Ultimate Party Collection- Dazed and Confused & Fast Times at Ridgemont High DVD Review:

The seventies and the eighties collide in this special edition box set, with two films that have acquired a faithful fan base since they came out,
and have both been called the American Graffiti for the decade in which they take place. Although they were released nearly ten years apart, it’s
remarkable how well the two films go together in a set, each able to stand on their own, and sold separately as well.

Dazed and Confused

Although Dazed and Confused takes place in 1976, it was filmed and released in the early 90’s. It was Richard Linklater’s first studio film after his
plot-less indi hit Slacker. Somehow Linklater convinced Universal to allow him to make Dazed and Confused, another nearly plot-less film, also taking place in less than twenty-four hours and also taking place in Texas. The only difference in the two films is that Dazed takes place in the seventies
and it has a more focused approach, allowing us to spend most of the film with the twenty or so characters, rather than giving us five minutes with
over 100 characters. One of the most amazing parts about watching Dazed today is spotting all of
the stars that were attached to the film before they had peaked in their careers. With many of them it is easy to see why they got to be where they
are today. Ben Affleck plays the charismatic Fred O'Bannion, who intentionally failed his senior year so he could torture the incoming freshman two years in a row. Jason London plays Randall 'Pink' Floyd, the starting quarterback who doesn’t want to sign a form stating he won’t drink or take drugs as long as he is playing football. Matthew McConaughey plays David Wooderson, the old guy who still hangs around to pick up the high
school girls. Parker Posey plays Darla Marks, the bitchy senior girl. Not to mention Joey Lauren Adams and Milla Jovovich making appearances as well. The film takes place on the last day of school, one reason it has been compared to American Graffiti, and we soon find that it is a tradition for
the incoming freshman to be beaten and humiliated as an introduction to high school. The beatings are an honor given to the seniors, which they enjoy
fully throughout the film. Other than that, the film is mostly about driving around and looking for parties on the last day of school. It takes place in
a simpler time, when alcohol consumption by minors was not as strictly enforced and drugs were not as taboo. Most of the film flows steadily even without consistent action because of
the well written dialogue performed by fantastic actors (something Slacker could have used) and a great soundtrack of classic seventies rock. Not many films can get away with so little action and hardly any resolution, but somehow Linklater managed it, and it was a success as well.

DVD EXTRAS:
• Nine Never-Before Seen Deleted Scenes
• The Blunt Truth
• Retro Public Service Announcements
• Production Notes

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Cameron Crowe allegedly went undercover at a high school to research teenagers, which inspired him to write a book, which he then turned into a
screenplay. What resulted was the ultimate teen film of the eighties, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which ends up looking more like a teen sex comedy than it does a social investigation, but we won’t hold it against Crowe. Directed by Amy Heckerling and starring an assortment of actors that have since become stars, Fast Times is both realistic while hilarious at the same time, without ever sliding into any sappy territory. The film follows a large number of characters, each with their own story, sometimes intertwining with others. Judge Reinhold plays Brad Hamilton, an older popular kid, who makes the mistake of yelling at a customer at the burger joint he works at. Suddenly he finds himself desperately seeking a job that isn’t humiliating. The burger joint was the spot to work because of its positioning in the mall, but the other jobs Brad finds are nowhere near as prestigious in his eyes. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays Brad’s younger sister, Stacy Hamilton, who thinks she is the only one not having sex and wants to end that as soon as possible. Stacy seeks advise from the
experienced Linda Barrett, played by Phoebe Cates, who has one of the most memorable scenes in cinematic history within this film.
Although a smaller story in the film, Jeff Spicoli, played by Sean Penn, is possibly the most popular. Jeff is a typical surfer/slacker type, and he is
unlucky enough to get the strictest teacher in all of Ridgemont High. That teacher is Mr. Hand, played by Ray Walston, one of the only adult roles in
the film. Fast Times also served as the first film for Forest Whitaker, who plays the football star.
Ultimately Fast Times seems to hold up today as well as it did in 1982, even if the styles have changed slightly since then. The transfer of the DVD looks fantastic and it is hard to believe that it is as old as it is. Universal obviously spent a great deal of time releasing this DVD as well as
the Dazed and Confused Flashback Edition.

DVD EXTRAS:

• Commentary by Director Amy Heckerling and Screenwriter Cameron Crowe
• Hilarious Documentary: Reliving Our Fast Times At Ridgemont High
• Totally Cool Hangouts of Ridgemont High: A Video Map
• Awesome '80s Music Highlights Featuring The Cars, Oingo Boingo, Jackson
Browne and much more!

Ryan Izay

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