Page 8 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, October 21, 1986 Newman, Cruise, glitter in a tarnished 'Money' By ;urt Serbus First off, Martin Scorsese is God.I just wanted to get that out of the way before I dash off the rest of this review so y'all don't misinterpret the slight tinge of disappointment seeping out of my pen as a sign that The Color Of Money is a bad or even mediocre film. True, it's one of the least explosive and engaging things Scorsese's done in years, but what the jell: this guy could probably filmthe "Owner's and Operator's Manual" of any major appliance and still fill it with more electricity and color than most of the brown sludge that drains out of Hollywood these days. So why aren't I passionately, irrevocably in love with T he Color Of Money? You got me. It seemed like a sure bet at the gate: Martin Scorsese directing Paul Newman and the oft-unfairly maligned Tom Cruise in a twenty- year later sequel to The Hustler. The plot certainly holds promise: Fast Eddie Felsen (Newman) is now a liquor salesman who thinks he's at least content being on the sidelines of the pool-hustling business until he spots a mirror- perfect glimpse of his former self in Vincent Luria (Tom Cruise), a naive, hyperactive underachiever who works a cue stick like Lou Reed used to work a Gretsch Country Gentleman. The kid's got one big problem, though: he plays for fun, not money, and in the interest of correcting this shortcoming, Eddie takes Vince and his shallow, manipulative girlfriend (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) on a six- week tour of the underbelly of America. En route he teaches Vince every con game and snow job in the book, while simultaneously relearning a love for the game itself that he thought went sour some twenty years ago. Needless to say, by the time the trio hits the big Nine-Ball Tournament in Atlantic City, the shoe is firmly on the other foot, and Eddie realizes he has created a monster. The acting certainly isn't what drags the movie down. Newman's Fast Eddie is a man who's numbed himself with wealth to the point where he can't even feel the old regrets--until he sees Luria almost unconciously put away a local hustler. You can practically see the first dull spark of life spring into his eyes at that point, and as the movie builds, you can practically see the concept of money recede further and further into the back of his mind, eased out of the way by the concept of winning for the sheer, malicious hell of it. With this amazingly perceptive and subtle performance, Newman adds yet another unforgettable character to his pantheon of outcast loners.. It would be a big mistake, however, to just toss the laurels to Newman and overlook the considerable contribution of Tom Cruise. Vince Luria is more than just the spark that ignites Newman's character, and he's more than just another hot-shot punk to add to Cruise's own, less reputable pantheon. Cruise imbues his character with a perfect mix of innocence and gung-ho machismo that makes him, if not real emotionally complex, than at least visually fascinating. Certainly Scorsese's direction is beyond reproach. Scorsese is the best in the business when it comes to combining intense, gritty realism with flashy, manipulative camera work, and in The Color Of Money, he goes all out on both fronts. Confrontational scenes between two characters are filmed more or less straightforwardly, allowing the actors to carry the action, but when Scorsese wants to get things moving--in. a pool hall, at a tournament, or on the road--he does. Some of the wild, ballsy cinematography in this movie was so great, I had to change my underwear twice during the screening (No. That's just a little joke). Richard Price's script can't be faulted either--it delivers in a way that is both commercially and artis- tically satisfying. This is where I think I'll quit, while both me and the movie are ahead, because this is a movie that deserves to come out ahead. Maybe I bad a headache the night I saw it. Maybe I was mad at having to get up twice during the screening to change my underwear (No. That's just another little joke). All I can say is that this was a movie where all the right ingredients came together beautifully, but someone forgot to turn the oven all'the way up. Yeah, that's it. They forgot to turn the oven all the way up. Yeah. Sure. 14 The Fourteenth Annual Hayward Keniston Lecture "In theend was the word" ERNST PULGRAM Emeritus, University of Michigan Thursday, October 23, 1986, 4:10 p.m. Rackham Amphitheater Reception following in the East Conference Room, Rackham Records Rodney Crowell STREET LANGUAGE Columbia This is a very disappointing album. Rodney Crowell's reputation as one of the more gifted songwriters to emerge from mid '70s Nashville led me to high expectations for this record. What one gets, however is a record that was unsatisfactory on most counts. "Let Freedom Ring" is fairly typical of the rockers, a big, brassy enterprise that strains under the weight of A.O.R. excess. Sadder still are ballads like "When I'm Free Again," a syrupy mess of 8th ANNUAL GEORGE G. CAMERON LECTURE The Department of Near Eastern Studies presents Ake W Sjoberg Clark Research Professor of Sumerology, University of Pennsylvania MESOPOTAMLAN EDUCATION: over-wrought sentiment, or "Pass Like a Mask," with lyrics just this side of the self-help shelf delivered with the emote switch on heavy. It"ts ironic that the best song on this LP is the only one Crowell didn't have a hand ;in writing, John Hiatt's "She Loves the Jerk."' Someone with a reputation as a songwriter shouldn't leave himself' open to such a comment, nor should a member of the Cash/Carter clan (he's married to Rosanne Cash) be satisfied with this album. Jeff Stanzler Albion Country Band BATTLE OF THE FIELD Carthage This is an album with a history: The Albion Country Band started as the collective name given by Shirley Collins to the sesion players on her 1971 No Roses album. Ashley Hutchings (a founding member of both Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention) then picked up the mantle, envisioning a group that would add electric instrumentation to English country dance music. The Albions were plagued with the same personnel fluctuations that haunted Fairport Convention and, by the time this record was finished in 1973, Island Records refused to release it because there was no band to tour on its behalf. It was finally released in 1976 on a budget subsidiary of Island. In case you're wondering, the album is a delight, featuring such stalwarts as Martin Carthy, accordion/concertina wizard John Kirkpatrick, and Simon Nicol of Fairport Convention. The prominence of the oboe (played by Sam Harris) and Kirkpatrick's concertina underpinnings help distinguish the sound, a formal, even regal counterpoint to the more raucous sounds of the Irish dance music that Hutchings felt was getting all the attention at the time. This record was a spearhead to the English Countray Dance revival that has created a sensation in British Folk circles recently- it is also an unquestionable gem on its own merits. - JeStanzler Chainlink Fence POSITIVE Throbbing Lobster Positive, the new 6 song mini LP, by Chainlink Fence, is an uncommon blend ,of intellectual+ lyrics with glossy ' pop music. Chainlink Fence sounds like a cross between Wham! and the Bangles. Singer Billy Barrett's voice sounds exactly like Wham!'s George Michael. The other band members ooh and ah through every song,; giving them that Bangles sound. On the other side of things, -the' lyrics are really intense. On the title track, Barrett croons, We've been spending the rent, every last cent, we could have a war, there'[s a world to be fed, what the hell are you watching it for? He sounds so happy about it though, that it makes one want to laugh. All the songs are about pensive, serious issues like breaking up in "The Goodbye Game," and death in "Lisa." Yet they are all done with an upbeat tempo and apparently smiling faces. Chainlink Fence has either got to ease up on the lyrics, or toughen up the sound of the music. v -Pam Brougher New Light on the World's Oldest Schools WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22,1986 RACKHAM AMPHIHETRE 4:00 psm. Reception follows in Rackham Assembly Hall - _ . . Se r- 5, f"~ S 4 f. . ,,"