Hello, all.
I'll introduce today's recommendation with a little nugget of trivia I discovered on ye ol' Wikipedia, that being that the one and only Frank Zappa tried to sue to stop its being produced... something about how it infringed on a fad that he claimed to have trademarked.
Any guesses? I certainly wouldn't have known, so I'll keep it mum for now and just say that the same Shakespearean formula that fueled flicks like WEST SIDE STORY, and later teen-focused romantic comedies like CLUELESS and maybe even NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE is used to great effect in this one.
When I talk about romantic comedies set in the halcyon days of high school, I'm sure most folks' go-to is FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH... but, much as I enjoyed that flick, it doesn't quite connect with me as much as today's flick, which is:
VALLEY GIRL
Before Nicolas Cage started accepting every role from every casting director [often to delightfully weird effect, like with his recent work in COLOR OUT OF SPACE], he was the kid from the wrong side of the tracks in this really endearing, funny, and surprisingly real flick from the [also delightfully weird] 80s. If you're curious what the basic premise is, and those of you that are bristling that this one made the list over FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH may well be, the trailer is embedded below.
Yeah, that trailer might not really explore the more comedic moments in the film, but they're there. It does at least indicate the awesome soundtrack for the flick, which includes a song with a title that could never be released today... if you look at the soundtrack listing, you'll spot it.
Also, I'll admit that Cage's "Randy" is no "Spicoli," but he doesn't need to be for this film to work, and it does. It totally does, in gnarly fashion.
Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - GROUNDHOG DAY, Day 2 - KINGPIN, Day 3 - TRADING PLACES, Day 4 - FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF; Day 5 - MODERN TIMES; Day 6 - AIRPLANE!; Day 7 - CHEECH AND CHONG'S NEXT MOVIE; Day 8 - STRIPES; Day 9 - I MARRIED A STRANGE PERSON!; Day 10 - STRANGE BREW; Day 11 - CLERKS; Day 12 - GHOSTBUSTERS; Day 13 - MONTY PYTHON'S THE MEANING OF LIFE; Day 14 - DUMB AND DUMBER; Day 15 - THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN; Day 16 - THE NAKED GUN: FROM THE FILES OF POLICE SQUAD!]
I'll introduce today's recommendation with a little nugget of trivia I discovered on ye ol' Wikipedia, that being that the one and only Frank Zappa tried to sue to stop its being produced... something about how it infringed on a fad that he claimed to have trademarked.
Any guesses? I certainly wouldn't have known, so I'll keep it mum for now and just say that the same Shakespearean formula that fueled flicks like WEST SIDE STORY, and later teen-focused romantic comedies like CLUELESS and maybe even NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE is used to great effect in this one.
When I talk about romantic comedies set in the halcyon days of high school, I'm sure most folks' go-to is FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH... but, much as I enjoyed that flick, it doesn't quite connect with me as much as today's flick, which is:
VALLEY GIRL
Before Nicolas Cage started accepting every role from every casting director [often to delightfully weird effect, like with his recent work in COLOR OUT OF SPACE], he was the kid from the wrong side of the tracks in this really endearing, funny, and surprisingly real flick from the [also delightfully weird] 80s. If you're curious what the basic premise is, and those of you that are bristling that this one made the list over FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH may well be, the trailer is embedded below.
Yeah, that trailer might not really explore the more comedic moments in the film, but they're there. It does at least indicate the awesome soundtrack for the flick, which includes a song with a title that could never be released today... if you look at the soundtrack listing, you'll spot it.
Also, I'll admit that Cage's "Randy" is no "Spicoli," but he doesn't need to be for this film to work, and it does. It totally does, in gnarly fashion.
Enjoy!
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - GROUNDHOG DAY, Day 2 - KINGPIN, Day 3 - TRADING PLACES, Day 4 - FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF; Day 5 - MODERN TIMES; Day 6 - AIRPLANE!; Day 7 - CHEECH AND CHONG'S NEXT MOVIE; Day 8 - STRIPES; Day 9 - I MARRIED A STRANGE PERSON!; Day 10 - STRANGE BREW; Day 11 - CLERKS; Day 12 - GHOSTBUSTERS; Day 13 - MONTY PYTHON'S THE MEANING OF LIFE; Day 14 - DUMB AND DUMBER; Day 15 - THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN; Day 16 - THE NAKED GUN: FROM THE FILES OF POLICE SQUAD!]
