Here’s some more escapist, mostly upbeat or odd, movies to help release you from the insanity that has become our daily ritual. These movies and shows were not chosen because they were praised by critics, or because I was paid to recommend them (Under some kind of money-making scheme.). Instead they are generally, known (and forgotten) movies that have the ability to carry you away to another time and another place.

And that is what is important…

Don’t you know.

To be able to carry you away to a different time, and a different place, and a different lifestyle.

And, in this case, for me… way way back to my 20’s. That in-between stage from during the transition from High School to adulthood. As a young man, being strong and healthy, and with options all over the place…

So when you watch these movies you can forget the life that you live now. You can forget your boss, the need to buy groceries, the dog wanting to go outside, and the bills piling up on the kitchen table. Instead you can escape to a quieter time; a time when things were simpler, and the entire world was yours for the taking.

It can transport you to a time when the “news” only lasted for thirty minutes, and just gave summarys of events, not panels of “experts” endlessly debating if Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are racist.

It will transport you to a time when people seemed a little bit happier, a time when that grey storm cloud wasn’t hovering over their head, and a time when … well, it was possible for you to be anything you wanted to be.

We will start with a relatively unknown movie.

Hot Dog The Movie (1984)

This movie will absolutely cart you off to the 1980’s, to the land of ski lodges, big hair, and vibrant colors in the snowy mountains. It’s funny, silly, up-beat and has a positive up-lifting music track. All in all, perfect for these uncertain times.

Did you ever own white Vuarnet Cat Eyes? Are you stoked that padded ski sweaters are coming back in? Did you ever want to be the toast of Tahoe, ski all season long, party every night and hang out with a wacky bunch of ski bums with names like Thrasher and Squirrel?

Then check out this early 80's classic (I know, it came out in '84, but it's SO '82).

Harkin Banks is the wunderkind from the sticks who hooks up with Dan O'Callahan. Dan is the good time Squaw Valley veteran who's a permanent fixture on the competitive ski scene, sharing slopes and hot tubs with his party hardy co-horts: the nutty Squirrel Murphy, who digs zinc oxide, sexy ski bunnies and long gondola rides; Kendo Yamamoto, who doesn't speak much English, but can tear down the mountain like a Kamakaze; punk rocker, Thrasher, who dances to his own tune, even at parties; and a host of semi-nameless others.

But what would a crazy party flick be without some bad guys?

Enter Rudy Garmisch, zee Austrian ski champ and nemesis of the Squaw Valley locals. He and his loyal "Rudettes", mostly nameless guys and fraulines also from zee Austrian slopes, push some of the locals out of the upcoming competition with promises of good television ratings and new sponsorships from internationally minded companies.

Uh-oh, ol' Dan's not happy with that at all!

Toss in a battle over a cute blonde runaway, Sunny, and you have a recipe for trouble on the slopes.

Not to worry, all's well that ends well. After all, what tiff can't be settled over a friendly game of Chinese Downhill? Not sure you wanna play? No worries…there's nothing one of Dan's famous "Leg Spreader" cocktails can't fix. 

And to top it all off, there's some fantastic ski footage set to even more fantastic early 80's music. Why they even bothered to make Ski School in the early 90's was a mystery to me - how could they do the ski party flick any better than Hot Dog? 

Surprisingly enough it was also pretty damn good. But Hot Dog: The Movie is still the original and the best.

THE classic early 80's ski flick 
colparker4 February 2003

You don’t need to know how to sky to appreciate this movie. It’s just a lot of fun, a lot of smiles, and just some good old vibes.

"What the fuck is a Chinese downhill?"

You are not going to be sad after watching this movie. Instead you will be in a good joyous mood and wondering just why… why you never took up skiing.

Risky Business (1983)

Just about everyone of my generation knows this movie. It’s the movie that made Tom Cruse the screen actor that he is today. But let’s be real. When was the last time you watched it?

For me, It’s been at least a decade, perhaps two. And I have talked to some of the younger folk who have never heard of this masterpiece. Can you believe it?

Well, for some fun, I downloaded the torrent and checked it out. (My betaMAX tape is lost somewhere under a pile of dusty boxes.)

It took me away.

It blew me away.

On a number of really curious levels…

Well, after decades, I finally sat down and re-watched this. And ohhhh there were so many things that I had forgotten, and so many things that I can see with my older eyes of experience. It will carry you back to a time long ago when business opportunities can just fall right into your lap, unplanned and ultimately successful.

It’s partially remembering what it was like having the entire house to yourself when your parents are away…

…and it’s partially about exploring what it’s like to have a relationship with a strong and positive female…

… and it’s partially about what it was like before the decades of greed and spite took over America.

fun, funny, and smart 
8 February 2003 | by pompaj 

Most funny comedies aren't very smart. They're funny because of individual jokes that play by themselves, without relying on the overall plot. Risky Business is an exception and the reason why it works so well, is because it tells a simple story that could really happen and would also be a lot of fun. 

You're a high school kid, your parents go on vacation for a week, leaving you the whole house to yourself. That's the setup. 

A friend calls up a call girl, she shows up, and the entertainment begins. 

This movie is smart enough to know what kids think about at that age, sex, and it holds nothing back. It is very clever at times and has a strong character in Joel, played by a young, energetic Tom Cruise. Another thing that this movie understands is mood and tempo. Everything hits the right beat. Smart and funny is an ideal combination and this movie achieves it.

The thing is, this movie not only takes you back to another place…

… but it gives you context. You can see what transpired in the last four decades and your experiences, right or wrong. It will give you an appreciation of things at so many levels. It’s worth a re-viewing.

"Money may not buy happiness, but it will buy the things that will Make you happy" 
mercuryix-121 December 2006

There are too many reviews of Risky Business for mine to have any relevance as a movie review. However, this movie is for me a time capsule of the era I saw it in, and a photograph of the future to come in American culture.

I saw this movie when I was 22 in a tiny college theater with a date. I remember several disconnected things about it: The movie was much more interesting than my date was, the music by Tangerine Dream was hypnotic and fit the tone of the film, which struck me as being more depressing in places than funny (although there are some funny moments in it), and it gave me a glimpse into a world that I thought was fictional. 

It turned out I hadn't experienced the world it was presenting yet. 

When Cruise asks his friends what they plan to do with their lives, one's answer is very simple and focused: "Make money". Another friend adds: "Make a LOT of money".

It turns out the movie was precognizant of the next ten to twenty years of American culture; the absolute obsession with making money through any means necessary, legally or illegally, regardless of consequences to yourself or others. 

Then taking that money and buying the things that will make you happy: a porsche, a big house, and most importantly, a hot babe in your bed, that will only be there as long as the money is. 

Internally discovered happiness? A quaint notion created by the poor who can't afford the toys that validate your existence.

I am sure that the filmmaker would be the first to say that the movie parodies the hollowness of the "American Dream" of acquiring wealth to buy creature comforts, but too much of the time it feels like it celebrates them. 

At the end, the hooker stays Cruise's girlfriend only as long as he continues to make her money; she even says "I'll be your girlfriend...for a while". 

Real loyalty there. But then, she is a hooker, and is being honest. 

She in fact is presented as the only person in the film that is not a hypocrite. 

She has no illusions that money & sex make the American world go 'round, and doesn't pretend herself to be otherwise; unlike Cruise and the rest of his friends. 

In the end however, she is still hollow, the values the kids pursue are hollow (they are only after sex, not love), and the movie feels as deep and solid as a glossy magazine ad for a Lexus.

Even over the obsession of greed, however, the film illustrates the complete alienation of the modern American teenage male: alone, isolated, judged by his peers with the kind of car his dad lets him drive, his clothes, and whether he can get laid or not. 

The emphasis is on sex, not relationship. 

There is no rite of passage into adulthood, no guidance from parents who more often than not are as distant from their children as the cardboard cutout parents in this film.

In short, as depressing as this film is when you step back from it, it paints a frighteningly accurate portrait of how superficial and narrow a world, yet directionless (except for accumulating superficial wealth) a young boy's world can be. 

There are no values taught in this film, because there are none available as examples. And that is the environment too many kids are subject to. That is what was so disturbing to me about the film at the time I saw it, yet it took 20 years to understand why (as I was, like most kids my age, in the same vacuous and bankrupt culture this kid was in at the time).

There are 300% more suicides committed by 14 year old boys in America than any other age group or category. This movie explains why.

Seven stars, not for humor, but for photographing the beginning of an era that lasts until this day. The message from Enron, WorldCom, Martha Stewart and others for American kids will be: Don't get caught. A message which is slowly becoming the only "moral direction" left in American culture.

This move will not only take you back forty years to a time where your reality was something quite different, but it will give you perspective in the reality that you now inhabit. And at that, this movie is worth viewing again.

One Crazy Summer

Here’s a fine 1980’s escape. It’s got what we all need today…

No, I’m not talking about super heroes that got bitten by a radioactive spider, guys dressed in black trooping around in flack vests and holding assault guns, or super-dooper CGI special effect animation. I’m not talking about bullets that hang in the air, or magical powers that you can use to push people away with the wave of your hand. You won’t find ugly monsters or effeminate millennial men trying to get a woman to seduce them…

This movie is about silliness on the beach.

It is politically incorrect, very dated, and outrageously stupid. It is precisely what America needs right now.

It’s a simple fact that there are many of us from generations from long ago who grew up loving those loopy John Cusack comedies made by Savage Steve Holland. And while I prefer there other more bizarre, out-there flick, Better Off Dead, it’s hard for me to dislike One Crazy Summer.

This is a movie I grew up loving wholeheartedly.

One Crazy Summer was a follow-up to Better Off Dead, returning Cusack and Curtis Armstrong from that film.

Cusack is Hoops, following graduation pal Joel Murray(George)to Nantucket for the summer to each some fun on the beach. He picks up his kid sister from “Generic Elementary” school with her sick dog and the adventure begins…

Hoops finds himself embroiled in a feud with a blonde, buff punk named Teddy Beckersted whose lecherous father has designs on bulldozing over homes of a neighborhood to build a giant condominium. Sigh. So 1980’s.

One of the homes, needing it’s mortgage repaid belongs to Demi Moore (Cassandra). Yikes!

However, there’s a sailboat race. And it might be their only hope of saving Cassandra’s grandfather’s home. You see it has been won by Teddy over the past many years and they need to fight for it. Yet, Hoops is deathly afraid of boats over water.

But, with the help and motivation of newfound Nantucket friends (..such as the goofy auto-mechanic twin brothers!), George, and budding love-interest Cassandra, perhaps Hoops can come to terms with his fears and win the race to save the neighborhood.

Armstrong has a supporting part as the son of a kooky, manic weapons salesman, General Raymond(..SCTV’s Joe Flaherty in an inspired bit of casting), Ack, who uses the training from his father to assist Hoops and company in their goals to win the race.

Memorable scenes include Bobcat getting stuck in a Godzilla suit (!) running rampant across an entire model of Aguilla. I love how the smoke and fire is coming out of his mouth as he does so (a cigar was thrown into his costume), and the Japanese investor loving the presentation.

Beckersted (Mark Metcalf, barely recognizable as Teddy’s rather unhinged pops)’s condominium…

… Hoops being chased by deranged cub scouts wishing to perform first aid…

… George a victim of toxic flatulence…

… Bruce Wagner’s nutty Uncle Frank’s increasing insanity every time he tries to better his chances to win 1 million dollars from a radio show…

… and the wonderful Billie Bird as George’s grandma who actually bills the group after a meal!

Jeremy Piven as(you guessed it)a brutish jerk who associates with Teddy and causes trouble for Hoops and his posse, the yummy Kimberly Foster as Cookie (..Teddy’s girl who attempts to make-out with Hoops while he attends a luncheon with his father), and the one-and-only William Hickey as Old Man Beckersted, who will not reward his son and grandson an inheritance if they lose the sail boat race.

Demi Moore is cute, but this is Cusack’s vehicle, though Bobcat and Villard steal most of the scenes their in.

Again, some delightful animation from Holland are sprinkled throughout the movie (Hoops is an artist, appropriately).

Dream a Little Dream (1989)

Sometimes a movie can take you back… way… way back to a time that you have almost no recollection of. Can you remember what it was like when you were 14, 15 or even 16 years old?

An accident puts the consciousness of an elderly dream researcher into the body of a bratty teenager. The problem? The kid prefers dreamworld limbo to real life.

-IMDB

There, in the tumultuous middle school years we have forgotten what it was like. For, and that is true for most young people, don’t really come into their own until their final years in High School.

This movie will transport you to that time.

And at that, it is valuable. On that reason alone.

The lives of a crusty old scientist and a bratty, teen Michael-Jackson-wannabe are about to intersect in a paranormal way. Coleman Ettinger seeks to break down the door of reality through studied dreaming; Bobby Keller wants Lainie Diamond, the girlfriend of his high school friend Joel, a handsome school jock. As Coleman persuades his wife Gena to join his experiments, an accident knocks their bodies out of existence, along with Bobby's consciousness. Coleman's consciousness winds up in Bobby's body while Gena's ends up buried and asleep inside Lainie's. Only when sleeping can Coleman contact Bobby and elicit his help in putting things back, except that Bobby smugly prefers limbo over his aggravated life as a modern teenager.

-IMDB

Bizarre dream sequences are only a small part of this fabulous fantasy comedy starring Corey Feldman, Corey Haim, Jason Robards, Piper Laurie, and Meredith Salenger.

Bobby Keller (Corey Feldman) lives his life day to day, as he puts it. He is failing all his classes, his parents don’t talk to him, and he is head over heels in love with Lainie (Meredith Salenger), although he dates Shelly.

But, an accident involving Bobby and Lainie and Coleman and Geena (Jason Robards and Piper Laurie) causes Coleman to take over Bobby’s mind and body, and part of Geena’s mind takes over Lainie.

Now, Coleman has to find a way to switch back and get his wife back. But, Bobby isn’t so willing to, unless Coleman can correct his screwed-up existance, while helping him to get Lainie.

A Touching Film 
crice-149 July 2009

It's difficult to me to review this film, for the simple reason that I was 15 when I saw this movie. It was made for me. It was made for teenagers trying to figure out life, love, getting into college, and dealing with adults. I loved it.

It was the best by far of the "body-switching" genre that seemed to dominate the 1987-1990 period, but rarely was a teen drama tackled with more earnestness and via such a bizarre but interesting plot. Whatever the reason, it works and instead of being just another body switch comedy or teen fluff, it truly becomes a beautiful film that deserves its cult status.

Favorite scenes: The opening scene intercut with the opening credits involving Bobby and Dinger (Corey Haim) talking about Bobby’s infatuation with Lainie…

… as well as singing the blues and why Dinger’s leg was broken (reason: his mom ran him over with her Volvo)…

… the accident scene, the dream sequences, the scene where Bobby discovers that he’s Coleman…

… and when they were having a hard time going to sleep…

… the scene in the gym when they were dancing to the rock version of “Dream a Little Dream of Me”, and the closing credits with Bobby and Coleman dancing to the same song.

This was a wonderfully romantic movie with an original plot. It was adorable, and Corey Feldman was kinda cute, despite the Michael Jackson look, something he was into for a few years.

The Dream sequences were really interesting, filmed in a strange blue tint.

The movie also had an interesting plot, and great music (especially Frank Sinatra’s “Young at Heart” and both versions on “Dream a Little Dream of Me.”).

I highly recommend it to anyone who likes the two Coreys, good acting, creativity, or body switching movies.

Better Off Dead… (1985)

This is another movie that I had on BetaMAX.

But it’s a true classic.

I well remember when I first viewed it. I was in Ridgecrest, California, and I had gotten off the base at the China Lake Naval Weapons Center, and pulled into the video rental store in a strip mall right outside the main gate. When I walked in, they had this movie playing and everyone was standing in the shop watching it. So I asked what the movie was, and then I went and rented it right there and then.

I should go as far as to say that all the John Cusack movies from the 1980’s are fine escapist flicks today. All of them are silly, charming and sweet. Nothing is too serious. Nothing is too dangerous…

… and there are no superheroes!

There are also no gun fights, no SWAT teams dressed in black, no making fun of traditional roles… no gays… no lesbians… not transgenders… no CGI monsters, or special effects where people can jump to the top of a building. None of that nonsense.

You won’t be assaulted by “role reversals” and insulted by snide anti-male jokes.

It’s all just good fun.

What makes this a cut above is the composition of sight gags — ‘How to build a space shuttle out of household items’ is in the foreground, and then the eye pulls back to reveal the mother battling a sea monster in a pot, which frustrates her attempt to cook it…

Cusack frets over an impossibly broken binding, and in the same frame the ‘paperboy from hell’ appears on a weatherized delivery bicycle…it’s priceless stuff.

Better Off Dead is the zaniest movie that I think I have ever seen. Let’s just recap what this movie has in it.

• We have a guy that attempts suicide but he can’t even succeed at that.
• There is his best friend that declares that a mountain they are on in the dead of winter is pure snow, saying ” Do you know what the street value of this is?”
• We have a father that is trying to speak the lingo of his kids and fails miserably.
• A mom that cooks food that literally slides off it’s plate.
• We have a math class full of genius’ that get upset when they don’t have homework to do.
• Lane has a younger brother who orders books on how to pick up trashy women and learns how to build rockets.
• We have the entire male population ( and Barney Rubble ) that wants to go out with Lane’s ex-girlfriend now that they are broken up.
• There is two Oriental guys that want to constantly race Lane and then broadcast it over the loud speaker on their car.
• There is Porky from the Porky’s movies basically playing the same role here.
• Dancing hamburgers.
• A basketball team that grunts.
• And of course the most relentless paper boy in the history of paper delivery…

Whoooooooo! I’m out of breath.

So why do I mention all of these things about the movie? Because all of these little issues combine to somehow make one of the funniest and zaniest movies you will ever see.

Better Off Dead is so full of energy that there is enough material in here for ten movies. But Savage Steve Holland makes it work. Don’t ask me how, but he does. I think I’m going to stop here because if you haven’t seen this movie you have to see it now. This is a completely original film and it also one that no one will ever have the guts to make again.

This is one hell of a film.

Captain Ron (1992)

Captain Ron* - (I think I'll have a…   ...a Margarita!)

-The best movies of 1992

Are you tired of the daily grind? Do you want to have some adventure and excitement in your life? Most men in their 30’s would ascribe to this sentiment. And it is exactly this that makes this next movie so special.

What happens when you are living the married life, the life with a job and a boss? When you are playing the role as a father at home, and a worker at your work? Is that all there is to life, you ask?

Maybe you dream about chucking it all way…

Hopping on a steam tramp and going somewhere… anywhere… other than here.

You need a break, a vacation a… reset.

Ya! This is pretty common in America. The society and laws are all pretty repressive. No vacation for you, and pay your taxes, and everything else. You can relax by watching movies that make fun of you. That’s your reality. Deal with it.

OK. I’m not going to elaborate more than what all this means. You all need to take a break and a vacation from life right now. You need to get out and have some fun. You need more than just a change. You need a slap in the face change…

Adulthood has lots of perks: No more homework, you really can eat whatever you want, and you eventually become a good 90 percent less angsty. However, one major drawback is you no longer get a spring break (or a summer break, for that matter). Being an adult means work never stops and vacations are rare. But! That doesn't mean you can't still vicariously enjoy spring break through your favorite movies. Is it the same as escaping to a pristine beach? No... but it is cheaper, so there's that.

There are awesome spring break movies from every era, but the '90s in particular were big on vacation movies. While not all of them focused on spring break, they did showcase the joys of travel, downtime, and relaxation. Basically, all the things you can't just drop everything and do on a whim because you have responsibilities now. Bask in the joy of those simpler times when you naively thought summer would never end and life really could just be one long vacation in the sun by planning a spring break movie night with your closest friends.

Make mixed drinks with tiny umbrellas and throw pillows all over the floor slumber party style as you watch one of these '90s gems — after all, you are an adult and while you may not get a designated spring break, you make your own rules now.

Movies about vacations gone awry are my favorite kind of movies. In real life, you want your vacation to go smoothly, but watching a movie family's vacation go from crazy to crazier is always hilarious. Captain Ron is no exception. Watching Martin Short get shown up by the cooler than cool Captain Ron during his own family vacation is a madcap story that might just make you glad you have to work all spring.

-Bustle

Let’s look at a forgotten gem of a movie… Captain Ron.

A family in Chicago inherits the yacht formerly owned by Clark Gable. They decide to sail it from the island of Ste. Pomme de Terre to Miami, and they sail with the assistance of Captain Ron and their lives will never be the same again

This is wonderful movie, one of my favorite movies of all time! A family inherits a sailboat and decides to flee the urban rat race. They don’t realize that they will have to over come many hurdles, including aspects of them selves, Capt. Ron, the boat and the environment.

The daughter plays a teenager that is simultaneously apathetic and nearly out of control. The son is a kid who hasn’t taken an interest in life until now. The father assumes that Capt. Ron can’t know anything while the family begins to believe that it’s the father who doesn’t know anything.

This movie was one of the triggers to me moving to a tropical island to live, oh and to buy a boat.

I don’t understand the many poor reviews I have seen from the “professional reviewers”. I think this movie is incredibly funny in a quiet sort of way. I have seen it many times. It reminds me of the many Jackie Gleason Honeymooners I have seen over and over. I know what punch line is coming and I begin laughing before the punch line is even delivered.

Martin Short is not his usual manic self and this is refreshing. Kurt Russell is a master as he plays against the heroic roles he has played so often.

The play of the use of “gorillas” versus “guerillas” is laid back genius.

Ignore all the stuffed shirt, up-tight pinheads who couldn’t loosen up if a gun was held to their collective heads. Treat this movie as it should be…FUN! This is the film that keeps us going through the winter until sailing season…then we take the video along on board.

Martin Short and Kurt Russell are TERRIFIC together, and Mary Kay Place? Who’d have known what a versatile actress she is, after all, most of us only had Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman to judge her by. The kids certainly do add a fine finishing touch to this hilarious crew.

This movie was not created to win an academy award, it was created to be lighthearted and fun and it far exceeded that goal.

Kurt Russell is THE man! One of the most under appreciated actors in Hollywood, Russell takes what would have been a run of the mill comedy and makes it HILARIOUS!!!

Captain Ron Rico is about as laid back as laid back can be. He’s an ex Navy boat driver whose been through one too many squalls, not to mention a stint in rehab. A treasure chest of worldly knowledge, he’s never at a loss to relate his exploits even when it comes to his glass eye, “Won it in a crap game a few years back.”

At first glance he’s a man you wouldn’t trust to float an inner tube, but as he proves to Martin Short throughout the course of the movie, he’s “far more cunning than first suspected.”

After all, you gotta love a guy who as he’s sipping beer with Short’s young son, he tells the young lad that he just caught his parents “Playing hide-the-salami in the shower.” I crack up just writing about it.

But besides Russell’s stellar performance, there’s BEAUTIFUL locations and photography, a catchy reggae soundtrack, and enough laughs from the rest of the cast to make this a most enjoyable film to pop a bowl of popcorn to and enjoy with the family.

As for me….I wanna go out drinkin’ with Captain Ron!

‘There’s Something About Mary’ (1998)

This movie was filed in Woonsockett, RI when I was actually living there. Which is a pretty old blue collar town, quiet and kind of boarded up. “Going to seed”, some might say.

This movie is great escapist fare.

Thirteen years ago, Ted (Ben Stiller) landed a prom date with the most popular and beautiful girl in school, Mary (Cameron Diaz). Unfortunately, the date wasn’t meant to be, for Ted has his manhood damaged right in front of Mary, and ends up in the hospital instead of the prom.

Owwww!

Thirteen years later, Ted decides to track Mary down, and have a second chance with his dream girl. He hires sleazy private eye, Pat (Matt Dillon) to find her for him.

Pat finds her, and she’s grown up beautiful.

Pat decides he wants to date her. He stalks her, finds out everything she wants in a man, and poses as just that. Meanwhile, Ted has been led to believe that Mary has become fat white trash in a wheelchair. Pat and Mary start dating.

Well, by the end of the movie, every man who is involved in the story has tried to make a move on Mary.

We all know how it ends, but it’s one funny ride.

The funniest gag in the movie involves a NEW brand of HAIR GEL (compliments of Ted, and tested by Mary). I won’t tell you what’s really being mistaken for hair gel, but when you find out, you’ll laugh so hard, you gag.

This movie knows what a comedy of this type should be like. Each gag goes somewhere, and is really big. They’re usually extended scenes with punchlines.

Me, Myself, and Irene goes for the cheapest laughs you can find, but There’s Something About Mary takes it’s time, carefully planning each gag, in order to make it gut-bustingly hilarious. That’s just what this movie is. 10/10.

‘Wayne’s World’ (1992)

Maybe you might have forgotten this flick. But, I’ll bet you that you can remember some scenes as clear as a bright day on a fresh Spring morning.

This is a positive and happy, and yet terribly silly movie that is just perfect for these dark times of fear and uncertainty.

Wayne is still living at home. He has a world class collection of name tags from jobs he's tried, but he does have his own public access TV show. A local station decides to hire him and his sidekick, Garth, to do their show professionally and Wayne & Garth find that life is no longer the same...

Ask most men within a decade of my age in either direction to list the 100 best movie scenes of all time, and the scene from “Wayne’s World” where they sing/lip sync Bohemian Rhapsody in the car will be on more lists than not.

Heck! It might even make every list.

Not designed for the “critically acclaimed” snob set, Wayne’s World, the film adaptation of the extremely popular Saturday Night Live skit by the same name, targets its audience perfectly and never even enters the water, let alone jumps any sharks.

The movie is true to itself from start to finish.

The plot centers around an opportunistic television producer named Benjamin Kane (Rob Lowe), who, with funding from an arcade owner, turns Wayne’s World into a slickly produced national show.

You would think that this would be a good thing. But alas, it’s not.

The transition caused it to lose touch with its audience, and causing friction between Wayne and Garth, who feel they have sold out their fans and their roots.

A love interest is tossed to Wayne in the form of Cassandra (Tia Carerre), in triangular form due to the attention paid to her by Kane as well as Wayne.

The pop-culture cuisinart responsible for most of the SNL skits was working in overdrive in this film, and that’s a good thing. Everything from product placements, to gratuitous sex, to lame plot devices were lampooned.

You might have seen this move before, but a re-watch is always in order for some much needed “positive vibes”.

‘Dazed and Confused’ (1993)

There is not a single movie that portrayed my Junior / Senior year in 1976 / 1977 than this movie. To say that it is accurate is an understatement.

Wooderson: Let me tell you what Melba Toast is packin' right here, all right. We got 4:11 Positrac outback, 750 double pumper, Edelbrock intake, bored over 30, 11 to 1 pop-up pistons, turbo-jet 390 horsepower. We're talkin' some fuckin' muscle.

This movie is EXACTLY what it was like for me in 1976. My Junior year. It was exactly what was going on including my Orange (goat) GTO!

What a great, great movie. If you want to know what being in High School in the mid 70's was like, rent this film. 

I grew up in the metro Manhattan area. We didn't have the freshman hazing, and few of us could afford the cars (although we sure knew about them and lusted after them), but the rest of this movie is so dead on about my experience of High School in the 70's that it's scary. 

Every character in the film corresponds with someone that I knew during that time. 

Yes, there was a lot of pot smoking, yes, obtaining beer was quite easy for underage kids…

I used to buy it in bars when I was 16. 

We made pipes in shop class. 

We hung out and had parties at night, drove the streets drinking beers and smoking joints listening to the same music. 

There were no youth centers though. 

The girls that I knew were as beautiful, and also struggled to get into their jeans. They used pliers too, but they also put them on while they were wet to further get that skintight look. 

There was no HIV virus to worry about, Herpes was not a big thing then, the biggest worry was getting pregnant. 

Everyone was having sex… 

All of these facts also were no big deal. 

Most of my peers grew up just fine, and now are upstanding pillars of the community. Many today would like you to believe that this is an example of the road to ruin. 

It was an incredible great time. 

The film has interesting character development, with the same types I remember. Philosophers, heads (now called stoners), bullies and waifs. 

This is my American Graffiti and it is perfect. Waxing nostalgic? Perhaps, but anyone that didn't live through that time will sill love the dialog in this film, as it deals with the universal experience of that point in one's life. 

This is high school in the 70's. Check it out.

Almost a Documentary... 
goodwynn191914 July 2005

The first day of summer vacation leaves a group of ’70s teens exhilarated and ready to party. Their raucous activities might remind you of the debauchery you got up to in the good old days. There are so many scenes that we all have lived, and personal flashbacks will flood your mind.

Either way, the feeling of complete freedom makes this movie a must for anyone starving for a vacation.

What makes “Dazed” work so well is that it gets the LOOK of the mid-to-late 70s just right, particularly the hair & clothing styles. Secondly, the actors pull off the material expertly. In fact, a large part of the film’s success is the excellent casting choices. Both are no easy feat. Speaking of the actors, you get a few up-and-comers here: Matthew McConaughey, Milla Jovovich, Ben Affleck and one or two of lesser note (as far as future popularity goes).

Slater: Are you cool, man?
Mitch Kramer: Like how?
Slater: Okay.

All the standard school archetypes are here: the jock who parties on the side, the bullies, the hot sister and her little long-haired brother, the black dude, the hot (feminist) teacher, the streetfighter, the cool guys, the geekier crowd, the babes, the guy who graduated years ago but still hangs around, the mentors & mentees, etc.

A Time Machine Trip Back To The Texas Summer Of 1976 
Oracle29594 February 2005

I graduated in 1976 from a high school in North Dallas and this entire movie is so spot on it's scary. 

It is my favorite film. I've seen it hundred's of times and every time it's like watching it for the first time. Only someone that was there and lived through those days could have directed such a movie. 

I drove a 70 dark blue Chevelle SS 454 with a 4-speed, over 400 HP and all of the goodies Wooderson described. Starting that car up, listening to the roar of that engine and burning out in 1st gear while in a thick cloud of blue smoke in front of the high school at 3PM while wasted......doing over 80MPH in 2nd gear....oh yea! 

I feel sorry for the teenagers today that drive the limp wrist fluffs of metal that pass themselves off as cars these days.

I was a stoner like Pickford smoking weed non-stop. 

Some mentioned that the heavy drug use was not too common. Well, at our school it was beyond common. Before school, during school (in the bathroom and football field) and after school. Our school had a smoking area outside the cafeteria where everyone went to light up.

The opening scene with Aerosmith "Sweet Emotion" slowly building up and Pickford driving his Goat and girlfriend in the school parking lot kills me every time. 

I cannot imagine a better opening scene for the movie. That was pure genius. 

The funny thing is Linklater did not show getting licks from the coach or the principal. For all the "uninitiated" back then all a coach or an asst. principal had to say was "Smith, I want to see you back at my office now". 

Our coach had a paddle he personally made that he kept on his wall over his desk. It had about 30 holes drilled in it and it was covered in black electrical tape! When that one came down you knew it! Now with all the PC people coach would go to jail for "assaulting the poor boy" Hell, back then it was called character building. As I remember from the 7th grade on licks were given out.

The soundtrack. Best ever. 

Might as well be back at White Rock Lake or Lake Ray Hubbard on a Friday night getting wasted. Head East was a nice touch. Every time I listen to that soundtrack I remember things I have not thought about in 25 years. 

The man that portrayed Pickford's dad was dead on. Accent, demeanor along with the big caddy and the tennis playing wife in the mini-skirt and puffed up hair.

Some of the reviewers mentioned they did not think it was too realistic showing/mixing a lot of sexual activity among the freshman girls. That is another point I must dispute. 

Maybe at their school in their town of 500 or their strict upbringing but at our junior high and high school the freshman and younger girls were pretty wild. 

I mean really "wild"! 

This is coming from someone who "lost it" at 12. So insinuating things about a 15 or 16 year old freshman is pretty tame. 15 and 16 year old's were the "world travelers" to us 13 or 14 year old guys.

There is something about this movie that pulls me back over and over again. It's hard to describe. 

I'm not sure what it is. Am I a Wooderson that enjoys reminiscing? Am I someone that prefers simpler times? Am I someone that is so sick of PC people that a movie like D&C is like a breath of fresh air? 

Was there something magical in the air back in 1976? 

The country was celebrating 200 years of freedom. Now within the last 30 years it seems that most of those freedoms have been slowly whittled away with and all that is left is a former shell of the old. 

Especially after 2001.

The best scene? To me it's a toss-up between the opening "Sweet Emotion" GTO in the school parking lot and the Emporium scene with "Hurricane" playing in the background while (The Past) Wooderson, (The Present) Pink and (The Future) Mitch walk into the Emporium while the camera films every little nuance in slow motion. 

The cockiness of Woods, the mellow Pink and the innocence of Mitch. Put that scene on slow motion and study their faces and the reaction shots of their peer's faces as they acknowledge their presence.

Your own personal time machine if only for an hour and a half. Slip the DVD in, turn the lights down low, take a couple good strong hits and wash them down with a few Tallboys. Use your imagination and for the briefest of time you are back in 1976. I wish they made more movies like this instead of the sugar coated pablum coming out of Hollywood nowadays.

Remember this?

Howard Hughes died, 
Robin Trower-Bridge of Sighs, 
Jeff Beck, 
Kawasaki Z1, 
Kawasaki 750 triple 2-stroke, 
45 cents a gallon gas, 
104 octane gas, 
Frampton Comes Alive, 
Bad Company - Shooting Star, 
Elvin Bishop - Fooled Around and Fell In Love, 
Jimmy Carter, 
Dirty Mary, 
Crazy Larry, 
1969 Dodge Charger 440, 
2 Lane Blacktop, 
3 finger lids, 
windowpane, 
Diamond Dogs, 
J. Geils, 
Midnight Special, Wings Over America tour, 
Bad Company - Movin' On, 
Mott The Hoople - All The Young Dudes,
SD 455 with the Big Bird on the hood, 
Marshall Tucker Band - Heard It In A Love Song, 
Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery, 
Edelbrock Tunnel Ram with Holley Double Pumpers, ...

...getting high at dusk while listening to Pink Floyd's "Time" and looking at the Dallas skyscraper skyline against the setting sun.

If you do then Dazed and Confused is right up your alley. If you don't then still watch it, the characters in D&C cover all generations, just the cars and clothing have changed.

And then you have the standard school experiences like parties at friend’s houses, keg parties, fleeing bullies, dealing with coaches & teachers, flirting, the possibility of sex, hanging out, meaningless conversations, fights, smoking pot at school or in your friend’s bedroom, etc.

Like “Fast Times,” “Dazed and Confused” is a joy to watch — whatever your age — because it successfully takes you back to the high school years with all its joys & agonies.

Cynthia: Maybe the 80s will be like radical or something. I figure we'll be in our 20s and it cant' get worse.

Some don’t like it because it’s more of a slice-of-life film than a plot-driven, contrived story. The plot here is simple: It’s the last day of school and the youths want to celebrate. If they can’t party at their friend’s house (because the dad catches wind of their plans) they’ll have a party at the park or wherever, but they WILL party. The rest of the film involves their interactions within this context.

Slater: Oh, a little weed, you know. There may be a beer bust later on.

I’ve heard some complain that the film conveys a terrible message.

What message?

There is no message.

The message is that school’s out and it’s time to celebrate! Besides, there are a few positive points that can be mined from the proceedings: the arrogant bully gets what’s coming, make a stand and fight when you have to (even if you get beat up), ultra-tight pants must be put on with pliers & the help of a friend, be true to yourself, etc.

But — really — this isn’t a movie to look for deep messages, its simple purpose is to take you back to the school years — in this case, 1976 — and all the fun & painful experiences thereof.

Don Dawson: You know that Julie chick? Loves you. You want her? Gotta play it cool, you know. You can't let her know how much you like ?cause if she knows, she'll dump you like that. Believe me. Like, if she asks you if you want a ride, you say, "No, I've got my own ride, but maybe I'll see you later." Sounds stupid, doesn't it? It works.

No review of “Dazed and Confused” would be complete without noting the excellent soundtrack. You get some great rock/metal of the 70s like “Sweet Emotion,” “School’s Out,” “Stranglehold,” “Do You Feel Like We Do,” “Love Hurts,” “Paranoid,” “Rock & Roll Hootchie Coo,” “Rock & Roll All Nite,” “Slow Ride,” “Cherry Bomb,” “Tuesday’s Gone” and many more.

Here’s some quotes, and slang, that my generation can most certainly relate to…

• “Alright, alright, alright!” — Wooderson
• “Shotgun!” — Slater
• “It’d be a lot cooler if you did.” — Wooderson
• “You cool, man?” — Slater
• “‘I’ve got my own ride, but maybe I’ll see you later.’” — Dawson
• “You gotta keep on livin’… L-I-V-I-N.” — Wooderson

‘Wild at Heart’ (1990)

I’m going to close out this post with a slightly more serious flick. This one is surreal, but anyone that was in love with someone who’s parents hated you would relate to this movie.

Indeed.

It was hard enough finding a girlfriend in high school. But finding one that had parents that approved of you was just about impossible. Here is a movie … perhaps taken to extremes… that illustrates the lengths at which a mother would go to in order to “protect” her daughter.

Lula's psychopathic mother goes crazy at the thought of Lula being with Sailor, who just got free from jail. 

Ignoring Sailor's probation, they set out for California. 

However their mother hires a killer to hunt down Sailor and hurt him. 

Unaware of this, the two enjoy their journey and themselves being together... until they witness a young woman dying after a car accident - a bad omen.

Yah.

It’s something that I know all too well.

The opening scene to Wild At Heart features Nick Cage ferociously beating an assassin to death. Heads are rammed against walls, fists are lunged into guts and what results is a brutally bashed corpse with brains pouring out of it’s head. This kind of high-octane violence which is fueled by maniacal characters and deranged intervals creates a fantastic effect. One which has so much impact and so much individuality to it’s merit that it turns out to be one hell of a movie.

This is simultaneously a thrilling road movie and a revelation of small town, American country folk. The two protagonists, Sailor and Lula (Nicholas Cage and Laura Dern) are so in love with each other that they’d go to extreme lengths not to be separated.

Their separation is exactly what Lula’s crazed mother wants, as she believes that Sailor is a cold-blooded murderer who is putting her daughter in danger.

Her anger is so fierce that the viewer becomes slightly scared by her: her manic fits of rage where she plasters herself in red lipstick; her bizarre paroxysms fueled by numerous cocktails.

All of her slight idiosyncrasies and mannerisms well up to create a very intimidating mother.

She sends out a hitman to dispose of Sailor and bring back her daughter, but the lovely couple are on the run from her and the law.

Sailor and Lula meet up with some very strange characters whilst travelling far away from Lula’s mother.

The eccentricities of ‘Tuna Town’ in Texas, the insane car accident victim and Lula’s nutcase cousin who believes that “the man with the black glove is coming to get him”.

It’s all rudimentary David Lynch fare. He has mastered the art of contemporary film making: a clever blend of black-comedy, violence and fantasy.

The viewer builds an empathy for the two main characters, as it would be a terrible thing to see their undying love for each other shattered.

The other characters in the movie all seem to want to destroy that love.

Sailor’s character, although violent and hard-bitten, seems the most normal of the lot. It takes a sane man to make sense of all the insane folk in America’s underbelly.

He puts up with a lot from everyone, but all he really wants to do is escape from it all with Lula.

Summary…

Well, while you are trapped in this slow-motion nightmare you might as well make the best of the situation. Now, rather than watching horror and adventure movies out of Hollywood, how about checking out some more light hearted fare for purposes of escape…

If you want to relive your school years…

• Hot Dog the Movie
• One Crazy Summer
• Risky Business
• Dream a little dream
• Better off dead
• Dazed and Confused

If you want to relive your 20’s…

• Wayne’s world
• Something about Mary
• Wild at Heart

If you want to just escape from your life as an Adult…

• Captain Ron

In any event, it’s great escapist entertainment. Certainly at least one of these movies will strike a cord within your soul. Have fun.

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