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Scout Camp - the Movie... any good??


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Summer camp is just around the corner, and I just saw an ad for that movie, "Scout Camp".

 

Has anyone seen it?

 

Any good?

 

Is it at all like a real Boy Scout Camp?

 

Would viewing it in Troop meeting excite Scouts about going to camp?

 

Thanks!!

 

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We bought it months ago. Have watched it several times and really like it. Much more up to date than Follow Me Boys.

 

You'll probably see some Scouts you know. Not by face, but definitely by character.

 

We played it at our Christmas gathering for the troop. Kept them interested enough.

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Sorry. Forgot to add...

 

It's more about character than camp, and I would recommend watching it more than once. Camp just happens to be the setting. But I still recommend it.

 

Anyone who's been to, going to, or works at camp should enjoy it.

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Self-conscious actors in the hands of a remarkably dreadful writer/director.

 

I have a copy. I would love to watch it just so I can describe in detail just how remarkably awful it is, but I can't bear more than a couple of minutes at a time. I have skipped around the DVD to find one scene that is not repulsive. Just one.

 

No luck so far.

 

In the meantime here are a couple of reviews from IMDb that confirm my own reaction to the random 20 minutes that I have invested in the movie so far:

 

7 out of 9 people found the following review useful:

 

I can't believe I watched the whole thing, 26 December 2009

 

Author: Michael Meehan from United States

 

As a veteran of the terrible Mormon flick Suddenly Unexpected, it was unexpected that any movie could match the atrocity contained within that film. Suddenly, along came Scout Camp. This movie not only holds the title of worst Mormon film in existence; it is also a candidate for worst movie ever made. It seems as though the casting director thought they could distract the audience from the horrendous script and visibly low budget with two leads who were in decent movies in the past (Kirby Heyborne of Saints and Soldiers; Shawn Carter of High School Musical). Of course, for most of the movie Kirby looks ridiculous and very distracting sporting two band-aids over his eyebrows, and Shawn Carter is not a name any one would recognize from the HSM series, so the attempt was in vain.

 

The movie's highest accolade would be that it looks like something made at a Scout Camp by scouts in one week. But then again, that would be insulting to those, like myself, who earned the cinematography merit badge at a scout camp and came away with semi-decent movies. Certain scenes in Scout Camp have unnecessary camera angle changes that make me want to throw up. Did I say certain? I meant all of them. It gives the impression that they made most of the story up as they went along, probably each morning loading the young actors with tons of sugar hoping they'd do something funny in a hyper frenzy. Sorry Scout Camp, but your reputation, much like the Fire Dragons', is ruined.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:

 

A disappointing attempt to make a Boy Scout movie, 4 November 2009

 

Author: schatz5 from United States

 

A story about a scout troop that goes to a camp and encounters supposedly typical summer camp experiences.

 

This movie doesn't work on several levels. There are many mistakes of a Scouting nature (not using two-deep leadership, hazing is shown, the adult leader is portrayed as stupid and ineffectual, camp staff is abusive to adults, the rifle range director stands in front of guns, many examples of not using the buddy system). The plot is very lame.

 

I could not show this to my scout troop nor to adults. While they obviously had scout knowledgeable advice in making the film, the filmmakers only listened to what they wanted to hear.

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1288505/

 

 

 

 

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I thought Meatballs II was the worst movie about summer camp - and it was - right up to the release of Scout Camp. Had the Scouts found an alien they nicknamed Meathead, it would have gone a long way in making this movie tolerable.

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Wanna excite your boys about going to camp? Two ideas...

first, ask your Commish or DE to put you in touch with the District's or Council's Camp Chair, ask him/her to come and show camp pics and talk about it. Our Council has some excellent DVDs about the various types/sites/possibilities.

second, ask around to find some Scouts either in your unit or a neighboring one, to come and talk about camp.

third, ( I meant three!) call the camp itself. I bet they would love to come/send someone/help you make the excitement real.

 

"What is not expected cannot be exceeded, or dissapoint."

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in ref to promoting camp, also contact the OA. or better yet, check out youtube to see if your camp posted vids there. you'ld be surprised with the legitimate scout videos on youtube.

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Thanks for all the responses!

 

Sounds like it might be a fun campy film knowing that is it has some reality issues. If it comes up on Netflix I might grab it just so the Scouts can find all the mistakes and have a good laugh. But who knows we might like it!

 

Thanks for the suggestions on summer camp - but no worries there, we have 99% attendance this year, only one Scout not going. I thought a summer camp film might be fun to get the Scouts psyched about it.

 

But it does make me wonder why such a film couldn't be accurate and good as well. Scout camp is a blast - the highlight of the year for most Scouts. Why do film makers feel they have to deviate from normal Scout camp activities? No fun when following the rules?

 

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Hey all, I have watched Scout Camp the movie twice and wrote a blog post about it which you can read at http://insanescouter.org/blog/163/Scout_Camp_The_Movie.html'>http://insanescouter.org/blog/163/Scout_Camp_The_Movie.html also I did an interview with one of the producers which you can find at http://insanescouter.org/blog/167/Interview_of_Garrett_Batty_director_of_Scout_Camp_The_Movie.html

 

The movie is diffidently low budget and has a armature feel to it but thats part of the charm. It does a good job at showing summer camp but with a corny theme around the spirit stick. Yet many summer camps have some kind of corny theme. Take the movie for what it is and give it a chance with a open mind and dont expect a hollywood blockbuster....

 

Scott Robertson

http://insanescouter.org

http://twitter.com/insanescouter

 

Helping leaders one resource at a time....

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