Pump Up the Volume (film): Difference between revisions
AnmaFinotera (talk | contribs) m Added {{unreferenced}} tag to article. using Friendly |
Koliak2991 (talk | contribs) |
||
| Line 65: | Line 65: | ||
Mark Hunter (Slater), a [[high school]] student in a sleepy [[Arizona]] suburb, starts a [[VHF]] [[pirate radio]] station which broadcasts from his bedroom transmitter in the basement of his parent's house. Mark is a loner, an outsider, whose only outlet for his teenage angst and aggression is his unauthorized radio station. (His pirate station's theme song is "[[Everybody Knows]]" by [[Leonard Cohen]].). By day, Mark is seen as a loner, hardly talking to anyone around him; by night, he expresses his outsider views about what is wrong with American society. When he speaks his mind about what is going on at his school and in the community, more and more of his fellow students tune in to hear his show. Nobody knows the true identity of "Hard Harry" or "Happy Harry Hard-on", as Mark refers to himself, until Nora Diniro (Mathis), a fellow student, tracks him down. The radio show becomes increasingly popular and influential; one student, an overachiever, jams her various medals and accolades into a microwave, which explodes, injuring her, and another student commits suicide after Harry attempts to reason with him. Eventually, the radio show causes so much trouble in the community that the [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]] is called in to investigate. During the fracas, it is revealed that the school's principal (Annie Ross) has been expelling "problem students" (including an unwed mother) in an effort to boost the district's test scores. |
Mark Hunter (Slater), a [[high school]] student in a sleepy [[Arizona]] suburb, starts a [[VHF]] [[pirate radio]] station which broadcasts from his bedroom transmitter in the basement of his parent's house. Mark is a loner, an outsider, whose only outlet for his teenage angst and aggression is his unauthorized radio station. (His pirate station's theme song is "[[Everybody Knows]]" by [[Leonard Cohen]].). By day, Mark is seen as a loner, hardly talking to anyone around him; by night, he expresses his outsider views about what is wrong with American society. When he speaks his mind about what is going on at his school and in the community, more and more of his fellow students tune in to hear his show. Nobody knows the true identity of "Hard Harry" or "Happy Harry Hard-on", as Mark refers to himself, until Nora Diniro (Mathis), a fellow student, tracks him down. The radio show becomes increasingly popular and influential; one student, an overachiever, jams her various medals and accolades into a microwave, which explodes, injuring her, and another student commits suicide after Harry attempts to reason with him. Eventually, the radio show causes so much trouble in the community that the [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]] is called in to investigate. During the fracas, it is revealed that the school's principal (Annie Ross) has been expelling "problem students" (including an unwed mother) in an effort to boost the district's test scores. |
||
Realizing he has started something huge, Mark decides it is up to him to end it. He dismantles his radio station and attaches it to his mother's old [[jeep]], creating a mobile transmitter. Pursued by the police and the FCC, Nora drives the jeep around while Mark broadcasts. His voice disguiser breaks, and with no time left to fix it, Mark decides to broadcast his final message as himself. They finally |
Realizing he has started something huge, Mark decides it is up to him to end it. He dismantles his radio station and attaches it to his mother's old [[jeep]], creating a mobile transmitter. Pursued by the police and the FCC, Nora drives the jeep around while Mark broadcasts. His voice disguiser breaks, and with no time left to fix it, Mark decides to broadcast his final message as himself. They finally drive up to the crowd of protesting students, and Mark tells them that the world belongs to them and that they should make their own future. The police step in and arrest Mark and Nora. As they are taken away, Mark reminds the students to "talk hard". |
||
As the film ends, many students start their own independent stations, which can be heard broadcasting across the town. |
As the film ends, many students start their own independent stations, which can be heard broadcasting across the town. |
||
Revision as of 06:46, 28 December 2007
 |
| Pump Up the Volume | |
|---|---|
 Pump Up the Volume movie poster | |
| Directed by | Allan Moyle |
| Written by | Allan Moyle |
| Produced by | Syd Cappe Sara Risher Nicolas Stiliadis |
| Starring | Christian Slater Samantha Mathis |
| Cinematography | Walt Lloyd |
| Edited by | Larry Rock |
| Music by | Cliff Martinez |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
Release dates | August 22, 1990 |
Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | Canada/USA |
| Language | English |
Pump Up the Volume (1990) is a comedy-drama written and directed by Allan Moyle and starring Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis.
Filming locations included Saugus High School and other locations around Saugus, California, USA. Although the film takes place at the fictional "Hubert Humphrey High", the real school's markers can be seen in a few tracking shots.
Main cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Christian Slater | Mark Hunter |
| Samantha Mathis | Nora Diniro |
| Mimi Kennedy | Marla Hunter |
| Scott Paulin | Brian Hunter |
| Cheryl Pollak | Paige Woodward |
| Annie Ross | Loretta Creswood |
| Ahmet Zappa | Jaime |
| Billy Morrissette | Mazz Mazzilli |
| Seth Green | Joey |
| Robert Schenkkan | David Deaver |
| Ellen Greene | Jan Emerson |
| Andy Romano | Mr. Murdock |
| Anthony Lucero | Malcolm Kaiser |
| Lala Sloatman | Janie |
| James Hampton | Arthur Watts |
Plot summary
Mark Hunter (Slater), a high school student in a sleepy Arizona suburb, starts a VHF pirate radio station which broadcasts from his bedroom transmitter in the basement of his parent's house. Mark is a loner, an outsider, whose only outlet for his teenage angst and aggression is his unauthorized radio station. (His pirate station's theme song is "Everybody Knows" by Leonard Cohen.). By day, Mark is seen as a loner, hardly talking to anyone around him; by night, he expresses his outsider views about what is wrong with American society. When he speaks his mind about what is going on at his school and in the community, more and more of his fellow students tune in to hear his show. Nobody knows the true identity of "Hard Harry" or "Happy Harry Hard-on", as Mark refers to himself, until Nora Diniro (Mathis), a fellow student, tracks him down. The radio show becomes increasingly popular and influential; one student, an overachiever, jams her various medals and accolades into a microwave, which explodes, injuring her, and another student commits suicide after Harry attempts to reason with him. Eventually, the radio show causes so much trouble in the community that the FCC is called in to investigate. During the fracas, it is revealed that the school's principal (Annie Ross) has been expelling "problem students" (including an unwed mother) in an effort to boost the district's test scores.
Realizing he has started something huge, Mark decides it is up to him to end it. He dismantles his radio station and attaches it to his mother's old jeep, creating a mobile transmitter. Pursued by the police and the FCC, Nora drives the jeep around while Mark broadcasts. His voice disguiser breaks, and with no time left to fix it, Mark decides to broadcast his final message as himself. They finally drive up to the crowd of protesting students, and Mark tells them that the world belongs to them and that they should make their own future. The police step in and arrest Mark and Nora. As they are taken away, Mark reminds the students to "talk hard".
As the film ends, many students start their own independent stations, which can be heard broadcasting across the town.
Theatrical Release
Upon its release, Pump was dismissed by some critics as a teenage exploitation vehicle that was trying to pass itself off as a modern version of Radio Days [citation needed]. In fact, most of the adults were thinly portrayed as corrupt authoritarian figures, and the film seemed to have all the standard conventions of 'teen crisis' movies popular at the time. Nor was the film's theatrical debut impressive, and Pump Up the Volume failed to catch on at the box office.
Other critics, such as Roger Ebert, gave generally positive reviews, citing especially the film's portrayal of rebellious quasi-political activism, obviously geared towards a teenaged audience.
Conversely, the film was scoffed at by many genuine pirate radio operators and enthusiasts for its melodramatic portrayal of alleged FCC enforcement techiques, including a small army of federal agents in brightly marked yellow vans and helicopters feverishly hunting for the outlaw transmitter, and the FCC chairman himself holding a press conference to announce his arrival on-scene.
Awards
The movie won the Golden Space Needle Award at the Seattle International Film Festival, and the Audience Award at the Deauville Film Festival.
Soundtrack
Music being central to the plot of a film about a young pirate radio station DJ, the soundtrack featured a diverse lot of artists. The official soundtrack release had the following tracks:
- "Everybody Knows" (Leonard Cohen) – Concrete Blonde
- "Why Can't I Fall in Love?" – Ivan Neville
- "Stand" – Liquid Jesus
- "Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)" – Pixies
- "I've Got a Miniature Secret Camera" – Peter Murphy
- "Kick Out the Jams" – Bad Brains with Henry Rollins
- "Freedom of Speech" – Above the Law
- "Heretic" – Soundgarden
- "Titanium Expose" – Sonic Youth
- "Me and the Devil Blues" (Robert Johnson) – Cowboy Junkies
- "Tale O' The Twister" – Chagall Guevara
The soundtrack features several covers. The Cowboy Junkies' contribution to the soundtrack is a remake of a Robert Johnson song, while the Bad Brains and Henry Rollins track is a cover of the MC5 anthem. "Stand" by Liquid Jesus is a new version of the 1969 song by Sly & the Family Stone.
Peter Murphy's exclusive track was later included on a special reissue of his 1988 album, Love Hysteria, while Sonic Youth's song appeared on their 1990 release, Goo.
An earlier version of Soundgarden's "Heretic" appears on the 1985 Seattle band compilation album Deep Six. Concrete Blonde revisited "Everybody Knows" on their 2003 album, Live in Brazil. The original, upbeat version of "Wave of Mutilation" appears on Doolittle, the third studio album by Pixies.
A number of songs prominently featured in the film did not appear on the officially released soundtrack, including the original version of "Everybody Knows" by Leonard Cohen, which appeared on his 1988 album, I'm Your Man. Although Cohen's version serves as the theme song for Mark's pirate radio program during most of the film, he opens his final broadcast with the Concrete Blonde cover that appears on the soundtrack. Also present in the film but absent from the soundtrack are "Dad, I'm in Jail" by Was (Not Was) from their 1988 album What Up, Dog?, "Fast Lane" by Urban Dance Squad from their 1990 album Mental Floss for the Globe, "Weinerschnitzel" by The Descendents from their 1981 EP Fat, and "Love Comes in Spurts" by Richard Hell and the Voidoids from their 1977 album Blank Generation.
Not as prominently featured is a legendary early track by the Beastie Boys entitiled "The Scenario". Although the song appears only briefly in Pump Up the Volume, it is notable because it never appeared in any official release, however is available on hard to find bootleg recordings. The song was cut from the Beastie's Def Jam album Licensed to Ill after being deemed too explicit. Christian Slater's character explains this when he introduces it on the air saying, "Now here's a song from my close personal buddies, the Beastie Boys...a song that was so controversial they couldn't put it on their first album."
There is an unofficial bootleg soundtrack that features all of the songs in film, including those omitted the official soundtrack, called Pump Up The Volume (Talk Hard Edition). It also includes a bonus disc that has clips of Harry ranting from the movie, cut with songs from the soundtrack.