I know that this is a strange departure from the usual Narnia news, and believe me when I say: more Narnia news is coming, and you’re going to love it. I just wanted to take the time to tell you all about a film from the studio that is bringing us The Chronicles of Narnia movies. It’s called Bandslam and it’s a film that I went into expecting to enjoy it, but not much more than that. I found myself really having a great time with it, and wondering where the marketing department missed the boat.
I thought they might have seen the wrong movie, by the way it was being promoted, and came out of the theater having experienced a wonderful little film whose characters captured me and captivated me as they went on their journey through the film. It’s not really about a battle of the bands competition, though that is part of it. It’s really about the character of Will, who has problems just like anyone else. In fact, everyone in the movie is more than meets the eye, and every character is brought in with a purpose. I can’t recommend this movie highly enough.
It says a lot about this film, that on rottentomatoes.com, it has a rating of 80% positive reviews. Not to mention that the cream of the crop, the major film critics, are sitting with 90% positive reviews. I recommend that you go into this film simply expecting to walk away having had a good time for a couple of hours. You should find yourself entertained by it, if not blown away by how good the movie is. The dialog, capably written by Josh Cagan, is realistic, and reminiscent of John Hughes. In fact, the movie reminds me of a current generation John Hughes, though his films have aged rather well, for the most part.
The main character in the film is played by newcomer Gaelan Connell, and he sure does carry the film well. In fact, I won’t be surprised if this film gets him into more films very quickly. The acting in the film is really top notch by him and the rest of the cast.
This is a film that all involved should be, and are, proud to be a part of, regardless of the movie’s box office returns. It’s definitely worth the trip to the theatre. It’s the perfect film to end the summer, before the start of the school year.
Bug and Omar, two of the cast members, said to me via twitter that they’d be willing to play some LIVE shows, in their words: “cheers for the support! personally, we would love to play some live shows. ONLY if the supporters ask for it, that is-bug & omar.”
Alyson Michalka, of Aly and AJ fame (now 78violet) has been attending screenings, and announcing it via Twitter as well, to watch the film with the audience. She’s very supportive of the movie, and is showing it with awesome interaction with the fans.
This movie is much closer to School of Rock in style, than it is to High School Musical. It’s a movie with a lot of heart, and has some great character moments. Personally, I can’t wait to see it again.
Do not judge this movie based on the trailers or the poster. It exceeds both entirely. Vanessa Hudgens plays a role that is nothing like her character in High School Musical and shows her ability to play multiple character types very well. Her character doesn’t even reflect who she appears to be in the trailer. This is a movie that deserves to be cheered for, and has had many audiences of press cheering across the country. It could be one of those movies that just falls to the wayside, but that would be unfortunate.
If you’ve seen it, and enjoyed it, please comment below.
More Information: WaldenFans.com (Bandslam News) – Bandslam Official Website
Vanessa Hudgens= fail
Not in this movie.
Vanessa is the lead star of this movie, but a support cast that did real well. Galean is the star of movie, and he is very good. Aly is the star of the movie for the female part. The movie is better than HSM, and it is not cheesy.
All I saw was:
“more Narnia news is coming, and you’re going to love it.”
So what is this news you speak of? =)
Please read the rest. Also, if I told you, it wouldn’t be coming soon. 😉
Seems like Walden Media has some big marketing issues. Remember the trailer and promo for ‘Bridge to Terabithia’? I was expecting a fantasy film, instead I got a drama. The movie was okay, but this kind of marketing really hurts the movie. People who will go and see it are dissapointed and the real target audience doesn’t even know the movie exists. So it seems history is repeating itself with ‘Bandslam’…
The main problem this film has is Summit entertainment destroyed it by seriously bad marketing. The trailers made it look like a Disney channel movie and they turned off a lot of people who thought this was another HSM type of movie when it is nothing like it. The film is actually funny and smart and I loved it, they aimed the movie at little girls when in fact they should have been targeting the older groups of teens and actual adults. Also the trailers made it seem as Vanessa’s character was very similar to her HSM one when that is not even true. She is talented and does well when given a actual 3 dimensional character to work with. It’s a shame that people will not give this movie a chance as they think it will be bad but I wish people will stop being so narrow minded and give this film a chance.
Also here is an Industry article that talks about what happened with Bandslam.
http://origin.www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/behind-the-scenes-of-bandslam-summit/
I loved the movie! I saw it!! Thanks for the advice!
I cannot wait for the next movie of the Pevensies. 🙂
And with that, I say SUMMIT majorly failed this movie. Too bad, Bandslam could have been ‘The Breakfast Club’ of this generation.
I’ve seen this movie..watched it about two weeks ago and I gotta say I loved every minute of it!!! It was amazing and I totally enjoyed my time..and right now also planning to go see it a second time this weekend :D..and I really can’t wait. This movie is really good..it’s funny, humourous, witty and has a very talented cast along with amazing soundtrack!! People really need to give this movie and chance and go see it as it’s really worth it!!
this movie was amazing. I felt like I was reliving great memories of high school and I’m 35! no stereotype characters, and Hudgens according to critics (and myself) did a dynamic job in her role. it proves that she has what it takes, and the problem with HSM was that they gave her nothing to work with for a character.
Loved her in this, and it is definitely a must see!
Saw the movie….thought it was great!! Shame on Summit for targeting the wrong audience. This is really a movie for older teens and even adults who love classic rock and indie music. Young kids just would not get this movie, and that’s who it was marketed for. Just awful to see this gem of a movie not do well. It deserves to.
I love Aly & AJ and I really want to see Bandslam so thanks for the advice. :]
saw it & loved it! it was fantastic, i was cracking up the whole time! vanessa hudgens is so much more amazing than people give her credit for! everyone else did a great job as well!!
As you said, from the previews and marketing, I wasn’t expecting much when I went to see it. But I was pleasantly surprised. This movie has depth and deals with real issues people encounter during their high school years. And I thought Vanessa Hudgens did a marvelous job with her character…I didn’t see Gabriella in there at all. All in all, great movie! 🙂
I’ve been to the movie and are in agreement with your comment. At the movies I saw parents with their children ages 7 and up and you could hear laughing and alot of questions being asked by the children and parents explaining, it was so heartwarming and you could see the bonding, even the teenagers were laughin and getting excieted and mad all at the same time. This is a wonderful movie, it’s a must see movie that will bring us all back to life’s reality and not all the hyped and violence and fantasy in today’s society, it’s a true message of today’s world. I went to see it on my own the first time, I laughed, cried and even felt the hurt that Will was going through that I brought my husband the second time and he also enjoyed the movie and he doesn’t go to any movies, he even experienced the same feelings that I had as well as everyone in the movies, it was a beautiful noise.
i was rather hesitant to watch bandslam at first because i feared it would be like camp rock infused with highschool musical., but i gave it a try and was absolutely floored at how good this movie is. i laughed, cried, and felt for the characters. each has a story to tell. i do agree that one should not base only on the marketing and trailer’s alone coz its much more than that. the story is light, not exactly unique, yes, but there is depth. something that is closer, much closer to reality. plus, it doesnt hurt that it has great music. i’m not surprised with all the positive notes from critics, after all, it really is good, and people should give it a try. this movie is one of those who proves that poor sales at the box office doesn’t necessarily that the movie sucks. this is a quality films, that unfortunately, didn’t transcend well on sales.