Times Square

Pamela Pearl (Alvarado) is a rich girl with a dad who doesn't understand her and a need to be herself. Nicky Marotta (Johnson) is a street-smart girl with only guts and nerves driving her. The two meet in a mental hospital, and after making their escape, become "blood sisters". Bound together, they try to achieve their dreams, Nicky's of stardom and Pamela's of understanding. All they have are themselves being guided over the airwaves by smooth-talking DJ Johnny LaGuardia (Curry), who either cares about them or is manipulating them for the press.

While ostensibly a punk rock movie, "Times Square" is a movie for outcasts of all stripes. I can definitely relate to both Pamela and Nicky. Like Pamela, I have a lot going for me, but no one to understand me. My mom says she does and my doctors say they do, but they only hear what I say. I can't put my thoughts and feelings into words for them without offending anybody.

Like Nicky, I have a tendency to be brash, bold and opinionated. By watching this movie, I see Nicky saying all the foul-mouthed poison-pen thoughts I want to hurl at my bosses, members of my family, and programs that are designed to hold me down from living the life I want to live.

Sometimes, you have to take crazy steps in order to get ahead. In this movie, the duo do everything from stealing food to taking jobs in a strip club to keep alive and two steps ahead of the game. When the song said "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere", perhaps they weren't aware that they were perpetrating a big lie. This movie is almost like a documentary, showing how people have to hustle for everything in the city. I could never live in New York City...I'd be dead within a week.

Still, if I want to take a trip to the city, I'll use the movies. This movie is a great ride. It shows Times Square the way everybody remembers it...As a pit of sleaze and degradation. Disney, Planet Hollywood and everything else they've put there doesn't hide the truth about the city and its' inhabitants.

This movie demonstrates the truth about New York, and the truth is "Give it everything you got, but watch your step...You might not make it out alive".