8- The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, September 27, 1994 The 'Sky' is falling for late Richardson' By ALEXANDRA TWIN "Blue Sky," the last film made by the recently departed British director Directed by Tony Richardson; with not died. While a tribute in the form of a posthumous release can be a touch- ing, source of inspiration, it can also make you realize whythe work was not released, well, "humously." Un- fortunately, this is very much the case with "Blue Sky." To be fair, the delayed release was not the fault of the film. Once upon a time there was a little movie company called Orion. It had big ideas, but no money and soon went bankrupt, leav- ing 12 films floating about in movie- land outer space. Slowly, the films were released by other companies, but "Blue Sky" stayed on the shelf. There it sat, aging like (jug) wine. Four years later and the story seems dissemination of the family cuts the action down. 4 Drawing on the melodramatic war films of the '40s, with a reversed gender hero, ('Blue Sky') has the potential of an exciting, if farfetched, semi-action film. Yet the focus on the C+ ,I Jessica Lange and Tommy Lee Jones an irrelevant, if well-executed fantasy. Lieutenant HankMarshall (Tommy Lee Jones) and his family are stationed in Hawaii. They've been there for two years and might have stayed longer, if not for Marshall's wife, Carly (Jessica Lange). With a mixture of raw sexual- ity, out and out bravado and a hint of Tony Richardson, was supposed to be released in the fall of 1990. It may never have come out had Richardson Tommy Lee Jones and Jessica Lange share a tender moment in "Blue Sky." "Simplify simplify" Henry David Thoreau "Hey, that's not a bad idea" schizophrenia, Carly is by no means your typical army wife. She is costing Marshall his promotions and she is tearing her family apart. Forced to move to the dry, resonant Alabama, they find themselves even deeper in the well of Carly's sickness and Hank's denial. "She's crazy ani he's blind," says their older, cryptic daughter Alexandra (Amy Locane), who finds release and much needed normal-teen rebellion in her secret fling with another officer's son (Chris O'Donnell). Paralleled with his family's break- down is Hank's dissolving moral code. He is pulled into a top secret military operation called "Blue Sky." It in volves the release of underground radiation that will permeate the earth yet never enter the consciousness of anyone above. They will be oblivi- ous, believing themselves to be living under the same "Blue Sky." Yet, something goes wrong in the testing and Hank feels he must do something. The military panics, tak- ing action, and now it is Carly who must find the way out.-4 Drawing on the melodramatic war films of the '40s, with a reversed gender hero, the film has the potential of an exciting, if farfetched, semi- action film. Yet the focus on the dis- semination of the family cuts the ac- tion down. Simultaneously, the focus on the military detracts from the family's distress. The film's ultimate solution is lu dicrous. To begin with apremise base around genuine human resources and to end with a solution that no average person could have possibly conceived of is unsatisfying at best. Jones is his usual stellar self, alter- nately brusque and tremulous, strug- gling within a marriage, life and film that ultimately don't work. Lange is appropriately frazzled, grappling with graphic, manic outbursts and sly dis4 plays of sexuality. She is in over her head but always in control. Yet, as is frequently the case, good acting is not enough. Had it been released in 1990, it still wouldn't have worked, but at least Richardson would have been around to defend it. As it stands, "Blue Sky" is merely a solid, if resounding question mark. BLUE SKY splaying at Showcase. 4 AT&T COUNTRY Continued from page 5 current numberone single, "ThirdRock From The Sun," was a fitting exciting ending to his 45-minute set. These two acts would have made a good concert by themselves, but the main act of the "Ten Feet Tall Tour" had yet to per- form. Travis Tritt came onto the stage riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle from beneath his set. The motorcycle was nothing compared to the rest of Tritt's stage set; the laser lights and fog added to the excitement as Tritt con- tinuously ran about his multi-level set with two giant, brightly lit "T's" in the background. (Tritt's movements werel very impressive considering the skin- tight leather pants he was wearing.) The act opened with some of Tritt's classic hits, as well as some new tunes from his new CD. And the excitement continued through his encore when he performed his renditions of The Eagle's "Take It Easy" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama." Tritt added a - little bit of country to these classic rock4 songs, extending his appeal beyond the realms of the typical Young Country fan. Tritt's set was not without a boring interlude, however; he took quite a bit of time to reflect on the roots of country music, during which he played acous- tical renditions of Merle Haggard, George Jones, and Johnny Cash. While many fans seemed to enjoy these oldies, the newer country fans found them boring, as the show was already pushing four hours. But, once Tritt's band rejoined him on stage, any boredom quickly disappeared as Tritt continued performing his greatest hits, concluding with his most popular, "t- AT&T Universal MasterCard. The credit, cash and calling card.All in one.