14 ARTS w . ------------- The Michigan Daily _ n _ag .7- Thursday, January 7, 1982 . Page 7 ; --- Recorc Joan Armatrading-'Walk Under Ladders' (A&M) To assume that Joan Armatrading has bowed to commercial pressures simply because this is her most- produced album yet would be to fun- damentally misunderstand ,Walk Un- der Ladders. Asking Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare (the reggae wun- derkin responsible for the progressive funk of Grace Jones and numerous Jamacian hits), Dick Cuthell and Rico Rodriguez of The Specials, and Andy Partridge of XTC to guest your album is not what you could call a sell-out. It was, in fact, quite a risk-but one that seems to have paid off. Undoubtedly, though, it is a step that is bound to raise some suspicion. Armatrading's fans were quick to sniff out compromise on her last album, I Me Mine, done in collaboration with '50s producer Richard Gottehrer. And the fans of her new conspirators have always spurned Armatrading as little more than a tough Janis Ian-bitchy folk, you could say. What makes this album even more difficult to immediately digest is the fact that it encompasses such a variety of song styles that it seems schizophrenic at times. The major case in point is the latter half of the second side, which jumps from the languid reggae of "I Can't Lie to Myself" to the supercharged pop-ska of "Eating the Bear" and on to the sombrely Enoseque "Only One." Often, this sort of genre-hopping indicates an artist clutching at straws, besieged by a desperate lack of direction faced when one has played out one sound but is un- certain where to turn next. UNISEX Long or Short Haircuts by Professionals at . DASCOLA STYLISTS Liberty off State.........668-9329 East U. at South U.......662-0354 Arborland............- Maple Village.......... 761-2733 Is That said, I should point out very closely that that is not the case with this album. The content and tone of Walk Under Ladders is always essential Joan Armatrading. Her experimentation in song styles is undertaken not out of desperation, but adventurousness. If the unlikely trio of genres mentioned above seems unreconcilable, you have to hear Joan Armatrading use them to her own advantage to know that it can work. Above all alse, this is still a Joan Ar- 'matrading record. Her chief asset has always been her intelligence, expressed m I 4 equally in telling lyrical ambiguities and her vocal ability to explore those ambiguities. In that way, this slicker, rockier sound may be just what the doctor or- dered. No longer is Joan forced to always play Gibraltar against the soft- spoken subtleties of her accom- paniment. This time arond the music gives her some stiff competition, and for my money, Joan seems to benefit from it. It's this kind of force that gives her scalpel of insight the force to reach right to the heart of the matter.. -Mark Dighton II TYPEWRITERS Paul Newman and Sally Field in 'Absence of Malice' Ll. Quality absent in 'Malice' " . . By Richard Campbell *CERTAIN MOVIES, whether good ,.or bad, are unforgettable. Casablanca, Heaven's Gate, I Changed My Sex, and Star Wars are all fixed into our irreplaceable memories. There is another class of films that, however, are immediately forgotten. No matter how well made these movies are, they just don't work. Absence of Malice is one of these forgettable kinds of movies. It has to be stated, up front, that Ab- sence is a good movie. It is well made, well acted, etc. which I will get to later. It is just that it is somewhat pointless. After seeing the film you can ignore it. There is nothing in the film that) demands the viewers attention. This is any film's grevious fault. If a movie doesn't captivate an audience there is no need for it to be made. Sydney Pollack aimlessly directed this tale of a man who is unfortunately' linked to the recent disappearance of a Jimmy Hoffa-like teamster official. It's all because of this over-ambitious, reporter who writes her story based on unnamed sources. Some newspaper wrtiers have cried foul at this film for its tempered portrayal of the news biz. But this is a fictional movie, so anyone stupid enough to ac- cept these events without question is stupid enough to misjudge any film. As the social aspects of Absence go, they are very simple and straightfor- ward. Sometimes reporters and special investigators get carried away, says the movie. This is not what I would call a particularly deep or penetrating in- sight into life. Kurt Luedtke, a former editor at the Detroit Free Press, wrote the movie, but there is little in the film that couldn't have been imagined by any hack-Hollywood writer. Luedtke has made the movie so bankable with obligatory romances and convenient plot twists that he has completely removed it from.any association with the real world. Pollack has made this movie with precision. With the addition of cliched, incidential music from Dave Grusin, Absence has all the ingredients of a great film, but none of the punch. Paul Newman plays the beleaguered liquor distributor who is named in a news story as being involved with the team- ster disappearance. Newman doesn't do too much in the acting department, he simply presents the image of an upright, indignant citizen vainly trying to protect his rights. The acting in Absence is better in the supporting cast than in either starring role. Sally Field is an airhead as the easily excitable reporter; she doesn't act much better than her cute daysson "The Flying Nun." Melinda Dillon's ac- ting is on a level so much better, and so subtle compared to the others, that she seems to be working in another movie. However, everyone in the cast is over- shadowed by Wilford Brimley, who steals the show as the soft-speaking country-smart attorney who clears the whole mess up. If you are the type of person who likes to go out and see new movies, then you should definitely make plans to see Ab- sence of Malice. It is a lot better than a lot of drivel being passed off for good filmmaking this season. But if you only go to see a couple of films a year, there is no reason for you to make the effort. Take it or leave it, it really doesn't mat- ter. B3y the week : $10.00 By the month: 200 Not eveybody can afford to Our Smth-Corona electric own a gond typewrter Thiat's portabies are some of the best why we rent them to people typewriters on the market You ke you Whether tor aweek or won t believe what a difference or a month. we have a rental a good typewriter can make in ypEwN7Ar to YN your TnHd your education OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK IN THE MICHIGAN UNION - I. % 4 .,, .,_.. - TV actor Conried dead HOLLYWOOD (UPI)-Comedian Hans Conried, who appeared in more than 100 movies and Broadway shows and hosted the "Fractured Flickers" television series, died Tuesday of a heart attack at St. Joseph Medical Cen- ter. He was 64. Conried, who John Barrymore once called "one of the most versatile actors I've ever seen," also was well known for his role as Uncle Tonoose on "The Donny Thomas Show" and his starring role in "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T." Besides "Fractured Flickers," a parody of movies, he also hosted the "Pantomime Quiz" television series and was a panelist on "What's It For" arid "Take A Guess" quiz shows. Hospital spokeswoman Rhoda Weiss said Conried entered the hospital Sun- day after suffering an acute heart at- tack. She said the actor, who had a history of heart problems and suffered a stroke during a dinner theater per- formance in 1974, first felt the new chest pains while performing in a play a month ago. He suffered a second massive heart attack Monday night and died a few minutes before noon Tuesday. His wife of 40 years, Margaret, and several other family members were at his bed- side. The actor, a founding member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Actors, had completed a cable television version of "Barefoot in the Park" just last month. Conried, born April 15, 1917, in Baltimore, attended Columbia Univer- sity where he played in a wide variety of Shakespearian roles. He moved to Los Angeles in 1937 and launched a career as a radio actor, using his ear for the sound and rhythms of languages to win many dialect parts. He was heard regularly on the CBS- Radio Network as Professor Kroptkin on "My Friend Irma," as Schultz on "Life with Luigi" and in several roles on the Edgar Bergen-Charlie McCarthy Show." He once said of the radio business, "Whatever you aren't, you play. The older I get, the younger the roles I por- tray." ANN ARBOR'S LARGEST VIDEO ENTERTAINMENT CENTER! W '"g/ fA. 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