Friday. December 4, 1831The Daily Tar Heel7
Mo liday
movies
diverse
By TOM MOORK
1)111 Mufr Writer
Christmas is the lime for peace on earth and
good will toward men. Christmas is the time for
family feasts and neighborhood caroling. Christ
mas is the time for midnight church services and
stockings hung by the chimney with care. But most
importantly, Christmas is the time for the biggest
commercial boom of the whole year. As Tom
Lehrer's "Christmas Carol" says, "God rest ye
merry merchants, may ye make the Yuletide pay-"
At Christmas it seems everyone has something
to sell. The American film industry, which bases its
existence on commercial booms, is no exception.
Each year, the happy holidays see the release of
several colossal extravaganzas that the studios
hope will be box-office smashes. Most of these stu
pendous big events turn out to be instantly for
gettable. But many of this year's Christmas film releases
may be exceptions to this time-proven rule. But
this seems to be something 1 say every year.
The most promising release this Christmas is
Warren Beatty's Reds, one of the most serious
films ever attempted by Hollywood. Reds is the
story of John Reed, the Harvard-educated journa
list who documented the 1917 Russian Revolution
in his book Ten Days That Shook the World and
was instrumental in starting the U.S. Communist
Party. In many ways, Reds is the most conven
tional of the Yuletide pictures; it apparently pre
sents Reed's leftist odyssey in the grand terms of
such wide-screen epics as Dr. Zhivago and Law
rence of Arabia. Reds also seems conventional be
cause, like so many "true account" films, it cen
ters around Reed's love affair with the equally
bohemian Louise Bryant.
But any film about early American radicalism
can hardly be that conventional. At a costs of be
tween $30 and $50 million and a running time of 3
hours, 20 minutes, Reds is a big risk. The film,
which stars Beatty, Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson,
Maureen Stapleton and Gene Hackman, has
opened to good notices from critics.
Ragtime. Milos Forman's adaptation of the
popular E. L. Doctorow novel, like Reds deals
with leftist politics in the early 20th century. It
mixes the factual and the fictional in its sweeping
tale of a younger and more energetic America. The
film has gotten mixed reviews, but some critics
most notably old acid-tongue herself, Pauline Kel
have found it pretty awful.
The general consensus holds that the film is
much less enjoyable than the novel, that Forman
was too tame with the material and that he didn't
bring to it the certain wackiness anr' sympathy it
deserves. Still, any film' with Nornvn Mailer, Mary
Steenburgen and Brad.Dourif that features a
score by Randy Newman is bound to be interesting.
That James Cagney, the most kinetic of all screen
actors, is starring in his first film in 20 years makes
Ragtime a must-see. Even Pauline admits that he's
great.
Thomas Berger is the funniest novelist in Ameri
ca, and his book Neighbors, a Kafkaesque look at
feuding suburbanites, is a comic masterpiece. John
Belushi and Dan Ackroyd star in the film version,
directed by John Alvidsen (Rocky). While there is.
no advance word on the film, with material as
good as Berger's it would be hard to go wrong.
Chevy Chase, another Saturday Night Live
alumnus, stars in Modern Problems, a film about
an air traffic controller with supernatural powers.
Not much else is known about this comedy, which
also features Mary Kay Place and Brian-Doyle
Murray; it is the first feature directed by . Ken
Shapiro, who was responsible for the popular
Groove Tube compilation film.
Steve Martin, whose career was also boosted by
Saturday Night Live, stars in Pennies From
. Heaven, certainly the weirdest of all movies this
Christmas. Pennies, based on a recent BBC series,
is a hommage to those lavish Busby Berkley musi
cals of the 1930s. Martin plays a song-shect sales
man who lives in a musical fantasy world.
Bernadette Peters, Christopher Walkcn and.
Jessica Harper also appear in this film, directed by
Herbert Ross. All the actors lip-synch their num
bers to old songs by the likes of Bing Crosby and
Louis Armstrong.
Another comedy being released this Christmas is
Buddy Buddy. Directed by Billy Wilder, it stars
Jadfc Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Lemmon
plays a television censor who is contemplating sui
cide since his wife has run off with a sex therapist
she interviewed for "60 Minutes." Lemmon
checks into a hotel room next door to a Mafia hit
man, Matthau. Buddy Buddy, which also features
Paula Prentiss and Klaus "Aguire" Kinski, sounds
like a black comedy reminiscent of Some Like It
Hot and The Apartment. But so did Fedora.
Two of this year's Yuletide films are based on re
cent plays On Golden Pond and Whose Life Is
It Anyway. On Golden Pond, judging by the re
views, is one of those crusty-old-man-who-can't-communicate-with-his-daughter
movies. It is re
deemed, however, by strong acting by Henry
Fonda, Katherine Hepburn and Jane Fonda. It's
sure to be the big Oscar-grabber next spring, if that
means anything to you. If you like movies, it
shouldn't.
'Abs ence of Malice'
Film probes ethics
By JULIAN KARCHMER
DTH Staff Writer
With Absence of Malice, director
Sydney Pollack has again effectively
probed the fraility of ethical codes weak
ened by large, abstract organizations. .,'
Past Pollack films Three Days of the
Condor and The Electric Horseman were
concerned with the "system" and its
tangled web of evils. Absence of Malice
pursues similar lines, although it is not so
blatant in attacking the organization itself
as the basis for an individual's moral
behavior.
cinema
This movie's setting is the contem
porary newsroom, and the theme is jour
nalistic responsibility vs. business and
personal enterprise. On the one hand, the
newspaper seeks to make a profit, no
longer an easy task for the troubled
fourth estate. So selling newspapers to a
public deserving and eager for news occa
sionally includes stretching facts and, at
times, writing just within the confines of
libel law. On the other hand, fulfilling the
public trust can contradict this profit
making initiative.
Since the legendary Watergate suc
cesses of Woodard and Bernstein, in
vestigative journalists have increasingly
been stressing the big scoop. But ethics
largely seem to be falling by the wayside
like so many dominoes in this search for
the big story. Constitutional freedom. of .
the, press, has slowly develop into a .
disturbing hoh-thanou attitude well
represented in Absence of Malice.
The film mirrors actual, disturbing
events in recent journalism. One cannot
help but think of recent headlines: the
London Times' financial problems, a
Pulitzer-Prize-winning story being dis
covered a fake and celebrities taking the
supermarket bird-cage tabloids to court
for slander. The print media, must now,
perhaps more than ever, inspect itself.
Absence of Malice covers this introspec-
Benefit slated
A benefit spaghetti supper for the
Hemophilia Foundation is scheduled for
5-8 p.m. Saturday at the Carolina Grill,
West Franklin Street.
The supper will provide all-you-can-eat
spaghetti, salad, bread and tea or coffee
for $3.50.
The Hemophilia Foundation is a non
profit organization.
tion at the most basic level, the staff
writer on the beat, and manages to bring
this lofty, didactic subject matter down to
an enjoyable form.
The film offers a refreshing, but still
one-sided, view of journalism. Old,
romantic movies show young, hard
working reporters discovering the corrup
tion of the world and heroically printing
stories for all to read. But as scripted by
former journalist Kurt Luedtke, Absence
of Malice portrays the newspaper as the
foucs of impropriety, not romanticism.
Sally Field plays Miami reporter
Megan Carter. Field's rebellious, spirited
screen persona again makes her character
click. Carter writes a shoddy story linking ,
an innocent man, Michael Gallagher
(Paul Newman) to the Jimmy Hoffa-type
disappearance of a union boss. It isn't
long before the logs start to roll over
Gallagher and his friends, one of whom
commits suicide Over a story Carter later
prints. Hollywood has rarely viewed the
press in such a negative context.
Yet while we are led to experience the
tremendous power of printed word, the
plot surprisingly resolves to an ironic con-,
elusion. People outside the press actually
maniuplate the press to their own advan
tage by understanding current principles
of journalism.
For once, newspapers come out look
ing terrible, and rightly so considering the
presentation it receives in Absence of
Malice. But despite its natural appeal, the
film has its faults, especially at the end,
when the unbelievably idealistic Carter is
suddenly enlightened to ihe ways of her.
profession. ' ' -. ; t..
Also stereotypes are often disturbing in
this film, especially in the character of
Carter, who, will do anything to get "a
story, even sleeping with a source. Female
reporters, admittedly a refreshing, new
presence in film, were constantly pre
sented as victims of sexual harassment,
their sources making proposition after
proposition during professional inter
views. Absence of Malice opens nationally
Dec. 18.
follies
From page 1
"Since no formal risk was involved for us, I
agreed," owner-manager Art Chansky of Four
Corners restaurant said. "It didn't constitute a
change in our menu." The specials designated
for Follies members were daily specials,
available to all customers, usually free, non
alcoholic beverages offered with a meal.
The Consumer Protection Division of the
N.C. Department of Justice has made no pre
gress in the investigation. "We have not done
anything yet," Consumer Protection Specialist
Billie Holcombe said. .
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7
SHS Xmas closing
Because Student Health Services has treated few
students on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in
past years, SHS will be closed over Christmas this
year, SHS Director Judith Cowan . said Wednesday.
While SHS is closed 10 p.m. Dec 23 to 7 a.m.
Dec. 26 students with serious health problems
should use the N.C. Memorial Hospital emergency "
room, Cowan said.
But, SHS fees will pay for services that would have
normally been covered by the health service. If
students incur costs, they should discuss billing at the
time of service, she said.
"Indeed, we would cover any charge they incur
over there if these are things we usually cover,"
Cowan said. "We want to be sure students can get
where they need to go under those circumstances."
Cowan said the SHS decided to close this year for
financial purposes. "It would be much more cost
effective if we could provide service through the
NCMH emergency room.
Lofgren's new album cluttered
By ED LEITCH
DTH Staff Writer
Take
Is your record collection sadly, lacking in the
This You Bitch" rock department?
If such a deficiency exists and you're compelled to fill
it, buy some Aerosmith. When Nils Lofgren tries to
strike a heartbreaker pose or sound cocky on his latest
release, Night Fades Away, the listener might have to
fight off chuckle fits.
The lyrics of "Streets Again," written by Lofgren and
the producer of this album, Jeffrey Baxter, are par
ticularly distinctive. One might think Baxter was a bad
influence on Lofgren simply because of the production
of Night Fades Away, which is extremely cluttered and
dirty. The lyrics of the songs Baxter co-wrote are equally
cluttered and dirty.
Of course, there is more to Night Fades A way than
banal sex tracks and contrived sneering. For example,
the cover photo of Lofgren is very nice. It was taken by
Anne Leibovitz of Rolling Stone, who always does a fine
job.
Also, Nicky Hopkins plays some interesting
keyboards on "Ancient History." In that tune, Nils
finds himself on the receiving end (my baby's left me a
novel theme) and seems confused and perturbed about
her bitchiness.
If Lofgren would simply put together a loose
, framework of rhythm instruments and decorate it with a
tasteful amount of lead, there's no doubt he could come
up with an engaging tune. That sort of thing works well
on his live albums. But here he is all too concerned with
images and striking a pose. Lofgren should exploit some
of that flash guitar work with a minimum of electronic
.garbage mixed in and leave the images to Thoreau. If
Lofgren did that, he and his listeners would have an
album of which they could be proud.
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1981 Beer Brewed by Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, Wis.