BLURRED VISION

Rip It Up, Issue 173, 1 December 1991, Page 18

BLURRED VISION

Ah, yes, Porky’s Revenge, third in the popular 80s teen sex series, with sub plots involving anarchism, racial tolerance and social change. However, it looked abit haggard in the glare of the nineties, the age of studly : behaviour. Now that's what | call television — interactive, intimate and naked. Naturally I'm talking about Studs, where two men dissolve into objects and three women with big hair yell and make animal noises. | counted the use of the word ‘butt’ twelve times on one show, numerous sexual innuendos and a great homosexual joke from host Mark Decarlo, who wanted to ‘hose down’ stud Tom as his ‘emotions explode’. Allin all, another great creation from the American dream

machine. As is Beverley Hills 90210, watched by one in five American teens, maybe for the beautiful young folk stalking the rich wilderness, but more likely, it's the plots full of equal amounts of fantasy and realism. These are caring teens, concerned over their parents’ problems and aware of their own abilities — like | said, a bit of fantasy. Of course, this isn't the first of its type, there have been many shows centred around schools and looking at current problems of youth. Like Mr Novak (1963-65); Roon 222 (1969-74); Square Pegs (1982-83) and Fame (1982-87). Strangely enough, the problems seem to be the same throughout the decades, just présented in a different way. From another angle comes Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, about a philosopher king in control of his life and those all around him. A common mythos of teen flicks is that of the ‘cool dude’, immune from all the common ills and far superior to his parents and teachers. Parker Lewis is such a dude, but a bit of a dud as well. The only good thing about this show is the total distaste it shows to older people ie non-teens. His parents are complete fools and his teachers either idiots or ogres. Unfortunately even this show falls into the realist trap of relevancy, a trend

started with Rebel Without A Cause where everything that has to do with youth has to have a meaning. Unlike the great films of Roger : Corman, highlighted in a recent TV doco. Here was exploitation on every level. He said “All my films show my visual stimulation at that time”. He got excited over teen things but never attempted to explain, just showed everything in all its glory. He had a very simple dictum: “Action, sex and a social statement” — all that equals art. As any of the directors who started with Corman could tell you. Like - Scorsese, Jonathan Caged Heat Demme, Paul Deathrace 2000 Bartel, Joe Dante and Jonathan Kaplan, who recounted Corman’s only advice to him before starting Nightcall Nurses: “Arée you familiar with our nurses’ cycle . ... just slip the name in, partial nudity from the waist up, total nudity from the behind, there, goto work.” | thought that perhaps | might escape the decline into relevancy by looking at the cartoons. | was wrong. Like He-Man, he just hangs around playing with Skellator, then it ends and He-Man comes back and gives us a moral, just in case you didn't get it first time. The all-time classic Cartoon All Stars To The Rescue, when broadcast in North America last year, was the most

watched Saturday morning show ever. Featuring one ‘nice’ lad, a lost soul

turned to drugs and a whole host of cartoon stars who try to save him. Like, there were the Smurfs, Alf, Chipmonks, Huey, Duey, Louie, Daffy, those My Little Pony things and that blob object from Ghostbusters. We're talking star studded. Best bit was when the kid stole money from his kid sister’s piggy bank to buy drugs, they had the lot in this one. But of course the cartoon creatures managed to bring the lad back from the brink of a drugged hell. One of the best things I've seen for ages, but maybe for different reasons than were intended. Anyhow, best show on TV has to be Rocky and Bullwinkle at 7.30 in the morning so you can't see it. A cult event of great importance, witty, satirical, irrelevent, anti-authoritarian and plain dumb. It just wipes the floor of all these moral laden ‘message’ cartoons for kids. Essential viewing. Oh yeah, one more thing. Best ad at the moment has to be Suzanne Somers pushing this thing called Thighmaster. It just whisks off those extra inches around your thighs, well it did for Ms Somers anyhow. I'm going to get it, so | can add it to all those other things I've got by calling ‘this special number’.

KERRY BUCHANAN