review: ROCK 'N ROLL HIGH SCHOOL

Buena Vista  //  Buy from Amazon.com Vince Lombardi High School keeps losing principals to nervous breakdowns because of the students' love of rock 'n' roll and their disregard of education. The putative leader of the students is Riff Randell, who loves the music of the Ramones. A new principal, the rock-music-hating Miss Evelyn Togar, is brought in and promises to put an end to the music craze. When Miss Togar and a group of parents attempt to burn a pile of rock records, the students take over the high school, joined by the Ramones, who are made honorary students. When the police are summoned and demand that the students evacuate the building, they do so, which leads to an explosive finale. This is one of my most beloved childhood movies, a film that somehow made its way up to lil' ol' Choice Video in my hometown and was rented (many, many times) by my eager young self, enraptured by the laisez-faire Riff Randall and the powerful 3-chord rhythm of the mighty Ramones. Looking back, it's interesting to catch all of the rebellious undertones evident in the film, just watered down and glossed over to make them that much more (deceptively?) digested by eager young minds. "Rock 'n Roll High School" is absolutely a product of its time - a light, fluffy, corny, cheesy, and just plain fun movie that never takes itself too seriously, relishes in its goofiness and campiness and never pays much heed to the fact that the story and characters are so clearly unrealistic. But y'know what? Who cares - this is a fun flick and should not be watched as anything but. An extra special treat for my adult self is to see the ever-glorious Clint Howard in a small, but stellar, role -- good ol' "Ice Cream Man" himself is always a hoot to behold and his role as the well-intentioned-but-creepy-older-guy-hanging-out-in-the-high-school-bathroom is a riot. A fantastic film, well worth adding to your collection! Video The film gets a widescreen transfer that is not, surprisingly, anamorphic in nature. Thankfully, however, it is a good, clean print and definitely light years ahead in terms of quality compared to the worn-out VHS copies we're all used to having to suffer through to soak in this cinematic classic. Audio Dolby Digital 2.0 mix is solid -- good, clean, with little noise or distortion. No Dolby 5.1, but in all honesty, it wouldn't be necessary for a film from this era. Extras TONS of extras, including: "Back To School" - The Making Of Rock N Roll High School featurette audio commentary by producer Roger Corman and actress Dey Young audio commentary with director, producer & screenwriter 15 minutes of audio-only concert footage outtakes w/ The Ramones radio spots trailer Closing Thoughts Fantastical classic rock 'n roll romp + some entertaining extras = must-have DVD for any fan of Corman, b-movies, or cheesy high school flicks