My Favorite Movies For Summer

No summer in my life, and now yours, would be complete without these two movies:

North Shore

and

Summer School

Incidentally, they just both happen to be from 1987; thus one can conclude that 1987 was a truly *rad year.

*Not that Rad, because that's from 1986. Otherwise known as Year of the BMX.

NORTH SHORE


North Shore tells the story of Rick Kane (Matt Adler), a small time kid from Arizona, who wins a wave tank surf competition and heads to Hawaii's North Shore to surf the big waves, where he's surely destined for a big reality check. After several run-ins with unwelcoming locals, Rick befriends a guy named Turtle (John Philbin) and is eventually taken in by legendary has-been board shaper, Chandler (Gregory Harrison).

Rick falls in love with a local Hawaiian girl (Nia Peoples), makes an enemy in his idol, Lance Burkhart (Laird Hamilton), learns to big-wave surf and of course, enters a competition.

When I was a kid, I used to vacation in Israel every summer. This basically meant that I would spend two months each year trekking back and forth to and from the beach without a care in the world. Of course, I managed to squeeze in a viewing of this movie practically every day. I can't seem to ever get tired of this movie.

I was also in love with Turtle.

John Philbin was the love of my life back in the day, and rightly so. Maybe I'll e-mail him for an interview.

Anyway, another interesting thing about this movie (and this really pertains more to me than you guys), is there's this great Gary Wright song that plays while Rick learns to big wave surf called "Am I The One." Believe me when I say that I've been looking for this song for years and now it's finally up on iTunes! Sweet!

If you've never seen this movie, I highly recommend. If you have seen this movie, then you know what I'm talking about.


SUMMER SCHOOL


God knows Paramount has its moments.

This gem is about a very hot gym teacher, Freddy Shoop (Mark Harmon), who's blackmailed by the evil vice principal into teaching a summer school remedial English course after the regular teacher wins the lottery and bails. Freddy tackles the joys befriending a bunch of miscreants, learns to teach and falls in love with fellow teacher, Robin Bishop (Kirstie Alley).

Seriously, this movie's got classic written all over it. It has it all. 80s hair, 80s clothes, 80s music (Danny Elfman!), foreign exchange students, Texas Chainsaw Massacre themes and great lines. I can quote from this movie until the cows come home...well, actually, I can recite it to you from start to finish.

Another thing this movie does is that it begs the question: Is it really too much to ask that all teachers look like this?

Ahhh, I knew that if I couldn't have Turtle, Mr. Shoop was next on the list. Can't blame Courtney Thorne-Smith for trying.

Okay, now this is where you guys come in...

The wonderful soundtrack for this movie is not available on CD anymore and isn't on iTunes. I have it on tape, but that's not exactly iPod friendly.

So, if anyone out there has a copy, or more specifically has the song "Jackie" by Elisa Fiorillo, please, please, please e-mail me. I will love and spoon you forever.

To sum up...North Shore and Summer School. Watch them. Love them. Your summer is not complete without them.