Over the Edge (Jonathan Kaplan, 1979)

Extracurricular activities—you know, that time consuming comfort we all take for granted. Well, for some strange reason, they've yet to be made available to the young people of a newly established suburb called New Granada, the bland local where the majority of the unstructured delinquency takes place in the coarsely beautiful Over the Edge, a venturesome look at youth-based ennui in a stagnant society. An authentic and straightforward examination of what it must have been like to live in a world where staring mindlessly at screens all day wasn't option, the film, directed by Jonathan Kaplan (Truck Turner) and featuring gorgeous photography by Andrew Davis (The Fugitive), crackles with a freewheeling aimlessness. Sure, there are television screens to look at, but the underage characters that populate this burgeoning realm don't seem all that interested in the vegetational arts. And I must confess, seeing the kids in this movie roaming wild and unfettered through the streets of this lame town was quite invigorating. Following the apathetic adventures of Carl (Michael Kramer) and Richie (Matt Dillon), two 14 year-old troublemakers who rip the system on a daily basis, the film makes a lofty attempt to show what can happen to a quiet suburb when the interests of young people are completely disregarded. With the exception of a biosphere-esque rec centre run by a cute idealist (Julia Pomeroy), there's nothing much going on in terms of lawful amusement for the under fifteen crowd.

As you would expect, Carl, Richie, and their drug abusing pal Claude (the super-terrific Tom Fergus), drift purposelessly from one unmanageable situation to another, while always on the lookout for the aptly named Doberman (Harry Northup), an overzealous police officer who has a severe disdain for rapscallions, scallywags and scoundrels.

On the parental front, Carl's dad (Andy Romano), the owner of a struggling car dealership, is trying to attract investors to the sleepy suburb, especially the one's who are interested in buying a large plot of land, which of course is located across from the youth's beloved rec centre. Convinced that no one will commit millions of dollars to a town that has hundreds of unruly adolescents running rampant, the elders try to shield the potential investors from the minor rabble. This plan backfires and sets in motion some mildly tragic events that will change New Granada forever.

It's not all drug addled partying and property damage, while all this wanton teen angst is transpiring, young love is blossoming. First locking gazes while attending a mandatory screening of a propaganda film besmirching the destructive beauty that is vandalism, the off-kilter romance that slowly forms between Carl and Cory (Pamela Ludwig) was a delightful counter-punch to all the macho posturing that takes place in Over the Edge. I also liked how the act of Cory almost killing Carl is what brought them closer together–before the accidental snuffing they were just in the flirtation stage of their relationship. Nothing says true love like being shot at while dancing to Cheap Trick in the upstairs bedroom of an uncompleted townhouse on the outskirts of nowhere.

A staunch supporter of teenage vandalism, and hooliganism in general, I found myself nodding along in steadfast agreement while each act of impish rascality was being implemented. The fact that the girls, an unfairly neglected group when it comes to nonsensical criminality, were deeply involved the anarchistic bravado that goes on in this film caused me to nod even harder.

Going much further than Pump Up the Volume and Heathers did in terms of incendiary fanfare, Over the Edge lives up to its title in a big way during its final third. An orgy of underage ferocity and premeditated devilment, a stoic Carl leads his crazed mob of frisky juniors on a senseless yet politically relevant mission to destroy the very fabric of New Grenadian society.

The image of Michael Kramer's Carl, his profound shortness adding to the age-centric believability of his character (teens in movies are usually too tall), serenely standing as chaos reigns around him was the film's defining moment. Second in that regard would have to be the sight of Matt Dillon acting tough in a mid-riff revealing t-shirt. Nah, that's actually third or forth.

The second is the scene where the angelic Pamela Ludwig leaves Carl's hideout and slowly walks into the creeping nightfall emerging daylight. I loved how she waved goodbye twice; briefly extending what was already a touching moment.

Normally content with lying on his bed while blasting the popular rock music of the day on his headphones, Carl comes to the conclusion that he's spent enough time hiding in shadows, and goes about getting his voice heard by utilizing the uncompromising bluntness that only a rowdy throng can provide. It's an inspirational message that proves what kind of greatness humanity can achieve whenever they decide to stop looking at screens, go outside, and confront the world.

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Little Darlings (Ronald F. Maxwell, 1980)

New friendships are born, and early on a random guy gets kicked squarely in the testicles, which out of these two things do you think is gonna be the main focus of Little Darlings? If you think about it, they both seem applicable, given the title, but the realm of friendship is where this tender tale of adolescent awakening spends most of its time. I don't know about you, but I'm kinda glad the film's narrative decided to follow the girls to summer camp, as the prospect of watching the tragic aftermath of a vicious violation of ones right not to have his or her balls stomped on isn't very appealing. Anyway, a seemingly straightforward endeavor that examines the budding relationship between two girls from different socioeconomic backgrounds, the film takes the horny teenagers at camp story and gives it a girly edge. Instead of a bunch of boys trying to get laid in a forested setting, this particular woodsy lark is about a group of girls who make a bet to see which virgin will have sexual intercourse with a male human first before the summer is over. The competitors being the disaffected Angel (Kristy McNichol) and the equally disaffected (but for completely different reasons) Ferris (an elegant Tatum O'Neal). The original group who made the unsavoury wager split up into two camps: the Angel camp lead by Dana (Alexa Kenin), who encourage Angel as she makes a play for Randy (a dopey, yet oddly suave Matt Dillon), and the Ferris camp, lead by the cattish Cinder (the lovely Krista Errickson), who help the blue-blooded teen attain the penile devotion of the much older Gary (Armand Assante), a camp counselor with healthy eyebrows.

This separation of the girls gave the film more room to breath (the eight of them in the same room together was a bit much). It also gave the film's two stars a chance to shine on their own, as I found their initial hatred of one another to be awkward and forced. While Kristy's scenes had a weighty tone about them (lot's of meaningful looks and hushed longing), Tatum's were a tad creepy, but kinda playful at the same time. (The reason Armand looked much older than Tatum was because he was...much older.)

Nonetheless, Tatum's puckered lips waiting to be kissed was giggle worthy and her giddy nocturnal jaunt across the field as she left Gary's cabin was on the cusp of being enthralling.

Displaying a quiet intensity, Kristy McNichol is a sullen delight as Angel, a tough chick who smokes, wears pink tank tops, and glowers like a deranged loner. Sporting a hairstyle that defined a generation, the subtly alluring actress maintains a cool veneer as the contentious teen. It's true that both Kristy and Tatum aggressively pursue the men they want to be deflowered by, but the manner in which Kristy went about acquiring her fella was downright sexy. Her persistence when it came to bagging Matt Dillon's Randy was quite the role reversal. I mean, Angel trying to get 'em drunk, the way she picked him up in that canoe, and her flirtatious demeanor when they first met all seemed like the tactics of some unlubricated Lothario, not a feisty virgin.

At any rate, the boathouse scenes are where Miss McNichol's performance shows its mettle, giving Little Darlings the prestige it so rightly deserves in the annals of teenage camp movies.

Oh, and it should be noted that Sunshine is in the Ferris camp as well. Played by an adorable Cynthia Nixon, this particular girl had a distinct hippie vibe about her, as she openly refers to the karma of others and handed out vitamins to people she had just met.

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