VHE MiCHIGAN DAILY Page Three
rHE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Three
C O
Q jo
NOW THERE ARE
Pick of the week:
Deep Throat
Bullard Action Now Group
Nat. Sci. Aud.
Fri., Sat., 6:45, 8:30, 10:15
How Percy Bullard and com-
pany only managed to find a
black - and - white print of this
porno classic which made mil-
lions solely on the fact that it
was in color I'll never know, but,
anyway, this first of the low-
budget, multi-million-dollar box
office flesh films arrives in town
this weekend to provide a finan-
cial boost for Bullard's reelec-
tion campaign.
The star is, of course, the in-
imitable Linda Lovelace. There
is a thin plot to give some kind
of redeeming social value to the
picture, but for the most part
Deep Throat is nothing but good,
honest, down-to-business sex.
Well, if nothinj else, Bullard
gets a few points for originality.
After all, even the Committee
for the Reelection of the Presi-
dent never thought of using por-
no flicks for political purposes.
-David Blomquist
The Grand Bouffie
Fifth Forum
Director Marco Ferreri has as-
sembled a highly unique and per-
verse account of four men who
eat themselves to death and im-
mortality in a film that won the
Critics' Prize at the 1973 Cannes
Film Festival.
Grande Boufe emay sickenhor
enlighten, depending on what
shape your stomach is in. The
scenes border on the outrageous
(exploding toilets), but most of
it is good, clean fun. Most film
buffs will quickly recognize the
crucial moments as directorial
tributes (Fellini, Bunuel, and
Bergman are featured in partic-
ular) rather than exercises in
bad taste.
-Michael Wilson
Between Time and
Timbucktoo.
New World Films, Nat. Sel. Aud.
Sun., 9
Between Time and Timbucktu
is a typical Vonnegut creation,
with lots of science-fiction fan-
tasy, some blunt satire, and a
finely tuned vision of the mad-
ness of the current American
scene.
The script borrows heavily
from Vonnegut's written works,
and this does make it difficult to
comprehend if you're not fami-
liar with them. But the basic.
plot line is easy enough to fol-
low.
Stony Stephenson, winner of a
breakfast food jingle contest,
is selected as an astronaut, and
subsequently shot through the
chronosynclastic infidibulum,
a time warp for you and I. There
he meets specters from his past,
and has a number of improbable
experiences.
-Stephen Selbst
Hunger .
Cinema II, Aud. A
Sun., 7, 9
Hunger is an interesting film
with only two characters from
S w e d i s h filmmaker Hen-
ning Carlsen. It's basically the
story of a poor, impoverished
writer (a Daily staffer?) who
meets a kind, sweet woman who
falls for him.
Well, if you like Swedish films,
go, but be forewarned: Bergman
this film is not. It has its mo-
ments (lead Per Oscarsson won
a best acting award at the Can-
nes Film Festival), but also
drags out at times.
-David Blomquist
Dr. Strangelove
Friends of Newsreel, MLB
This 1964 Stanley Kubrick mas-
terpiece has a special beauty in
this day and age, what with Viet-
nam in the past and Henry Kis-
singer on the horizon.
Peter Sellers is here at his
best, playing not only the title
role but two other parts. George
C. Scott is especially deluxe as
Gen. Buck Turgidson (be careful
-Scott may convince you that
the Commies are about to drain
off your precious bodily fluids.)
The story is basically a take-
off on Failsafe, the Henry Fonda
nuclear panic movie. Here, how-
ever, everyone turns out to be a
bumbler - except the bomber
who pilot got the wrong mes-
sage and can't be stopped.
-Louis Meldman
Sugarland Express
Michigan
Steven Speilberg is a new fact
among American directors, fresh
from television and a stint at
film school. He stinks. Sugar-
land Express is a testimonial to
his claustrophobic talent, a senti-
mental piece of prison break-out
fripe starring that lovely and
talented Goldie Hawn in her con-
tinuing role as Goldie Hawn, girl
wonder.
Here, Hawn springs her hus-
band from the clinker and the
ensuing chase scene takes up
(would you believe?) the entire
movie. Why the hell this gar-
bage was released to theatres in-
stead of television is beyond me,
except that maybe TV was too
good for it.
Based loosely on a true story,
Sugarland Express will probab-
ly make a fortune when it is
righteously sold to television. In
the meantime I suggest everyone
hold their breath waiting.
-Michael Wilson
Happy Birthday,
Wanda June
New World Films, Nat. Sci. Aud.
Sun., 7
Happy Birthday, Wanda June
is a filmed play, and as such it
suffers from that. Unfortunately,
it looks like a filmed play, and
after seeing the success of the
American Film Theater in con-
verting plays to movies, this ef-
fort fails by comparison.
The basic story remains funny,
however, blessed as it is with
Vonnegut's bizarre vision and
some truly fine lines. Briefly,
it concerns the saga of Harold
Ryan, who returns after eight
years in the South American
jungle where he sought and
eventually found "diamonds as
big as cantaloupes."
The whole thing is a little
heavy handed, and neither of
leads York or Steiger is espe-
cially good.
-Stephen Selbst
The Misfits
Cinema Guild, Arch. Aud.
Sat., 7, 9:05
Clark Gable and Marilyn Mon-
roe both closed out their careers
with this 1961 film that came in
as the most expensive black-and-
white film ever made.
The picture had everything go-
ing for it - Gable, Monroe, a
screenplay by Arthur Miller, and
direction by John Huston - but
somehow this story of an odd
bunch of scatterbrained loners
in Nevada never manages to take
shape.
-David Blomquist
Dr. Zhivago
South Quad Films
Dining Room 2, South Quad
Fri., 8
This lengthy (three hours, 17
minutes) but engrossing saga of
the Russian Revolution, told in
terms of an intense love affair
between a traditionalist doctor,
Yuri Zhivago, and Lara, the es-
tranged wife of a Communist
revolutionary, hasits problems,
but still ranks as one of the best
films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ever
produced.
David Lean directed this epic
with his customary wide scope,
easily capturing the image of
the era - yet somehow losing
the spirit of Boris Pasternak's
novel in the transfer to film.
Leads Omar Sharif and Julie
Christie are, however, for the
most part quite watchable - a
word that, in fact, aptly de-
scribes the entire film.
--David Blomquist
Bringing Up Baby
Cinema II, Aud. A
Fri., 7, 9
In Howard Hawk's classic
screwball comedy Bringing Up
Baby (1938), Katherine Hepburn
and Cary Grant do some of the
funniest routines you'll ever see
on film - they just don't make
'em like they used to anymore.
Hepburn has never looked bet-
ter in her role of a neglected and
dissected high - society girl with
a pet leopard; Grant plays an-
about - to - be - married ar-
chaeologist who meets up with
her near the eve of his wedding.
The result is a hilarious mess,
a fine mixture of slapstick and
sentimentality.
Charlie Ruggles and May Rob-
son also star, along with a cute
dog and a missing dinosaur bone.
If you've ever seen What's Up,
Doc?, come back and see what
the original looks like. Hawks
himself once remarked he liked
Bogdanovich's remake but that
Baby really leaves room for
little imitation.
-Michael Wilson
Straw Dogs
Friends of Newsreel, MLB
Straw Dogs is a story of how
a mild-mannered mathematician
(played by Dustin Hoffman) can
defeat a half-dozen burly, crazed
Irishmen in a fight for his house
and wife.
Well, who does Hoffman think
he is - Errol Flynn? This was
Sam Peckinpah's first attempt
at a movie outside the "Western"
genre, and obviously so. the
movie is an utter bore.
--Louis Meldman
Papillon
Campus
Only a few directors have suc-
cessfully been able to move from
television to motion pictures. The
TV director is almost univer-
sally trained to think in terms
of close, tight shots. Film, how-
ever, requires - especially in
wide-screen - an almost com-
pletely opposite viewpoint, de-
manding a broad, nearly pano-
ramic approach.
Director Franklin Schaffner
started out cooped up in the
confines ofhtelevision, but no
viewer of his latest film, Pa-
pillon, could accuse him of feel-
ing cramped any longer. Indeed,
in not only Papillon but his pre-
vious films (including Patton
and Nicholas and Alexandra),
Schaffner appears to be develop-
ing a mammoth epic style that
rivals Cecil DeMille.
Allied Artists spent $11 million
to produce this present Schaffner
extravaganza from Henri Cher-
rier's story of life in a chillingly
cruel French prison colony. (Star
Steve McQueen alone reportedly
received over $1 million for his
efforts.)
The film portrays what it's in-
tended to, all right - 'man's in-
humanity toward man' - but
Schaffner far too often (like in
Nicholas and Alexandra) gets
hung up in his epic style and
wastes reels of film just show-
ing off his- big budget. McQueen
and co-star Dustin Hoffman
seem lost in the midst of it all.
Nevertheless, the film defi-
nitely has its fascinating high-
lights.
-David Blomquist
The Great Gatsby
Fox Village
With all that advance publicity
-the Gatsby "look", the Gats-
by napkins, the Gatsby under-
wear - what else could the film
do but flop?
Jack Clayton's long-awaited
Great Gatsby is so rotten, so
devoid of talent and imagination,'
that it comes off looking like
little more than some monumen-
tal tribute to Vogue magazine.
If only the acting and dialogue
had sparkled and glittered like
the photography and costumes,
this could have been one hell of
a picture.
Robert Redford and Mia Far-
row as Gatsby and Daisy are
truly pathetic; the captivating
Fitzgerald portrait of undying
and unrequited love has been
transformed on screen into some-
thing out of True Confessions
magazine.
The two effective perform-
ances are given by Bruce Dern
as Tom Buchanan and Karen
Black in the role of Myrtle Wil-
son. The rest of the cast (Sam
Waterson, Lois Chiles, etc.) are
more laughable than passable.
It's interesting that a lush-bud-
get film like Gatsby can be so
bad. It makes you wonder where
all that money went.
-Michael Wilson
Blazing Saddles
The Movies, Briarwood
There hasn't been a good sa-
tire on the Old West since Cat
Ballou in 1965, but Mel Brooks
has finally changed all that. His
Blazing Saddles is perhaps the
funniest movie to come out this
year, besides being a genuinely
dizzy piece of genre parody on
every Bonanza-ridden cliche you
can think of. Saddles is crazy
from start to finish - don't miss
it.
Cleavon Little plays the new
black sheriff of an old town
about to be destroyed to make
way for the new railroad; Gene
Wilder is the has-been gunsling-
er who drinks booze for break-
fast and know's he still the fast-
est shot alive. To reveal any-
thing else would be shameful;
half the fun of Saddles in the in-
congruity, like having Count Ba-
sie and company in full swing
right out there in the middle of
nowhere as Little rides by.
Brooks himself plays two parts
in the film, which also includes
guest stars Harvey Korman,
Slim Pickens and Madeline Kahn.
The screenplay was done five
separate ways by five different
writers; Brooks then put it all
together one night during Co-
lumbo. Not since his fabulous
Get Smart TV Show has the
writer - actor - director suc-
ceeded so well so fast.
-Michael Wilson
The Sting
State
No doubt about it: the team of
Paul Newman, Robert Redford,
and George Roy Hill simply can-
not make a bad movie. If you
liked Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid, you'll squeal with
delight at Sting.
Sting is a story of a big con
artist (Newman) who comes out
of retirement to take on an ap-
prentice (Redford) and make
one final "big con" - one final
"sting". The result is perfect.
-Louis Meldman
WITH ROOM FOR MUMMY!
Great zip-together idea for backpackers who want
light weight and warmth at a reasonable price. Insu-
lated with a double layer of lofty DuPont Dacron'
Fiberfill II; right and left models in regular and extra
long styles; insulated Delrinl zipper
with 2-way sliders; rip-stop nylon
cover; warm and roomy oval foot
pocket.
-' Ask your nearby Stag Trail Haus
TROIIHOUS dealer.
p - - m- - - -- -- -- - m --- - - m -= *
Send 25ยข for new Technical Report on trail
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To: Hirsch-Wee/White stag, Dept.CNP-2,
5203 S. E. Johnson Creek Blvd.,
3 Portland, Oregon 97206.1
Name
Address
city state Zip
college
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GOOD LUCK
EXAMS!
ON.
U-M STYLISTS
at THE UNION
Dave, Harold,
Chet, and Jay
Why is this girl
Smiling?
Last year at this time Joan wasn't
smiling. She was flunking out of
college *and didn't know where to
turn. And the worst part was that v
she realty wanted to earn a college
degree and she knew that she was
capable.
Thomas More College gave Joan a
Second Chance. We have a special
summer program designed just for
students like Joan ... underachieving
students who have experienced serious
academic difficulty or even failure.
It's an intense program of study, test-
ing, and counseling conducted by a
specially-trained staff. And the goal
of the program is the student's re-
moval from probation or his or her
readmission to college.
Joan is a product of Operation Second
Chance. She came through with fly-
ing colors and will graduate on sched-
ule. No wonder she's smiling.
SECOND CHANCE
JUNE 17 - JULY 26, 1974
BOB BROWN
THOMAS MORE COLLEGE
Box 85 - Fort Mitchell, Kentucky 41017
(in Metropolitan Cincinnati)
or call: (606) 341-5800 - ext. 10
I U
OPEN
Regular Hours
DURING EXAMS
AND BREAK
MICH IGAN
UNION
COFFEE HOUSE
with Israeli Food-PITAH, FELAFEL, Etc.
and Local Entertainment
SATURDAY, April 20-9:30 p.m.
at HILLEL-1429 Hill St.
ADMISSION 75c
PARK YOUR
BICYCLE AT
OUR
Fr ENERGY-SAVING
SHOPPING
For your convenience there are sheltered bike stands
S TUDENTS!
WORRY*FREE
SUMMER STORAGE
For$495
WHY PA.CK TWICEn
Textile experts advise: Never put winter
garments away soiled. Always have them dry
cleaned first.
So why not do it the worry - free way -
Greene's Way! Call NO 2-3231 for a Handy
Hamper Storage Box. It holds about 30 gar-
ments. We'll carefully clean the garments and
store them in our air-conditioned vault until
fall.
The cost is only $4.95 plus regular cleaning
charges. Includes free insurance to $250.00.
NO PAYMENT UNTIL FALL.
FOR CONVENIENT DRIVER SERVICE
662-3231I
a
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For details, write:1
The program is adaptable to veterans.
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