Pumped

I was just watching Pump Up The Volume for the first time since it was released. Christian Slater stars as a teenger whose rants on an underground radio station become very popular. It's sort of a Network set in high school. Or maybe Heathers meets the FCC.

I thought it still held up. Hardly a classic, but pretty good for a high school drama. As so often happens, the thing that dates it most is the technology. There's Christian Slater, taking calls on a huge cell phone and spinning records on vinyl, all sent out via short wave radio. And while on the air, he smokes! Would that ever happens today?

Slater's co-star is Samantha Mathis, who for a while looked like she had a shot at being the face of the 90s. If only Super Mario Bros. had been bigger, who knows? She still works regularly (she's been on my two favorite shows, Lost and House), but I don't think the public knows her name.

The fascist principal is played by Annie Ross. I'm a huge fan of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, so it's always odd to watch Annie's occasional forays into straight acting.