Valley Girl

A punk from Hollywood and a girl from the Valley hook up? It's like soooo who cares? But director Martha Coolidge's 1983 transference of Romeo and Juliet to Southern California introduced the world to Valley Speak--the totally's, the tubular's, the ohmigod's--and did such a good job of it that this early '80s regional slang has been so thoroughly absorbed into everyday language that we barely notice it anymore. Nostalgia buffs will get a kick out of the New Wave-heavy soundtrack and a charming early performance by Nicolas Cage (as the punk), and fans of romantic comedies will appreciate the shot of reality that's often missing from teen love stories: inconstant friends, the sneaky games young lovers play, etc. The DVD features crisp video (with both widescreen and full frame versions on the disc) and a newly remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, as well as totally tubular extras, including audio commentary by the director, new interviews with the cast and crew, and a pop-up '80s trivia track. Like, ohmigod, this is recommended. (M. Johanson) [Blu-ray Review—Oct. 30, 2018—Shout! Factory, 99 min., R, Blu-ray: $34.99—Making its debut on Blu-ray, 1983’s Valley Girl features an excellent transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 audio. Extras include audio commentary by director Martha Coolidge, the production featurettes 'Valley Girl in Conversation' (50 min.), 'The Bands' (54 min.), 'The Boys' (54 min.), 'The Girls' (48 min.), 'The Parents' (43 min.), '20 Tubular Years Later' (25 min.), 'In Conversation: Nicolas Cage and Martha Coolidge' (20 min.), 'Greetings from San Fernando Valley' (19 min.), 'The Music' (16 min.), 'The Producer Writers' (15 min.), and 'Show and Tell' (5 min.), as well as a storyboard-to-film comparison (12 min.), and music videos from Modern English and The Pimsouls (8 min.). Bottom line: this culturally iconic ‘80s film sparkles on Blu-ray.]