Daddy Day Camp Blu-ray despite stunning video and solid audio falls short as an overall poor Blu-ray release
Dads Charlie Hinton and Phil Ryerson take over running a summer day camp. Armed with no knowledge of the great outdoors, a dilapidated facility, and a motley group of campers, it doesn't take long before things get out of control. Up against threats of foreclosure and declining enrollment, Charlie is forced to call on his estranged father, Col Buck Hinton, to help bring the camp together and teach everyone about teamwork, perseverance and the power of forgiveness.
For more about Daddy Day Camp and the Daddy Day Camp Blu-ray release, see Daddy Day Camp Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on February 11, 2008 where this Blu-ray release scored 2.0 out of 5.
You know you're in trouble when you pop in a Blu-ray for review and you're already tired of the
movie just from watching the Main Menu Montage (triple-M). In fact, I think I can figure out the
entire plot based solely on the triple-M. Cuba Gooding, Jr. will star as a camp counselor,
probably father of one or more campers, and it'll be his job to either keep up the camp or rebuild
parts
of it so as to be safe and suitable for the children. Hilarity will ensue. Ultimately, something will
happen, probably a bad guy that wants to come in and do something to shut down the camp, and
Cuba and the kids will band together to save the camp and save the day. We'll check off where I
was right in the review below.
You chose Fred Savage to direct this movie?!?
Charlie Hinton (Cuba Gooding, Jr., Men of Honor) is a family man who finds himself faced with the most
dreaded of times in every parent's life: it's time to send his child to day camp. Charlie had bad
experiences at camp as a child, and he doesn't want his son to suffer as he did. Fortunately (or
unfortunately as it prolongs the plot), Charlie's wife Kim convinces him that just because he had
a bad camp experience doesn't mean their son will. Charlie and son head on out to Camp
Driftwood (check)
and discover it's on the verge of being shut down. The rival camp down the street, Camp Canola,
is a fancy and modern camp with 21st century conveniences, not to mention mean people with
less-than-friendly attitudes. Camp Canola plans on buying
Driftwood and bulldozing it in order to build a race track (check). Hoping to save Driftwood,
Charlie buys a share in the camp but discovers the repairs he
must make will cost more than he can afford, and the bank shows up with foreclosure papers
because the camp is showing "no discernible means of income" (check). Charlie convinces the
bank that he can spark interest in the camp, but he needs time to make some repairs to the
camp and
draft at least thirty kids to attend (check). Many of the scenes that appeared in the triple-M
showing Charlie fixing things up begin to resurface in the film. After the children arrive, we are
treated to
another montage of the three counselor's getting themselves into trouble as the kids begin to
take over the camp. After a disastrous first day, only seven campers remain, hardly enough to
avoid foreclosure, and Charlie is forced to take drastic measures, including bringing in his
militaristic father and forcing the kids into montage after montage, to turn things around and
eventually save the day and defeat Camp Canola at
their own game (check).
Speaking of montages, how many can we
have in one movie? I have no doubt that Daddy Day Camp sets the world record for
the most in one film, and the runtime of this film is under 90 minutes to boot. Is Fred Savage's
middle name
"montage?" As I watched the movie, I was continually reminded of the Montage song in
Team America: World Police. It seemed there was a montage in between just about
every major sequence in the film. One truly wonders just how such scripts get the green light
from studios, especially one as clichéd and predictable as this one. This plot is as thin as a sheet
of single ply toilet paper. When we aren't privy to yet
another montage, the film either revels in bodily function jokes or overly sappy father-son
moments that fail to deliver one iota of emotional impact.
I hear a lot of arguments as to why some movies aren't released on Blu-ray, and one of the most
popular is that some films don't cater to the current high definition crowd. Is that so? I can give
my
counter argument in three words: Daddy Day Camp. Granted, I am certainly not the
target
audience for this one. However, kids around the age of those attending the camp are the film's
target audience, and I
have no doubt at that age I would have eaten this movie up. In fact, I loved Earnest Goes to
Camp when I was ten years old, and if I remember correctly, that was the first movie I ever
bought on VHS.
Luckily, I didn't spend my hard earned dough on Daddy Day Camp. This is one movie I'll
hold on to for
when
I have kids of my own, but until then, this one will probably not see the light of day from the
dusty innards of my movie shelf.
The only spectacular aspect of this Blu-ray release is the stunning image on display. Presented in its
original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, this 1080p high definition image ranks among the better I've seen.
Colors are very rich and bright, literally jumping off the screen with fine fidelity and clarity. Detail is
oh-so-high and the image looks very film-like and natural. Check out the "Driftwood" T-Shirts worn
by most of the cast near the end of the film. You can almost see the threads on each letter, even
on medium distance shots. Flesh tones appear to be spot-on perfect. Right from the opening
cookout scene, the quality is evident. The bright blue of the water seen early on is stunningly
beautiful. If only all bodies of water looked this gorgeous. I only noted a minimal amount of grain
throughout. Believe it or not, Daddy Day Camp is demo-worthy material. This one looks
stunning and while the movie might stink, there is just no denying that this ranks among the best
of the best Blu-ray images to date.
Daddy Day Camp arrives on Blu-ray with a lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack. While
there isn't a whole lot to mention here, rest assured that every failed joke, flatulence, and montage
come to you just as they are on the studio's master recording. The all-too-familiar family film style
theme music is in full swing as the movie opens, and it sounds pleasing, filling the room with an
orchestrated, melodic bliss. For a comedy, this audio mix is loud and active at times. A scene in
chapter eight where four wheelers drive in a circle envelop the viewer as they are seemingly driven
around
your room, and you might just think that those vehicles are circling your sofa. Dialogue is fine,
reproduced with efficiency and clarity. Despite some of the more "exciting" moments in the film,
such as the scene mentioned above, this mix is mostly front heavy, but that doesn't hinder the
quality one bit. Bass never kicks into overdrive, but several scenes do make you remember that
there is a subwoofer connected to your system. Overall, this one is just fine for the source material,
and for those who enjoy the film, this should wholly satisfy and help immerse viewers into the world
of Camp Driftwood quite nicely.
Daddy Day Camp offers viewers a paltry helping of extras. First up is How I Spent My
Summer: Making 'Daddy Day Camp' (1080p, 11:55). This feature introduces us to some of the
kids in the film. They discuss playing their roles in the film, some of their favorite scenes, and the
experience of being in a major motion picture. The feature relies more on clips from the film than
interviews with the kids. There is a bit of "making-of" material in here as well. What
I Learned at Camp: Interactive Quiz (1080p, 4:15) is a ten question quiz about the making of
the film. I scored 7/10. Finally, trailers for Surf's Up and Are We Done Yet? conclude the special features.
I'm surprised this movie wasn't released straight to video, because the target audience is sure to
get some value from it, but all other filmgoers are encouraged to stay far away from this one. Cuba
Gooding, Jr. is a very good actor, but he must've been in dire need of a payday to appear in this one.
The movie features a recycled and predictable plot, a poor script, and mediocre and boring directing
by Fred Savage, who seems to rely on montage after montage to move the story along. I really
hate to bash movies, but this particular movie felt completely uninspired and "phoned in" from all
parties involved. The
strength of this disc lies in its video presentation. It's a stunner, and the Dolby TrueHD track that
accompanies it is no slouch, either. Supplements are thin, but the kids probably won't be too
interested in them, anyway. I'd recommend Daddy Day Camp if you have children
around the ages of those depicted in the movie, but everyone else is advised to stay far, far away.
Blu-ray Bundles/Box Sets with Daddy Day Camp (1 bundle)
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Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring 'Daddy Day Camp' to Blu-ray on January 29th, day-and-date with the DVD release (according to Home Media Magazine). No specs have been announced at this time, but extras include a behind-the-scenes ...
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