Philadelphia Daily News from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 33

Section jit? Now You Know: Sissy Spacek has had quite a year. She was nominated for a best actress Oscar for her role in "Missing," gave birth to a baby girl she named Schuyler and recorded her first album. Spacek wrote a few songs for the album, and the picture on the cover was taken by Rolling Stone photog Annie liebovitz. Spacek is not sure about the title of the album yet. but it's a sort of country-and-westem sound that she calls "country wave." Thursday jf April 21, 1983 y33 (J-n mm 4 Movies for Turkey' Lovers V- riu" 1 j'- 1 i'f By JOE BALTAKE Daily News Movie Reviewer The revolving doors of our area movie theaters have been spinning furiously lately, with films coming and going with a vengeance.

No fewer than eight new movies opened this past weekend, and I was handed my luncbpail and told to hit the road in search of cinematic genius. I was determined to do it, too. So. with my car's gas tank completely filled, a Texaco road map by my side, my pail full of peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches and, just in case, an ice pack and a thermometer, I headed for the hinterlands of New Jersey and breezed away last Sunday afternoon with four schlock movies. It all started at 1255 p.m.

and. several days later, my head is still going flamboyantly crackers. The fare ranged from passable Wolf to so-so to just plain awful and "The Trea-" sure of the Four Here's how I remember it all: 1 P.M. "Vigilante." An action drama starring Robert Forster and Fred Williamson. Directed by William Lustig from an original script by Robert Vetere.

Photographed by James Lent mo. Edited by Lorenzo MarinellL Music by Jay Chattaway. Rated R. Running Time: 90 minutes. In area theaters.

(Screened at the Eric Westmont, New Jersey This latest clone of "Death Wish" is likely to make you shiver and squirm with irritation and revulsion. Just when it seems as if the vigilante genre had hit rock bottom, along comes this nasty, dimly-executed exploitation movie to lower it another thousand feet Directed by William Lustig. who helmed porno movies before expanding his filmic interests with the contemptible "Maniac," this movie chronicles the auspicious meeting of a fanatic vigilante (Fred Williamson) and a victim of urban violence (Robert Forster). whose family has been terrorized. An attack on his home has left his wife emotionally traumatized and his son dead.

The case is brought before an Inept judge who is lenient with the chief culprit, and who tosses Forster in the slammer for Illustrating his rage before the court What with prison and everything, he's left with a taste for Mood. and Williamson is there to help him draw some. Lustig's aptitude for the horror of unleashed street crime is virtually niL His style here Is incongruously placid and placidly ugly. To his credit, however, Lustig has loaded his background with ominous tom-tom music that let's us know when something awful is about to happen. Whenever you hear these sounds, you'd do well to make a beeline for the concession stand.

a 3:45 P.M. "Curtains." A thriller starring John Vernon and Samantha Eggar, Directed by Jonathan Stryker from an original script by Robert Guza Jr. Photograhed by Robert Paynter and Fred Guthe. Edited by Michael Maclaverty. Music by Paul Zaza.

Rated R. Running Time: 90 minutes. In area theaters. (Screened at the Echelon Cinema, New Jersey This mystery film from Canada is less a comment on the state of the art than on the state of unemployment among movie performers. Poor Samantha Eggar! She's saddled here with a character that looks like a practical joke by her agent Like the other women in "Curtains," Eggar automatically has several strikes against her.

She's a woman, for one. Which means that she and her cronies are doomed to be slashed. "And she's playing an actress willing to do anything for a role in a new movie. (Or is it a play? It's never made clear.) Anyway, she and the others are willing to "audition" for the part for sadistic director "Jonathan Stryker" (played by John Vernon and also the name of this film's director). Vernon, who makes the women participate in lesbian activities as part of the tryout.

projects a genuine aura of menace as the psychopathic director. The movie itself is never a mystery, never frightening, but is, instead, unrelievedly solemn, given to long, mournful pauses. VM. 'The Treasure of the Four An adventury fantasy starring Tony Anthony. Directed by Ferdinando Baldi from a script by Lloyd Battista, Jim Bryce and- Jerry Lazarus (adapted from a story by Tony Petitol Photographed In 3-D by Marcello MascicchL See SCHLOCK Page 37 Starring in the current crop of cinematic slop are (clockwise) Samantha Eggar, Chuck Norris, Tony Anthony and Robert Forster Warm By 8TUART D.

BYKOf SKY Dally News Television Critic mericans are watching television more M3l but enjoying it less, according to a Mrm study commissioned by a television trade association that has sent tremors through the commercial networks. The study, "Television 1983: the Challenge of Change." was developed by McHugh and Hoffman, a communications consultant firm, and will be released "in about two weeks," according to the National Association of Broadcasters, wb ich sponsored the study. The study is a problem for the networks because it was paid for by the TV industry's own trade group, not by special-interest groups known to be chronic critics of television. The findings of the study surfaced during the television has improved a great deal technically, particularly In news and sports coverage. A majority 57 percent say they are satisfied with television entertainment There is widespread dissatisfaction with TV news.

In 1977. almost half the viewers said they were satisfied with network news. That number dropped to about one-third in 1983, although viewership increased from 71 percent to 81 percent. Local news suffered about the same drop in prestige, but lost viewers, from 72 percent to 65 percent of those surveyed. Viewers value the networks for their worldwide coverage and professional delivery, but turn to local stations for community understanding.

A vast majority of cable viewers buy thp See BYKOF SKY Page 44 Latest Here is a summary of the report's major findings: Although television viewing has actually risen slightly since the last study in 1977, viewers are less positive in their feelings about TV. A majority of viewers feel that television is a negative social influence, encouraging bad behavior and language. Viewers who feel this way tend to feel guilty about watching TV. Viewers tend to rate television as less important to their lives, less entertaining and less of a technical marvel than in 1977. There was a strong increase in the number of viewers who said they were watching less television 49 percent compared with 39 percent in 1977 and 25 percent in 1962.

Those polled rated public television highly as having the most programs with the most useful advice and guidance. A majority of viewers, however, feel that Blum NAB recent annual convention in Las Vegas..