LET US SPEAK OF PAT BENATAR.

I love Pat Benatar. I played her greatest hits cassette so much in fifth grade that it broke. This was in the early 90's- a full decade after Benatar's peak- so I feel especially wronged by the following. Apparently at a recent show with The Donnas (hello 10th grade!) Benatar introduced her masterpiece, Invincible, by joking that it was a good song she wrote for a bad movie.

Oh, Pat.

Of course she's referring to The Legend of Billie Jean, which for those not in the know, is a miraculous and important film that helped shape the way I think about rebellion and counter culture (use marbles to make people trip!) It's funny this happened, because I'd really been missing teenage rebellion films. Some of the must sees of which are:

The Legend of Billie Jean

Rock n' Roll High School

Over the Edge

Pump Up the Volume

Times Square

Foxfire (Which costars my homegirl Sarah. What up, girl?)

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Beat Girl

Ladies and Gentlemen... The Fabulous Stains!

This list could go on and on. I don't know why Pat decided to take a dump on my heart. I was obsessed with The Legend of Billie Jean. I think it helped shape my aesthetic as a playwright, for better or worse. In all honesty, I'm not saying it's a brilliant movie, but any work you spend so much time with is bound to shape you. I'm as influenced by The Legend of Billie Jean and punk rock and bad informercials as I am by... um... some high brow influences.

In fact, I've recently began outlining a screenplay. Yes, a movie! it is my own teenage rebellion film which will be inspired by The Legend of Billie Jean and the recent activity of Bash Back. The film will be about a pair of gay teens who are on the run from the law and unwittingly start a nationwide movement of teenage LGBT domestic terrorism. It'll be awesome.

Comments

[isaac]

how can you forget HEATHERS? What's the matter with you?!

[Tarhearted]

@ isaac

I haven't forgotten Heathers. It's probably one of my top five favorite movies of all time. I just don't consider it a "rebellion" film. I guess it could be, but I just didn't think of it as part of this sub genre.

[Andy]

didn't they burn down the school at the end?

[Andy]

Also, this reminds me of the movie 'Light Of Day' that I saw as a kid and have been DYING to see again but its unavailable on dvd. Starring Joan Jett, Michael J Fox, Michael McKean and Gena Rowlands.

I remember seeing Joan Jett, a single mom and out of work singer, buying cigarettes at the grocery store and thinking...this is what I want to be when I grow up.

[Danielle]

Legend of Billie Jean is great! We rewatched it recently and it totally holds up. good writing! And BEST soundtrack, of course! We need more films like those ones from the 80's where all of a sudden teenagers across america start dressing like some young falsely accused outlaws that they keep in contact with via the radio (usually even a particular DJ).

[powkang]

i had tammy and salah over a few weeks ago to watch over the edge. that movie is pretty amazing.

[Jen Walker]

FAIR IS FAIR

I'm Billie Jean Davy, and I wanna set the record straight.

I think I watched that flick on repeat in my 16th year of life.

[Phi]

OoooooOh, as an organizer with bash back! I'd looooove to read this screenplay when your done!

[coach purses]

There is no exact definition of the word happiness. Happy people are happy for all sorts of reasons. The key is not wealth or physical well-being, since we find beggars, invalids and so-called failures, who are extremely happy.

[cheap Jordans]

Do not be disappointed to the journey of life．There are buddies with the world．Grab your prospect and worth your business opportunities．May our friendship be endless．

[Juicy Bags]

It is pretty commonplace to modify knowledge how attributions with what I will call "incompleteness" modifiers, because they in some sense indicate an incomplete knowledge state. Some examples: