lw mf Y ... .................................... .........,......... ..... ... ...:.: :: :::::::::::::::::: :"::............ ... "tY::::: V::^:-rV::a:":":ti:":-':^:a::::::. . . . :::.... ..a ..... I::.::j'fM1V": -"::a: '::ai. ..n ................. .. ....... ... .. ... ....... .v ..................,.h.... f::w:::, ::::::. .}:?:">.{:iai:":"i:"i}}ii:"Y:- o-5: ;. r :o .. ... ......:......... ...: ...........................:.t::....,..:..:,.:-.".:................s....... ,....... -.................,":::"::::::. ......r..:. ::::. :::." .......,.:......,..:...."f. .........r..:xa.;:ar:;+r.'"a::;, M1!.., Pushin'4 PO popcrn 14th Annual Ann Arborg 8MM Film Festival Ann Arbor Film CooperativeI Angell Hall °:. Thursday, February 9 - Sunday, February 12, 7 & 9 p.m. , Forma good time Cyndi Lauper She's So Unusual Portrait Records By Bob King W HAT CAN YOU find in a Super 8mm film that you can't find in a major motion picture? More cynically: If $20 million and two hours of 35mm film (that's 70mm-hrs) frequently produce celluloid better suited for wrapping left-overs, does Super 8 warrant an evening's time? Not in home movies, to be sure, but the Ann Arbor 8mm Film Festival will present five days of Super 8 films with enough artistry and satire to lure even main- stream movie-goers away from the fir- st-run houses. Super 8 can more than 'make your day.' A word of caution, though: Don't take this show for granted. Since the early '70s the 8mm Film Fest has grown from a weekend affair at East Quad into a city-wide program of films solicited from over 3000 schools, in- dividuals, and institutions. Only the best of the submitted films make the festival, and several thousand dollars in prizes help both the artists and the quality of the show. This isn 't high school. Now back to the medium itself. What are the advantages of filming in Super 8? Surprisingly, the quality. The imaging is high-quality in all lights, and in sound (with stereo capability) Super 8 exceeds both normal 8mm and 16mm. The superior portability is a clear ad- vantage over 35mm machinery. From the artists' viewpoint, Super 8 offers the financial dexterity to ex- periment, and these relatively short films are the perfect medium for the portrait of a single theme. Like lyric poetry and candy canes, these works are short and sweet. The film may conclude in five minutes, but the ideas remain long after the spec- tacle of Rockies I-III fade to black. And as a medium of communication Super 8 demonstrates the earthy reality studio movies lack (except for Flashdance) and artistry not always found in nightly news broadcasts. Technique alone, though, isn't what moves the popcorn. What will be the main attractions at the Festival? One will be a special retrospective of Latin American Super 8 films. This exhibition will begin Wednesday Feb. 8 with the screening of Bolivar: Synfonia Tropikal, a biography of Simon Bolivar narrated in music rather than dialogue (not subtitled). This cinematic sym- phony was blown up to 35mm for the Cannes festival, and promises to be one of the week's highlights. This retrospective continues on Saturday Feb. 11 with a free exhibition of Latin American Super 8 films at noon, followed at 2 p.m, by Venezuelan direc- tor Carlos Castillo's special program p. Super 8mm: Everything from artistry to satire Ten Years of Venezuelan Super 8, as well as an appearance by the director himself (all shows are in Aud. A) Concluding this section of the Film Fest will be Mario Piazza's Papa Gringo at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon, which you can read about below. Papa Gringo is a 19 minute documen- tary of Ward Bently, an American who, in 1979, moved to Bogota, Columbia to found the Children of the Americas' program. Bently and his international group work in the blighted barrios of Columbia's capitol giving para-medical aid to hundreds of "gamins"-street children not unlike London's famous Oliver Twist. Don't confuse it with romanticism, however, These kids don't live in novels. Ward Bently not only sees these unrecognized orphans as "the world's greatest wasted resource'," he is working. to aid them. Again, however, it must be stressed that Bently, like this documentary, is more than romantic. He warns that society's apathy destroys more than the children them- selves, "Children denied basic needs-love and human caring-grow up to destroy the societies that neglect them." The emotion in Papa Gringo isn't just created for an evening's catharsis, it somes from a reality that does not it- self fade. Sorry, Uncommon Valor. Bently himself will be speaking at the viewing Sunday, the proceeds of which go directly to the Children of the Americas' foundation. Another center of attention in this year's Film Fest will be the films of British animation expert Lewis Cooper. His films are clay and cel animation, ranging in length from the three and one half minute Table Manners to the epic animation of -an English everyman, The Life and Death of Joe Soap. The latter represents nine months of work from conception to completion, and the precision of all of his works is exquisite. A previewed work entitled Bonzo's. Last Trick (shockingly apolitical) was so skillfully performed that even an in- dividual with a neurotic aversion to animation enjoyed it. Cooper states that his first aim is to please, and in more than this he appears successful. Other films of interest: Kidcon is a series of three television commercials aimed at children, commercials ' for which Saturday night Live would have given their adrenal cortex. Kidcon demonstrates exactly"how lit- tle glitter need be removed from adver- tising to make Army LSD experiments look good in comparison. Also shown will be the Brazillian surrealistic film Saudade, a piece closely related to the works of Bergman and Fellini, from which actual footage is borrowed (drool, film majors). In the background of this entertain- ment will be the Meg and Lawrence Kasdan Award, a cash prize going to the producer of the best Super 8 film by a University student. In someone's words, you never know where a legacy begins. The format of the Festival will be two shows nightly from Thursday Feb. 9 through Sunday Feb. 12.(at 7 and 9 p.m.), and a 2 p.m. showing Saturday, in addition to those- listed above. All shows will be held in Auditorium A in Angell Hall, and all of the shows will be different. Admission for a double feature. is $2 per show, $3 Interested in a Challenging Career in THE JEWISH COMMUNITY? BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY OFFERS ' A TWO-YEAR GRADUATE TRAINING PROGRAM (M.A.) in JEWISH COMMUNAL SERVICE concentration also available in Jewish Education for information write to: THE HORNSTEIN PROGRAM LOWN SCHOOL FOR NEAR EASTERN & JUDAIC STUDIES BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY WALTHAM MA 02254 617-647-2641 By Steve Marks THE FRONT cover: A young woman' orange hair,contorted body, knock- kneed, flailing arms, bizarre grimace, dead flowers, and whispy skirt. The back cover: White pumps which just happen to have Van Gogh's "Starry Night" casually splashed on their soles. Should this jacket tell us anything about the artist's attempt to be dif- ferent? Is this genuine or studied eccen- tricity? We think a little of both. Give Cyndi Lauper credit for providing us with a pretty good album: Inconsistent, but overall a respectable effort. She's So Unusual is a case study in ececticism. Lauper experiments with a variety of styles here - understan- dable, this being her first solo effort. This variety can be explained either as an artist who is still searching for a musical direction, or, as seems to be the case here, an artist for whom diver- sity itself is the goal. Side one is by far the stronger side. It opens with "Money Changes Everything" which sounds a lot like a Graham Parker song. Lauper spits the words out in a gutsy, biting voice. She Offensive alloy Judas Priest Defenders of Faith CBS Records By Don Pappas HEAVY METAL is probably the least respected form of music around. Even ardent metalheads can't deny that typical heavy metal songs contain vapid lyrics and substitute distortion and volume for creativity. Yet, despite these inherent qualities; there is no reason why heavy metal cannot be entertaining - just listen to Iron Butterfly's In-a-Gadda-da-Vida if you don't believe me. Unfortunately, more often than not, it is not enter- taining. A perfect example of how poor heavy metal can be is Judas Priest's new album, Defenders of the Faith. It is not so much an album of songs, but a collection of raunchy guitar riffs, lyrics being only a feeble attempt to rationalize the songs. The worst part about Defenders is that the riffs are virtually in- distinguishable from one another.' Nothing is catchy or inventive about follows this with the album's first single, "Girls Just Want to Have fun," It's basically a cute little ditty, cer- tainly devoid of any urgent social significance, but fun. Lauper delivers the song with a wonderful, energetic playfullness, complete with a bobby sock and pleated skirt chorus - trite maybe, even reminescent of the 60s' girl groups, but here, certainly ap- proriate. The album takes an abrupt turn here. The song is familiar - Prince's "When You Were Mine." The delivery, however, is decidedly European in flavor, as Lauper presents a synth-pop version and makes the song all her-own. The verses are subtle, conveying con- strained, intense emotion - she can barely hold back the tears. The tension builds to the dramatic, climactic choruses. Lauper breaks loose at one point in an ear shattering scream, each word piercing, searching, yearning. Lauper contrasts this emotional upheaval with a touching ballad, "Tiie After Time." The song could have easily become a brooding, sappy, Manilowish droll, but Lauper maintains the intensity throughout by avoiding too slow a tempo. Her lower register here is raspy, laden with feeling. Then we hit side two. Though cer- tainly not as forceful and effective as the first, it does have its fun tunes and moments of brilliance. "She Bob" is yet another pleasant synth-pop song. It's Jumpy, raucous, driven by a solid synth bass line, and featuring some pretty meaningful breathing. If anything, it's an adequate vehicles to showcase Lauper's fascinating voice: jumps, screams, twists and turns - they'RE ALL HERE. The next songs are barely worth mention. "All Through the Night," a ballad, is boring, boty lyrically and melodically, and "Witness" a pseudo- reggae song, is worse. these songs at all. Dave Holland's unimaginative am- phetamined drumming could have been replaced by an overpowered drum machine, and Ian Hill's bass lines are lost in the mix somewhere under the barrage of the Priest's two lead guitarists, Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing. Although using two lead guitarists can be effective, with Judas Priest it is not. Tipton and Downing don't play off each other; they play against each other as if trying to prove who can play faster, and not necessarily better. Almost every guitar break on the album is simply a long series of in- creasingly rapid trills. The album liner denotes who does each solo so you can keep score; but they both sound the same anyhow, so don't bother. Through the suffocating distortion of the band rips the grating voice of Rob Halford. Halford's voice has been doc- tored up with flangers, phasers and echos and yet remains blatantly weak. Worst of all, Halford doesenunciate so on top of all this rotten music the listener must be exposed to some of the foulest lyrics ever penned. At least three songs are devoted to making the point that Priests are bad-asses, obnoxious bad-asses that won't go away. In "Rock Hard Ride Free," the Priest declares, No denyin' we're goin' against the grain/ So defiant they'll never put us down. Over and over again, we Cyndi Lauper: Fun - what more can a girl ask? But all is forgiven when Cyndi breaks into "I'll Kiss You." The vocals and in- strumentation suggest Prince (even more so than "When You Were Mine"). While the lyrics aren't quite as explicit as would be expected from "His Highness," here delivery leaves no question as to what she wants. The final two songs seem to be there solely to show us just how "unusual" Lauper can be. "He's So Unusual" is a hear about victories, diehard resolutions and Judas Priest leading the way. What Judas Priest is fighting against is never said though. My guess is tastefulness. Then there's a song about "The Sen- tinel," a strange sort of guy who kills his foes (again unknown) with knives. Side two begins with the two sickest songs on the album, "Love Bites" and "Eat Me Alive." The first is about raping a sleeping woman, the latter about forcing a womanfriend at gun- point to eat me alive.' Then comes a song about the power- mad freaks who are ruling the earth ... (who).devour your life and slice your words to bits like knives. Gim- me a break. "Night Comes Down" is a weeper about being alone and broken-hearted. I'm sorry, but it's difficult to feel sym- pathy for a rapist with a violent fetish for fellatio. "Heavy Duty/Defenders of 'the Faith" closes the album and reminds us '20s era Betty to recreate a: "Yeah, Ye dumb song. is an insult 1 the album on But do not only to hear versatility c She's So discriminatir that Judas Pi that someda; land. . .Wit) we had listen fectly idiotic 5'Sv Lnt6 LowWkw A (~The £ ftdhtoan 3 Ui (The Nttduian jaitg ee e bm i A Publication of The Michigan Daily I ' I A Publication of The Michigan Daily 6 Weekend/February 3, 1984 11I Wee