Movie Details
| Title: | Valley Girl | |
| Director: | Martha Coolidge | |
| Year: | 1983 | |
| Genre: | Female Cinema | |
| Times Seen: | 2 | |
| Last Seen: | 02.12.14 |
Other Movies Seen By This Director (0)
| Date Viewed | Venue | Note |
| 02.12.14 | Marchesa | The next in Rick Linklater's Jewels in the Waste series of his early-80s favs even though Rick wasn't here tonight because he's in Berline premiering Boyhood. Instead, Lars gave an extra long intro and afterward he chatted with Louis Black which I found to be just as interesting. This is a bit of a confession but I've never seen this before. It hit while I was still too young to see boobs and I never got around to it when I watching stuff like Last American Virgin and Joysticks. I should really also see Vampire's Kiss. Anyway, I was really taken with this. It didn't feel as scandalous as Fast Times and I loved how... ok I loved a lot of things. For one, I love how the Valley was where all the rich preppy people lived. Having spent 1978-86 being a small kid in the valley, I thought this was hilarious. I guess this is right before everyone figured out all the porn in the world was being produced next door and all the rich white people moved into the hills. I also loved how the movie embraced location and montaged the fuck out of early-80s Hollyweird and the Sunset Strip and some seminal punk and new wave bands in contrast with the color blocked collar-up "techno pop with no soul" that was playing all over the radio. It goes further than that though and, I feel, really sees Los Angeles - all of Los Angeles - with a loving eye. Even the "scariest" Hollywood Blvd. stuff isn't nearly as rough as Suburbia or Repo Man or even Thrashin' but instead a more innocent and romantic view of the seedy side much like the story as a whole. And of course Nic Cage is great. And you know... I'm not some huge fan of 80s music and certainly not the super poppy stuff like Modern English but, as Louis and Lars pointed out in their conversation, this movie uses the radio and music and that Modern English song I Melt with You so goddamn well that you totally feel it work. The music and scenery and fashion and everything comes together to make a pristine artifact of the American 80s. Well worth including in a series such as this |
| 01.11.08 | Netflix | Another one where it felt like it had slipped through the cracks for me or something. Like people are surprised I haven't seen this. For all those people, hello! I'm a guy! I'm not SUPPOSED to have seen this? I know this now. Probably not a bad movie. I can see why girls who grew up with it like it. It just has nothing for me though. At least Fast Times at Ridgemont High attempted to give multiple points of view. Here all the boys seem either thuggish or foppish and it's so totally and completely a girl movie that I don't think I'm supposed to like it for anything more than I do: Frederic Forrest as the dad, seeing Dottie from Pee-Wee's Big Adventure's boobs, and the 80s fashion/music. |
