Very Cool!!!

From my favorite movies..

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

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.

Christian Slater plays Mark Hunter, a shy teenager who has just moved from the East coast to Arizona. His parents give him a short wave radio set that he turns into a pirate radio station where his shyness evaporates, and instead he uses the handle "Hard Harry", where he vents his frustrations and confusions to his fellow teenagers, who it turns out are very receptive to this message, and "Hard Harry" finds himself the most popular and influential person in town, much to his high school principal's consternation. Things take a dark turn when a troubled teenage listener commits suicide, and the authorities become eager to shut down his illegal broadcasts.Smart and appealing film has a fine performance from Christian Slater, that really speaks to the hearts and minds of teenagers, and still rings true. Dramatically uneven, but will resonate strongly with people who like to listen to talk radio.

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.