Better Late Than Never on "Heathers"

As a kid I used to hear a ton about the movie "Heathers". I'm pretty sure it is/was one of my brothers favorite movies. But I used to hear all three of my older brothers talk about it incessantly. They would go on and on, quote it a ton and rewatch it constantly. But I never got around to it. I don't know if I was too young or deemed myself too cool at the time, but I never saw the movie until last night.

One of my brother's, the one who lives in town, kept telling me that I had to see it. He told me how much he thought I would like it. He gives me recommendations all the time, and for the most part, he is right on the money. But "Heathers" never found its way to my tv. But with my wife being out of town on a work trip, and my kids being too cool to hang out with me at night now, I decided that last night was a perfect time to watch.

From what I knew about the movie, as mentioned above, I figured I was in for your typical late 80's comedy. I thought it would be goofy and I would have some fun with the movie. But what I saw was the exact opposite, and I am here to say, "Heathers" is a classic for a reason. This movie more than lived up to the hype for me.

What blew me away the most was how absolutely dark the movie ended up being. I did not expect this to be a story of suicide and murder and friendship and cliques all wrapped up in a movie that clocks in under two hours. Sure, "Heathers" has some high school movie trademarks, but it goes so much further beyond all of that. For instance, the opening scene to the movie centers around the lunchroom. The popular girls are all ther, the "Heathers", and they decide to play a prank on another girl. They give her a fake love note to entice her to talk to the star QB. All the while, Veronica, played by Winona Ryder, keeps checking in on JD, played by Christian Slater. I don't think they know one another, but they keep making eyes at each other. When the other girl approaches the QB, he laughs in her face and she storms out of the lunchroom. But then the football players head over to JD's table to mess with him. Sure, this may all seem like typical high school movie drama, but here is where it veers into a whole different direction. When the football players begin to bully JD, he makes some quips back at them, and then pulls out a humongous gun. I was shocked when I saw it. He fires the gun, but we quickly learn it was filled with blanks and JD gets suspended. Everyone is okay on the surface. But the movie just ramps it up from there. This is the lightest take they have on suicide, murder and death in this whole movie.

One of the Heather's bullies Veronica to go to a party, where a college guy tries to prey on Veronica. When she deflects his advances, Heather makes fun of her and makes her leave the party. She confides this to JD, and they decide to prank Heather, only JD is not in the mood for pranks anymore. They accidentally kill Heather by making her drink poison. And instead of confessing, they make it look like suicide. They do a similar thing to the football players. But during all of this, Veronica thinks no one will actually get hurt. JD, on the other hand, wants to, as he puts it, "cleanse" the school of cliques and bullies. He clearly takes it way too far. And this is the theme of the entire movie. I couldn't believe a movie from the 80's went to these lengths. It shocked me that they did, but shocked me in a good way.

Winona Ryder and Christian Slater are at the absolute top of their game. I was telling my brother about the movie this morning, and how awesome I thought it was, and he asked me about the chemistry with Ryder and Slater. It was off the charts. You could tell they enjoyed acting with one another. I read afterward that they supposedly were dating while on set, and that makes total sense to me.

I also finally got some context for some of the stuff my brothers used to say. My oldest brother always used to say, "F>$k me gently with a chainsaw" when I was younger. That's from this movie. When one of the football players dies, his dad exclaims, "I love my dead gay son". I have heard that used over and over again in movies and tv shows. I finally got some of the quotes. I wish that Big Fun was a real band, because the song that plays throughout the movie is cool as hell. The adults in this movie were so aloof and disinterested in their kids' lives, as I'm sure they were directed to be, and it worked.

I really liked "Heathers" quite a bit. I get why my brothers have been on me for so long to watch it. It was so good and I am so happy that I finally watched it. I definitely recommend checking it out if you've never seen it. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice"

I have just returned home from seeing "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice". This is a movie that has been on my radar since it was announced. I love the original movie, and getting the band back together, as it were, only made me more excited for this movie. I am not the biggest fan of decades long sequels, but this is one exception that I will happily make. I enjoy, for the most part, the work that Tim Burton does, especially when it comes to weird ghost/goth type stuff. He has a good mind for stories like these. So, my expectations were pretty high going into this movie.

My expectations were met. This is a good example of how to make a sequel in the 2020's, without going over the top with fan lip service. Sure, most of the original cast is back to reprise their roles, but they do so much more and yet they were able to keep it light, goofy and damn near whimsical. The joy of the first "Beetlejuice" movie is how much fun it looked like everyone was having. That shows up in the sequel as well. The heavy hitters that come back are great. Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton reprise these famous roles and build on them. O'Hara is a delight as Delia Deetz. She is just as funny and oblivious as she was in the original. And there may be some "Schitt's Creek" Easter eggs in there for fans of that show. Ryder as Lydia Deetz is just as wacky and smart as before. She has a TV show now, but the sight of Beetlejuice makes her even more paranoid. And Keaton as Beetlejuice is one of the great movie characters of all time. He's gross and mean and manipulative. He is also funny, and damn if I don’t root for him from time to time in this movie, just like I did for the original. The newcomers are welcome surprises. Monica Belluci is terrifying and menacing as Beetlejuice's ex. She barely has any lines, but the story of her, as told by Beetlejuice, is quite funny and informative. Jenna Ortega is killing it as the new goth kid in movies and shows. She has the look and can really pull it off. She is also wonderful in this role. I have not yet watched "Wednesday", but I feel like she gets to build as Astrid, Lydia's daughter, a different type role in a movie like this. She has layers. Willem Defoe, as an actor who died on set, is hilarious. He has a catchphrase. He is always being handed coffee that he never drinks. He is clearly having the best time of any actor on set. He is one of my favorite working actors, and anytime he is in something I'm about to watch, it makes me smile. And then we have Justin Theorux. I'm always a little lukewarm on him, but he is starting to grow on me in roles like this. He is funny and douchey and just a cliche of a hanger on. But Theroux makes it work. My wife and I kept saying to each other that we thought he was the funniest one in the whole movie. Outside of the actors, the set was great. They kept the old time look. The effects look like they do in the original. There isn't a big time CGI budget for this movie. That made me like it even more. And the jokes and call backs went just far enough. They were never overkill. They were a nod to the fans. They did the right amount.

I loved this movie. I was smiling the whole time. There wasn't a scene that felt unnecessary. They used what they needed and they used it correctly. We also saw the movie on one of those new Ultramax screens, and that was cool too. I love this movie and I highly recommend it. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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The Advent Calendar of Great Holiday Movies: Day 21 "Edward Scissorhands"

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a great movie associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be extra awesome. Enjoy.

Day 21: “Edward Scissorhands”

Opened Doors: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20

When most of us think of winter we think of snow. The Coca Cola company, Normal Rockwell paintings, and every other piece of western pop culture in between likes to show crisp snow on a cold Christmas evening. It does not matter that a good part of the United States will not see snow on Christmas, or all winter, the image of snow and the holidays is burned into our cultural psyche. If every other part of the holiday season has a legend associated with it’s creation, why not have a legend about where the snowfall comes from?

In December of 1990 director Tim Burton released the movie “Edward Scissorhands”. The story of a kind, not quite finished, man child and his interactions with the modern world was a big hit with critics and the audience. The film has gone on to become one of the most beloved films of the last thirty years. It made a star of Johnny Depp, solidified Winona Ryder as the it girl of the early 1990’s, and was the last major film role for Hollywood legend Vincent Price. The cast also included once and future Oscar winner Diane Wiest, future Oscar winner Alan Arkin, and an unusually buff, and menacing, Anthony Michael Hall. After the success of “Batman”, Tim Burton was given the keys to Hollywood’s best talent, and “Edward Scissorhands” was the legendary end result.

The weirdness of “Edward Scissorhands” was notable, but it was the tenderness of the story that made the movie legendary. Depp gets special recognition for his performance, but the entire cast was hitting homeruns in the movie. The scene of Vincent Price dying in his unfinished creations arms is heartbreaking. The wild topiary, dog grooming, and hairstyle creations of Edward’s are forever iconic. But the true magic of “Edward Scissorhands” comes in the moment when Ryder is dancing in the “snow” coming off of the ice sculpture Edward is creating. The music by Danny Elfman, Ryder’s look, and dance of wonderment, in the “snow”, and Burton’s flowing camera makes the scene a piece of cinematic magic. Ryder and Burton capture the joy of experiencing a quiet snowfall on a peaceful winter evening like no had before or since. In a movie filled with incredible imagery, this scene wins the gold medal.

The idea of snow coming from a Gothic mansion because an unfinished man with scissors for hands is carving an ice sculpture in the image of his beloved he can never see again sounds pretty ridiculous when you put it down on paper. Tim Burton made it into magic. We may know the real reason why the snow falls on Christmas evening, but because of “Edward Scissorhands” we can look at simple snowfall and make it a moment of holiday joy.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. The holiday season is often a time of quiet reflection and hopeful renewal. Dolly Parton sings about these feelings with “Hard Candy Christmas”.

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