My National Film Registry Nomination:
“Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast, Heather?” - Heather Chandler
It may be a long shot, but I would nominate Heathers (1988). Heathers doesn’t just satirize the John Hughes’ materialistic high-school world, but forcefully and hilariously attacks it, exposing the excessiveness present in 1980’s clothing, attitudes, and language. On a deeper level, Heathers reveals the inept ways that our peers, parents, teachers, and the media deal with tragedy, and how this ineptitude along with self-serving attitudes leads to further desensitization. As long as the media continues to exploit tragedy and violence in predominantly white, upper-class high schools, Heathers will remain relevant. I think the main strike against it might be that the director’s other credits include Airheads and My Giant.
Noelle Griffis
1 comment:
"Come on, put Heathers in the Registry. It'll be very."
Heathers is such a quotable film, isn't it? i've long imagined that if David Mamet had ever been a 16-year-old girl, this is the film he would have made. (Surely it's not difficult to imagine Mamet writing the lines "Veronica, why are you pulling my dick?" and "Well, fuck me gently with a chainsaw.")
Interestingly, Michael Lehmann, the director of Heathers, was initially slated to direct Ed Wood. (One of Prof. Streible's nominees for the Registry!) Unfortunately, Lehmann had to settle for an executive producer credit on the film when a scheduling conflict forced him out of the director's chair. The film he directed instead? Airheads.*
ed
*Good historiographer that i am, i obtained this information from always-accurate and 100% reliable Wikipedia.
Post a Comment