marx686 Reviews

Private School (1983)

Private School is 1980s Fun!

[7/10 · 31 October 2020]

I never heard of this movie until I copied it from Showtime in August 2020. Its a fun relic of 1980s teen films with Phoebe Cates, Betsy Russell and Mathew Modine. Ray Walston and Martin Mull have small roles too. The plot is pretty thin but the girls are adorable and I definitely chuckled at some of the jokes.

The sound track is actually quite good with many great songs by the Stray Cats and others.

This isnt great cinema but an artifact from almost 40 years ago. They just dont make these sorts of teen films anymore and its enjoyable to see a very young Modine and Cates together.

If you get bored during the Coronavirus lockdown in 2021, find a showing of Private School!

Dazed and Confused (1993)

Fun '70s Movie

[9/10 · 5 June 2013]

I went to high school in the early 70s. D&C does capture some of the fun of that era before AIDS, 9-11, Homeland Security, locker searches or much of the junk we put up with in 2013. In the Northeast we never had Freshman hazing, so I found that stuff a bit hard to relate to. I read here that was common in Texas high schools. I would recommend D&C not as great filmmaking but simply a fun look back at high school in a unique time that only lasted a few years. For young people that want to get a feel for the 70s, watch this film. Also see Fast Times at Ridgemont High and the first two seasons of That 70s Show. Freaking awesome, dude!