"Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert" " As an adult sitting through this 3-D concert film, it's impossible not to be overwhelmed " but not by the piercing screech of thousands of frantic 9-year-olds, the crisp digital imagery or the catchiness of the Disney star's peppy tunes.
Rather, the sensation is one of longing: You wish desperately for Miley Cyrus, the singing, dancing, songwriting, trendsetting dynamo, to avoid turning into Britney Spears. She's insanely likable and talented " it's all out there in front of her " and watching the 15-year-old on stage and behind the scenes, you just pray that she'll turn out all right, and not get swept away by the insanity of pop-star celebrity.
In theory, having her mom and dad, the formerly mulleted Billy Ray Cyrus, around at all times provides some structure and guidance.
Of course, the tween girls for whom director Bruce Hendricks' movie was intended won't be thinking about this.
They'll just be giddy to feel so close to their idol, especially since many of them probably never had a chance to see her live on tour, with tickets selling out in scant minutes and scalpers jacking up the prices.
They'll be happy to hear the "Hannah Montana" star perform their favorite songs and thrill to catch a peek of the real Miley backstage " though naturally, the moments are carefully chosen to maintain her well-crafted wholesome image. It's just more product, and not exactly a warts-and-all depiction.
G. 74 min. Two and a half stars out of four.
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"Over Her Dead Body" " This life-after-death comedy, Eva Longoria Parker's first big-screen movie with top billing, features her as virtually the same prissy, fidgety, high-and-mighty narcissist she plays on "Desperate Housewives."
The lifeless romance about a jealous ghost trying to scare off her fiance's new girlfriend has Longoria Parker in such familiar form, it might as well be titled "Desperate Corpse Bride."
Longoria Parker plays a woman killed on her wedding day then returning as a meddlesome spirit to make sure her betrothed (Paul Rudd) stops messing around with the psychic (Lake Bell) who's the only one able to see and hear the visitor from beyond.
Writer-director Jeff Lowell and his uninspired cast, including the usually sharp and waggish Rudd, deliver a movie that barely has a pulse and manages only a couple of mild laughs.
PG-13 for sexual content and language. 95 min. One and a half stars out of four.
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