I know. I know. Who really cares? I'm a film critic, after all. You're probably sitting there thinking "The last thing in the world I need is a film critic who cares about me."
Think again.
You may think our relationship is one-sided. You visit my website, read my reviews, click on my links and write me glowing letters of praise...okay, I made that last one up. I mostly get scathing letters of condemnation.
Still, you're probably thinking "How dare you say you care about me. What have you ever done for me?"
I'll tell you what I do for you. I see movies so you don't have to.
Think about it. With the prices of movie tickets, popcorn and gas these days, your almighty dollar simply doesn't stretch as far as you need it to.
Now, does it?
So, rather than spend your hard-earned cash frivolously on undeserving Hollywood trash, you click on The Peaceful Critic and, voila!, you suddenly can figure out for yourself if a movie deserves your precious moviegoing dollars.
I am a community servant.
This community servant is telling you, point blank, that if you simply must see one 3D concert film this year then save your money and check out "U2 3D" rather than this over-hyped, teenybopper girlpower festival for tweens featuring Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana with an appearance by the Jonas Brothers.
By now, it's no secret that certain parents with far too much cash in their possession shelled out thousands of dollars when Cyrus's recent concert tour sold out in a matter of minutes.
No, really. I'm not kidding.
So, it stands to reason that the Disney machine would find a way to milk Achy Breaky, Jr. for all she's worth by this once-in-a-lifetime marketing gimmick of Hannah Montana in 3D for ONE WEEK ONLY at IMAX theatres nationwide.
Don't get me wrong. While I don't care for her music, I'm far from her target audience and you could go far more wrong than Cyrus in seeking a role model for your young teen or pre-teen daughter. By nearly all accounts, Cyrus is a well-grounded, chaste, kind and fan-friendly performer.
Of course, not too long ago we thought the same thing about Vanessa Hudgens. Go figure.
For her target audience, "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour" is a gift of unfathomable proportions. It is an affordable, entertaining and well-produced opportunity to see the young actress/singer.
The film, while not even coming close to possessing the emotional resonance of "U2 3D" nor its quality, is still a concert experience opportunity for Cyrus's lower-income fans.
With tunes such as "Nobody's Perfect," Cyrus presents an energized, good-hearted and spirited performance short on substance but filled to the brim with style. The film includes backstage shots designed to show the "real" side of Cyrus, an effort that falls woefully short and mostly serves to reinforce Cyrus as different from other girls her age. Her father, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, tries unsuccessfully to convince us that Miley is just an ordinary girl.
Conceived and produced by Kenny Ortega ("High School Musical"), this concert film is a mere 74-minutes in length but gives a clear indication of why Cyrus/Montana maintains such a hypnotic hold on her target audience with a positive, affirming message and an energy that is almost spookily infectious.
Ortega capitalizes on the film's 3D aspects, most notably with the Jonas Brothers, however, who seem a tad more comfortable with stage diversity and choreography that comes alive in the 3D format.
In the end, however, a mere week after having seen "U2 3D," there's no denying that within an hour of having left the theatre memories of Hannah Montana were starting to fade while a full week after having experienced U2 in the same format I can still remember the music, the sensations and the images that filled the screen.
Undoubtedly a gift to the teens who so admire her and the parents desperate for a positive role model for said teens, "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour" is a light, fluffy yet kid-friendly musical and cinematic experience that will delight her young fans as well fans of "Hannah Montana" and, for that matter, the "High School Musical" films.
