Pump Up the Volume (1990)

Why so much hype?

People are voting emotionally.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Christian Slater plays a shy yet disgruntled teenager who runs a pirate radio station which he uses to complain about his corruptly run high school in this captivating comedy from 'Empire Records' director Allan Moyle. Fresh from 'Heathers', Slater is perfectly cast in the lead role and manages to be believably milquetoast when socialising in public and yet cocky and arrogant when on air since nobody knows that it is him (some intriguing personal identity issues exist with this dynamic). The plot is not exactly airtight with the corrupt practices of the school feeling like an after-thought, only really introduced in the second half of the movie when the school tries to shut him down, but it is an entertaining ride nonetheless with things really spiraling out of control as the students take to supporting him more and more -- through graffiti and sabotaging the school's PA system -- as the administration react with increasing sternness to his actions. The film comes with a lot of positive messages too even if some of the teenagers overreact to his radio shadow (one microwaves all her jewelry); this is a film about freedom of expression and the need to be able to question those in higher authority and hold them to account. The film benefits from some terrific music too, and it still manages to be amusing even as it turns rather message-heavy towards the end.

Mark has just moved to Arizona from the East Coast. His parents give him a short-wave radio so he can talk to his pals. But he sets up a pirate Station, going under the pseudonym of D.J. Hard Harry, and becomes a hero to his peers while inspiring the wrath of the local high school principal. When one of Harry's listeners commits suicide and chaos breaks out at the school, the authorities are called in to put a stop to Harry's broadcasts....Made in a time when Slater was at the height of his Heartthrob-ness, and to be fair he was a pretty big deal in the early nineties (if you were fifteen), The film is like a big sunshine Strawberry smoothie, with a little teen angst thrown in.Slater does channel a kind of profane, alcohol induced Spider-man in his performance. By day, a shy, spectacle wearing back of the class type student, by night, well, you get the gist.And he has never been better, and I really don't know what happened from there. His Harry is something many the targeted demographic could only dream of doing.He's honest, funny, sympathetic, and full of empathy, yet he still inspires anarchy across the very small town, and obviously, it irks the older population of the town.The soundtrack too, is wonderful, playing a kind of narrative in itself, and only adds a little more depth to the film.There are minor flaws in the film, stereotypes are rife throughout the film, but it wasn't aimed at most people, it was aimed at misunderstood teens, and at one point in our lives, we were one of those.Still cool 23 years on....

Pump Up the Volume might have been the true opening salvo of the 90s, and the voice of Generation X, but it speaks to every teen of every generation.It is about raising your voice, being heard, but only with the advent of the Internet was its dream fully realized.This is the type of movie that will make you want to write your own blog, make a video journal, or do a podcast. It has that quality that grip people attention and make them do things worthwhile with their lives.It's an excellent performance by a young Christian Slater, and the rest of the cast. The whole story, every scene, each dialog, they all ring of authenticity. And the soundtrack is amazing.It might be getting old, but it doesn't feel like it.

Pump Up The Volume stars Christian Slater as Mark, a shy high schooler who has an alter ego. In the evenings, he broadcasts from some equipment set up in his parents basement, creating a radio persona named "Hard Harry." He is wild and profane, but talks honestly about that things that bother him as a young adult. Eventally, his classmates begin to discover his broadcast, and the word spreads among them until he is a local phenomenon. Except that no one knows who it is saying all these things, because Mark is quiet and timid in class.He starts talking about some of the questionable practices going on at his school, which gets the attention of the administration and eventually the authorities. The pressure builds as more kids rely on "Harry" for direction, and more adults are trying to find him and shut him down. It eventually ends with the principal of the school being exposed and fired, just as Harry is discovered and apprehended. We are left to make our own assumptions as to how the student body will respond and move forward now that Harry is off the air.I was pretty apathetic about this story. I didn't find it all that memorable. I think the stuff I enjoyed most was the inspirational parts of Harry's broadcast (mixed in with scatological humor). I thought a lot of it was well written, although not really believable dialog for a high school student. If I had seen this movie when it came out, it might hold some nostalgic value. Watching it for the first time this year, it didn't do much for me.