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)

Do Your Homework in the Dark, Eat Your Cereal With A Fork and Check Out the Trailer:

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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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