Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Leofwine_draca Crown International Pictures were the producers behind this sleazy slice of low budget exploitation. At first I thought it was just another high school sex comedy along the lines of MALIBU BEACH and the first half hour or so certainly feels like one: we've got a young lead actress (Jill Lansing, who starred in just this one movie) who frequently disrobes for her copious sex scenes with middle aged men.Lansing's character seduces all the local teachers to get better grades, but that's just the start. The film reveals her downward spiral as she becomes an assassin (!) working for the mob. Thus the latter half of the production attempts some pseudo-thriller elements, but they're handled so badly that you'll be laughing instead of thrilled.The genre this brings most to mind are all those sensation movies from the 1930s that offered supposed warnings against booze and drugs; titles like SHE SHOULDA SAID NO! and THE MARIJUANA MENACE. Director Irvin Berwick had form, having previously shot HITCH HIKE TO HELL. MALIBU HIGH is a mess of a film, with poor acting and poorer production values; Lansing's performance in particular is one of the least convincing I've seen in a movie in a while. You might get a laugh or two out of it, but that'll be all.

Ranch Mubay After the good time teen comedy genre favorites The Pom Pom Girls (1976), The Van (1977), Malibu Beach (1978) and Van Nuys Blvd. (1979) - all who owe some inspiration to American Graffiti (1973) -- one would have thought that it would be the end to the teen cautionary films that started in the 30s and 40s and reached their apex at least in quality during the 50s with such directors as Ida Lupino. Low budget with plots involving drugs, sex, booze and crime the message was always the same: BAD GIRLS DIE. Malibu High (1979) is one depressing film from the beginning to end where even the nude scenes are yucky. Girl is typical mopey teen who doesn't study so is immediately shunned by all her friends and dumped by her boyfriend because its totally uncool not to study. One day she wears a mini- skirt to school and creates quite a stir among students and at least one of her teachers. This is 1979! Is this the school that time forgot? Elizabeth Montgomery changed to mini-skirts on Bewitched in 1970 and that was a freakin' family show! Mopey mini-skirt girl ends up having sex on the beach (not the drink) with the teacher to improve her grades...and what we see is some pasty middle age dude on top of teen whore and that's the extent to the good times because she turns to a life of murder and mayhem and there's no redemption for the girl or the audience. At the time the audience for this film must have been in their 40s and up. The film was showing in theaters showing much harder edged exploitation films (women in prison, revenge and rape, spaghetti westerns) and was ten years after Dennis Hopper's Easy Rider (1969) and Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch (1969) to put things in perspective. Today an interesting curio of a 60s morality outdated by the time it was released. The aforementioned films such as The Van and Malibu Beach would become a hit with older teens and those in their 20s, as well as the teen slasher films such as Halloween (1978) and Friday the 13th (1980). Coming out in 1979 Malibu High must have seemed as silly then as it does now since it doesn't really fit any era.

Zeegrade Malibu High is the story of struggling student Kim Bentley (Jill Lansing in her one and only screen performance) who will do anything, and I definitely mean anything, in order to graduate. We are introduced to our chain smoking heroine in a not too flattering topless state late for school once again. I am by no means to be considered a prude when it comes to nudity, however Jill Lansing's not so flattering figure is made even worse with a tacky white as snow tan line. This wouldn't be a big deal if it was just one scene. Instead her frequent nudity becomes cringe inducing as the movie drags on. And drags it does. Since Kim is a nasty individual who berates her divorced mother it's no surprise that she was dumped by her boyfriend Kevin. One of the more humorous things about this movie is the music that follows one of Kim's many ill-tempered quips she chooses to end a scene with. It sounds vaguely similar to losing a character in Donkey Kong. Newly single, Kim decides to prove to Kevin she isn't a loser by not only graduating high school but graduating with straight A's. You might be shocked to learn that instead of actually opening a book and trying to learn something she decides on seducing her mostly male teachers with sex in exchange for better grades. Sort of a quid pro ho. Zing! One point for me! What makes things worse is the fact that some teachers appear to hate her even more after their tryst by the ocean. At least she didn't flunk economics as she decides to earn some money hooking for local drug-dealing thug Tony instead of just putting out in lieu of grades. Kim seems to have found her lot in life as scenes of her entertaining various johns inside Tony's minibus with one particular belly laugh inducing shot of a chain of men waiting outside for their date with this surfer trash succubus.Success comes easy (no pun intended) for Kim and soon she catches the eye of Lance who appears to be a scout for hooker stars of the future. She leaves behind Tony and his minibus for the higher-end clientele of overweight mustachioed psychopaths in dirty hotels. Way to move up Kim! One of these encounters leads to Kim accidentally killing her customer. This gives Lance the opportunity to promote her to contract killer. So, instead of killing off half the Malibu population with various STD's she opts for just shooting them sparing us from seeing her pale breasts again. Thanks Lance! Her last target happens to be the father of Kevin's new girlfriend. The hit is performed at the same time Kevin's entourage arrives allowing them to witness Kim exiting the house. Kim shoots Kevin's girlfriend in the stomach and flees the scene with Kevin in hot pursuit accompanied by the theme from The People's Court. She is finally gunned down by the police ending her reign of tan lined terror.Bad acting, awful outfits, and pure late seventies cheese that many exploitation movies of this time depicted actually helps when viewing this. Anyone who watches this isn't expecting deep story lines and fully developed characters. It does have serious flaws as Jill Lansing is anything but lead material and the plot drags slower than a battleship on dry land. Still, a fun one time only movie just for the goofy soundtrack and the school dance disco scene. You may need a shower when it's done.

BaronBl00d You don't go into seeing this one with any grandiose notions, and, if you are like me, you should be pleasantly surprised that this is one of those vintage "bad" movies that is just loads of fun to sit through. Kim Bentley loses her boyfriend and so she begins failing her classes, etc... when she decides to become a prostitute and then later an assassin picking up booze, weed, and coke along the way. Jill Lansing appearing in what seems to be her only screen credit gives a credible performance as the "hooker to hit girl" as she frequently disrobes and lets her breasts get lots of air, seduces two of her teachers for grades, and runs a profitable business from the back of her pimp's van. We get lots of stereotypes here and the plot is pretty threadbare when it comes to anything other than giving us lurid and "shocking" behaviours to be witnessed. The rest of the cast is better-than-average for a movie of this ilk, and I laughed out loud several times at the bizarre going ons and what I was suppose(perhaps not) to take seriously. In addition to all this Kim has a few hazy flashbacks about her father hanging himself. Malibu High is sleazy and fun - and entertaining. It has what you would expect in a picture like this but packages it well. As some have noted the soundtrack is weird to say the least as we get an instrumental People's Court theme used in a most inopportune moment and that bizarre SCTV strident tone used when something significant is being conveyed - at least that is what the director is trying to convey.