F The Michigan Daily-Sunday, March 29, 1981-Page 7' 'The Final Conflict' lacks grace VanRonk What is the blues? "An infinitely long salami," according to bluesman/folksinger/guitarist Dave VanRonk. "Most blues don't have a beginning, middle, or end; you just cut up.a couple of slices of blues." VanRonk ;has been carving his blues since 1957, 'which gives him the additional title of survivor. VanRonk will perform at the' Ark tonight at 7 and 9:30 p.m. With an extensive background in black music, VanRonk became a leader of the 60s folk revivial that brought the vitality of black music to white audien- ces Immersed in the Greenwich Village crowd a decade and a half ago, VanRonk and a handful of others gave the widest possible exposure to ragtime, jazz, and jug band music. ;AND UNLIKE so many of his peers, Bob Dylan among them, VanRonk's gravelly voice can still be heard in many of the same clubs he played - during the 60s. Yet more than from the dubs he plays, VanRonk's integrity is 'derived from the rich Jelly Roll Morton and Scott Joplin blues he performs and aiis come to embody. VanRonk has recorded numerous F albums for big and small labels, Sun- day Street being the most recent, -without ever having been a commercial pfienomenon. However, he has not been without impact. ''Cocaine" was first recorded by 'anRonk, which led to Jackson Browne Dave VanRonk recoraing it and mistaking it as being written by VanRonk. (In fact, the Reverend Gary Davis originally wrote the song.) VanRonk's brand of folk music is peculiar in that it is not limited to Ozark Mountain ballads of the' J.C. Child catalog of music. He makes light of his steadfast adherence to folk music and his in- fluence on others. He has managed to remain relatively obscure, unlike many of his contemporaries who have suc- cumbed to the lure of pop and rock 'or have faded away. VanRonk is hardly fading. "I do this because I do this for a living," he told a reporter recently. "What the hell, I'm lucky because I like it." * Phil IDschaine By ANDREW BARON The Final Conflict is your basic low budget, low effort, low intellect motion picture. And like a tape worm, it sucks off of the unexpected past glory of its predecessor, The Omen, picking up rather unimaginatively where Damien-Omen II left off. As you may recall, Damien Thorn is the Antichrist - the son of Satan - the Beast. In The Omen we witnessed his "coming" and his early years. And we thoroughly enjoyed watching him gruesomely bump off various persons who were a threat to him. Spectacular, unexplained falls and window pane. guillotines were the rage. In Damien-Omen II we watched him adolesce. We also learned that he can be killed if he is stabbed with one of the seven daggers of Meggido. NOW; IN THE FINAL and (thank God!) last episode we are introduced to a 33-year-old Damien Thorn (Sam Neill), whose mission, to dominate the collective souls of mankind, is well un- der way. He is presently the head of his own multi-billion dollar corporation, and he spends a good deal of his time hob-nobbing with the President of the United States and other powerful leaders in hopes of increasing his own power. But despite his omnipotence, Damien is scared out of his horns, for he knows that the Second Coming of Christ, or the Nazarene, will soon be at hand. And the Nazarene has the potential to exter- minate him. He is also aware of the danger of the daggers, which find their way to the lovable Father De Carlo (Rossano Brazzi) and his dedicated monks in Subiaco, Italy. DE CARLO KNOWS who Damien is, and it is his intention to kill him in order to save the Nazarene, who is but a new- born babe. And finally there is the charming Kate Reynolds (Lisa Harrow), television interviewer and part-time masochistic lover of Damien. She is perhaps the most dangerous of all for Damien. Thus, within the first few minutes, the film becomes a horse race between Good and Evil. But it is a 1 -hour long horse race, and the excitement dies rather quickly - like a beach ball against the wind. The inevitability of Damien's demise acts as a dramatic thorn in the side of this film. After all, though it was shot in England, The Final Conflict is a typically American picture. And Americans cannot stand the idea of ending something so apocalyptic with the bad guys winning. It is not even so awful that The Final Conflict is relatively tame compared to its nastier, more suspenseful contem- poraries. But what is so unsatisfying about the picture is that it fails to har- ness any of its creative potential. THE CONCEPT OF Armageddon, or the final struggle between good and evil forces, is intriguing enough. But An- drew Birkin (scriptwriter) brings forth a story that is not even remotely in- teresting or original. Sam Neill has been well received for his role in the Australian film My Brilliant Career. Rossano Brazzi has also led an extremely successful career in Italy and Hollywood, and Lisa Harrow has starred in numerous fine productions throughout Europe. With a seemingly weathered cast as this, one might expect The Final Conflict to at least attempt something beyond banal plot summary. NO SUCH LUCK. Perhaps there are a few times when Damien appears slightly compassionate, but this por- trayal is half-hearted. There is not the commitment on the part of Neill or director Graham Baker to develop the character of Damien into anything more than a sly creature with a tinge of humanity. After years of preprogram- med devil worshipping movies, it would seem reasonable for Americans to ex- pect a little more than second-rate melodrama and weak characterization. The Final Conflict even misuses the prophecies of the Book of Revelation, which predicts that an Armageddon will occur when Christ comes down from the heavens to smite the Beast and his millions of disciples at the plane of Meggido in Israel. The "final con- flict" takes place in this film at a dilapidated 12th century abbey, which is a nice enough place for an adventure movie (e.g. James Bond). But the con- frontation between the Beast and the Nazarene comes off more as a religious High Noon than an all-deciding battle concerning man's future existence. The Final Conflict falls flat on its face because it does nothing to hold itself up as a worthwhile film. It seems to have no point other than to end a trilogy that has already been stripped of its monetary value. auuuvucn THE UNIVERIETYOFMICHIGAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC OPERATHEATER PRESENTS ______ _ __ ..,- e of E. Back Roads' By ELIZABETH SCOTT ( Given 'a spunky Mobile, Alabama hooker and an ex-prize fighter, both penniless yet afflicted with the inex- plicable itch to go west, you have an imminent and inescapable romance. Perhaps it sounds far-fetched, but in the movies anything can happen, as Back Roads irrefutably proves. For director Martin Ritt, Back Roads could be considered a step backwards, since his previous film credits include; Sounder and Norma Rae, both laden with social commentary. Back Roads, has its share of social commentary too, but it's out of context with the rest of the film. This one's for fun. The film opens with shots of gam- biling hands and lspike-heeled legs trying to lure Oxfords in neon shadows. Here and throughout the film, camera movement tends to be a bit rocky - perhaps, because the story involves a rocky relationship? Anyway, Sally Field, as a cherubic hooker, and Tommy Lee Jone leave Mobile for California af slugs a cop who is about to bt They hope to get by on "wit; (which so far seems to be abundant for them as money) fantastically good luck that gets them places. Wary of each other at first,l Jones go through a series c amusing (but not hilarious following their initial meeting render them in love iri spite selves. Jones valiantly shie from the licentious intention men, and she graciously bla for their misadventures. Jones revels in the attenti all, they ne(ed each other, don't realize it until the en movie. We, on the other hand, the secret from the beginni: film, when Jones picks Fielc dank bar amidst Lone St dead end es quickly flourescent prostitutes, and grimy ter Jones patrons. True love is obviously ust Field. blossoming. and grit"" about as FIELD AND JONES perform their , but it is not-too-challenging roles with a charm actually that lends Back Roads vivacity and sometimes substance. Otherwise, the movie drags. Field and of mostly Ritt attempts to depict the essense of ) events Southern low-life with extended that soon sequences of shots in truckstops, of them- Greyhound buses, carnivals, and the lds Field like, providing the movie-goer with s of other frequent opportunities to go to the con- ames him cession stand for popcorn and jujubes. At the end of the movie, Jones is sit- ting on the side of a desolate highway in on. After the middle of nowhere, while Field hit- but they chhikes for cars that aren't there are in on (maybe she's practicing). They never ; areofnthe really get anywhere, and neither does ng of the Back Roads - but at least it's good for d up in a a short escape into the world of make- ar beer, believe. is ' , , t ..,.: i 5 it .. l ; z t : g ' z o6 'PQ outh kidaQ goppe " Prom Gowns * Complete Wedding Apparel * Special Occasion Dresses * Cocktail Dresses "Our emphasis is on personalized service No. )7Forest Place Plymouth 455-y~4445 . E BY JACQUES 01 IN Enjoy a humoro Orpheus, the m musician, ine his recapture his w Pluto, the fiend The score is on Offenbach's me and witty. A C FEENBACH iythicaoI Greek e of )st tuneful ATURDAY, 8:00 PM PM. AND 800 PM I? TICKET OFFICE. AGUE, 764-0450. FRI DAY AND 5 SUNDAY 2:00 TICKETS AT PT. MICHIGAN 'LEa ro y ; f.. l , i1 51 1 iL 1 L LL iL151 1 (is // \\ , +t) irf S Altered States' a trip I / (Continued from page 5) metallic and mean-spirited-colorfully inane as in Tommy's freak parade, or aiming for self-conscious, "brilliance" through the simple; dumb hysteria of The Devils. Figures acted out their baroque little' crescendos of emotion on striking landscapes, yet even the out-of-doors seemed closed-in, made frivolous by being a frame for a live-action cartoon. In Altered States, Russell suddenly and miraculously discovers space-there's a sense of realr expanse, of tangible open air even in the interior sequences that too few films achieve. Beyond that, Altered States just seems far too disciplined, smooth, humorous, sincere, skilled and casual for the pop- eyed cheesy maestro of yore. IT MANAGES things that didn't have anything to do with earlier Russell films - genuine suspense (as opposed to head-banging jolt effects), visual and editing fluency (no choppy gimmickry), sympathy towards the characters (replacing contempt for caricatures), and a sense of when (and how) to play things seriously to best effect rather than going for a schlock bizzare effect in every moment. What the hell happened? Russell seemed to be the one director who wouldn't be compromised, .who wouldn't relinquish his crazed, 'narrow little vision for anyone - because he was mad, not figuratively but certifiably. God knows how he's even managed enough calm to deal with the complexities of film- making all these years. See Altered States, and see it for what it is-an in- stant midnight-movie classic, full of' invention and fun. I c : .;.1 1 01E0 :.. .. .:. $x<>i" e "CC k:ui ib APP, Ilyl' -* "Gimme aD* ' Gimme anA * Gimmean 1 ... L...Y * Give the MICHIGAN DAILY *,, " that old college try. , .CALL 764-0558 to order your subscription ,"I read these of can cer... You probab have the 8th. 1. Change in bowel or bladder habits. 2. A sore that does not heal. 3. Unusual bleeding or discharge. 4. Thickening or lump in breast or elsewhere. 5. Indigestion or diffi- culty in swallowing. 6. Obvious change in wart or mole. 7. Nagging cough or hoarseness. +!) M'> p'« *E IITBI EI { rae (® ,.. HYP1 SIN ,os I ==I r. r+ 1 [I N j- C yx Ix IN I 1 I .x2d X01 E h EOl U lI U]~ Wil IEi© ;* _ . U_..I :Is. RCS. 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