The Film (3/5)

Jerry Mitchell (Casey Siemaszko) is your normal teenager. Makes good grades, watches his kid sister (Stacey Glick), and is one of the reporters for his school's paper. But his newest assignment may cost him more then a awkward interview. The subject of the piece is the new kid in school, a strange loner with a angry problem named Buddy Revell (Richard Tyson). Buddy doesn't like Jerry and sets up a fight for them after school. So now Jerry must figure a way to get out of the fight by 3 o clock.

THREE O'CLOCK HIGH (1987) is not your usual 80's teen comedy. In the interview on this disc, Director Phil Joanou (STATE OF GRACE), said he wanted to avoid comparisons to John Houges movies like THE BREAKFAST CLUB and PRETTY IN PINK, so he aimed at filming a more lively and insane film. Even without him mentioning the influence of Martin Scorsese's AFTER HOURS, it is clearly there on screen.

Like AFTER HOURS, THREE moves at a insane pace. The camera is always moving and the level of manic energy raises with each new set piece. Going into the film, I was worried it wouldn't connect to me or feel right. But after the lively opening credits I was hooked. The movie also makes great use of slapstick comedy and the power of good editing.

Another good point for the film, comes in its synth score from Tangerine Dream. The group is famous for scoring everything from THIEF, to FIRESTARTER, to Micheal Mann's underrated THE KEEP, and even the videogame Grand theft auto 5. With these impressive camerawork and the score, the movie raises above it's high school trappings.

On the downside, some viewers may be caught off guard by some of the unpc elements in the film. School violence is no laughing matter and parts of this film simply wouldn't fly today. Also troublesome is the hilarious but creepy subplot where Jerry flirts with his teacher and she actually gives him her number and an invite to spend the night. While this came off as wacky, I can see how it hasn't dated very well.

Audio/Video (4/5)

The Disc comes with an 2.0 English DTS-HD Master audio track. The sound mix is well balanced and none of the sound effects over power the track. The music and effects are crisp and clear without any hiss or pops. English subtitles are included.

The 1080p HD transfer is a above average with sharp focus. There is a few spots here and there where the picture is a little soft focused. There is also a few spots of motion blur and dullness in color. But the rest of the picture is great to look at. There is no major print damage and it doesn’t seem like the picture was wrecked with digital noise reduction.

Extras (4/5)

Shout! Has done another fine job of rounding up extras for this Shout! Select release. First up is a audio commentary with Director Phil Joanou. He comes off as a nice guy with lots of love for the film at hand. Next up is a interview called, “Head of the Class”, with Joanou, which covers his beginnings as a director, the TV series Amazing Stories, and working on the movie.

The second interview is titled, “Passing the Test”, with writers Richard Christian Matheson and Tom Szollosi. The two men talk fondly about the film and seem like likable gentlemen. Lastly is the interview entitled “School Clothes”, with costume designer Jane Ruhm. This section is mostly forgettable, but it’s nice to have for some of her stories. Rounding out the extras is a still gallery and the original theatrical trailer.

Overall

A surprising little movie with lot's of energy and a great soundtrack. Worth a look.