Wow. Just read another review of Bandslam. As I said, it is an intelligent movie (read review below). This reviewer explained how Will didn’t fit in at school and he knew music. So what. That’s not what Bandslam is about. If you go in and just sit there and don’t think about different things going on in the movie, you’re going to miss a great film.
As I said, Alyson Michalka plays a deep, sinister role darker than Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls. If you don’t watch for it, you’re going to miss it.
Okay, someone already complained I didn’t reveal the plot to Bandslam – that I just gushed over Alyson Michalka’s “coming out” as an actress.
Almost every Elvis Presley movie was – Boy meets girl, boy gets in a fight. Boy loses girl, boy gets in a fight. Boy meets new girl, has a fist-to-cuff fight. Boy goes back to old girl – not sure if there was a fight here or not. With lots of music.
The plot to Bandslam is pretty much the same without any fighting and the boy gets both girls, I think – maybe not. But there is lots and lots of music. If Hollywood Records is smart, they will release a three CD set with all the music. Vanessa Hudgen’s wonderful acoustic version of Everything I Own (showcasing why she’s one of today’s top vocalists) and a full version of Alyson Michalka singing solo with Phil’s Song.
The movie works on the same intelligence level Terms of Endearment did. So the plot is a little bit back and forth, or twisted. Now if you watch it realizing Michalka’s character isn’t what she seems – Vanessa Hudgens says it at one point to Will. Expect to see a character much like Lindsay Lohan’s role in Mean Girls, only to have the Lindsay Lohan movie look as Pollyanna as a Taylor Swift song by the end of Bandslam. Now you know the plot – oh, and David Bowie is in it.
All the other characters, especially Kudrow’s, could be played by anyone else, except Michalka. Sort of like Sigourney Weaver in Aliens or Bill Murray in Ghostbusters.
I will reveal when Alyson Michalka sings I Want You to Want Me, try whatever you do not to think of Miley Cyrus doing a Tammy Wynette impression.
I will add, I was impressed by Scott Porter's acting. He didn't portray the character as it was meant to be. He added depth and humanity to it.
Okay, let me ruin the film right off the bat. David Bowie does appear in the film – and it is a crucial appearance. We all know what band wins the competition. For those who were waiting to see if Vanessa Hudgens blossomed in this movie; forget it. She’s not really even a bit player, more like a walk on. She fulfills her role of looking gorgeous (she does get to show her voice is just as gorgeous on two versions of Everything I Own).
I will also tell you the video you’ve seen of Everything I Own totally sucks compared to the movie version. So if you think it is good now, wait until you see the movie.
Now, let’s talk about the star of the movie. There has not been a character this edgy since James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. Jack Nicholson ran with the James Dean ball in The Shining, Easy Rider and One Flow Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
In Bandslam, Alyson Michalka takes the ball, tosses it aside, picks up the ENTIRE track team and runs them across the James Dean finish line in world record time. She’s THAT good.
I have seen Aly & AJ twice and I had shivers go up and down my spine each time I’ve seen them. This movie explains why.
I don’t want to say that much. Last time I saw a movie this far in advance of its release was The Blues Brothers in 1980. The preview I saw of that movie was cut drastically. So I don’t know if Bandslam producers will change this movie.
Let me tell you the best part. There is a song in the movie, Phil’s Song, about Alyson’s Charlotte Banks’ character’s father. You’ll know it as Someone to Fall Back On. There’s a scene that lasts about 30 seconds where Michalka sings the song in a slow piano accompaniment.
The voice that riveted the movie theater I was in was so spectacular, Barbara Streisand during her best performance ever would throw in the towel and walk off the field in comparison to the vocal Michalka delivers (for a brief 30 seconds). Explains why I’ve had shivers every time I’ve seen Aly & AJ.
I’ve toyed with the notion Michalka is the next Hollywood blond bombshell. Sure she’s spectacular looking, even more so in the post movie produced videos. Yet calling her a bombshell is an insult. There hasn’t been an actress in Hollywood as good since Lauren Bacall played opposite Humphrey Bogart. Michalka does it all on her own!
(I just got it - Phil's Song. Michalka was in Phil of the Future. Is this an inside joke?)
