SYNOPSIS:
When gifted singer-songwriter Charlotte Banks asks new kid in
town Will Burton to manage her fledgling rock band, she appears
to have just one goal in mind: go head-to-head against her egotistical
musician ex-boyfriend, Ben at the biggest event of the year,
a battle of the bands. Against all odds, their band develops
a sound all its own with a real shot at success in the contest.
Meanwhile, romance brews between Will and SA5M who plays a mean
guitar and has a voice to die for. When disaster strikes, it's
time for the band to make a choice: Do they admit defeat or
face the music and stand up for what they believe in?
MOVIE REVIEW:
In what would be this columnist’s last
DVD review of the year, he feels the need to plug this teen
movie which demands to be seen by anyone who has lived the
life of a 20 year old. It may have been five years, 10 years,
15 years or even 20 years ago since you were a teenager, it
is never too late to come to terms who you were really were
back then. If you are reading this and you are a teenager,
then there cannot be a better time to watch this Todd Graff
directed movie which could have easily slipped off your radar
when it was in the theatres.
We don’t blame you, because with a
movie poster like that, anyone would have thought that the
111 minute picture would be another typical teenage movie
filled with clichés, dreary plot developments and a
collection of tried and tested jokes which culminate in a
yawn fest attempting to promote certain wannabe teenage movie
star.
But please, we need you to look beyond that
and feel the emotional depth of this movie about a new student
in school (an awkwardly shy and almost socially inept one
at that) who puts together a rock band so that they can compete
in the titular Bandslam, which is the biggest annual battle
of the bands. Along the way, he gets to know two very special
girls, each with a past to hide. And it is here we are genuinely
touched by the sincere storytelling adopted by the filmmakers.
Initially, the movie may play out according
to the formula of a new kid in town trying his best to adapt
and using his knowledge of rock music to bring the band he
is put in charge of managing to greater heights. But as the
characterizations begin fleshing out for the three main leads
played by Gaelan Connell, Aly Michalka and Vanessa Hudgens,
you begin to appreciate the honesty of the themes explored
by the movie. Without giving away spoilers, let’s just
say you may shed a few tears upon a revelation which falls
upon one of the characters.
Younger viewers may know Michalka and Hudgens
from Disney Channel (especially the latter, who is well known
for her role in the High School Musical series), but look
beyond that and you’d also appreciate their grounded
performance in this production. Gaelan may not be a familiar
face, but you’d also find yourself empathizing with
him
Of
course, there is the music. We may not be the best fans of
rock music, but we’d think that the tunes belted out
in the movie would make any music lover happy. You may even
find yourself getting a copy of the soundtrack to relive the
enjoyable moments. True emotions, honest performances and
lovely music, what else could we ask for at this time when
most people are tuned to out rightly cold and unaffecting
movies?
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This Code 3 DVD contains an Audio Commentary with
Director and Cast, where you can hear Graff and the
three leads yak about the funny incidents which happened on
set. They even spot goofs which we otherwise wouldn’t
have noticed. The very fun and casual conversation is engaging
to listen to. The 21 minute Bandslam: Making the Band
is an obligatory feature which brings you behind the scenes
where the cast and crew talk about how much fun they had during
the production. Bits of music trivia are the highlight here.
There are nine Deleted Scenes with optional director’s
introductions for fans of the movie. Did you know
that the first cut of the movie was almost three hours long?
The special features section of the DVD is rounded up with
an Honor Society Music Video and a Vanessa
Hudgens Music Performance.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The movie’s visual transfer is fine,
and is presented in its original English audio track.
MOVIE RATING:
 
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
Posted
on 31 December 2009
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