ARTS
Friday, June 8, 1984

Page 8

Friday, June 8. 1984 The Michigan Daily


The Michigan Daily


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Goose bumps and
Larry.Dean present for his son Billy (Zach
Galligan) in Chinatown, he comes
across a small, cuddly critter in a fetid
ITE. CLEVER. Mischievous, basement curio shop. Immediately
ntelligent. Dangerous. These are bedazzled by the mysterious creature,
tords that Warner Bros. publicity he offers to buy it from the old man
ng to describe the title characters running the shop, who flat-out refuses
remlins, this summer's Steven to sell it. But the old man's grandson
berg-produced entry into the snatches it for him in secret, and en-
a and goblins sweepstakes. And trusts Peltzer with the beastie on the
last season's successful stipulations that he never get it wet,
rgeist, Gremlins delivers the goods never put in in the light, and especially
Ides, that he never feed it after midnight.
med by director Joe Dante, who When Peltzer brings the animal
is moviemaking teeth at Roger home, his family is enraptured. It's dif-
an's New World Pictures with ficult not to be, since special effects
private joys as Piranha (which designer Chris Walas has supplied the
berg confidentially informed Dan- "mogwai" (as it is called) with all
s his favorite of the Jaws rip-offs) Spielbergian cutness trappings intact.
Hollywood Boulevard, and who That is, and it is a stunning mechanical
went on to direct The Howling and creation, capable of a gamut of twit-
"It's A Good Life" segment in ches, emotions, and facial movements
ghi Zene - The MovIe, Gremlins that aptly reflect the state of the art.
non-stop hurricane of action and Of course, Gremlins wouldn't be any
al effects, tempered by Dante's fun without the rules for keeping the
ie sense of humor, and affinity for creature safe and happy getting
-movies that gave him his begin- broken, which they do, at first by ac-
cident, then by contrivance, and finally
eplot of Gremlins is pretty simple. by the millions.
try and western signer Hoyt Axton I won't say any more about the plot
Rand Peltzer, inventor of giz- happenings in Gremlins, simply
that seem to only half-work. because a good portion of the film is
e searching for a Christmas dedicated to the ramifications following
the rules' breaking. Suffice it to say,
however, the results are funny,
terrifying, outrageous, frantic, and a
INDIVIDUAL THEATRES visual treat.
5A. a ,a n' This is probably Dante's finest film to Billy (Zach Galligan) searc
DAILY 1.00 P.M. SHOWS $2.00 date. A self-confessed horror film new Steven Spielberg produ(
$1.75 TUESDAY ALL DAY fanatic since he first saw It Came From
Outer Space, and a frequent contributor The acting is strictly secon
FROM THE DIRECTOR to genre magazines like the late, Gremlins to the special effe
OF "CHARIOTS OF FIRE" lamented "Castle of Frankenstein," most of the players come upv
Dante has an innate understanding of ceptably-two-dimensional per
the workings of suspense filmmaking. ces. Axton, Galligan, and Fran
Plus he has the afore-mentioned comic McCain - as Mrs. Peltzer -
_EY STOKE perspective, which was so ably keen American triumvirate, t
- THE LEGEND OF - displayed in The Howling, a bad book Cain is especially funny in the
TARZAN transformed into a swell flick. where she tries out Rand's mull
LORD OF THE APES Gremlins has its share of in-jokes, inventions-gone-awry. She is al
An epic too. I won't make it un-fun by giving good in another scene where sh
adventure of a 'em all away, but I will give this word of ds her home from marauding
man caught advice: watch the scene at the inven- using whatever gadgets or
between two tors convention - it's terrif! happen to be available.

hes for the source of some strange noises in the
ction Gremlins.
dary in Also notable is Polly Holliday (Flt
cts, but "Alice") as Mrs. Deagle, a Scrooge-I
with ac- denizen who brings torment to
forman- townsfolk of Kingston Falls, the Car
ces Lee esque burg where Gremlins tal
make a place. She sneers her way through
but Mc- role with great aplomb, apparel
e scenes loving every crotchety second of it.
tifarious There are other familiar faces
so quite Gremlins: Keye Luke, as the
he defen- proprietor, will be remembered for
g forces role as the Elder One on TV's "Ku
utensils
See CLEVER, Page 10

on
ike
the
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ntly
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different worlds.
(PG)
FRI. 100, 710, 9:30
SAT., SUN 1:00. 3:20, 7:10, 930
"THE FUNNIEST FRENCH
FILM SINCE 'LA
CAGE AUX FOLLES' "t
-Newhouse Newspapers
PIERRE GERARD
RICHARD DEPARDIEU
A film by FRANCSVEBER

Long-time folk master hits Ark

0

By Andy Weine
IF YOU'RE A folk fan who hasn't heard of Oscar Brand,
you're certainly in a small minority. It would be difficult
not to have heard of him. Brand was a leading figure in the
folk movement of the sixties and remains an important part
of the contemporary folk music scene.
Brand has been hailed as a great performer all the way
from Greenwich Village to Ottawa to San Francisco. This
Saturday night he's scheduled to perform at the Ark for his
first ever Ann Arbor performance.
But just because he hasn't been here before, doesn't mean
he's any kind of rookie. He first made an impact on the
national folk scene in 1945 when he began presenting
"Folksong Festival" for New York's Municipal station. The
show is still running today, making it the oldest continuing
radio program in broadcast history.
More than just a one-show man, Brand has been a part of
media in almost uncountable ways. In television, he has
hosted a Canadian series, "Let's Sing Out", was a member of

the advisory board that created "Sesame Street" and has
won Peabody and Emmy awards.
In theater he co-authored several Broadway musical
scores, including A Joyful Noise and The Education of
H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N. In addition, he wrote and scored
the Kennedy Center's Bicentennial musical, Sing, America,
Sing.
But of course, Brand has also recorded an awe-inspiring
amount of music. Actual total counts of his records differ, but
some claim that the man has recorded as many as 80
albums-80 albums is an awful lot of vinyl.
If his credentials don't impress you, his performance
should. Listeners know Brand best for his political singing.
His repertoire includes rousing militant songs, folk classics,
and some bawdy tunes.
One dedicated folk fan, who prefers to remain unidentified,
describes Brand as a controversial figure who has set him-
self apart from mainstream folk music through his politics
and his performance of some sexist songs.
Brand will play two shows, at 8 and 10 p.m., Saturday
night. Tickets are available for $6 at Schoolkid's Records,
Herb David's Guitar Studio, and at the door.

- (PG)
FRI. 1:00, 7:20. 9:20
SAT., SUN. 1:20, 320, 5:20, 7:20, 9:20