Tag Archives: Disney

High School Musical 3: Senior Year

Rating: [rate 4.5]

High School Musical 3: Senior YearAs seniors in high school ,Troy and Gabriella struggle with the idea of being separated from one another as college approaches. Along with the rest of the Wildcats, they stage a spring musical to address their experiences, hopes and fears about their future.

It’s been so long since I last listened to any High School Musical songs. Ever since it became a household name and everyone was singing and making remakes of the songs and all that, I stopped being a big fan because…well, everyone else loved it and I didn’t really like going along with what everyone liked. But, being a Disney Channel lover and having watched the first two movies, I knew I’d watch this. I was kind of prepared for some cheesy songs and all that, but…I guess you can say that the third movie surprised me. In a good way.

I loved the first movie for the gripping and clean story. It’s the kind of movie that you’d watch because you want to know what happens to Troy and Gabriella, to know if they’d get together and if they’d get the main parts even with Sharpay and Ryan sabotaging them. The songs were easy to remember and fun to sing, and the lesson is easy to see. It’s something you wouldn’t mind watching over and over again (even if I admit, the lip syncing kind of annoys me) just to feel good. The second movie was okay, but I admit I didn’t like it as much as the first, probably because I found some of their songs too poppy or corny. Plus the fact that it’s only been the first twenty minutes and I’ve seen what, four song numbers already? I felt tired for the cast already.

The third one made me like the franchise again. HSM3: Senior Year deals with the cast’s senior year, as mentioned in the title. It dealt a lot with the changes that come with graduating, the choices and sacrifices that they have to make as they make their own way and…well, grow up. :) If this movie went out back in 2006 when I was about to graduate, I bet I would’ve cried like JM did, as I am a sap for things like this. But it did leave me with a bittersweet feeling, as in a way I can also relate with their growing up. It’s…life. :)

Oh, and the songs! One thing I didn’t like with the first two movies is that there’s always the “forgettable” solo in each movie — When There Was Me and You by Vanessa Hudgens in the first movie and Bet On It by Zac Efron in the second movie. It’s the solo numbers that I’d really rather not watch. But for this movie, all solos were lovable. From Vanessa’s Walk Away to Zac’s Scream — they weren’t corny, the acting wasn’t as OA as the ones in the first two movies, and the songs are way better. The fast songs make me want to dance, or at least, tap my foot with the beat (especially for The Boys are Back!) and the ballads are sweet and perfectly fits the mood. The waltz could’ve been done in a better way though, but it was still sweet, nonetheless. The dance numbers (one thing I really loved with all the movies because it makes it seem like such a fun movie) are great too — and did you see how thin Martha is now? I wonder if she used alli…or maybe it’s really with all the dancing. :)

High School Musical 3: Senior Year is a nice feel-good movie, the one you should watch to relax and enjoy as you bop your heads to the music. :) The last part that showed the six main characters before their final bow was just awww. :) They’ve graduated — what’s next? :)

Wall-E (2008)

Rating: [rate 5.0]

Wall-E What if mankind had to leave Earth, and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off?

Academy Award®-winning writer-director Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo”) and the inventive storytellers and technical geniuses at Pixar Animation Studios (“The Incredibles,” “Cars,” “Ratatouille”) transport moviegoers to a galaxy not so very far away for a new computer-animated cosmic comedy about a determined robot named WALL-E.

After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, WALL-E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL-E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet’s future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans (who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home). Meanwhile, WALL-E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most exciting and imaginative comedy adventures ever brought to the big screen.

I’ve been curious about Wall-E ever since I’ve seen the trailer, and I’m really glad that we got this movie for Movie Night at work. :)

Wall-E is pretty much a silent movie, and the first thirty minutes or so of the movie showed what Wall-E was doing in a very deserted and polluted Earth. Together with a cockroach friend, Wall-E goes by his everyday life doing what he was programmed to do (his directive) by compacting trash, but also doing some searching and collecting of random odds and ends he finds in his beat-up lunchbox. At the end of his day, he goes home, sets aside all his collections and then watches his favorite old movie Hello Dolly, trying out their dance moves and wishing for someone to “hold hands” with.

Then comes EVE, an advanced robot (with more computer memory than Wall-E) from the Axiom, where all human beings are staying because of the polluted state of the Earth. She’s an interesting robot, one who we thought was pretty but had anger management issues and is far from demure. :P Eve pays little attention to Wall-E at first, who was smitten with her and tries to win her attention. It wasn’t until she was saved from a sandstorm that she finally paid some attention to Wall-E, who tried to win her over by showing her all his random collections (including a VERY cute dance number), but it wasn’t until he showed her the plant he found that she went into hibernate mode, waiting for the mother ship to pick her up.

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