Cloudy skies
By Malcolm Robinson bring the story of a bum on Christmas
Eve, a department store Santa who
T HERE IS NO BETTER way to discovers by evening's end that he ac-
describe the recent anthology film tually is Kris Kringle, or of a pool
Twilight Zone - The Movie than to call player who wants to be the best there
it inconsistent or any synonym of the ever was only to discover the con-
word, for that matter. The film is made sequences of that wish.
up of four 30 minute segments, each of For all this wide ranging variety,
varying quality. At best, it could be said however, there was always a single,
that the film is widly uneven, yet to constant underlying element in all of
restate the old adage: when it is good it the episodes and it's this element that
is very, very good - but when it is distinguished the "Twilight Zone" from
bad... "Outer Limits" or from, say, Alfred
The film's segments are also incon- Hitchcock's TV show or, perhaps,
sistent in tone, though this is less a con- "Boris Karloff Presents." All one had
to do was look and there it was, at the
heart of each episode, a sometimes
Twilight Zone - The Movie wry, occasionally didactic but almost
Starring John Lithgow and Kathleen always provocative, ironic plot twist.
Quinlan What binds Twilight Zone - The
Directed by John Landis, Steven Movie together, on the other hand is not
this essential nature of the series but,
Spie lerg, Joe Dante and George instead, four fans' love for the show and
Miller. their desire to pay homage to it. As such
Now playing at the Ann Arbor Theater. it's difficult not to detect a practically
-- _ - -adolescent, regressive yearning here
sequence of their differing degrees of (indeed, there is but one original script
success than of the fact that there are amongst the four with the remaining
four very different story tellers with four three merely rewrites or reinter-
very different temperaments. pretations of old scripts), a desire to
Of course, the same type of charges capture anew that old magic with a
can be thrown at the still constantly -in- big budget and a large screen.
rerun television show that has inspired That these exact same qualities have
this film - and the charges would already been identified in the work of
basically be correct. One week the director Steven (E.T., Close Encoun-
"Twilight Zone" might be about a small ters, 1941) Spielberg as well as that of
time hood who dies and goes to heaven co-director John (Animal House,
- or so he thinks: another week might American Werewolf in London) Landis
The Michigan Daily - Thursday, July 14, 1983 - Page 11
at 'Twilight
is by no means a coincidence and goes a child within us all. When he finds his
long way in explaining why this movie small epiphanies, as he occasionally
was made in the first place. Actually, does here, the effect is quite lovely.
for all the inherent liabilities implicit in More often, though, he simply
attempting to emulate its source overreaches himself and produces, in-
material, the film is a more than stead, a grotesque parody of all that's
adequate send-up of its predecessor been moving in his admittedly brief
becoming stronger and more engaging career. So end the film's predictable
with each successive episode. It is in- first hour.
teresting to note, then, that the first and Intriguing enough to save the film for
the weakest half of the motion picture is any "Twilight Zone" fan is its brilliant
the fault of the film's aforementioned second half which features the work of
two directors. such accomplished genre revigionists
Landis' segment, which he wrote as Joe Dante (The Howling) and the
himself, is the only original script here Australian George Miller (Mad Max
and it's also the film's only complete and his brilliant The Road Warrior). Of
failure. In truly typical "Twilight the two, Dante's is the more complex,
Zone" fashion, an American bigot Miller's the more riveting.
(played by Vic Morrow who died in an In retelling "It's a Good Life," Dante
accident during the production of this transforms a straightforward tale of a
episode) opens a door from a bar and small boy with telekinetic powers into
walks, as a Jew, into Vichy France and an impressive feat of cartoonish ex-
later finds himself herded onto a cattle pressionism. This particular effort ser-
train headed for a concentration camp. ves as an apt antidote to the ever sweet
Yet not even the aid of some superb Spielberg, locating the horrors of
editing can help Landis find a handle on childhood in an Alice in Wonderland for
this material, so empty and crudely the TV generation. Only the segments
moralistic is it. conclusion mars it, making the last
Spielberg's effort, though also episode the highlight of the movie. In
flawed, is certainly more likable. With many ways the simplest episode,
what amounts to great proficiency, he Miller's astonishingly powerful,
tells the story - based on an episode neurotically nihilistic "Nightmare at
called "Kick the Can" - of adults in 20,000 Feet" - the story of an airline
a convalescent home who learn to, passenger who spots a gremlin
literally, become young again by destroying the engines of the plane -
playing children's games. This is one.of makes this Australian one of the most
the by now characteristic Spielberg gifted film makers in the world today.
themes of searching for the eternal
Gun Club and Big Beat blast off
SOME MAY REMEMBER it as the proudly presents The Gun Club - a style. If for no other reason, come out to
Mile High Club, but what was once group that emerged out of the L.A. punk the premiere of Ann Arbor's newest
the location of weekly performances by scene in the late '70s but chooses to club and make history.
local talent is now the home of the Big rehash old blues tunes in a new music - Mare Hodges
Beat - an independent club devoted to
playing both accessible and obscure
dance music by bands such as Colour
Box, Wide Boy Awake, Bananarama,
and even Michael Jackson.
The Big Beat, located above the "
Heidelberg restaurant on Main Street,
is the manifestation of an idea
created by four new/dance music en-
thusiasts - Lori Bizer, Dion Cushway,
Julie Alexander, and Matt Lovick.
Bizer, who is also responsible for or-
dering all the imports at Schoolkid's
Records, assumes the position of D.J. %
every Friday night.
For their grand opening the Big Beat w
Jeffrey Lee Pierce featured with the
Gun Club at the opening of The Big Beat
Armatrading drops
into Detroit
L AST SUMMER in London, England , The album's first single, "Drop the
hundreds of properly dressed Pilot," has gotten a lot of airplay on pop
Britons crowded their way into a small and new music stations.
London theater, paying ticket prices of Armatrading is appearing tomorrow
up to 50 pounds (about $100) to see the night at the Royal Oak Music Theater
Prince's Trust benefit rock concert. as part of WABX's new music concert
The reason? To hear some of Britain's series; should be a very good show.
most popular recording stars. - Bill Hanson
Among those who performed were
Pete Townshend, Phil Collins, Robert
Plant, Jethro Tull, and Joan Ar-
matrading - that's right, Joan Ar- BOB DASCOLA
matrading. and staff
Armatrading, sandwiched between S and st
the aforementioned heavy-duty South U & East U
rockers, gave one of the evening's best are now at
performances.DSTYLISTS
Well known in Britain, she has DASCOLA
remained a commercially marginal 668-9329
cult figure in this country.
The tough, energetic sound on her opposite Jacobsons
latest album, The Key could give her
the mass acceptance she deserves.