Category Archives: Webmaster Greg

Well, I know I already gave my general thoughts on Camp Rock 2, but I’ve been looking forward to re-watching it and I thought I might as well do another of my trademark play by play commentaries.

On review the opening was a little cheesy. A bit too much on the screaming.

I really enjoy the bus flip scene. Seems kinda expensive for a 30 second stunt, but I’m glad they went for it.

…why are they always like, Mitchie, sing right now for our amusement. Or else.

I think “Brand new day” would be better without the change of tempo. It is a very good plot device though.

Is it wrong that loved seeing Shane/Joe fall off the chicken truck? LOL

Beware of kids chanting “bonfire.” Nothing good can ever come of that.

I was disappointed that Mitchie helped Shane out of the canoe. I wanted to see him fall in.

Are Brown and Connie, like, the only adults at Camp Rock? Connie remembers she’s still married, right?

I do love the Camp Star stage.

Soaking wet Kevin with hot chocolate still cracks me up.

They said “bra” on Disney Channel! *gasp*

“Fire” is one heck of a song. M-dot is a very impressive performer. …Still not a “campfire” though.

The impossible bracelet fling seems even more preposterous the second time. I didn’t realize that was possible!

Dana sure came on kinda strong. And she actually knew they were “forbidden.”

Wow… and I thought that Dana/Nate scene was beyond awkward the first time. LOL

Was Luke hitting on Mitchie? Or was he really all business? :/

A controversial break? Boo. Oh, a Shake It Up promo! Coolness.

And we jump right to sorry camp’s closed? Seems like a rough transition to me. Maybe it was the commercial break.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but “Can’t back down” fits in the story differently than I thought it would. I thought it happened after they challenge Camp Star (“Let’s win this thing”?), but it’s actually in response to Brown’s lack of staff.

“Now get him” – LOL. I loved that part so much more than I should have.

You can spot the councilors by their clipboards because for some reason they lost their fancy hats. :/

The cut to Shane after “buy tighter pants” was just brilliant.

Nate’s a stalker.

Demi should smile more. Or not, I might actually melt if she does it too much.

…am I the only one who thinks that’s a really weird place for a piano?

Nate’s all washed up. But Dana is such a blatant flirt!

So… if a girl tackles you, does that mean she likes you?

Log butt? Wow. Still not funny.

Why did they set up the “Tess has second thoughts” thing when it didn’t really play out?

I didn’t realize how odd the crazy marching thing into Camp Star was the first time.

“It’s On”! About time, I love this song.

Axel sure has good timing. Or maybe he just heard the entire camp(s) singing.

Mitchie seems to realize this TV thing is a mistake. … wait, when did she because official spokesperson for Camp rock?

Caitlyn can all look at a written song for 20 seconds and decide it has great spots for dancing? LOL

You heard it from Brown, talent and commitment are important, but it’s money that makes you look good. So deal with it.

“FOCUSED! … oh sorry.” Chillax girl!

Another commercial. *sips a Dr. Pepper*

And this is when Mitchie totally goes off the deep end.

“There is no F U N in Summer.” “I know” LOL

I love Mitchie’s expression as the water fight breaks out.

You know, those two crazy kids really need to learn how to compromise. Also, if I may, it doesn’t look like Mitchie’s getting much work done now. She might as well have gone on the stupid picnic date.

I love how they end the song looking at each other, they pause for a minute, and then storm off. LOL

So Shane proves how much he cares by completely sacrificing his own position and out Mitchie-ing Mitchie.

“Heart and Soul” – doesn’t suck as much as I would have liked it to.

Mitchie went into Connect 3 fan-girl mode pretty fast there. LOL

Nate really needs to wise up. Or at least say something. “You’re just like every other teenage boy in the world” Yep…

And now for Shane and Mitchie’s totally random romantic monologue. When did she suddenly get all this free time?

LOL @ the horse in the window.

And I love that shot of Nate sneaking into Camp Star.

Anything embarrassing on that list of secrets? I guess we’ll never know.

“Introducing me” is the stupidest song I have ever heard. Okay, maybe not the worst, but it’s in the top ten. The fact that it’s Nick’s song doesn’t make it any better.

Uh oh, Axel caught them! So now nothing will come of it. Wow. LOL

Why take the kids on the spy mission? And why stop and watch in that huge circle of light? :/

And why are they rehearsing the song in the middle of the night? Remember, Camp Rock had already called lights out.

Why are they so excited about it just being Tess and Luke singing? If everyone singing would be better, then why not stick with that? CR’s best act doesn’t depend on what CS does.

I love how the kids are all, “ewww” when Mitchie hugs them! I remember when girls had cooties.

“Thanks, but I’m already booked” – You tell him Brown!

Tess looks so sad. Too bad she’s still one of the bad guys.

I know they’re the the bad guys, but “Tear it Down” is pretty damn awesome. And it’s not just Meaghan.

Poor Tess. She’s so miserable there. But why couldn’t she have figured that out in time to throw the contest?

I don’t know about you, but I think “What we came here for” really is the the perfect song for both the competition and the plot of the movie.

And I liked how they made use of those beach balls.

And now all that’s left is the increasingly rigged voting.

That scene was just so much to take in. They really pulled it off brilliantly. More thoughts on that below.

Mitchie practically pounces on the boy. Not the kiss I originally expected.

Well, the competition is over, so they can finally be themselves. And “This is our Song” actually comes across as the most authentic moment of the movie.

And now it’s a party. Good job everyone to showing up at the same time.

Those really where some pretty impressive bloopers at the end.

Okay, I now think the key to a good movie is no commercials. They give you a chance to think of what’s wrong with the plot. LOL

But on the whole, this movie stood up to a re-watch very well. Better than I expected, in fact. I stand by my earlier rating of 4.5 out of 5; a solid A- and a very high score for a DCOM.

If I may comment on the ending, which was the one thing I was asked not to discuss before, I just wanted to say that I did not expect this ending at all. Traditional wisdom would have our heroes win outright. I thought they might do some sort of backhanded everyone comes together at the last minute cop-out so no one would have to “lose.” I wasn’t alone in that thinking, one girl at the screening commented that they should have become “Camp Rock Star.”

But I never expected that, as director Paul Hoen put it, Camp rock would “win by losing.” In a way, it really put things in perspective. It doesn’t matter what “they” think. Stay true to yourself and your friends and it will all work out. That’s what makes “This is our song” so meaningful.

Also, I thought you would all like to know that cut off the last second or two of the movie. In the cut we saw at the advance screening you could see the rain storm start as the camera finished pulling back.

What follows is Disney’s ratings press release for Camp Rock 2 (Friday Night):

Introducing…the No. 1 Cable/TV Movie of 2010 in Total Viewers and Key
Kid Demographics, Disney Channel’s “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam”

Amps Up 8 Million Viewers; Ranks as TV’s No. 1 Labor Day Weekend
Telecast Ever Among Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14

TV’s No. 1 Friday Entertainment Telecast in Almost 6 Months

Disney Channel is TV’s No. 1 TV Network from 8-10 P.M., Nearly Doubling
Closest Broadcast Competition Among Viewers and Towering Over Nickelodeon by 539% Among Kids 6-11 and by 644% Among Tweens 9-14

“Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam” Opening Night Box Office Equivalent is $63 Million

“Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam” (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

No lights out at this camp! Disney Channel’s “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam” drummed up 8 million Total Viewers in its debut Friday night, ranking as the year’s No. 1 cable movie and TV’s No. 1 movie among Kids 6-11 (3.1 million/12.8 rating) and Tweens 9-14 (3.2 million/13.0 rating).

Geared toward a kid and family audience, “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam” celebrates musical passion and cool dance moves, and typifies the channel’s brand values with its emphasis on teamwork, standing tall for your beliefs and enjoying the journey as well as the goal.

Impressively, based on the average U.S. movie ticket ($7.95), “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam’s” equivalent box office sales equal $63.2 million for its premiere night.

• “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam,” starring Demi Lovato (“Sonny With A Chance”) and the multi-platinum selling recording artists Jonas Brothers, ranked as TV’s No. 1 Labor Day weekend telecast ever among Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14.

• In addition, Disney Channel’s No. 1 telecast of 2010, “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam” was TV’s
No. 1 scripted Friday telecast in nearly 6 months in Total Viewers (3/12/10, “Numbers,” 8.4 million) and TV’s No. 1 Friday telecast since the debut of “Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie” among Tweens 9-14 (8/28/09).

• “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam” drove Disney Channel to No. 1 among all TV from 8:00-10:00 p.m., defeating its closest broadcast competition by 95% in Total Viewers (8.0 million vs. 4.1 million, ABC), and surpassing Nickelodeon by a massive 539% among Kids 6-11 (3.1 million vs. 485,000) and by 644% among Tweens 9-14 (3.2 million vs. 430,000).

• “Camp Rock2: The Final Jam” out-delivered the year-ago time period average (9/4/09) by 158% in Total Viewers (8.0 million vs. 3.1 million), by 113% among Kids 6-11 (3.1 million vs. 1.5 million) and by 166% among Tweens 9-14 (3.2 million vs. 1.2 million).

Today I attended a special advance screening of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam The Walt Disney Studios’ Studio Theatre in Burbank, California.

Now, D23′s resident “Disney Geek” and host of today’s festivities specifically asked us not to give away any plot point – particularly the ending. But he did say it was okay to discuss our general feelings on the movie, the songs, and the Q&A session after the film with director Paul Hoen, writer Dan Berendsen, Michael Healy, senior vice president, Disney Channel Original Movies, Disney Channel, and Steven Vincent, vice president, Music and Soundtracks, Disney Channel.

Now that I’ve got that disclaimer out of the way, let me say that Camp Rock 2 was awesome – a huge improvement from the first film. If you read my thoughts about the original Camp Rock, you’ll see that my biggest complaint about the original was the atrocious writing. It was almost as if they wrote the music scenes first and then threw together a few plot points to connect them. That was not the case with camp Rock 2.

As Steven Vincent said about the music, “It was driven by the story .. [we] don’t stop for a song” instead the music moves the story along. In a lot of ways, this film was more musical than the original. It was a full on musical, with a touch of the “Musical about a musical” feel of HSM. Michael Healy said that was a conscious decision to “turn it into a full blown musical” and alluded to a decision as one that made the film less realistic. I can’t really speak to the realism element (I mean, no one ever actually breaks out into song) but I think it was a very good move. The film didn’t have that awkward in between feel of CR1.

As for the overall plot, it’s a very different story than the original. Dan Berendsen explained that “This story is timeless … it’s fighting for something you believe in.” Mitchie is a very different character; she was the outsider before but now she’s a definite leader. If you’ve looked at the soundtrack, you’ll know that Demi has a lot of songs on the soundtrack, and that corresponds to a lot of screen time. Of course, she is the star! Mitchie essentially takes command of Camp Rock following the exodus of most of their staff to Camp Star. The always self-centered Tess Tyler (Meaghan Martin) seemed to learn her lesson from the first movie, but still quickly defected to the other camp thus allowing her to be an antagonist once more. Caitlyn Geller (Alyson Stoner) seemed to have a lot more screen time, although she still didn’t sing much. Joe was actually… dare I say it, kinda good as Shane Gray. The Nate (Nick Jonas) and Dana (Chloe Bridges) subplot was okay; nothing special. Jason (Kevin Jonas) was, as usual, just kinda there. Although there was one good line during the tour bus scene. Maria Canals-Barrera also reprized her role as Mitchie’s mom, but she was hardly even in the film.

Again, I don’t wanna give too much away, but this really is a solid film. Demi gives a very solid performance and the whole team really pulls it together. I give it a 4.5/5, which is among the highest rating I have ever given a DCOM. And what of Camp Rock 3? I think Michael Healy said it best, “Never say never [but] it would be hard to round everybody up.”

But just for fun, I want to share one more though from Senior VP Michael Healy when asked about Disney’s developing talent, he quickly responded “Selena is a fantastic star” then he paused for a moment before continuing, “um, well, Bridgit.” and finally concluding with one final thought, “I wish we had Raven back though.”