Last night I was wandering through the bookstore when a tiny glint of shiny metallic caught my eye. Like a fish spotting a lure I turned towards the source of my distraction only to be snagged by one of my favorite movies, Dazed and Confused. I don’t know why I hadn’t purchased this movie ages ago, it has been one of my favorite movies since I was sixteen.
Anyway, stumbling upon this movie made me decide to write another installment of Things that Kick/Suck Ass.
Thing that Kicks Ass- Dazed and Confused
What the fuck did you think I was going to discuss ass clown? Linklater’s homage to teenage life in the seventies might not be as heart warming or as moving as American Graffiti but the sheer coolness of the movie kicks Graffiti’s ass all around the parking lot while having sex with its girlfriend.
The plot of the movie is simple enough, it is the last day of school and the up and coming seniors have started the ritual hazing of the up and coming Freshman. After a hard day of beating and degrading the lower classmen, the towns’ youth seeks out entertainment in the form of cold beer and mellow pot. Obviously a party ensues.
While the plot isn’t all that special the characters are. The whole cast of a typical high school is represented in the film. I can even spot the character that best represents me in this movie (no, it isn’t Pink, it is Benny O’Donnel, yep I was the guy who would complain about needlessly tossing away a beer) and everyone knew the jock like Don Dawson, the wanna be badass like Fred O’Bannion, and the stoner like Slater. Obviously we all knew or know a guy like Wooderson who is several years older than everyone else at the party.
The movie is worth watching for the cars alone. There are more kick ass automobiles in this movie than you can shake a stick at (the yellow GTO is so cherry) and I even remember my dad commenting on how the most unrealistic part of this movie are all of the kick ass cars…there obviously weren’t enough rusted out El Caminos for his liking. Even cooler than the cars is the music. The soundtrack is jam packed with seventies staples like Aerosmith, Sabbath, Frampton, Foghat, Steve Miller, War, deep Purple, Zepplin and a host of others. The greatest aspect of the songs is how they interact with the characters, lending to the conversations and the moods. After all, rarely is music more a focus in your life than it was in high school.
If you haven’t seen this movie (television doesn’t count because all of the good parts of the movie are edited out) rent it sometime. It is a great, entertaining movie.
Thing that Sucks Ass- Getting Blue Balled
I would never blame the woman when I get blue balled, however, it still sucks. If you are a guy and haven’t gotten blue balled before, you will. And it will suck.
