Somehow there is a teen comedy from the 80s that I never managed to catch, whether in theaters, on gritty VHS, or in constant rotation on cable TV when I was growing up. When I heard this I panicked and added Three O’Clock High to my Netflix queue post haste. Now that I’ve seen it I can let out a sigh of relief. And the movie wasn’t really that bad either. Three O’Clock High is a sort of modern update of the High Noon conceit, with the dreaded fist fight at the bike racks after school stepping in for the midday shoot out. Casey Siemaszko plays the typical, insecure, cowardly 80s teen protagonist to perfection. He’s certainly no Gary Cooper, and that’s just how it should be. His dreaded opponent in the after school throw down is Buddy Revell, the new kid in town, of whom many tall tales have been told. He’s mean, he’s got long hair, and he’s got a trail of pummeled bodies laying in his wake. Oh, plus he’s played by mother F’n Crisp from Kindergarten Cop. How cool is that? How is a nerd like Siemaszko’s character going to man up and live through an experience like this? Who knows, but it’s guaranteed that he’s going to find himself the hero of the school by the end. Oh, the 80s, you were a simpler time. Factor in some surprisingly good photography and out of nowhere appearances by Jeffrey Tambor and Philip Baker Hall and this is one 80s movie worth giving a gander. I still can’t believe I never heard of this, if I’d watched it when I was a kid I’d probably have loved it. C’est la merde.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Short Round: Three O'Clock High (1987) ***/*****
Somehow there is a teen comedy from the 80s that I never managed to catch, whether in theaters, on gritty VHS, or in constant rotation on cable TV when I was growing up. When I heard this I panicked and added Three O’Clock High to my Netflix queue post haste. Now that I’ve seen it I can let out a sigh of relief. And the movie wasn’t really that bad either. Three O’Clock High is a sort of modern update of the High Noon conceit, with the dreaded fist fight at the bike racks after school stepping in for the midday shoot out. Casey Siemaszko plays the typical, insecure, cowardly 80s teen protagonist to perfection. He’s certainly no Gary Cooper, and that’s just how it should be. His dreaded opponent in the after school throw down is Buddy Revell, the new kid in town, of whom many tall tales have been told. He’s mean, he’s got long hair, and he’s got a trail of pummeled bodies laying in his wake. Oh, plus he’s played by mother F’n Crisp from Kindergarten Cop. How cool is that? How is a nerd like Siemaszko’s character going to man up and live through an experience like this? Who knows, but it’s guaranteed that he’s going to find himself the hero of the school by the end. Oh, the 80s, you were a simpler time. Factor in some surprisingly good photography and out of nowhere appearances by Jeffrey Tambor and Philip Baker Hall and this is one 80s movie worth giving a gander. I still can’t believe I never heard of this, if I’d watched it when I was a kid I’d probably have loved it. C’est la merde.
