Movie Night #55: Pump Up the Volume
Friday was an absolutely crazy day, as I returned from North Carolina around 6pm, went out to dinner with the family, and made it back to the apartment around 9pm. Thankfully, people were calling to confirm Movie Night, and I was able to tell them to “come late.” This gave me some time to shower and relax a bit, after my crazy 18 hour trip and long week of work. However, the night did not go exactly as expected (more on that later).
I made an executive decision to watch a movie I’ve been pushing for a while now, and no one seems to have seen (much less heard of) – as I was in a social rebellion kind of mood. And if you want to watch a movie with a lot of good quotes in it, then check out –
Movie Night #55: Pump Up the Volume (1990)
Director: Allan Moyle
Cast: Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis
Plot: Mark Hunter (Slater) has just moved from New York to Arizona, and switching schools can be hard for any high schooler. However, to deal with his change in environment, he decides to start a pirate radio show called “Happy Hary Hard-on” and make fun of his new school and environment. However, when one of his listeners writes in and asks for advice about whether or not he should commit suicide, Mark’s put in a not-so-comfortable situation. Suddenly, the FCC is hunting him down, and the students are ralleying to his cause. Torn between the world he sees and the world he’s creating, Mark must discover the courage in himself to overcome his social anxiety and lead the students against their school.
In high school, I did a 3 hour presentation about censorship and the FCC, and this movie was quoted on several occasions – including clips used. If you’ve ever been prone to ranting and teenage rebellion, this is the movie for you. It’s all about doing what’s right, which isn’t always what you’re necessarily told is right. The parents in this movie are clueless to be comical, but it’s also a social commentary about how clueless most adults can be. And how the illusion of the importance of high school can drive people – both teenagers and adults – to extreme measures. I could relate to this movie on so many levels, and although it’s a bit dated by now, the message is still solid and true.
See this movie.
So, after Movie Night ended and everyone left (except for Lauren, who was kind enough to stay behind and help me wipe down the kitchen table for my parents, who were coming over for dinner the next night), my roommate and her 2 girlfriends brought home 3 guys from the bar (at the time, I believed that they were not random pick-ups, and had I known sooner I would have acted very differently). They were all intoxicated, but I was willing to let them crash for the night (apparently, they thought I was going to be gone all weekend, even though I expressed said that I would be gone for less than 24 hours – this was pretty disturbing to me, as you will come to see). We made sleeping arrangements, and I made my usual line about “no sex unless I get to watch,” which is a comical way of saying “don’t do it on my furnature.”
One of the girls crashed on my futon with a guy, another guy was on the futon, another girl and guy went into my roommate’s room, and my roommate crashed with me. About 40 minutes after going to bed, I hear a noise from the living room and come out to discover the two on the futon having sex. This furiates me, and I go sit next to them and announce, “What was the one thing I asked you not to do tonight?” They went stiff at that point, as though by not moving it would make it like I couldn’t see them anymore.
“I know this is much more embarassing for you than it is for me, and apparently I was not clear the first time I said it. You’ve both earned a black mark in my book tonight – I can’t trust you ever again. This is a blatant slap in the face – a sign of disrespect that cannot be undone. Now, put your pants on and go to bed. If I hear you again, I’m kicking you both out.”
They didn’t make any noise after that, but I was so pissed that I couldn’t sleep. My roommate’s friend came out of her room about 30 minutes later, and I told her everything that happened – she at least appologized, her friend did not. I then discovered that the guys were random pick ups from the bar, and this sent me off. I had half a mind to kick the lot of the guys out right then and there, and lecture the girls about trust violations and that I’m legally responsible for everything that happens in that apartment – whether I’m in it or not.
Suffice it to say, I’m still fumming and I didn’t get any sleep that night.
I finally confronted my roommate about it on Sunday, and like most times I have to do this, she did not seem to take it well. I can only hope that she comes to understand my fears and concerns about this issue, and know that I don’t blame her for anything that happened (even if I do have to wash the blankets and sheets from the futon, because someone has poor night vision and coordination – as well as a sloppy technique). I assured her that her friends are welcome back in the apartment, and I encourage them to come over- but discourage people from “hooking up” in my apartment, especially if that means doing it on the blanket that was a gift from my girlfriend’s mother.
Movie Night goers know that I try to make sure it’s a safe place, where people are free to walk around in the nude and not fear being harassed or judged. However, the sanctity of that had been violated by this one stranger. Although I have no qualms with the other two, I would tell this this if I ever saw them again: the company you keep is a reflection on you, and currently you keep poor company.
That said, I would not mind seeing them (minus the dude I caught with his pants down) at a Movie Night or something, where I could get a chance to know them better.
Also, despite what I know she’s feeling towards me currently, I do not harbor any ill feelings towards my roommate or her friends. It was a bad call that had a consequence, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. And thank goodness for that.
So, that was my weekend in a nutshell…how was yours?
