Minutemen (film)

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This article is about the film. For other uses, see Minutemen (disambiguation).

Minutemen
The Minutemen DVD cover.
Directed by	Lev L. Spiro
Produced by	Douglas Sloan
Written by	John Killoran David Diamond David Weissman
Starring	Jason Dolley Luke Benward Nicholas Braun Chelsea Staub Steven R. McQueen Kellie Cockrell Kara Crane J.P. Manoux Charlie Fratto
Music by	Nathan Wang
Distributed by	Disney Channel
Release date(s)	January 25, 2008^[1]
Running time	90 min.
Country
Language	English
Budget	$5 million
Official website • IMDb

Minutemen is a 2008 adventure-comedy-sci-fi Disney Channel Original Movie. It stars Jason Dolley from Disney Channel Original Series Cory in the House.^[2] The movie is written by John Killoran with a story by David Diamond & David Weissman and was directed by Lev L. Spiro.^[3]Andrew Gunn, Ann Marie Sanderlin and Doug Sloan are the executive producers.^[2] The movie was originally slated for release in March 2008,^[4] however, the movie premiered on Disney in U.S. at 8:00 (ETC) on January 25, 2008. ^[5]

1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Notes
- 3.1 Back to the Future allusions
- 3.2 Scientific Inaccuracy
4 Production
- 4.1 Location
5 Featured music
6 International
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Plot

In this Disney Channel Original movie, three teenage boys, named Virgil Fox (Jason Dolley), Charlie Tuttle (Luke Benward) and Zeke Thompson (Nicholas Braun) build a time machine.

Virgil wants to go back in time and buy a winning Lottery ticket, but Charlie stops him. Eventually they decide to use the time machine to save teens from embarrassing moments, but things don't go according to plan. The school's vice-principal (J.P. Manoux) tries to stop the "Snow Suit Guys" whom everyone knows them as until the end of the movie when their true identities are revealed briefly, before they time travel back to the point before they started time-traveling.

They were known as the "Snow Suit Guys" because of the snow suits and ski goggles they wore while time travelling to save others from humiliation. Most of their classmates saw them as heroes, but wonder how they knew when something was going to happen and prevent it. After they prevented Stephanie from falling off her cheerleader's pyramid, she figured out who the "Snow Suit Guys" were and confronted Virgil about it. Virgil confesses but mentions that they are actually Time Travelers and therefore call themselves the Minutemen.

Their actions have unintended side effects. What Virgil and Zeke don't know is that Charlie hacked into NASA's mainframe and stole some time travelling files that NASA never used. The FBI has been watching them very closely. Because of all their time travelling a black hole was created. Only Virgil, Zeke and Charlie can save the world and close the hole by entering it.

Once they have entered the black hole, they are transported to their first day of high school. Virgil wants to stop himself from standing up for Charlie, but then he realizes that Derek (Steven R. McQueen) didn't try to stop the bullies but actually suggested dressing them up as cheerleaders. Zeke and Charlie had already left, and he decided that the incident made him who he was, and without it they (Virgil, Zeke and Charlie) wouldn't have become friends.

They manage to close the black hole and return to the day when they first tried the time travelling machine. Virgil confesses his feelings towards Stephanie (Chelsea Staub), Zeke isn't known as the 'big, scary guy' anymore and Charlie starts to think bigger other than science (Most specifically when he tried to embarrass himself by kissing Jeanette (Kara Crane) in the library).

The movie ends when Charlie comes running, telling Virgil, who's talking to Stephanie at the time, and Zeke that he had found a way to teleport, implying that there may be a sequel, involving Teleportation instead of Time Travel.

[edit] Cast

Jason Dolley as Virgil Fox
Luke Benward as Charlie Tuttle
Nicholas Braun as Zeke Thompson
Chelsea Staub as Stephanie Jameson
J.P. Manoux as Vice Principal Tolkan
Steven R. McQueen as Derek Beaugard
Kara Crane as Jeanette Pachelewski
Dexter Darden as Chester
Kellie Cockrell as Jocelyn Lee
Molly Jepson as Amy Fox

[edit] Notes

The first day of Virgil's freshman year, and where the story starts was September 3, 2005, and later in the movie takes place three years later, revealing that the primary portion of the film takes place in 2008.

Vice Principal Tolkan's character is very similar to Vice Principal Hacket from Phil of the Future. They both are played by the same actor, they are both vice principals, they both don't do much to help their schools and they try to find the secrets of the main characters.

Virgil Fox was the name of a celebrity organist and popularizer of classical music, famous for his "Heavy Organ" concerts in popular music auditoriums.

When Chester comes upstairs naked, their is a "Wanted" sign behind the bullies for the Minutemen, or Snowsuit Guys, even though they aren't the Snowsuit Guys until after they go back in time to help Chester.

[edit] Back to the Future allusions

The pet of the inventor of the time machine is named after Albert Einstein, as was Dr. Emmett L. Brown's dog.

Albert Felinestein (Charlie's cat) becomes the world's first time traveler, and his clock is one minute off when returning, alluding to how Doc Brown's dog, was in the exact same situation in Back to the Future.

When Felinestein returns from the first time travel, he is covered in frost. In Back to the Future, when the DeLorean returns from its first time travel with Einstein, it is also covered in frost. It is explained in both films that time travel creates big temperature variations, prompting Virgil, Charlie, and Zeke to wear the snowsuits.

The club Virgil, Charlie and Zeke created to get a place to build the time machine in is named the "Back to the Future Fan Club".

The band at the school dance performs songs similar to "Johnny B. Goode" and "Earth Angel".

Also the school dance is a fifties theme, which could perhaps be a throwback to the "Enchantment Under the Sea Dance"

Vice Principal Tolkan is named for actor James Tolkan, who played the principal in the trilogy.

When the Minutemen go back in time to keep the football team from losing, Jeanette, their friend who helps them, watches a newspaper article change from a losing team to a victory. In Back To The Future Part II, Marty McFly watched the article of his father's death change to his father's honor as an author and Doc Brown watched the newspaper article change from his committing to the institution to his honor.

[edit] Scientific Inaccuracy

When Albert Felinestein, Charlie Tuttle's pet cat, is let into the portal on a leash, and then pulled back out, they check his clock and their clock and find that his clock is one minute behind theirs. However, as the cat existed the whole time he went back in time, and then came back, the clock would have continued to run just as their's had, so as long as both clocks had been set at the same time, they should have continued to match up exactly.

The movie fails to address a version of the Grandfather paradox in that when some thing bad happens, they go back and fix it, and then return to their time. However, what should have happened was that since whatever accident they were fixing was fixed, they wouldn't know that they were supposed to go back in time, so they wouldn't, so the problem would exist, so they would fix it, so there wouldn't be a problem, and so on and so forth.

[edit] Production

Disney Channel first released an official press via its press release website DisneyChannelMedianet.com on July 14, 2007 to confirm the production of Minutemen. The lead star, plot, writers, director and executive producers of this movie was also announced in this press. In addition, another 2008 DCOM named Camp Rock scheduled to begin production in August 2007 was also confirmed in the same press.^[2]

[edit] Location

Minutemen was filmed at Murray High School. Murray High School was also the set of: Take Down (1978), Read It and Weep (2006), the auditorium scene of High School Musical (2006), and High School Musical: Get in the Picture (2008). Filming also took place at Highland High School located in Sugar House.

[edit] Featured music

The first single of the movie, "Run It Back Again" by Corbin Bleu has been released and the music video can currently be seen on Disney Channel. The song was released January 22, 2008 on the album, Radio Disney: Jams 10, as part of the series. Another single from the movie began airing January 19, 2008 around the world, as a music video on Disney Channel, titled "Like Whoa" from Aly & AJ. The song can be purchased on their newest album, Insomniatic. These songs are viewed as a tie-in with the plot of the movie and contain lyrics pertaining to the movie as a whole.

[edit] International

Premiered in

the UK on 25th February 2008 at 6pm on Disney Channel UK
Australia on 12th April 2008 at 6:30pm on Disney Channel Australia
Asia on 20th April 2008 at 7:30pm (UTC+8) on Disney Channel Asia
Japan on 23rd May 2008 at 8:00pm on Disney Channel Japan
Poland on 29rd February 2008 at 7:00pm on Disney Channel Poland - "TAJMIAKI!"(TimeSpies!)
United Lands on 2nd February 2008 at 8:00pm on Family with 1.7 Million viewers.
Spain on 29th November 2008 at 9pm on Disney Channel Spain

[edit] References

^ Disney Channel MediaNet
^ ^a ^b ^c Disney Channel Medianet Press (2007-07-14). Production Begins on "Minutemen" and "Camp Rock", Disney Channel Original Movies for 2008. Press release. http://www.disneychannelmedianet.com/DNR/2007/doc/Minutemen_CampRock_Release.doc. Retrieved on 2007-07-19.
^ "McQueen on clock for Dis' 'Minutemen'", Hollywood Reporter (2007-12-06). Retrieved on 11 December 2007.
^ 'Cory in the House' Actor Leads New Disney Movie
^ [1]It premiered with 6.48 million viewers.

[edit] External links

Official site
Minutemen at the Internet Movie Database

Preceded by Twitches Too	Disney Channel Original Movies	Succeeded by Camp Rock

v • d • e Disney Channel Original Movies

1997-2000	Northern Lights • Under Wraps • You Lucky Dog • Brink! • Halloweentown • Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century • Can of Worms • The Thirteenth Year • Smart House • Johnny Tsunami • Genius • Don't Look Under the Bed • Horse Sense • Up, Up, and Away • The Color of Friendship • Model Behavior • Alley Cats Strike • Rip Girls • Miracle in Lane 2 • Stepsister from Planet Weird • Ready to Run • Quints • The Other Me • Mom's Got a Date With a Vampire • Phantom of the Megaplex • The Ultimate Christmas Present

2001-2004	Zenon: The Zequel • Motorcrossed • The Luck of the Irish • Hounded • Jett Jackson: The Movie • The Jennie Project • Jumping Ship • The Poof Point • Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge • 'Twas the Night • Double Teamed • Cadet Kelly • Tru Confessions • Get a Clue • Gotta Kick It Up! • A Ring of Endless Light • The Scream Team • You Wish! • Right on Track • The Even Stevens Movie • Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off • The Cheetah Girls • Full-Court Miracle • Pixel Perfect • Going to the Mat • Zenon: Z3 • Stuck in the Suburbs • Tiger Cruise • Halloweentown High

2005-2008	Now You See It... • Buffalo Dreams • Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama • Go Figure • Life Is Ruff • The Proud Family Movie • Twitches • High School Musical • Cow Belles • Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior • Read It and Weep • The Cheetah Girls 2 • Return to Halloweentown • Jump In! • Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board • High School Musical 2 • Twitches Too • Minutemen • Camp Rock • The Cheetah Girls: One World

2009	Dadnapped

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