usesoap Blog

Under discussion:

Dirty Dancing  (1987)

Newsies  (1992)

Roman Holiday  (1953)

Singin' in the Rain  (1952)

West Side Story  (1961)

Xanadu  (1980)

Footloose  (1984)

Shag  (1988)

High School Musical  (2006)

High School Musical 3: Senior Year  (2008)

"High School Musical" represents everything I despise about the corporate juggernaut known as Disney: Flawless teens seemingly air-brushed by nature, ready-to-market characters prepared to franchise into every imaginable direction (stage play, television series, dolls, ice show, dolls, recording contracts, etc.), and a story you can set your watch to.

It's also pretty darn fun, gosh darn it.

I realize that the majority of the target audience of 'High School Musical 3: Senior Year' could not give two shakes of Zac Efron's hips as to what my opinion of the film is. So this review go out to all the parents out there.

If there is a female child dwelling in your home and who is old enough to form a complete sentence, chances are good she knows of the juggernaut knows as "High School Musical" (or 'HSM' if you wanna b, like, hip). Chance are, too, that you have a musical number or two lodged in your cerebral cortex as it played on an endless loop in your DVD player, or as your child practiced some third-rate karaoke version of it in front of any and all reflective surfaces within your home.

For this, their third outing, the East High Wildcats are in their freshly scrubbed final year in this homogenize high school, and the doubts and fears of life outside the hallowed halls are now front and center in the minds of leads Troy (Efron), Gabrielle (Vanessa Hudgens), Chad (Corbin Blue), Taylor (Monique Coleman), and Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale). As with any plot in a film with "musical" in the title, the teens plans to put on a group show, much to the dismay of the the self-absorbed Sharpay, who wants a one-woman show for her finale.

And while it may feel like a cheap money-grabbing ploy to splash the big screen with this third installment, considering the first two films were squished into the confines of the small screen where their ratings shot through the ceiling, but considering the emotional resonance of high school's senior year, it seems rather fitting.

It does not hurt that the cast don't seem phased by their universal omnipotence in the rooms of pre-pubescent girls and give each number their all. But the most inspired bits of this outing are compliments of director/choreographer Kenny Ortega.

Ortega has lent his moves to movies since 1980s roller disco camp classic "Xanadu," and whose career since has busted some moves ("Dirty Dancing," the under-appreciated "Newsies") and lost its grooves ("Shag" or "Salsa," anyone?) -- and he's next set to direct the remake of the 80s equivalent to "HSM," "Footloose" in 2010) -- but he finds his groove early here and channels his inner Fosse. He never misses an opportunity to toss in a nod to musicals past, from the faux-tough "West Side Story" orneriness of "The Boys are Back," to the Busby Berkely-inspired "A Night to Remember," and even the spinning room of "Roman Holiday" for good measure.

It's not a far cry from the "put on a show" mentality of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney so many decades ago.

And as a parent of a young daughter who adores "Singin' in the Rain," it's a tad refreshing to witness another musical that can be easily inserted into the DVD player without fear of her emulating the pelvic thrusts of so many other hungry starlets in the current pop stratosphere.

The only time "HSM3" trips on its stage is when it attempts to shoehorn its newest batch of fresh-faced cast members (poised and ready for their "High School Musical 4" debut, coming to a TV near you in 2009). They possess little of the mile-wide charisma of Efron or Tisdale's catty histrionics.

It's a fitful send-off to seniors so squeaky clean, they make "ABC's Afterschool Specials" look like Larry Clarke's "Kids" by comparison. It's a cheery, chipper finale so wholesome it may leave calcium deposits in its wake, but so gleefully in love with its own power of positivity, it happily earns its tasseled mortarboard.

Under discussion:

The Shawshank Redemption  (1994)

The Blair Witch Project  (1999)

The Green Mile  (1999)

Stephen King's The Mist  (2007)

Slither  Production Year

Beverly Hills Chihuahua  (2008)

Cloverfield  (2008)

Quarantine  (2008)

(Note: This is actaully written as part of my newspaper review column, whose readers may not be as obsessive about their horror films as members of the Spout community, but I felt I would include it nonetheless)

 Let's face it, the current economic news is far more terrifying  than any feature that can grace the big screen right now.

For horror devotees, there's the never-ending “Saw” franchise making its fifth trip to the multiplex this weekend. And there is really only one other legitimate fright flick for it to contend with (and no, “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” and “W.” don't count). The film is “Quarantine,” which I will get to later. But first, may I suggest a few more economically friendly ways to get your scare on this season of the witch by suggesting some DVD titles that you may have overlooked.

For the discernible horror fan, it's always a tough trip to the video store, where, through the magic of Photoshop, DVD covers hold promises that the crappy films inside could ever keep.

Fear not, for I have sifted through mounds of gore guano and will provide you with a few under-seen flesh-crawling flicks that are created with style, substance and sufficient scares.

“Them (Ils)” (2006): Forget “The Strangers,” the Liv-Tyler-headlining film released this week on DVD (actually, that's unfair, for that film does create a palpable atmosphere). The similar plot of “Them” is the standard couple-stranded -in-an-isolated-locale horror theme. But after about 15 minutes of setup, the film rarely stops to catch its breath, as a young couple relies on their wiles to elude a faceless tormentor (or tormentors?). Clocking in at less than 90 minutes, the film zips by at a frenetic pace, and while the French-made film does have subtitles, the numerous bumps, creaks, crashes and screams that pump through your surround sound need no translation.

“Slither” (2006): For those who enjoy a few more chuckles to lighten the mood between scenes of terror, “Slither” is an homage to those fantastic alien invasion films of the '50s, updated with a millennial sensibility. Director James Gunn lovingly recreates a world of icky aliens, intentional humor and genuine scares. Also, look for a wonderful cameo from Gunn's real-life wife Jenna (“The Office”) Fischer.

“Rogue” (2007): It's hard to convince scare skeptics to give a chance to a giant killer crocodile movie, but why are they so willing to embrace a 30-foot shark as one of the best films of all time? I'm not placing this on the same level as “Jaws,” of course, but I am saying that there are a number of effective flourishes in this film that merit it a spot on your rental list. A group of tourists in Australia get cornered by a rather rabid reptile with a taste for human flesh. “Rogue” earns its scales for treating its characters as more than just croc chum and leaving us to wonder just who will bite it next.

“The Mist” in black and white (2007): Director Frank Darabont has been one of the most beloved screen collaborators of author Stephen King's work. “The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Green Mile” consistently rate at the top of King's page-to-screen transfers. And while you may have witnessed this film in its brief theatrical run, or even caught it on DVD, you have not really “experienced” it until you watch it in its monochromatic glory, which is available on the two-disc collector's edition. Creating the overall mood of a classic B-movie monster movie from the '50s, the film's CGI-created creatures appear seamless, the shadows are more ominous and the overall tone just a little moodier.

And finally, if you still enjoy your jolts surrounded by a roomful of strangers, there is a rather effective alternative to “Saw” still playing in local theaters.

Based on a much-more-effective Spanish film called “[Rec]” (as in the “Record” button) that is not yet available on DVD, “Quarantine” is still the next best thing for a fun-filled fright night.

The plot focuses on a young reporter spending the night in a firehouse for a story, and she certainly gets one when the station is called to a disturbance in a nearby apartment complex.

While there, she and her cameraman capture its residents succumbing to a strange virus that causes them to be cordoned off from the general public. Even though the film is structured similarly to the single-camera style of “The Blair Witch Project” and “Cloverfield,” it does not fall victim to the “shaky-cam” shots that induced nausea for so many viewers.

While the film feels more polished than its Spanish predecessor, it is still provides a number of worthwhile creeps and jolts.

Purists may want to steer clear, though and wait for the DVD release, as this version is almost a shot-for-shot remake. But if you are wary of having to face Jigsaw for yet another go-round at the theater this Halloween, than “Quarantine” has more than enough bite.

Under discussion:

Clean  (2004)

Say what you want about addiction, but for many who have suffered or are still suffering from it, it is mere luck of the draw. For Emily (played by Maggie Cheung), the protagonist of Clean, the hand she was dealt was a losing one as her struggles with heroin envelop her very sense of self (rock star, wife, mother). 

Her existence lies at the needle’s end.

It is not only monetarily costly, but one emotionally as well, as she loses her husband Lee to an overdose, and, subsequently, her young son Jay (played by James Dennis), who lives with Lee’s parents (played by Nick Nolte and Martha Henry) after her custody is revoked.

It would be easy to dismiss her a good-for-nothing druggie, but Albrecht (Nolte) , now  thechild’s leagal guardian approaches matters much more rationally. Perhaps it is because of his son’s death and the fact that he is now facing the mortality of his wife (who is hospitalized in the final stages of cancer), but the film’s title “Clean” may also refer to the slate on which Albrecht wants to start things in an attempt to mend what’s left of those in his life.

When he calmly whispers to his wife, “Someday we won’t be here. And she is the boy’s mother,” you can sense his compassion out of necessity.

Albrecht scans the woman, peeling the hardened layers to look for redeeming qualities in the mother of his grandchild. While Cheung won the Best Actress award at Cannes for her role in 2004, it was Nolte’s supporting part that really resonated. Perhaps it was Nolte’s own storied past, but it was almost as though he was looking inward for that essence of goodness.

And as the film works steadfastly toward its conclusion, there’s that final shot…sure to be the proverbial sand-drawn line that will divide audiences of the film. It is open to interpretation, which, personally, are the endings I love. I remember as a child reading books and then creating further situations/adventures/ etc. for the characters. It is an eccentricity I have sometimes after a particularly effective film-going process, one which contains characters about whom I cared.

In ‘Clean,” I continued the story of the characters in my head long after I finished the film.