Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus in "Hannah Montana: The Movie"
courtesy of Disney Home Entertainment
“Hannah Montana Rules”

If you have any doubts as to the popularity of Miley Cyrus just ask your daughter if she wants a copy of the new DVD, “Hannah Montana: The Movie.” If she is under the age of sixteen then her answer will be a resounding PLEASE!!!!! Miley Cyrus has ridden the “Hannah Montana” express to fame and fortune. The Disney Channel TV series is one of the most popular ever and is still going strong. Now we get “Hannah Montana: The Movie” on DVD it is all about what the TV series is all about. So fans of the TV show should line up for this one – makes sense to me.

In the film Miley Stewart, AKA Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus) is living the high life playing her alter ego Hannah Montana. She shops in all the best stores and even has private jets at her disposal. All of this concerns her father Robby Ray Stewart (Billy Ray Cyrus) who thinks Miley’s head may be getting too big for her wigs.

He whisks her off to Crowley Corners, Tennessee where he says she has to stay for two weeks, or she may never be able to play Hannah again. Miley soon settles down on a farm with her grandmother (Margo Martindale), her father and brother (Jason Earles). The hired hand is one of Miley’s grade school playmates, a boy named Travis (Lucas Till). The foreman of the ranch is a woman named Lorelai (Melora Hardin), who grandma thinks is perfect for Robby Ray.

The town is a virtual Garden of Eden, but every paradise has to have a snake and this town has been invaded by a tabloid reporter (Peter Gunn). He is trying to discover “Hannah’s secret.”

Does Miley get exposed as being Hannah? Does Robby Ray let Miley sing again as Hannah? Do Robby Ray and Lorelai become the ideal couple? And does Grandma managed to keep the Mall out of her quiet little town? All of these questions and more are answered in this squeaky clean movie.

One side thought, who knew Crowley Corners was the home to Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Bucky Covington and Hannah Montana! That’s how it looks in this movie. They are all just part of the friends and neighbors who live there.

Miley Cyrus is a talented girl. She pulls off the comedy and the dramatics for the movie, plus she sings. Still the weight of the movie is just too much for her to carry and so there is a plot which has too many “is she or isn’t she” moments. One especially tiring sequence has Miley on a date with Travis while also attending the Mayor’s dinner for Hannah. It is as exhausting as it sounds.

‘Hannah Montana: The Movie” is a sure delight for the pre-teens but for older folk it gets a little strained. Still there are a lot of songs that set your toes to tapping, and some funny lines that will get you to chuckling. So it isn’t a complete waste of time for adults.

At the other end of the entertainment spectrum is “The Last House On the Left.” This new DVD is a remake of a Wes Craven film of the same name (1972), and Craven reportedly used Ingmar Berman’s “The Virgin Spring” (1960) as his inspiration. This time out director Dennis Iliadis pulls out all the stops and makes this a viscerally absorbing film that highlights the horrors contained therein.

In the film the Collingwood are vacationing at their lake house. It is in a deserted area and is “the last house on the left.” After the family arrives teenage daughter Mari (Sara Paxton) asks permission to go into town and visit with her friend Paige (Martha MacIsaac). Her mother Emma (Monica Potter) is against the idea but her father John (Tony Goldwyn) takes her side. Emma reluctantly comes around.

In town Mari and Paige make the acquaintance of Justin (Spencer Treat Clark). They go to his motel room to smoke some pot and are surprised by his family and friends returning. Justin’s father Krug Garrett Dilahunt), and friends Morton (Michael Bowen), Giles (Joshua Cox) and Sadie (Riki Lindhome) are one sick group. They brutalize Paige and rape Mari. They then leave both girls for dead in the woods.

Through a series of incidents they end up seeking shelter at the home of the Collingwoods. And through more incidents the parents determine what they have done to their daughter. The revenge they seek may be classified as vigilante justice but it is sweet.

All of the actors in this movie are good with Potter and Goldwyn being at the top of the list. They bring their characters from normal law-abiding citizens to ferocious attackers and make it totally believable. Also good is Paxton who plays the vulnerable but tenacious Mari. 

The violence in the movie is gory and brutal but rarely gratuitous. Perhaps the final scene in the film is a bit over the top but it sure makes for a bang up ending. 

As films of this type go, this is a good one. It isn’t a classic but it does entertain and it does make its point. You might not like the “revenge” feelings inside you but you can certainly understand why the parents act and react as they do.

“The Last House On the Left” is absolutely not a DVD for children, but for those of us old enough to appreciate it, it hammers its message home. You want to get an adrenaline rush? Then watch this film.

Any fan of Nora Roberts’ books has to be excited that four of her most recent novels have been made into movies. The titles now available on DVD are (1) “High Noon” starring Emile de Ravin, Ivan Sergei and Cybill Shepherd (2) “Midnight Bayou” starring Jerry O’Connell, Lauren Stamile and Faye Dunaway (3) “Northern Lights” starring LeAnn Rimes, Eddie Cibrian and Rosanna Arquette (4) “Tribute” starring Brittany Murphy, Jason Lewis and Diana Scarwid.

Each film will entertain you and most will make you want to read the Roberts’ book on which it is based. So start watching and soon you will start reading which is a pretty nice combination of entertainment.

If your kids loved the original “Swan Princess” then they are going to be excited about a new DVD titled “Swan Princess 2: The Secret of the Castle.” This movie follows the adventures of Princess Odette and Prince Derek plus an assortment of their friends. There is new romance, new comedy, new songs – all designed to entertain.

And for those who like a good drama you will want to pick up the DVD of “The Beast: The Complete First Season.” This A & E TV series starred Patrick Swayze as an undercover FBI Agent. Travis Fimmel co-stars as Swayze’s protégée’ in the series.

There is plenty of action and adventure in this series and on the DVD you get the full thirteen episodes of the first season run. There are also “extras’ here which includes an interview with Swayze about the show.
 

 

 

 

 

©2009 Jackie K. Cooper

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