4 - The Michigan Daily - Weekend etc. - Thursday, December 1, 1994 The return of director Hal Needham By SCOTT PLAGENHOEF The definitive director of the '80s must have a wise appreciation for the power of a name, yet not the sense to realize when his (or her) starhas fallen. He must be willing to milk an idea that was empty the first time around for a sequel and still get the brain- dead of this country to line up at the box office. He must be able to spot a cultural fad, no matter how poor, and exploit it. He must be able to recog- nize that people are fundamentally suckers for special effects, car chases, explosions and cleavage. Finally, and most importantly, he must be recog- nize that its not the artistic value that counts, its the profit. He must be Hal Needham. True, Hal first cut his directorial teeth in the '70s giving us classics such as the Burt Reynolds vehicles, "Hooper" and "Smokey and the Ban- dit," but he truly made his indelible mark on the American public the fol- lowing decade. Needham's first film of the'80s was the sequel to "Smokey and the Bandit," the aptly titled, "Smokey and the Bandit 2." Along with those in the "Star Wars" and "Superman" camps, Needham led the new '80s discovery that if the public went to see a film once, they'll see basically the same film again. Thanks to Needham at press time we've had the pleasure of enjoying six "Police Academy" romps, seven "Nightmare on Elm Street" films, and eight "Fri- day the 13th" works. The "Smokey" sequel not only set the agenda for filmmaking through- out the decade, but politics as well. Sensing the new wave of conserva- tism that would land Ronald Reagan in the White House the following January, Needham's second "Smokey" featured our man Burt es- corting a pregnant elephant cross- country to the Republican conven- tion. Both Smokey and the Republi- cans were successful of course, de- spite the combined efforts of Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Justice. Get it!) and President Jimmy Carter. Following two profitable cross- country, car-chasing Burt Reynolds films, Needham somehow managed to come up with two more, "The Can- nonball" series. Needham, as in the second "Smokey" combined Reynolds and Dom Deluise for high- octane action and belly laughs. Throw in a few competitors in the cross- country race, the Cannonball, for big prizes and the audience was invited along for the ride. Needham's Altmanesque attempt at balancing numerous characters on a single can- vas came across as a'70s disaster film without the disaster. The cast of D-list celebrities in- cluded the likes of Jamie Farr, Adrienne Barbeau, Terry Bradshaw, Richard Kiel, Farrah Fawcett, Telly Savalas, Dean Martin and Susan Anton. Each character no more di- mensional than the next, completely sacrificing plot for celebrities and stunts, these two works are possibly the decades' quintessential works. Between the two "Cannonball Run" films, Needham directed two other films, "Megaforce" (1982) and "Stroker Ace" (1983). Needham's "Megaforce", his first fihm not to star Burt Reynolds, instead cast Barry Bostwick as his intergalactic hero. The megaforce, in another ode to Reagan's America, was sent out to save a small country from being stripped of its Democracy. This quasi- Grenadian event summated the American foreign policy of the '80s: defend democracy no matter how worthless the payoff (or even if the country doesn't wish you to do so). Who knows, the success of Needham's megaforce may even have influenced Reagan, he did have a cu- rious affinity for confusing film with reality. Reverting to formula and the safety of a name, Needham reunited with Reynolds for "Stroker Ace." Burt and Loni's only film together, "Stroker Ace" may also have been Reynolds' worst. Portraying aplayboy stock-car driver sharing the stage with such a talented and eclectic cast as Jim Nabors, Bubba Smith, Ned Beatty, and Loni's breasts, Stroker battles an evil fried-chicken magnate. Redneck humor never had it so good. Sadly, Needham and Reynolds parted ways, but while Burt's career spiraled, Needham continued to de- fine the times. In 1986 he directed the BMX blockbuster, "Rad." Along the same simplistic, over-moralizing, crowd-pleasing and predictable lines a, "The Karate Kid" before it and "D2" years later, "Rad" featured the good bikers vs. the bad ones for rac- ing glory and pubescent hearts. Needham balances the story line with some gnarly BMX stunt work and when the protagonist has to choose between the big race and the SAT's he even works in a lesson. Add Olym- pic gymnast Bart Connor's attempt at acting and you may even be wishing for a Burt Reynolds cameo. Concluding Needham's brilliant '"."~'.lt. 1 > Used & Rare BOOKS Bought & Sold 113 W. Liberty (1/2 block W of Main St.) 995-1891 It's Worth the Trip! n " -1 7 Above is the famous body cavity search scene from the ever-popular "Police Academy 2." Ouch! decade was the pro wrestling drama "Body Slam." A legitimate who's- who of pro wrestling were featured including the Tonga Kid, the Wild Samoan, Captain Lou Albano and, beginning a film career which would eventually lead to such gems as "Hell Comes to Frogtown," "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Yet the film was not only a wrestling extravaganza, but it also featured a raucous rock 'n' roll tour. The non-wrestling cast included such talent as "Battlestar Galactica" star Dirk Benedict, Tanya Roberts, John Astin and Charles Nelson Reilly. Even Deluise strayed from this tur- key. Yet big time wrestling was big business. Wrestlemania III, an event I had to savor from the living room on pay-per-view just a few years earlier, despite it's being at the nearby Pontiac Silverdome, was, at the time, the big- gest indoor sporting event or all time. It may still be. The merger of rock and wrestling had already resulted in a Cyndi Lauper video, a Saturday morn- ing cartoon and an album featuring classics such as "Don't Go Messin' With a Country Boy" and "Grab Them Cakes." A feature film was the next logical step and Needham was just the auteur to deliver it. Fittingly, Needham has not di- rected a feature film since. The banal- ity and the safety of the '80s is only recently begun to be shunned by a growing interest in independent film's spirit and rewards. As the decade con- tinues, and as this summer began to prove it may, sequels and star ve- hicles may die a slow, but deserving death. The Hal Needhams of the in- dustry may yet be sacrificed for qual- ity, intelligence and risk-taking in an industry which shamefully churnsout a continued series of dribble for profit, ignoring its potential to be the leading cultural medium of our time. Westside Bookshop since 1975 CAMPUS B SARBE & BEAUTY SALON ning Hours *No appointments *Services for men and women .15% off all products with this ad nTISPEAKER * New Speakers, D.J. quality * "Power up" old speakers *100 wait pr. for $195.00 (313) 996-4119 ask for Dan or e-mail dtm@enginumich.edu ::-lL;T ' through Dec. 31 _____________________ Mom_ & Groceries 662-1313 235 S. 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