Best of Both Worlds Concert: The 3-D Movie: Extended Edition

Buy This Item Best of Both Worlds Concert: The 3-D Movie: Extended Edition by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment  Available from Amazon  $22.99  on 11-14-2008     The <i>Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds</i> live concert was a sold-out sensation everywhere it played, and this concert video is the next best thing to being there for all the fans that couldn't get tickets to attend the concert in person. The movie opens with Miley Cyrus backstage in make-up and hair, warming up with vocal exercises, then cuts to Hannah Montana (her alter ego)'s performance of "Rock Star," and then back in time to four weeks before her performance when concert rehearsals were just beginning. It runs like a backstage special feature for a while, following Hannah Montana through coaching, choreography scenes with Kenny Ortega, and rehearsal sessions. Then it's back to concert footage from opening night in St. Louis and all along the tour, seasoned here and there with some fun looks at the concerts' special effects, quick costume changes, other logistical challenges (Hannah gets dropped during a routine early in the tour), and lots of shots of the enthusiastic, mostly female 'tween audiences. The 3D format gives the audience a nice sense of being there and includes some effective, if somewhat overused shots of the crowd waving, Hannah/Miley reaching out to the audience, and fun stunts like the drummer's twirling stick thrown high in the air and the guitar player's pick being tossed out into the audience. The sound is adequate, but fails to replicate the live concert experience (the plus side is that the audience's ears won't be ringing for hours after the performance). Hannah Montana's performance includes "Rock Star," "Life's What You Make It," "Just Like You," "Nobody's Perfect," and "We Got the Party." The Jonas Brothers perform "When You Look Me In the Eyes" and "Year 3000," and then Miley hits the stage with "Start All Over," "I Got Nerve," "I Miss You" (which Miley wrote in honor of her Granddad's passing), "Going Away," "GNO: Girl's Night Out," and "The Best of Both Worlds." This 3D concert presentation truly is the "best of both worlds," a 3D concert experience with easy availability and minimal expense. Better yet is the message that girls can do anything they want if they put their minds and hearts to it. (Ages 7 and older) <I>--Tami Horiuchi</I> Reader Reviews As a 16 year old male, I recieved far more than several strange looks upon entering the theatre to see this movie. There was one girl in particular who sat in front of me and managed to turn around and look at me with a rather pathetic lack of comprehension somewhere between 10 to 20 times before the movie started. I could just see in her eyes that she, like many of the other close-minded immature tweens whom surrounded me, was thoroughly considering either my sanity or my sexual orientation. It really is incredibly unsettling that our society is as bigoted and incapable as it is. Target demographic, shmarget demographic; Miley/Hannah's music is incredibly entertaining, well composed, and, at times, moving, regardless of age or gender. BUT anyway, on with the review... Miley's voice is amazing. It's even better live than on her CD's, and this film presents absolutely no exception. Her control and range are darn impressive, while at the same time her voice maintains an innocence and untapped potential that makes it satisfyingly difficult to stop listenting to her. I have to say that I love the unique controlled vocal crack that seems to be her signature during extended segments of vocal influctuation. She's also absolutely fearless; how many 15 year olds could keep their composure in front of 15,000+ people nearly every night with the comfort and facility that she does? And on top off all her talent, she is, to put it incredibly frankly, pretty darn hott. The instrumentation throughout the concert was superb. Her lead guitarist and drummer especially were outstanding in my opinion. One thing that I love about concert experiences is that the music itself is always far better than it is on the recording, since record companies and such can't put restrictions on spantaneous improvisations by the musicians. It was also a treat to listen to Miley play an acoustic guitar during "I Miss You." Perhaps the best part of the film was the 3D effect. The glasses, thank God, weren't the blue and red sort that leave your color perception ruined and your head aching for hours, but were much better quality plastic ones. I happen to be an aspiring filmmaker, so coming from a cinematographic point of view, this movie left nothing to be desired. Sweeping camera shots, pleasantly unexpected close ups, and creatively fun visual tricks in post production made the absolute best use of the 3D effect possible. At one point during viewing, I almost subconsciously convinced myself that I actually WAS right there, front row at her performance. You literally feel like you could reach out and touch her at any time. The vibrant use/balance of color was in no way distorted by the glasses [if anything, the 3D effect enhanced them] and the very well designed stage setup and enormous venue could've made even the smallest theatre seem wonderfully spacious. One of my personal favorite moments of the experience was the period of time in which the incomparable Jonas Brothers played a few songs while Miley changed. Their dramatic music, rich instrumentation, and dependably deep and passionate performances/vocals alone were worth the $15, and one can only hope that they will release a filmed concert as well... Haha, but I digress. My only complaint would have to be that the entire concert is not included. There were numerous songs that I was looking forward to, but that didn't make it past the cutting room floor. I suppose they had to pick and choose between performances though since they had to fit behind-the-scenes action as well. All in all, this movie is incontrovertably entertaining and simply bursting with refreshing talent. People can tell me I'm "not supposed" to enjoy what Miley has to offer all they want, but the fact of the matter is that she is a quality entertainer and to refuse fandom based merely on social expectation is ridiculous and pathetic. I cannot wait until this DVD comes out, and you can bet that it'll be in my DVD player before the day it becomes available is through.

Best of Both Worlds Concert: The 3-D Movie: Extended Edition Available from Amazon Price: $22.99 Updated on 11-14-2008.

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