Newspapers / The daily Tar Heel. / Sept. 3, 1980, edition 1 / Page 5
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o O OS w -J ' By TOM moque Staff Writer Were the movies this summer really as bad as I thought they were cr am I just getting . eld? After seeing such travesties as Up The Academy, Wholly Moses, Feme and Bronco Billy I contracted cinemophobia, a drccdsd fear that I couldn't go to the movies without being thoroughly bored and disgusted. , I can't help feeling that maybe five years ago I would have liked a film like Bronco Lilly. Now, however, I'm offended when filmmakers take the quick way out and just haphazardly throw together a film, thinking the public will plunk down a few bucks for anything that's well advertised. Cinema The majority of contemporary American films are super-budget jobs aimed at the lowest common demoninator. The studios try to please everybody..The result is often similar to a McDonakTs Big Mac, a rather bland, unexciting and inoffensive ccr.ccctlcn. - 1 i i For example, The Elites Brothers sacrifices its potential cadcap trying to please a mass audience. The resulting tame spirit produces a very dull movie and Universal has little hope of getting back the $30 million it sank into the picture. The problem with movies of late can't be blamed entirely on the timidity of the studios. Recently, most of the really mediocre and flawed movies can trace their problems to a bad script. Bronco Billy, Wholly Moses, Feme, The Fiendish Plot Of Dr. Fu Manchu and Up The Academy ell have weak scripts without any interesting moments. Even the few enjoyable flicks this summer Rough Cut, The Blues Brothers, Airplane and Ccddyshack are marred by ii.Vili.5. . And bad scripts marred the most eagerly anticipated movies of the summer, The Empire Strikes Back and The Shining. The Empire Strikes Back is a fun movie but it lacks the freshness of the original. Star Wars has an innocent air about it that is quite pleasant. It manages to be a rousing adventure film without being too self righteous. TJie Empire Strikes Back takes itself more seriously than the first. Instead of being mere fun, Empire tries to throw in some watered-down Zen Buddhism in a razzle-dazzle display of excellent special effects. It is capped off with an O. Henry ending designed expressly to bring folks back for the next one. Without Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back couldn't stand on its own a truism of most sequels. If George Lucas wants to continue filming the Star Wars saga, then he should, like the James Bond series, make each film in the series strong enough to stand alone. Newsweek dubbed Stanley Kubrick's The Shining "the first epic horror film," but Gary Arnold of The Washington Post was closer to home when he said the film could have been titled "The Big Disappointment of 19S0." Brilliant technically, no other film contains such masterful hand-held tracking shots. The Shining is marred by its attempt to go beyond the mere horror film. Kubrick tries to make meaningful statements on reincarnation and the persistence of evil. Kubrick makes these themes vague and confusing. Also, Kubrick tries to be funny. But most of the time Kubrick's humor is too elusive to be amusing. Near the end of the film, when Jack Nicholson is stalking around like some Jack Nickoison in 'The Shining' crazed psychopath in a Grade D horror movie, the film' is reduced to fairly witless parody. Pauline Kad once wrote, "when a great director dies he just takes pretty pictures" and this judging from Barry Lyndon and The Shining seems to be . what's happened to Kubrick. The most enjoyable film of the summer is Brian De Palma's Dressed to Kill. Most critics have called Dressed To Kill a rip-off of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. It is; but it's a rip-off with enough style and wit to stand on its own. Dressed To Kill has the same general premise as Psycho. A middle-aged woman is hacked to death with a knife by a psycho killer. Then the killer is slowly Hacked down and his identity, when revealed, is a real surprise. But Hitchcock made his film because of the novelty of a shower murder and as a vehicle for his macabre sense of humor. (Sample line Norman says to a hotel visitor, "Mother isn't feeling quite herself today.") De Palma uses his film as homage to Hitchcock, as a vehicle for his deliciously pornographic wit and to display his virtuoso cinematic talents. Dressed To Kill features the best use of inserts, split screen and deep , focus I've seen in some time. Besides the brilliant technical aspects, Dressed To Kill has quite a few scares as well as some very witty moments. Things look less dreary for the fall. A new film written, directed and starring Woody Allen iwill be released at the end of September. What little word has leaked out about it implies the film is like 8'A about a film director who's reflecting on his life while making a movie. And there's One Trick Pony, a film about an aging pop star, written by and starring Paul Simon. Martin Scorcese will have a new film out, Raging Bull, starring Robert De Niro in a story based on the life of boxing great Jake La Motta. And there will be new films from Jean-Luc Godard, Francois" Truffaut and Akira Kurosawa. . But perhaps the best film news is that Orson Welles is starting work on a $6 million film this fall. It is Welles', the aging boy wonder of American cinema, first Hollywood film in almost 25 years. And the fact Hollywood is willing to let him work again (although on a paltry budget compared to most films today) shows there is still some hope for movies.. 77 TV) By LAUHA ELLIOTT ' Arts Editor Xanadu In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure dome decree: 'Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. When Coleridge awoke from his dream and tried to pen his visions, he was interrupted by a visitor. Afterward, he could not remember the entirety of his poem. Kubla Khan remains a fragment. A tragedy. It is also a bit of a tragedy that Xanadu, a new teeny-bopper hit starring the queen of the teeny-boppers, Olivia Newton-John, was ever completed. Even in his worse opium nightmares, Coleridge never would have pictured the apple-pie soprano as one of the inhabitants of his mystical paradise. Neither would he have imagined that Xanadu would evolve into a disco roller rink. insrnn Or maybe that is w hat he meant when he wrote: A savage place! as holy and enchanted As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted By woman wailing for her demon lover. Newton-John certainly does a lot of wailing in this movie. And Michael Beck, her enamored lover, would probably have been more effective as a demon. His tough-guy image of The Warriors has difficulty meshing with the adolescent flavor of Newton-John and her film. But enough of this cross reference: the movie and the poem are in different leagues. Xanadu is another of those pep culture extravaganzas which exploits a .timeless myth and reduces it to 2Cxh V-tt-wJr L fc. JT Newtcn-Jchn is supposedly one of the nine Muses. Rather than inspiring poets spiritually, however, as those old fashioned Muses of Greece did, she vvisks around on roller skates, provoking her artists with a teasing kiss. She's the glow-in-the-dark all-American modernization, leaving a trail of neon light behind her, Tinker-bell style. After pepping out of a Los Angeles street mural, Newton-John finds the frustrated artist, Beck, and inspires him to help an aging jazz clarinetist (Gene Kelly) to build a new club Xanadu. She entices Beck into loving her, singing "have to believe in magic" and smiling back over her shoulder like Lauren Eacail. I do believe Newton John belongs somewhere other than on this earth. Anyway, it is a new twist in romance. Beck even has to contend with an upbeat Zeus to win his lady fair. The film ends with Newton John singing in her whispery voice and prancing about in everything from a cowboy to leopard suit. What will Hollywood think cf next? The gods forbid. The only saving grace is the endearing grin and the still supple dance of the legendary Gene Kelly. He obviously enjoys himself during the film he always did have an art deco vein in him as evidenced by American in Paris. He adds a touch of legitimacy in the wild punk outfits in his dress shop debut. Even his charm, however, suffers a bit on roller skates. Another miraculously good touch is the pas de deux cartoon. As kissing fish and flirting birds, Beck and Newtcn Jchn provide a few moments of true humor. It is a very clever and unfortunately short-lived stroke of creativity. What Xanadu does provide is a visual aid to promote Newton-John's disco soundtrack. It has just the right forumla of PG sexuality, cheesecake and punk rock excitement to be a box office and recording success. I guess I have finally lost my faith in the Muses to prevent such disasters. ,,..,..,,r.-ai Camrapaos CaDeinidaii' . Public service announcement must be turned in at the box outside the DTH offices in the Carolina Union by 1 p.m. if they are to run the next day. Each item will be run at least twice. ACTIVITIES TODAY Single tickets for L'NC fo!bi3 may be picked up today and Thursday. One student may pick up two tickets if he has all the necessary identification for himself and the other person. Ail remaining tickets go on sale Friday. Standing Room Only tickets will be available to students at the gate before the game on Saturday. The Public Affairs Staff of WXYC will held an organizational meeting at S p.m. in 205 Union. No radio experience is necessary. Welcome back Pri CM members! You are invited to attend an informal organization meeting for all members of the Undergraduate Psychology Honors Society. We will meet at 7:30 p.m. in the W attach Room, Davie Hall. Tfc L'NC Pre-Law Club will hold an organizational meeting at 3:10 p.m. in 209 Union. All students interested in a law career are Invited. Tkt L'NC Water Polo Club will practice today and Thursday, 9 p.m. In Bowman Cray Pool. Ail invited, no experience necessary. The Club will practice Friday at 1:10 p.m. in the pool. Tfc Media Board will meet at 3 p.m. in 203 Howell. Contact footballl The Carolina FootbaB Oub invites interested students and faculty to play football this semester. Opponents In a 10 game schedule include State, Duke, L'NC O and UNC-W. There will be practice today and Thursday at 8:30 p.m. on Ehringhau Field. This is in preparation for our Friday season-opener. Aa-Csmpoa WeeUy Prayer sneetieg will be noon in the Student Union. Please check the Union desk for room number. All are welcome to come and pray for campus needs. Please note the change in time from last week. AlCsr.C will have a meeting for all old members 6 p.m. in front of Carroll Hall. The Astronomy Club presents the film "Universe" at 7:00 p.m. Thursday In 247 Phillips. Plans for the year will be discussed. Alt are welcome. TIm Federal J5cpt:J."e of Ceraany has a national election on Oct. 5. The campaign between Helmut Schmidt (SPD) and Franz Josef Strauss (CSU) has been a heated one and the results will have a profound impact on international politics. This is the topic for an informal discussion at the International Center Coffee Hour at 3:00 p.m. in the Center's new office in the Union. All are invited. Persons interested in the L'NC Dbs Tta are invited to attend an Of jumatkmssl meeting tl to contact Dr. Ealihrop in 101 Bingham Hail. !" Vme Prf tte FrsUrai'y, Inc. has 100 seats to the Furman game. To get scat, lake )our I.D. and athletic p to the 4.h concession stand In Carmkhael Auditorium and aik for Omeja Psi PU. U you art lekirga date, take your date's I.D. and ashtelic pass and yours and grt yourVuets. Be a VoSucU? fr I. Am l'assl Ptyetosu-te nospttal. Come to tonight's meeting at 7.30 in 101 Ctetnla. Aaglkaa Student Fellowship Holy Cotamaeloa is celebrated at 10:00 tonight in the Chapel of the Cross. Everyone is welcome. The L'NC Sailing Club is having it first meeting tonight at 7:30 in 431 Greenlaw. All old members and anyone interested in sailing are invited to attend. An interviewing-skills workshop will be held tonight at 7:00 for interested pre-medpre-dent students. Please sign up in advance at the advising office in 3 1 1 South Building or call Marilyn Vedder at 6-5266. This workshop will be held weekly to prepare students for meddenul school interviews. There will be a meeting of Ststdesis far Joka Aadersoa tonight at 7:30 in Hamilton Hall. Call 929-9571 for the room number. The Baptist Student L'sioa Coaacil will meet at 7:00 p.m. at the Battle House. St. Joseph: s The St. Josepn's Performance center, 804 Faycttcville St., Durham, has an exciting line up of films scheduled for the fall. The list, versatile as ever, begins with the showing of Orson Welles butchered classic, The Magnificent Ambersons, at 7 and 9:30 p.m. today. Ambersons traces the decline of a rich and influential family at the end of the 19th century. This was Welles second film. RKO feared that it would die at the box office like Citizen Kane so approximately 45 minutes was cut from his version. Despite the obvious tampering the film remains one of the greatest to come out of Hollywood. St. Joseph's shows The Ruling Class on Sept. 10. The film stars Peter OToole and is a satire of British manners, morals and religion. V'getsu, a Japanese film that blends reality and the supernatural in a story of two men who desperately pursue wealth and fame, will be shown Sept. 17. Rene Cement's Purple Noon, a thriller that involves Alain UPCOMING EVENTS A meeting for ail interested in Fulbright Scholarships for graduate study or research abroad will be Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in 369 Hamilton Hall. All Alpha Chi Sigma brothers meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday . in 302 Boiinwood Apts. for letter stuffing. Regular meetings will resume next week on Thursday nights at 7:30 in 221 Venable. Lambda, the CGC newsletter, is meeting Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in 209 Union,. Everyone is welcome, s, . . :& .The Undergraduate History Association will hold an organizational meeting Thursday at 8:00 p.m. in 306 Saunders. Anyone with an interest in history is urged to attend. The Gallery Committee of the Unioa Activities Board wiil meet Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in 217 Union. People interested in joining the committee are invited to attend. A "Campus Media Forum" will be presented by UNCs Society of Professional Journalists, Sigma Delta Chi, to allow students to hear representatives of various campus media. SPJ, SDX business meetings will follow Thursday at 4:00 p.m. in 203-204 Howell Hall. All current and prospective members are invited. Those interested in working on the SHE magazine staff should come to the meeting Thursday at 3:00 p.m. in the Frank Porter Graham Lounge in the Union. Writers and photographers are needed. center press Delon in a complex triangle, s scheduled for Sept. 24. On Oct. 1, St. Joseph's presents an evening of short films. The Battle of Algiers, Gilo Pontecorvo's documentary-style film about the Algerian struggle against French colonialism, will be aired Oct. 8. On Oct, 15, Walter Matthau and Jack Lcmmon get on each other's nerves in The Odd Couple. Fellini's The White Sheik, a comedy about a Valentino-like movie star, is scheduled for Oct. 22. On Oct. 29, as a special Halloween treat, St. Joseph's will show Peter Bogdonavich's Targets. This thriller is about an aging horror star (Boris Karloff) who is brought together with a crazed kilter. The Collector, William Wylcr's adaptation of John Fowles novel about a butterfly collector who collects a woman, wHi be presented Nov. 5. The Loved Ones, will be shown Nov. 12. it's a far-reaching satire with Jonathan Winters, Robert Morse, Rod I ever a UbinnoL II ft I J.i batcHi'of Feliaolied tiiinieo r Dy ROD MONATII SUff Writer Ball Room Sea Level has gone commercial. Their new album, Ball Room, instead of offering another innovative blend of funk, jazz and Southern rock, dishes out a sorrv batch of rehashed tunes. Most of the cuts borrow unoriginal, but often profitable, musical formulas which incorporate the most cliche elements of i Steigcr and Liberace that's billed as "the motion picture with something to offend everyone." Rene Clement's anti-war film, Forbidden Games, will be shown Nov. 19. It's about two children who play a strange game and use a group of farmers who bury dead soldiers as role models. Luis Bunei's Nazarin, about a priest confronted with the difference between religion and humanism, is scheduled for Dec. 3. And the final film in the series is Mcl Brooks hilarious movie, The Producers. It will be presented Dec. 10. The Producers stars Zero Mostcl and Gene Wilder as two Broadway producers who have a sure way to riches sell more than 100T of the play to backers, put the money into a real loser and pocket the extra funds. But things don't work as they planned. For ticket information call 632-3453. TOM MOOHE the musical genres mentioned above. Davis Causey (guitar) and Randall Bramblctt (keyboards, sax and vocals) composed the majority of songs on the album. Their three-chord rocker, "Wild Side," is so passified by excessive studio effects that it loses the very rawness needed to make this otherwise repetitive and predictable song click. Likewise, "School Teacher," their attempt at uptempo Southern Boogie, is hampered by vague lyrics. It represents another well-mixed but uninspiring trihute to the commercial "accomplishments" of past artists from this musical mode. G Brambleit and Causey even approach the pop side of the Eagles on "Comfort Range," a standard ballad whose trivial lyrics warrant all the false emphasis and sincerity Bramblctt waxes into them. Lamar Williams' instrumental composition, "Struttin," couples his own funky bass riffs with mellow guitar, keyboard and saxophone harmonies. Unfortunately, the group doesn't fill out the song with any noteworthy improvisation. As the song stands, "Struttin" could make an excellent soundtrack to a slide show cr serve some ether general background purpose. Former Allman Brothers Band member Jai Johany Jchar.son has been replaced on drums by Joe English, whose mundane pulse-setting and lame fill-ins make Jchanson's absence from this album seem all the more crippling. Keyboardist Chuck Leave!!, also with ties to the Allman Brothers, contributes the only two cuts on the album which remind the listener of the band'i past musical achievements. Lcavell's heartfelt lyrics mix with an intriguing progression on "Don't Want to be Wrong." But the absence of Lcavell's accustomed fresh keyboard improvisation during all cuts is the final step in Sea Level's regression to a new constrictive, commercial format. A format which, for dedicated Sea Level fans, is quite a letdown to say the least. c U o ". i vy - J V. -JI fcJ rf" V. t M W i t 1 y Lj o GREEK RESTAURANT I i a. " f 5 " Ui J L W i K i i i 1 1 - e i . r "Tcrga by Chaffer" puts it In writ ir. 3. cf a'.! Tr;s by Shf?f fctt you v own 3 01 t'l'.n- . rt'-- An.' it 1 l-nutn i,r ' 3 t 1 fsn, tit' p :. j I w f t t-.'t trbetW-'ut2:'J t'fi .? If C; ;i fi r" C : - " ; r C : t i t v. : 1 1 : f' " t"t . .-7::M1:CDr-:n 1!
Sept. 3, 1980, edition 1
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