The Last American Virgin (1982)/Lemon Popsicle (1978)

Being that it is now Summer I am going to review one of my favorite teen sex comedies, The Last American Virgin. Released only five months after Porky's, The Last American Virgin became a cult classic and has helped pave the way for the teen sex comedies we know and love and the modern ones we have ultimately grown to hate in comparison.

Israeli director, Boaz Davidson made a film called Lemon Popsicle (A.K.A. Eskimo Lemon A.K.A. Going All the Way) which was loosely based on his own teen exploits while growing up in 1950s Tel Aviv, Israel. Released in 1978, Lemon Popsicle was a success and spawned nine sequels with the latest, The Party Goes On, released in 2001. In 1982, Davidson directed The Last American Virgin for American audiences while making some changes like setting the film in Los Angeles and the music from the golden oldies to modern rock music. The plot and even some sequences are basically identical, so I will talk about both here but focus mostly on the American remake.

Gary (Lawrence Monoson) is an average high school student and pizza delivery boy. He and his two best friends, Rick (Steve Antin) and David (Joe Rubbo) have what every teenage boy has on their minds: Sex. The horny trio are at their local hangout when they spot three hot girls, or rather two hot girls and one not-so-hot girl. The boys convince the girls to come back to Gary's house for the night in an attempt to have sex and after some comedic moments, Gary's parents come home unexpectedly and ruin the party.

Later on Gary crosses paths with Karen (Diane Franklin) and falls desperately in love with her. Gary attempts to get her to go on a date with him but is shot down and later finds Karen at David's party, dancing with Rick. Lovelorn Gary continues his quest for Karen's affection while she dates Rick, who just wants to take her virginity.

Since there isn't much to the plot and that there are some moments you have to experience for yourself, I won't go any further.

Now, there are a lot of interesting scenes in the film and while some are funny, some are serious, while others are down right perplexing and unintentionally funny. First off, Gary is a bit of a stalker. After seeing Karen at the local teen hangout, Gary asks David who she is and one morning before school, he pops her bicycle tire, backs his car up, drives up to her and asks her what's wrong. Since she is without transportation to school, Gary offers to drive her while pretending he didn't know which one she went to. I know that as a teenager, I often played dumb or did some things that were foolish in order to get closer to a girl but Gary is just plain creepy. If you think I'm overreacting, check out this picture below of how Gary stares at Karen in the beginning of the film:

The look Benji ( Lemon Popsicle's Gary) gives to Nikki (Popsicle's Karen) when he first sees her is nowhere near as creepy and seems more natural compared to Gary's which is guaranteed to make any modern girl reach for that pepper spray.

Nymphomaniacs, hookers, crabs, teen drinking, drunk driving, abortion, that cheap feeling after bad sex and a creepy Gary round out this brutally honest and groundbreaking teen comedy that I can't seem to get enough of. There is also a very interesting scene that takes place in the boy's locker room at school where the boys make a bet as to which guy has the larger penis and then proceed to line up and (hold onto your hats people)...

...MEASURE EACH OTHER'S ERECT PENISES!

I am seriously not joking and find it to be one of the most humorously disturbing scenes I've ever seen committed to film. The scene is also in Lemon Popsicle and I don't know much about Israeli film or culture but maybe this was just another instance of what teenage boys did in 1950s Israel but I can say that in 1980s America, this would just not happen.

I do have one small pet peeve about both films and that is the music. No, the music isn't bad (in fact the Virgin's soundtrack was used heavily to promote the film) but it's that there are a few songs that are repeated a couple of times throughout the film; while I see that as a different film making technique it can get a little annoying. I do tend to enjoy the music of Lemon Popsicle a little more as I am partial to oldies and think that the music is a better fit to the corresponding scenes.

What I love about the film the most is that it has no shame and is ready to give up the real side to being a sex-starved teenager while finding out about some of life's important and life-altering lessons. Lemon Popsicle is the more stylistic film of the two and while I enjoy it immensely I prefer The Last American Virgin mainly because of the things it got away with even for 1982. There is a part of me that wishes I had seen Lemon Popsicle first because I couldn't help thinking of Virgin while watching it which didn't diminish my enjoyment, however it's tough to watch a film that is almost identical without thinking of the other film. One enjoyable aspect of watching the two back-to-back is comparing identical scenes and seeing how small, practical things are handled differently from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles.

While the film isn't a hilarious knee-slapper there are some pretty funny moments and even some emotional ones. Last American Virgin is more-so a funny film with serious moments, perfect for parties and drinking games while Lemon Popsicle seems more of a serious film with funny moments. While that doesn't make either film better or worse, it is simply a difference of each film's tone. Virgin is also a great time capsule of the 1980s and the successes and failures of being a teenager with raging hormones. The last thing I will say about The Last American Virgin is that it has one of the most memorable and unconventional endings I've ever seen in any teen film.

Both films: 4 Pizzas (Out of 5)

See It or Be It! 
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Being John Malkovich (Criterion Release)/The Avengers

Next Tuesday (5/15), Criterion will release Being John Malkovich on Blu-ray and DVD. This new edition features an updated image transfer and lossless audio and comes highly recommended by myself and the guys over at Bluray.com.

Click the image below to check out their review:

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Go Through the YouTube Portal and Check Out the Trailer:

On another note, if you are into comics and superhero movies, you've probably already seen The Avengers but if you haven't you should go right away...

...Right NOW!

I know it's a new film that appeals to the masses, which is something I don't usually recommend on this blog but I feel it is my duty to let you know if there is a film out there that is worthy of recognition regardless.

That being said, The Avengers is one of the most entertaining and overall fun movie-going experiences I've had in a long time and I rarely go out to the theaters because of the garbage that gets released on a weekly basis. Over the years, I have lost faith in the Summer blockbuster but The Avengers has completely restored my it! It proves movies can still have a big budget, be entertaining and above all fun!

This Summer is looking good for superhero/sci-fi fans as I am also looking forward to Prometheus and The Dark Knight Rises so we'll see how they all stack up after they are all released but for now, go see The Avengers!

Pump Up the Volume (1990)

This next review is a film that holds a special place in my heart that reminds me of my youth and the beginning of my high school years: Allan Moyle's 90s dramedy, Pump Up the Volume.

Christian Slater plays Mark Hunter, a teenager who has just moved with his family from New York to Paradise Hills, Arizona. Like every teenager thrown into a new environment, Mark naturally hates it. Mark also has a very unique and bleak outlook on life which he voices through his pirate radio station anonymously under the moniker, Happy Harry Hard-On. As Harry, Mark is an outgoing, outspoken persona, commenting on everything from high school, parents, homosexuality, embarrassment, loneliness, masturbation, and what is wrong with American society, however, during the day he is a shy, timid loner.

When a fellow student, Malcom Kaiser calls the show saying he is going to commit suicide, Mark berates him but later identifies with Malcom, who hangs up and is confirmed dead the next day. After Malcom's suicide, Mark decides to stop broadcasting but quickly decides against it and goes back on to talk about how suicide is a stupid, selfish act. He then goes on to say that nobody is perfect and making everyone believe that you're crazy is a lot better than going crazy internally, possibly leading to suicide. The teenage listeners riled up and more and more of them believe in Harry, while teachers, parents and the media start paying attention to the show. A free-spirited and rebellious fellow student, Nora (Samantha Mathis) finds out that Mark is Harry and she inspires him to keep up the good fight and to "Talk Hard".

Now as usual, my loyal readers, I will not go into the rest of the plot because that would take the fun out of actually watching the film although I will say that there is a slightly contrived sub-plot regarding corruption at the high school. What is most interesting is Mark's monologue radio rants and his overall persona he displays to the world as Happy Harry Hard-On. Mark acknowledges that he can't talk to his parents, girls or anyone else for that matter, but when he is on the air, seemingly speaking to no one, his true personality comes out and we see that he is smart, outgoing and opinionated. I identified with Mark because, in a similar way, I acted completely different at school than at home, didn't have many friends and spent my lunches alone. After Mark's show goes viral, an interesting thing happens and all of the students, including the jocks, the achievers, the outcasts, and everyone in-between (including some parents) believe in him and his message.

The dream of the 90s may be alive in Portland but it's also very alive in Pump Up the Volume. If you were alive in the 1990s you may recognize the neon, the permed hair, the gigantic boom box radios and that not one of the students walking around the high school have their heads buried in a cell phone. This film seems dated, even to those who weren't alive or conscious of their surroundings during that time but what works the best in Pump Up the Volume is its universal message about the perils of being a teenager and how speaking your mind, believing in yourself and standing up for what you believe in is all that matters. It also speaks to a generation of teenagers who felt that there was nothing new to do in a society that had seemingly reached its zenith by the late 1980s.

Christian Slater turns in an awesome performance, which may not have been Oscar worthy but definitely should have been acknowledged by more critics. Even though he was 21 at the time this film was made, Christian Slater does a great job at making us believe he is a troubled teenager. A lot of the film's laughs come from Slater's on-air persona and the off-the-wall things he says. Samantha Mathis also shows some talent here in her first major film role. Mathis delivers a few lines here and there which might make some chuckle but overall she handles herself well as a rebellious teen, in love with Mark's message of "Talking Hard" - "The idea that a voice can just go somewhere uninvited and just kind of hang out like a dirty thought in a nice clean mind." This would be the first in a series of three films in which Slater and Mathis star in together: The other two are the 1992 animated film, Ferngully: The Last Rainforest and the 1996 John Woo action extraordinaire, Broken Arrow.

What I like the best about Pump Up the Volume lies in it's overall sense of not taking itself seriously, while effectively getting across a message. It may seem like a serious film but what makes it work is its heart and humor, mainly thanks to Christian Slater. Don't get me wrong, this is nowhere near being a perfect film, in fact it has many flaws, especially in terms of editing, dubbing, continuity and some hammy acting by some of the supporting cast. If you're able to look past these flaws, and just have fun with it, Pump Up the Volume is a great watch that will make you think about the struggles of being a teenager, and possibly make you feel nostalgic if you are an adult.

TALK HARD!

4 Microphones (Out of 5)

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Killing Zoe (1994)

Here is my review of a film I had forgotten about until today when I stumbled upon the DVD and decided to give it a spin.

Marketed under the banner, "From the Creators of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction," Killing Zoe was written and directed by Roger Avery - the guy who wrote the gold watch speech given by Christopher Walken in Pulp Fiction while Quentin Tarantino and Tarantino's producer, Lawrence Bender served as executive producers.

Zed (Eric Stoltz) arrives in Paris to do a job for Eric (Jean-Hughes Anglade), an old friend he hasn't seen in eleven years. He settles into his hotel room, orders and enjoys a French ̶p̶r̶o̶s̶t̶i̶t̶u̶t̶e̶  escort named Zoe (Julie Delpy). After business, the two realize that they both have feelings for each other. The smitten couple are awakened by Eric who throws Zoe out and proceeds to take Zed out to meet his friends for an drug-fueled night in Paris. Before I forget, the job Zed has been brought to Paris to do is to crack a safe at a bank they're robbing the next day and while Zed is simply hungover, Eric and his crew are still feeding the heroin monkeys on their backs and burst into the bank with zeal and theatricality, ready to kill at a moment's notice.

The rest of the film is about the resulting bank robbery. Now I know that you're thinking that this is just another bank robbery film and my response is yes, it is and no it's not. What follows is one of the better bank robberies I've seen since Dog Day Afternoon, Point Break or Heat. What makes Killing Zoe different than the run-of-the-mill bank robbery film is the lack of a police drama unfolding outside of the bank or action sequences involving the robbers trying to get away.

What also intrigued me the more and more I watch this film is my investment in Stoltz's character. While every one of the other bank robbers is not unlikeable, you are really focused on Zed and Eric and they are the two characters you know the most about. The thing is, that what you do know about Zed and Eric is very little and it makes you want to pick up clues as to who they are.

 

There also seems to be a very weird underlining theme of homosexuality throughout the film as Eric is shown having sex with one of his fellow bank robbers, not to mention an extreme sense of brotherhood towards Zed and trying to prevent Zed from being with Zoe on a couple different occasions. Homosexual acts aside, Eric's cock-blocking of Zed is enough to make any viewer wonder what his problem really is.

The characters of Zed and Eric also are stark contrasts to each other and this is especially apparent from the moment we meet Eric and they way he treats and talks about Zoe. Eric is very outspoken,outgoing, funny and primed to explode, while Zed is more of a clear thinker who is more quiet and calculated. You can tell that he was someone who did some hell raising when he was younger and is still chasing that high despite the fact that we can tell that he has grown up to a certain extent. Eric on the other hand is hopelessly addicted to heroin and is obviously chasing a different high.

Delpy plays Zoe as the hooker with the heart of gold - She is an art student by day and an escort by night in order to pay for her classes. She is passionate about art and has a high opinion of herself, despite her profession. Even though the idea of an escort falling for a client in such little time is a farfetched idea, the chemistry between Stoltz and Delpy makes it a little more believable. Their playful dialogue in bed after sex doesn't feel forced but at the same time, I don't believe they are head-over-heels in love with each other. There is a connection here but it isn't over exaggerated.

Killing Zoe is an independent film and it shows but not the extent that it is unwatchable. Stylistically, it is shot with an overall basic style of cinematography but at times is more free, mostly during the times Eric is onscreen. Colors are very dark and droll in the beginning and at times where it's necessary, for example, in an underground jazz club. In contrast, there are some good, sparse uses of bright reds and blues from the halfway mark of the film to its conclusion.

What I love about the film is its simplicity, simple plot and the intriguing set of main characters. I also like its style and bleak outlook of the future (especially depending on how you perceive the ending). When I was fourteen, I had never seen Dog Day Afternoon and Heat hadn't been released yet. Killing Zoe is not the best crime film ever, especially considered against "traditional" standards but it's certainly not one of the worst. It came at a time where film was matching what grunge was doing to music. It was a different breed that, sadly isn't around any more even when it comes to bank robbery films.

If you're going into Killing Zoe expecting it to be a Tarantino film, you will be disappointed as his film-making style or exuberant dialogue is not present here, however it is something you can tell he probably enjoyed.

4 Syringes (Out of 5)

Découvrez la bande-annonce!!

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Series 7: The Contenders (2001)

As I keep my promise to bring you more reviews, I am going to jump right into a film that I believe was ahead of its time even back when it was released in 2001.

With The Hunger Games making all kinds of money right now, I thought I'd shine a little light on a great, unnoticed film with the same subject matter.

Series 7: The Contenders is about a group of six people, five of which are randomly chosen to be on a survival reality show where the last one standing wins. Every one of the contenders is given a gun and is forced to play regardless if they want to or not since the other contestants are hunting them down. The film's main focus is on the winner of the last show, Dawn Largarto (Brooke Smith of Silence of the Lambs fame) who is eight months pregnant. After already winning two games, Dawn just has to win this last one before finally winning her freedom.

The five other contestants include Connie - a 57-year old emergency room nurse, Tony - an unemployed father of three, Franklin - a retired man who lives in a trailer park, Lindsay - an 18-year old student and Jeff - an artist who has been diagnosed with testicular cancer and is Dawn's old high school sweetheart.

The film starts off with the pregnant Dawn entering a convenience store and shooting a male customer in the head. She then proceeds to ask the clerk for a certain food she's craving. The plot of the film is revealed in a narration and montage in the beginning of the film. After that we are introduced to each of the contenders and given little back stories on each. The majority of the film focuses on Dawn and Jeff's relationship. The two were a couple in high school and broke up after Dawn got pregnant and had an abortion while Jeff, believed he was gay. Now married to a woman, Jeff is suffering through his illness and wants to die. He even offers that Dawn be the one to kill him.

Throughout the film each contender tries their best to kill each other and some interesting situations arise which is why I have to cut this plot description even shorter than usual this time.

The beauty of this film is the way it handles its dark comedic elements. The beginning of the film starts off as if it were a real television show and then after a few minutes you might find yourself laughing at it because the idea sounds so ridiculous but then like a warm bath, you sink in and get connected with the characters. There are some instances where the viewer's suspension of disbelief may be challenged but as long as you're able to look past that, I can guarantee a positive viewing experience.

Brooke Smith plays Dawn as a mother on the edge who will do whatever it takes, including killing for her baby. I find it intriguing that years before Dawn had aborted a baby she was going to have with someone she truly loved but is willing to fight for a baby that she can't even remember who fathered it. There are times where Brooke's performance can be too over the top but there are also a lot of moments where you sincerely believe in her and want her to win. The film does a good job of flushing out her character arc and later, gives you more to deal with when you find out more about her and Jeff.

There are also some good moments between the minor characters in this film. For example: each character comes in contact with Dawn and their humanity is tested due to her pregnancy. To the viewer, Dawn's unborn baby seems to make her invincible at times. I especially liked the interaction between Dawn and Jeff who give the viewer something to relate to, especially if you've ever felt alone and ostracized. Of the supporting characters, I especially liked the over-the-top teenage girl, Lindsay, who, like all teenagers, takes this contest way too seriously. She and Franklin, the old man, have a great running competition that ends with funny but bad consequences. There's also a good sub-plot with Tony who has been pushed too far. What happens can only seem reasonable to someone under the duress of losing his job, while trying to provide for his family and involuntarily participating in a game like this.

Besides some hammy acting by some of the supporting cast, the look of the film may be its only shining downside. I can't seem to find any technical specs online but I'm assuming this film was shot on digital video and converted to 35mm. It seems as if it were intended to give the film a TV show appearance but ends up reminding me of early to mid 1990s sci-fi shows. One must also realize that this was shot back in 2000 when reality TV was still in it's infancy (compared to the cesspool it has mutated into now).

On the upside, I did enjoy how the film was treated like a TV show with recaps of past events we just witnessed and "Coming up on Series 7" narrations. Personally, I would have filmed some fake commercials to scatter throughout, making it feel more realistic. Now, this isn't to say that the filming techniques make the film unrealistic, it's just something the viewer has to deal with and get over, or otherwise you won't end up seeing the film's merits.

Now, I haven't seen The Hunger Games and I have no intention of seeing it in the immediate future. While I do enjoy this type of sub-genre, it doesn't seem too interesting to me, however, I believe Battle Royale (2000) is the champion among them all. For everyone who thinks The Hunger Games ripped off Battle Royale, there are plenty of films and books which deal with the subject of hunting humans. The short story, "The Hounds of Zaroff" (1924 - Richard Connell) and film, The Most Dangerous Game (1932) come to mind. Some others are the films, Surviving the Game with Ice-T and Rutger Hauer, The Running Man with Arnold Schwarzenegger and the novel written by Richard Bachman A.K.A. Stephen King.

All in all, Series 7: The Contenders is a fun film that is modest in its presentation and acknowledges its faults while making you laugh at things you think you shouldn't be laughing at. It's a film that you shouldn't take too seriously, although some of the character's own personal struggles might soon seep into your brain, making you care more about them, while possibly reflecting on your own life.

3 1/2 Lottery Balls (Out of 5)

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Shallow Grave Criterion Blu-ray/DVD Announced

Announced only a few days ago, The Criterion Collection is releasing Danny Boyle's masterpiece of thriller cinema, Shallow Grave on Criterion Blu-ray and DVD on June 12th!

Click HERE for my original review!

Click on the BLU-RAY COVER BELOW to go to Criterion's homepage and pre-order it!

Film Geek (2005)

I am sorry I have not been writing many reviews as of lately. I have been on a month long excursion to Africa and there is no internet there. I have also been looking for a job and if you live in the United States, you should know that it isn't easy. I was kidding about the Africa trip - like I can afford that!

So without further ado, I am going to review a light-hearted film that you should definitely check out if you are a film enthusiast and enjoy the comedy genre. The rest of this review will be written in courier, the standard screenwriting font.

Scotty Pelk (Melik Malkasian) is a film geek living in Portland, Oregon who works at a video store called Video Connections. None of the other employees like him too much due to his lack of a personality and the fact that all he talks about is movies. Of course, Scotty runs his own movie website, Scottysfilmpage.com which hasn't gained a single hit. Like the obsessive he is, Scotty checks his hit counter on a daily basis and is disappointed every time. When Scotty is fired from Video Connections for being an annoyance to customers, he looks around town at other video stores that he could work at with no success.

On the bus, Scotty sees a girl (Niko, played by Tyler Gannon) reading a book about David Cronenberg and tries to talk to her about film but is rejected. Scotty eventually takes a job at an auto parts warehouse where he tries to connect with his co-workers, of course by talking about movies.

On his way home, Scotty sees Niko again and they talk some more over coffee. She invites Scotty to the opening of her art gallery later that night. Scotty shows up and is surprised to see Niko and her ex-boyfriend who is stalking her. Niko kisses Scotty to make her ex jealous and so begins a nerd's fascination with a woman who showed attention.

The rest of the film deals with Scotty trying to fit into the "normal" world via Niko who tries to assimilate him. Melik Malkasian portrays Scotty as an annoying nerd with a certain naive charm to him that you have no problem laughing at him one minute and then wanting to punch him in the face repeatedly. Scotty is similar to a puppy that craps everywhere, annoying everyone because he just wants to be loved.

Now, as a film geek myself, I can identify with Scotty on many levels. I used to work at a video store, I have a film blog and film is my universal language. Just typing the word "Universal" makes me think of Jaws and the classic horror monsters. At the video store Scotty even uses a shrink wrap machine and blow dryer...man, that takes me back. Like Scotty, I am very opinionated about the films I like and do not like. When he is working at the video store, Scotty even smells the VHS boxes - something I unabashedly still do.

Scotty is disconnected from the real world and even admits that he likes movies because they take him away from reality and let him be other people. He is so disconnected that when Niko asks Scotty what kind of music he likes, he lists off film composers like Howard Shore and Bernard Hermann. Scotty uses the worlds, "brilliant" and "awesome" a lot when talking about films and tries to persuade a customer at the video store to rent wide screen titles because they preserve the director's intentions.

As for the film itself, Film Geek is a great indie comedy that is geared towards the film geek, him/herself. There are plenty of jokes that the average film geek would understand that would fly over the average movie goer's head, however there are also jokes that everyone will understand and enjoy. The comedy that works the best for the average person is seeing Scotty's ineptness and how he handles the real world.

Film Geek does have its small problems and it is in no way a perfect film, nor does it comes close. There are some wooden deliveries of dialogue and the background music that is supposed to sound like things people in their mid-twenties would listen to is not. All of that doesn't mean this is a bad film and simply put, Film Geek is fun! Being that it's an independent film, it doesn't have lavish production values or the best actors when it comes to supporting characters but it works. There is some good instrumental music (complete with ba-ba-ba's) that gives the film and Scotty a more innocent and playful tone. The camera angles are impressive as the educated viewer can tell that the director and cinematographer knew what they were doing. In fact, I saw a lot of setups that I would have done myself, while being surprised by others.

It's rough around the edges at times but the charm of Film Geek is in its lead, Scotty and how he handles the world around him.

All in all, Film Geek is something I enjoy watching every now and then to remind me that there are other people like myself in the world who are more disconnected from society than I am. Like every other great indie film I see, it gives me hope that one day I will be able to make a film that people enjoy even if it is on a shoestring budget.

3 1/2 VHS Tapes (Out of 5)

 

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