Last Friday, roller films were the theme, with , Roller Boogie (one of the many missteps in the management of Linda Blair's career) and the aborted foetus that is Skatetown USA (which marks the cinematic debut of Patrick Swayze, a man only slightly upstaged by his own cheekbones). Only strong stomachs can withstand Skatetown USA, which unlike the silly Xanadu lurches from attempted-comedy to attempted-concert to attempted-romance, consistantly failing to meet its own very low aspirations. (One joke, for example, involves a man drinking water but forgetting to swallow, the water drooling down his chin -- ha ha ha?) During a horrifying ballad that began with the words "fly like an eagle" we saw over a dozen audience members walk out, and to be honest, we're not sure that withstanding the entire onslaught left us that much richer.

The next night in the Midnight-Maniac series looks more promising, though: a punk-grrrl theme yields Valley Girl, The Legend of Billie Jean, and Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains -- gleaming 80's-vintage gems, the lot of them. You can email freekyfridays -- at -- gmail -- dot -- com for more info and updates.

Xanadu