combo pack, Davy Crockett. The first movie, Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier was one I had seen many times as a child, but not in a very long time. I have an aunt who always loved westerns so, whenever I was at her house, that's what we always watched. I hated them back then, but I've learned to appreciate them as I've gotten older and really did enjoy watching Davy Crockett in action. Of course though, it doesn't have a very happy ending and I did cry quite a bit, but it wasn't like I didn't know it was coming (since Davy Crockett was at the Alamo and we all know what happened to those poor guys).
There was also a short on the disc, The Lone Chipmunks, and I managed to find it on YouTube:
I tried to watch the second movie, but I was so tired and it was so late, I gave up for the night. Even though I got home really late Saturday, I still had to watch something, so I went ahead and watched the second movie, Davy Crockett and the River Pirates. This is technically two episodes of the TV series put together to make a movie, but I didn't mind and I'm going to count it as a whole movie. I liked this one better, not only because it had a much happier ending, but because there were a few Disney World references in it. Anyone who has been to Disney World in the last 20 or so years will remember the Mike Fink Keel Boats and the mini boats that stayed on long after the big ones were gone and Mike Fink was a major character in this movie. And anyone who has ridden the Liberty Belle will know:
And Wilson's Cave Inn is where the River Pirates live. A good thing about these movies is there is at least a root basis in real folks...Davy Crockett, Mike Fink and even the River Pirates themselves were all real people.
Sunday was a much better day movie-wise (if not stitching-wise). I decided it was time to finally dive into the Disney Channel Original Movies. I have watched DCOMs as long as they've been coming out. I like the innocence of the stories. They don't ever remind me of my childhood because my high school years were never happy times (quite the opposite, in fact), but it reminds me of how I wish high school could have been for me. I saw a lot of the same themes of these movies in my fellow classmates, just never me (well, without the busting out into random songs). Plus, considering that the force of my inner child is very strong, I regress quite a bit during these types of movies and end up not feeling as old and cynical as I usually do, even if it's just for a few hours.
I confess, I'm an adult who watches D-Channel shows too (although not right now since I don't have regular TV anymore). I wasn't much of a Wizards of Waverly Place fan, but shows like Sonny With A Chance, Jonas (and especially Jonas LA), Austin & Ally, etc, were always in my record queue. As a kid I kind of preferred horror and questionable material, but the older I get, the more I prefer the clean, innocent shows, probably because a lot of the horror and questionable stuff today is just too dang stupid or gory for the sake of gore.
Since I have just gotten my Teen Beach 2 and haven't seen it yet, I started with Teen Beach Movie first. I absolutely adore Ross Lynch, he's just the cutest little thing and, since I was already an Austin & Ally fan, then I knew already I was going to like this movie when it originally came out. I've watched it numerous times since and I think it gets better every time! It's not a very original storyline...two kids end up getting trapped in a 1960's movie and inadvertently change the plot points and have to right everything to get back home and find themselves in the process, but it's pretty original how they handle it overall.
Of course, as per usual with these type of musicals, I do have my favorite number and this would definitely be it:
Then it was time to watch Teen Beach 2 for the first time. As with most sequels, the first one is definitely better, but it was still pretty cute. I still love to watch old beach movies anyway and, although they are very cheesy, again, it reminds me of happier times that could have been.
I can't say there was a single song that stuck out too much other than the big dance number that was kind of like a mix of High School Musical and the old beach movies:
I didn't have a real plan for the day other than to stick to the D-Channel movies, so I just grabbed the next one on the pile, StarStruck. This is one of those that didn't do too well, but one I still love and it's been watched at least a half a dozen times. The story goes, there was supposed to be a sequel to this one as well, but the girl in the film decided that she didn't like acting. Funny that because I've seen her in numerous things since, but I digress.
And, of course, the soundtrack is really good too and I have a favorite song from this one as well. I almost hate to post it because it pretty much gives away the ending, but then again, these things always have a happy ending, so it's not like it would be a big surprise:
My next set was the Camp Rock movies. Most people would probably say that the High School Musical movies are the best of all the D-Channel movies and I would disagree with that. Sure, I did my time obsessing over them, but I think the Camp Rock series is way better. Of all those Disney kids, Demi Lovato is really the only one with a fabulous voice (some have good ones, others are passing, and most have enough auto-tune to make even a dog sound like a great singer, but she has real talent) and despite her troubles, I still think she's a good role model for girls...unlike say another Disney star who likes to wear nipple pasties all the darn time! The first Camp Rock is really good and I can relate to her character a lot more than most other D-Channel characters (well, except for the singing part). When the Jonas Brothers came out, I did like Joe better at first and he's featured prominently throughout the entire movie:
Song-wise, the number at the end when they sing together is my favorite:
Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam is one of those rare sequels that is actually better than the first. By the time this one came out, I had seen the Jonas Brothers in concert (along with Miley pastie, as I like to call her now) and I was really crushing on Nick (and still kind of am). And, considering my age, I guess I should define "crushing"...not in a Simon LeBon way, but more in a "if I was 20 years younger" kind of way. I have a type, always have, and the boys in these movies all pretty much fit it, just like Simon did back in the day. Only now I don't get the heart palpitations, the dreams, or the incessant need to stare at their faces 24/7 like when I was younger. It's more of a "aww, isn't he just adorable!" kind of thing. Just thought I'd better clear that up!
Anyway, I don't know if it was because Demi and Joe were dating when this movie was made or not, but the chemistry between them is palpable and that really makes a love story for me. They did alter things a bit, making the Jo-Bros actual brothers in this sequel instead of just a band, but I am OK with that because it is so obvious that they are brothers.
I don't know if I mentioned it, but I also have all of the soundtracks for these movies as well as almost every other D-Channel movie and a lot of the TV series. For this sequel, I actually have two favorites, of course the big love ballad between Demi and Joe:
and Nick's solo song which is so cute! It is very easy to see why he's become the big star of the group:
Next in the stack was Lemonade Mouth. I am not a Brigit Mendler fan, I'm not sure what it is about her, but I will say that I could also really relate to her character in this movie (again, except for the singing part). Overall, this is just an OK movie, but it has some really great songs which is why I do keep watching it.
The best song, or I guess I should say my favorite song is Determinate:
I did have time for one more before the night was finished, but this one is kind of a cheat. Avalon High was a great DCOM but, because it bombed, they never released it on DVD. I did record it from TV when it broadcast though and I've been watching it ever since that way, on my own recorded disc, but I'm going to count it anyway. I check, every now and again, hoping that they will eventually release it on disc, but alas, I think that ship may have sailed. If Gregg Sulkin does get popular enough though, maybe they will bring it out of the vault! I think that the reason it bombed was because most of its audience had read the book first, whereas I saw the movie before I read the book so I approached it with fresh eyes. Once I did read the book, I still thought the movie was better, but that's been known to happen upon occasion with me (aka A Walk To Remember...that book sucked and it's one of my favorite movies, so judge my judgement accordingly).
This was also the only movie of the day that wasn't a musical, so I've got no song videos to post here.
I have a TON more DCOM movies, but not all of them, so hopefully it won't take me too long to get through the ones I do have. I may save the High School Musicals for last simply because I do have obsessive issues where that movie is concerned and I'm not sure I want to stir all that up again. I haven't watched them since Zac Efron had all his troubles and that does tend to sway my judgement of actors a lot. Plus, unlike Demi and Joe, who are no longer together but are still friends (now), Zac and Vanessa are not and it's just kind of sad to see them all lovey-dovey on-screen, which at the time was also partly real, and now it's not. I know that sounds weird, but I am pretty weird, so there you go!
MOVIE TOTALS:
Live Action: 53
Full-Length Animation: 87
Mixed-Medium: 8
Animated Shorts: 280
Live Action Shorts: 1
Mixed-Medium Shorts: 3
Animated Series: 77
Mixed-Medium Series: 2
Documentaries: 8
Friday I started with another 2 movie combo pack, Davy Crockett. The first movie, Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier was one I had seen many times as a child, but not in a very long time. I have an aunt who always loved westerns so, whenever I was at her house, that's what we always watched. I hated them back then, but I've learned to appreciate them as I've gotten older and really did enjoy watching Davy Crockett in action. Of course though, it doesn't have a very happy ending and I did cry quite a bit, but it wasn't like I didn't know it was coming (since Davy Crockett was at the Alamo and we all know what happened to those poor guys).
There was also a short on the disc, The Lone Chipmunks, and I managed to find it on YouTube:
I tried to watch the second movie, but I was so tired and it was so late, I gave up for the night. Even though I got home really late Saturday, I still had to watch something, so I went ahead and watched the second movie, Davy Crockett and the River Pirates. This is technically two episodes of the TV series put together to make a movie, but I didn't mind and I'm going to count it as a whole movie. I liked this one better, not only because it had a much happier ending, but because there were a few Disney World references in it. Anyone who has been to Disney World in the last 20 or so years will remember the Mike Fink Keel Boats and the mini boats that stayed on long after the big ones were gone and Mike Fink was a major character in this movie. And anyone who has ridden the Liberty Belle will know:
And Wilson's Cave Inn is where the River Pirates live. A good thing about these movies is there is at least a root basis in real folks...Davy Crockett, Mike Fink and even the River Pirates themselves were all real people.
Sunday was a much better day movie-wise (if not stitching-wise). I decided it was time to finally dive into the Disney Channel Original Movies. I have watched DCOMs as long as they've been coming out. I like the innocence of the stories. They don't ever remind me of my childhood because my high school years were never happy times (quite the opposite, in fact), but it reminds me of how I wish high school could have been for me. I saw a lot of the same themes of these movies in my fellow classmates, just never me (well, without the busting out into random songs). Plus, considering that the force of my inner child is very strong, I regress quite a bit during these types of movies and end up not feeling as old and cynical as I usually do, even if it's just for a few hours.
I confess, I'm an adult who watches D-Channel shows too (although not right now since I don't have regular TV anymore). I wasn't much of a Wizards of Waverly Place fan, but shows like Sonny With A Chance, Jonas (and especially Jonas LA), Austin & Ally, etc, were always in my record queue. As a kid I kind of preferred horror and questionable material, but the older I get, the more I prefer the clean, innocent shows, probably because a lot of the horror and questionable stuff today is just too dang stupid or gory for the sake of gore.
Since I have just gotten my Teen Beach 2 and haven't seen it yet, I started with Teen Beach Movie first. I absolutely adore Ross Lynch, he's just the cutest little thing and, since I was already an Austin & Ally fan, then I knew already I was going to like this movie when it originally came out. I've watched it numerous times since and I think it gets better every time! It's not a very original storyline...two kids end up getting trapped in a 1960's movie and inadvertently change the plot points and have to right everything to get back home and find themselves in the process, but it's pretty original how they handle it overall.
Of course, as per usual with these type of musicals, I do have my favorite number and this would definitely be it:
Then it was time to watch Teen Beach 2 for the first time. As with most sequels, the first one is definitely better, but it was still pretty cute. I still love to watch old beach movies anyway and, although they are very cheesy, again, it reminds me of happier times that could have been.
I can't say there was a single song that stuck out too much other than the big dance number that was kind of like a mix of High School Musical and the old beach movies:
I didn't have a real plan for the day other than to stick to the D-Channel movies, so I just grabbed the next one on the pile, StarStruck. This is one of those that didn't do too well, but one I still love and it's been watched at least a half a dozen times. The story goes, there was supposed to be a sequel to this one as well, but the girl in the film decided that she didn't like acting. Funny that because I've seen her in numerous things since, but I digress.
And, of course, the soundtrack is really good too and I have a favorite song from this one as well. I almost hate to post it because it pretty much gives away the ending, but then again, these things always have a happy ending, so it's not like it would be a big surprise:
My next set was the Camp Rock movies. Most people would probably say that the High School Musical movies are the best of all the D-Channel movies and I would disagree with that. Sure, I did my time obsessing over them, but I think the Camp Rock series is way better. Of all those Disney kids, Demi Lovato is really the only one with a fabulous voice (some have good ones, others are passing, and most have enough auto-tune to make even a dog sound like a great singer, but she has real talent) and despite her troubles, I still think she's a good role model for girls...unlike say another Disney star who likes to wear nipple pasties all the darn time! The first Camp Rock is really good and I can relate to her character a lot more than most other D-Channel characters (well, except for the singing part). When the Jonas Brothers came out, I did like Joe better at first and he's featured prominently throughout the entire movie:
Song-wise, the number at the end when they sing together is my favorite:
Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam is one of those rare sequels that is actually better than the first. By the time this one came out, I had seen the Jonas Brothers in concert (along with Miley pastie, as I like to call her now) and I was really crushing on Nick (and still kind of am). And, considering my age, I guess I should define "crushing"...not in a Simon LeBon way, but more in a "if I was 20 years younger" kind of way. I have a type, always have, and the boys in these movies all pretty much fit it, just like Simon did back in the day. Only now I don't get the heart palpitations, the dreams, or the incessant need to stare at their faces 24/7 like when I was younger. It's more of a "aww, isn't he just adorable!" kind of thing. Just thought I'd better clear that up!
Anyway, I don't know if it was because Demi and Joe were dating when this movie was made or not, but the chemistry between them is palpable and that really makes a love story for me. They did alter things a bit, making the Jo-Bros actual brothers in this sequel instead of just a band, but I am OK with that because it is so obvious that they are brothers.
I don't know if I mentioned it, but I also have all of the soundtracks for these movies as well as almost every other D-Channel movie and a lot of the TV series. For this sequel, I actually have two favorites, of course the big love ballad between Demi and Joe:
and Nick's solo song which is so cute! It is very easy to see why he's become the big star of the group:
Next in the stack was Lemonade Mouth. I am not a Brigit Mendler fan, I'm not sure what it is about her, but I will say that I could also really relate to her character in this movie (again, except for the singing part). Overall, this is just an OK movie, but it has some really great songs which is why I do keep watching it.
The best song, or I guess I should say my favorite song is Determinate:
I did have time for one more before the night was finished, but this one is kind of a cheat. Avalon High was a great DCOM but, because it bombed, they never released it on DVD. I did record it from TV when it broadcast though and I've been watching it ever since that way, on my own recorded disc, but I'm going to count it anyway. I check, every now and again, hoping that they will eventually release it on disc, but alas, I think that ship may have sailed. If Gregg Sulkin does get popular enough though, maybe they will bring it out of the vault! I think that the reason it bombed was because most of its audience had read the book first, whereas I saw the movie before I read the book so I approached it with fresh eyes. Once I did read the book, I still thought the movie was better, but that's been known to happen upon occasion with me (aka A Walk To Remember...that book sucked and it's one of my favorite movies, so judge my judgement accordingly).
This was also the only movie of the day that wasn't a musical, so I've got no song videos to post here.
I have a TON more DCOM movies, but not all of them, so hopefully it won't take me too long to get through the ones I do have. I may save the High School Musicals for last simply because I do have obsessive issues where that movie is concerned and I'm not sure I want to stir all that up again. I haven't watched them since Zac Efron had all his troubles and that does tend to sway my judgement of actors a lot. Plus, unlike Demi and Joe, who are no longer together but are still friends (now), Zac and Vanessa are not and it's just kind of sad to see them all lovey-dovey on-screen, which at the time was also partly real, and now it's not. I know that sounds weird, but I am pretty weird, so there you go!
MOVIE TOTALS:
Live Action: 53
Full-Length Animation: 87
Mixed-Medium: 8
Animated Shorts: 280
Live Action Shorts: 1
Mixed-Medium Shorts: 3
Animated Series: 77
Mixed-Medium Series: 2
Documentaries: 8
Comments