[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Seeing as the schools broke up for summer yesterday i watched a brilliant double bill to mark this terrifying occasion.

The Boys Next Door (1985)

Shunned by their peers on their high school graduation day Roy and Bo (Maxwell Caulfield and Charlie Sheen) head on the six hour drive to Los Angeles for a wild weekend. Just outside the city they almost beat to death a gas station attendant and things escalate once they decide to "go caveman" for one day, abandoning all rules and order.

A first time viewing for me. I absolutely loved it. Both Sheen and in particular Caulfield are excellent with them exuding an air of hopelessness and unsentimentality towards anyone they come across. Their casual murders are all matter of fact until they meet Patti D'Arbanville's sympathetic and quite lovely Angie in a bar whom Sheen falls for, enraging Caulfield resulting in the films most harrowing sequence.

Shot by Penelope Spheeris on the streets of Hollywood, the film gives a tiny glimpse into the goings on that take place in Sunset Boulevard's neon glow whilst the rock soundtrack featuring the likes of The Cramps, Great White and Iggy Pop gives it all an air of vibrant, raw authenticity.

I wonder what happened to Boner the Barbarian?

Excellent.

Dazed and Confused (1993)

My go-to film for this day of the year, Richard Linklater's classic tale of high school and junior high students on the last day of school in May 1976.

It's interesting that the films three breakout stars all played sort of seedier characters - Matthew McConaughey's stoner Wooderson and his view of college girls "I Keep Getting Older And They Keep Staying The Same Age". Milla Jovovich's totally stoned Michelle and Ben Affleck's kind of villain of the story O'Bannion. None of the nice kids you'd want to hang with went anywhere in their careers.

Finishing as the sun comes up following a night of drink, drugs,fights, bowling balls, rock music, pledge beatings and the promise of Aerosmith tickets, this is the perfect film to watch as the dark night gives way to dawn.