Vanessa Hudgens Movie:

Editorial Review:
Not just another by-the-numbers teen-angst movie, Bandslam is a joyful expression of pop exuberance, with an unexpectedly thrilling (and retro) soundtrack and numerous moments of visual excitement. Actor-turned-director Todd Graff brings stylish imagination and heart to this story of a much-taunted and beleaguered kid named Will (Gaelan Connell), whose miserable life at a Cincinnati high school comes to an end when he and his single mom (Lisa Kudrow) move to New Jersey. At his new school, Will befriends two very different girls: the laconic Sa5m (High School Musical's Vanessa Hudgens; the "5" is silent), and the take-no-prisoners, former cheerleader Charlotte (Aly Michalka of the pop group Aly & AJ), who is trying to get her rock band off the ground. The latter sees in Will--a student of pop music history--a potential manager who can help her group take top prize at an inter-school competition called Bandslam.

Graff treats Bandslam's story like a disposable toy, an excuse to squeeze every ounce of pure ecstasy from such ordinary events as first kisses or bursts of artistic inspiration. Around every corner in this movie comes a surprising and stirring moment: when Will and Sa5m break into the padlocked, no-longer-in-business music club CBGB in New York--a shrine of punk rock--the vignette is reverential, actually moving. As a rare specimen of cinematic joy for its own sake, Bandslam is well worth seeing. --Tom Keogh

Bandslam [Blu-ray] Reviews:
Waiting for Bandslam on DVD
2009-11-23 - I seriously was hoping that this movie was going to be out on DVD for the holidays. Really this little gem of a movie got so overlooked and lost in the end of summer shuffle. Its greatest claim to fame is probably that you got your first glimpse of the Meet Jacob Black trailer for New Moon in the previews but that shouldn't be all it is known for.

I saw this with my two daughters and I seriously can say this was one of the best movies I had seen in a very long time. What a positive, uplifting message this movie provided in a way that wasn't preachy or dorky to kids. Good music, acting and storyline, no trash - which is such a refreshing concept for today's movies that are marketed to tweens and teens. I love the whole way it was filmed, it was just new and fun.

I would love to be able to watch it again and hope that it comes out on DVD soon! If you haven't seen this movie and are considering it when it does become available, don't hesitate. You won't be sorry. It is a feel good movie with a positive message that parents and their children can watch together with no worries or reservations.

Excellent movie!
2009-09-18 - Saw this movie with my two teenage daughters when it was out for about a week in theatres and absolutely loved it!! Very clever script, awesome acting (especially by the lead boy) and overall very entertaining. Wish it had done better in theatres because we would have liked to see it again quickly! Hoping it makes its way to DVD soon!

Sweet movie
2009-08-18 - When Will (Gaelan Connell)'s mom gets a new job, he has a chance to change high schools and reinvent himself. In movie tradition, he meets both a feisty brunette and a hot blonde, and gets to spend a lot of time hanging out with them. The brunette loves to read and has a pretty good voice; the blonde recruits Will to manage their band (her boyfriend's got a band, too) so they'll be ready for a competition called Bandslam. The brunette (Vanessa Hudgkins) turns out to be vulnerable beneath her tough exterior. The blonde is a former cheerleader with her own Wikipedia page, and Will can't quite believe she likes him. You can probably tell where this is all going, but it's a sweet movie and manages to feel fresh despite the clichés.

Here the parents of the teens are either completely absent or always in the same room. Lisa Kudrow plays Will's helicopter mom, who we always see hovering over her son, including in the bathroom while he showers. Unlike so many movies where the kid's parent shows up at the last minute to watch his performance in the Big Show, she's right there the whole time selling t-shirts and cheering.

Frankly, I liked "School of Rock," in which Jack Black plays a substitute teacher who organizes a multicultural group of kids to compete in a rock concert better. The musicians seemed to be having a lot more fun performing. You could believe, for once, that it was their love of music, and not just a desire to win, that was driving them. Also, even if the "SOR" characters' were stereotypical, most of them at least got a storyline. Here it's just Will's character and the two love interests.' The rest of the characters are ciphers, but you root for them anyway.


Step Over HSM and Transformers 2
2009-08-15 - The only words i can use to truly describe this movie are "Terrific, amazing, spectacular, moving, fantastic, heart warming, ..." This movie is a must see. Do not let the numbers from the first week affect what you may think about this movie. Watch it and let everyone know what you think. I promise you will only be disappointed if you are purely narcissistic.

The Movie tracks Will as he goes from the no so invisible "DWI" (Pronounced do-ee) to the music man of our day. He moves to get away from his old school where he was made fun of because of his past. At his new school he meets Sa5m (the 5 is silent, played by Vanessa Hudgens) who is a quiet book worm. The two pair up in Human studies (something like that) on a project to find out who the other person really is. During this project he meets the highly forward Charlotte Banks(Aly Michalka), a very spunky help all save the world attitude. Charlotte acts as Will's tutor of life and love while will him self teaches her about what music really is.

This is the basic description. Go see the movie without question.

Bandslam Movie Review from The Massie Twins
2009-08-14 - For the first time this year, a teen film actually appeals to teens. It's painfully routed in fantasy, a trend most adolescent movies tend to follow, but with interesting characters and a hip soundtrack, the target audience is likely to be thoroughly entertained. Formulaic at times but unpredictable at others, Bandslam isn't as unique as it is well-timed. Amidst the really sour teen flicks popping up in theaters, this is less immature, more comedic and generally more fun.

Will Burton (Gaelan Connell) trudges through high school life in Cincinnati at a school he describes as Guantanamo with a lunch period. It's Novocain for the soul, providing him a constant source of boredom and bullying. His mother Karen (Lisa Kudrow) brings him great news that they're going to move to New Jersey, and although he feels that his classmates will provide much of the same old annoyances, at least it will be a chance to start fresh as an unknown.

At Martin Van Buren High, he quickly attaches himself to a quiet, dark and mysterious girl named Sa5m (Vanessa Hudgens) - the 5 is silent. He also discovers that the cafeteria is used for live band performances and to support the local group the Glory Dogs, led by Ben Wheatly (Scott Porter), a singer/guitarist who is too cool (and too old) for school. Glory Dogs enters every year into the Bandslam competition, a battle-of-the-bands contest that awards the winner with a $10,000 record deal. Ex-Glory Dogs singer Charlotte Banks (Alyson Michalka) discovers that Will has an uncommon knowledge of music and uses him to jumpstart another band to compete in Bandslam, courageously going head-to-head against the school favorite. With his new career as a band manager, the confusing advances by Charlotte (a bound-to-be-trouble blonde with her own Wikipedia page who refuses to answer "Why" questions), and his occasionally overbearing mother, will young Burton have time for Sa5m, the girl he really likes?

It seems that teen dramedies always get carried away with pure fantasy, most notable when the dorky lead character immediately makes friends with the two hottest girls in school. In similar fashion to School of Rock, he also luckily unites several of the most talented musicians in the state to somehow work together and form an amazingly original band in which everyone has mastered improvisation and spontaneity. Anyone who's actually been through high school will probably wonder where exactly miracles like this take place. Fortunately, although the reality is slim, Bandslam employs enough humor and drama to keep things interesting, along with a good twist at the end and naturally catchy music. It's a film that may not boast the most original premise, but at least teens won't be disappointed in the entertainment value, even if they have to look past the mild PG rating. It's certainly a level more realistic than the High School Musicals.

- Mike Massie