I Melt With You, VALLEY GIRL!!!

Moving forward using all my breath....


Today was almost a bummer.

The absurd monsoon rain during lunchtime
contributed directly to an aborted movie date,
and I had to endure 90 minutes of senseless traffic
to get home from Emerald AVe. in Ortigas
to Rizal Ave. in Manila.

Well,
I believe that the best way to save a bad day
is to compensate by having an excellent night.

I needed a feel-good DVD,
and VALLEY GIRL seemed to fit the bill.



I first saw this on Betamax (!)
with my brother Joey, way back in 1984 (!).

Aside from this fine movie, digitally remastered,
the Special Edition DVD has loads of excellent special features:

> a commentary track from director Martha Coolidge
> a retrospective documentary : 20 Totally Tubular Years Later
> a new one-on-one conversation between the director and Nic Cage
> a retrospective on the film's soundtrack,
featuring the lead singer of Modern English
> a pop-up '80s trivia track, fer shurr!!

Nicolas Cage had his breakthrough role in this movie,
only his 2nd professional acting job after appearing as an extra
in another iconic 80s movie,
FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH.
(incidentally, Sean Penn's own breakthrough movie!)



Nic Cage wasn't over-acting back then.
I now have a theory that the more hair he loses,
the more he overcompensates by being "OA".

But watch the scene in this film,
where, hurt but not defeated,
he screams out: "F*ck you, F*ck your friends!"

And you'll see the promise he showed back then,
and hopefully, will live up to again.




It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that,
along with THE LAST AMERICAN VIRGIN,
and THE BREAKFAST CLUB,




VALLEY GIRL was the teen flick that profoundly affected my life;
to be specific,
the concept of Love in my Life.

The movie was a Romeo & Juliet story
about daring to be different,
about the "punk" daring to woo the "sozy" girl.

I embraced my "tough" Manila Boy roots
and tried to be as non-conformist as possible
as I wooed all those "exclusive" High School girls.

Here's proof of how much VG influenced me,
a picture taken during an Assumption JS Prom
around 20 years ago.

My poor date never lived it down.
hahaha!



TBC reinforced my "rebel" persona further,
as the unwashed Judd Nelson won the heart of preppy Molly Ringwald,
in another perfect 1980s teen movie ending,
highlighted by Simple Minds' unforgettable
Don't You Forget About Me.

While TLAV ended on the ultimate downer note
(steeling me for the inevitable "busted" moments later on)
and had the most heartbreaking songs of the '80s on its soundtrack,
(Open Arms, Just Once, & The Commodore's Oh No)

VG has one of the best, and smartest, teen movie endings ever:
a homage to the final scene of The Graduate,
but suffused with so much more optimism
and a palpable reckless sense of "we got away with it!"-ness,
as Modern English's modern classic I MELT WITH YOU
played over the closing credits.


That song has my vote as the best New Wave love song, EVER.
It's optimistic, lusty, passionate...
Tentative, yet so heartfelt.

I Melt With You captures the spirit of the movie perfectly,
and to this day,
both still capture the blind optimism of youth.

This movie, and the song,
inextricably linked to my wild teenage years,
gave me all the reason to smile & reminisce,
and this saved my Tuesday night!!!



Moving forward using all my breath
Making love to you was never second best
I saw the world crashing all around your face
Never really knowing it was always... mesh and lace.



I'll stop the world and melt with you
You've seen the difference and it's getting better all the time
And there's nothing you and I won't do
I'll stop the world and melt with you

(We should know better)
Dream of better lives the kind which never hate
(We should see)
Trapped in a state of imaginary grace
(We should know better)
I made a pilgrimage to save this human's race
(We should see)
Never comprehending a race that's long gone by



(Let's stop the world)
I'll stop the world and melt with you
(Let's stop the world)
You've seen the difference and it's getting better all the time
And there's nothing you and I won't do




(Let's stop the world) I'll stop the world and melt with you

The future's open wide

hmmm hmmm hmmm
hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm
hmmm hmmm hmmm
hmmm hmmm hmmm hmmm

I'll stop the world and melt with you
(I'll stop the world)
You've seen the difference and it's getting better all the time
And there's nothing you and I won't do
(I'll stop the world)
I'll stop the world and melt with you

I'll stop the world and melt with you
I'll stop the world and melt with you