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The stage curtains open ...
"Pump Up The Volume" is a teenage movie, made about teenagers and for teenagers - and I loved it. Mark Hunter (Slater) is your normal, typical high school student trying to find his own identity in a changing and confusing world having just moved from the east coast to an Arizona city. On a search for a "voice" that rises above the others to show the way, to point out the problems with society and what to do about it, he finds himself becoming what he is searching for. The story centers around his duo-life as a high school student and the pirate radio DJ, Happy Harry Hard-On. As the popularity of his show increases, so do the consequences and results of his well-intentioned efforts to expose the hypocrisy within his school, which shakes up his community.
This was the character Christian Slater was born to play. He is very effective in his role and you can't help but be immediately drawn into his story. The chemistry between him and Samantha Mathis, as his love interest, is off kilter ... but it works here. She is attracted to his radio personality and works hard to show him that is who he truly is - not the quiet, coy boy in the back of the classroom. He struggles with this when he feels responsible for the suicide death of one of his listeners - and that's when the Feds become involved.
I highly recommend this movie. It is blatantly raunchy in parts, but fits the story. The trends, music and fashions may have changed, but the issues are still the same. The soundtrack is killer featuring a wide array of songs and anecdotes. Everyone has a voice - this movie encourages you to use yours. This is another personal favorite of mine. I watch it at least once a year. Keep it real - "talk hard". If your opinion isn't respected, then "so be it". It is still your opinion and that's all that matters.
score 9/10
Front-Row-Reviews 14 January 2019
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw4582636/ |
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22-2-2021 22:27:09