Statesman Journal from Salem, Oregon • Page 45

Statesman-Journal, Salem, Sunday, August 12, 1984, 7E Golden summer for alternatives ron cowan NOW OPEN Salem 's Only OPEN AIR WATER RIDE 10 AM -8PM If anybody asks what you'd like to be this summer, here's suggestions: a moviemaker, a movie distributor or a movie exhibitor. Or how about just the guy with the popcorn and soda pop concession? Even for those who didn't have a connection with Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom" or "Gremlins," this has turned out to be a summer with more box office gold than Olympic gold. Variety, the trade paper that keeps track of these things, estimates a summer box office of at least $1.6 billion, which translates into a minimum increase of more than $100,000 over last year's summer high. Variety estimates that will mean a new domestic box office of $4 billion or better by year's end, bettering the 1983 figure of $3.77 billion itself a record. Most of the good financial news, to no one's surprise, comes from a few biggies "Indiana Jones," "Ghostbusters," "Gremlins" and "Star Trek III." "The Natural," "Beat Street," "The Karate Kid," "Romancing The Stone" and "Breakin are among the other big hits, recently joined by "Purple Rain" and "The Muppets Take Manhattan." While we're currently in the dog days, wallowing in such misnamed films as "The Joy of Sex," more blockbuster candidates are on the including "Country," "Buck-aroo Banzai," "Dreamscape," Clint Eastwood's "Tightrope" and two recent releases, "Cloak and Dagger" and "Red Dawn." The hot in this summer is not just in the temperature.

Surveying all this, the informed viewer might be tempted to say good for the kids, good for the theater owners and movie producers; zilch for the selective adult audience. And, to be sure, this has been yet another summer that determinedly shows that teen-agers are the trendsetters, tastemakers of popular film. Of all the major hits, only the likes of "Star Trek III" boasts stars and themes designed more for the adult than the teen-ager. Critics, as a result, have been happily lambasting the state of public taste, which is one of the more popular pursuits of critics. Still, it would be absurd to pretend that these movies are drawing only kids and appeal only to kids.

While we look in vain for thoughtful, adult themes and ideas, we don't necessarily look in vain for good entertainment. Just because a movie is more attuned to the younger generation, doesn't mean it's junk. One of the favorite whipping boys this year is "Indiana Jones," which has been particularly castigated for sexism, violence and special effects stunting. "Ghostbusters" also has been knocked for its reliance on special effects, "Star Trek III" for its return to the familiarity of the TV series, "Gremlins" for its nasty level of violence. Yet to deal in such simplicities is to fall prey to the same kind of nonsense we accuse the filmmakers of committing.

"Indiana Jones" is a rip-roaring ride for the senses, as good as an amusement park ride and a good deal more exotic. "Ghostbusters" may be aimed at the old "Saturday Night Live" audience, but it still is witty fun, with Bill Murray at his best and Sigour-ney Weaver offering a classy, adult presence. The special effects also are both dazzling and funny. "Gremlins" is a bit harder to explain away, for all its visceral excitement, but the point is simply that the people who chose these films didn't necessarily choose badly. Even within the narrow focus of the teen fixation, these are films that demonstrate the art of escapism practiced with style and imagination.

If there is any time for that, surely it is the summer when life is at its most relaxed and escapist. If you have to look harder for a silver lining to the cloud of summer films, consider that the audience has rejected such dross as "Cannonball Run II," "Best Defense," "Rhinestone" and "Cheech and Chong's The Corsican Brothers." Even such old reliables as Burt Reynolds, who has made a career of underestimating public taste, has discovered this summer that there are limits. If the summer of 1984 delivers nothing else, the end of redneck comedy would be reason enough to fall down on your knees and offer thanks. "Cannonball Run II," which had a race no one could see and a plot that never appeared, easily has been the worst film of the summer, a stupid potpourri of mugging stars embar rassing themselves. "Rhinestone," another example of crass commercialism, had the bad taste to allow Sylvester Stallone to rewrite its script and then allowed his ego to triumph over the undeniable charm and professionalism of co-star Dolly Part on.

Dudley Moore, perennially miscast in bad films with bad scripts since "Arthur," continued his losing streak with "Best Defense." Even Eddie Murphy could not help this turkey from gobbling its way to the drive-in theaters. Neither these successes nor failures could really count as a surprise, although the same can't be said for "Purple Rain." This new rock musical-drama, showcasing the talents of Minneapolis rock artist Prince, did nearly $8 million in business in its first three days. Some may see this as just a good example of joint record-movie marketing, but it is more an example of the immense power of film to create and shape popular taste. In the case of "Beat Street" and "Breakin' by contrast, film simply capitalized on the popular fascination with break dancing. Elevating Prince and perpetuating the popularity of special effects and Bill Murray don't really sound like profound cultural contributions, but then popular film is not a profound art as normally practiced.

Just like children need a real, fantasy-filled childhood to mature into adults, so Americans seem to need childish, foolish film fantasies to make the real, adult world bearable. To face Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale, nuclear arms and child abuse, surely we need some alternatives. Ron Cowan, of the Statesman-Journal, writes about entertainment and the arts. His column appears in this section on Sundays. Introductory Special 1 0 Rides 3.00 Any Day $7 All Day ALSO GO KARTS an Salem's only Permanent GO-KART TRACK R.V PARK KECH to broadcast movies in prime time FOREST GLEN NEXT DOOR TO ENCHANTED FOREST 8372 Enchanted Way 363-761 6 Salem's KECH-TV, Channel 22, a daytime-only operation since it started in 1981, has announced it will start broadcasting movies during prime time beginning Aug.

19. ON TV, a related operation that has used the KECH signal for subscriber-only service in the evenings, usually 6 to 11 p.m., will cease operation. Instead, beginning at 11 p.m. weekends and 11:30 p.m. weekdays, the Cascade Entertainment Network (CEN) will operate.

CEN, said a station spokesman, is going to be "totally different," an adults-only subscription service that will show one adult film per evening. CEN is a successor to ON TV and will use the same equipment and operate from the same office in Portland. The regular free programming of KECH will thus run from 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m.

until 11 p.m. weekends. The new listings for the first two days of the new schedule show such films as "My Man Godfrey," from 1936 and "Blood on the Sun," 1945, playing in prime time. Both KECH-TV and ON TV have filed for bankruptcy following suits by their creditors and investors. The general partners in both operations are Arnold Brustin and Christopher Desmond, with Desmond currently listed as the general manager of KECH and operating out of offices in Salem and Porltand.

Neither Desmond nor Brustin, who has an office in Los Angeles, would return calls from the Statesman-Journal. A station spokesman said it probably was because of "negative publicity." In July, the limited partners for KECH filed a lawsuit charging fraud and misrepresentation by the two general partners. KECH filed for bankruptcy status several months after its leading customer, Willamette Subscription Television (ON TV) sought bankruptcy code protection in June 1983. ON TV rented air time from KECH and was behind in its payments. SPECIALIZING IN: German Bavarian Austrian American Cuisines Our outdoor seating and Beer Gardens are now open.

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