The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 58

100 THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER Friday June 12 1981 wk 17 -17A'1 "771 A7Ns cr) 1 ti' i i i 1: I i i i 4 t' ll 'll I i "l''! A Lt I 1 I :::1: I I I 100 THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER Friday June 12 1981 cr--) JOANN RHETTS REVIEWS: Ford In 'Raiders Of The Lost Ark' Nt z-1' i- 1 1 -k1 qi4 4 41 io tk i- 14 A A 1 4'-A s41 --A4--es--it''d 4 v'' 414c tliA Aa 44 tf44e e- retti rt 1 07ri i -14 '4 4 4 jr14i-it 144t 't 7- w-1: --S44144- )'s A I i 7p-ck Yve 3' II: I -lk-4Kt' i'l' 1 -i t4 4-4-' iN ii "11 I 2 4 '1: se 7 -7- -i: i e7' t61'' 115 tpi041 --4' po :4 4itl' 4 L'9-f eloN45 what's gone before and what's ahead for them Beware the raven might well have quoth of women described as spunky In too many contemporary movies that means they'll drink a bunch or talk dirty so you're deceived into thinking they are people who matter to the movie Allen House" and atelevision's "East of struggles to maintain her dignity but is trapped in a series of slinky 'gowns resembling Jean Harlow biascut satin negligees If you don't understand the difference between token set decoration and real characters try and imagine Katharine Hepburn wearing these instead of her white rags in "The African Queen" In a recent interview screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan summed up Lucas's approach to "George is a real American boy A lot of things he's interested in have touched a lot of us American boys" Too bad that in a movie sure to thing that man was not meant to Spielberg recovers nicely from the disastrous movie "1941" with his humorous shades-of-Greenstreet-and-Lorre use of conventions: The airborne plane super imposed over a map of the world with a bright red line tracing its progress the poisoned pet monkey the old "Meet me at Omar's" line and boiling clouds signaling the arrival of heavenly beings He handles his 6000 snake extras and their 50 tarantula costars with aplomb but coaxes a pale only occasionally witty performance from Ford We're even cheated of the delicious development of romance between Indie and his Lady Marion (Karen Allen) since the couple's relationship is humorlessly handed to us as a given From the moment we first see her slugging straight shots with the serfs in her sweaty smoky Nepalese bar and saying to Indie "always knew you'd come walking through my door" we know "Raiders of the Lost Ark" the first George Lucas-Steven Spiel-berg collaboration is a very straight very expensive very rousing adventure movie of the kind that used to be described as a B-grade Saturday-afternoon cliffhanger But Saturday afternoon action serials were usually shorties You got a quick invigorating fix of murder mayhem might and right before the feature film started The best of the full-length adventures like the 1950 remake of "King Solomon's Mines" were paced toward occasional not constant climaxes and lightened by the delicately civilized presence of someone like Deborah Kerr Without the tempo and the contrasting characters about two hours of continual hanging from cliffs in "Raiders" leaves you with sore arms Director Spielberg says he's always wanted to "blend Lash LaRue Spy Smasher Masked Marvel and Tailspin Tommy with elements from Edgar Rice Bur Paramount Pictures Photo Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) runs for his life as a huge boulder moves toward him in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" CI IF YOU'RE GOING "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is playing at Charlottetown and Tryon Mall Tryon tickets are $2 (children 14 and under at all times)and 64 (general admission 15 and older at all times) Charlottetown tickets are $2 (all showings until 6 pm Monday-Saturday the first show Sunday and holidays children 11 and under at all times) and $4 (all showings after 6 pm and for the second matinee Sunday and holidays) PARENTS' GUIDE: "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is rated and contains extreme violence and profanity AND REVIEWS: roughs" Executive producer Lucas who originated the story of this summer's "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (and who has roughed out two more chapters to precede this episode) says he began both "Star Wars" and "Raiders" by asking himself "Gee when I was a kid what did I really like?" Harrison "Han Solo" Ford is Indiana "Indie" Jones rough-hewn professor of archeology and fearless adventurer hired by our government to beat Hitler's bad boys to the lost Ark in which Moses laid the broken tablets The Ark (for which God gives Moses the blueprints in the 25th chapter of Exodus) is according to whom you listen to in "Raiders" either "a source of unspeakable power" or a "radio for speaking to God" Filmed in the Tunisian Sahara Hawaii and coastal France and set in 1936 "Raiders" tracks brave Indie from the South American jungles is where Forrestal cashed to Nepal the bazaars of Marrakesh and the forbidden Egyptian city ofo Tanis Caesar as a grunting caveman with sagging pectorals Brooks is more inclined to send up other movie versions of history rather than actual history is there anyone else who would tie the Spanish Inquisition Esther Williams and Busby Berkeley in one comic package? He hits on all his spooly cylinders in two inspired sections of richly rotten taste on Nero's Rome (we open at a and Cent and Torquemada's Spain The 54-year-old Brooks is more appealing as an actor in this than be was for a moment in "High Anxiety" his messy supposed tribute to Hitchcock "History" basically asks that he be his shrill self Comicus a standup philosopher playing the main room in Caesar's Place (Ron Carey is Swiftus Lazarus his agent) and a singing hoofing 15th-century Grand Inquisitor flattened their fingersBurned their bunsNothing is workingSend in the One of the advantages of "His -4 Mel Brooks's 'History Of The World Part 1' appeal to all those little American boys it was necessary to include a big bad baldie beheaded by an airplane propeller a melting face and an exploding skull leaking bloody brains And when "lightning fire the power of God or somethin' pop out of the Ark some of the gruesomely effective apparitions are guaranteed nightmare fodder for the short set a IF YOU'RE GOING "History of the World Part is playing at South Park Tickets are $2 (all showings before I pm Monday-Saturday first show Sunday and holidays children 11 and under at all times) and $AI (all showings after pm and for the second matinee Sunday and holidays) PARENTS' GUIDE: "History of the World Part is rated and contains profanity casual drug use and suggestions of sexual activity tx "History of the World Part 1" is Mel Brooks at his most appealing and wackiest since "The Producers" (1968) and "Young Frankenstein" (1974) the writer-director's goofily energetic parody of both classic film horror and our reaction to it "History" is hampered by a segmented format The Stone Age The Old Testament The Roman Empire The Spanish Inquisition and The French Revolution And Brooks's repertoire of masturbation urination erection breast and flatulence jokes are going to defeat some folks in tightly laced corsets who'd otherwise enjoy his waiter at the Last Supper ('Are you all together or is it separate Thanks primarily to its two unfunny opening sections "History" bears an unfortunate resemblance to an expanded television special an updated expensive "Show of Shows" Brooks began as a gag writer on the Sid Caesar comedy series three decades ago but loyalty does not demand that he cast 9 43" avin 44 Ileca tai Ers KIDS EAT FREE! Free Hamburger Fries Coke when Accompanying Adult orders from Regular Menu (Limit 3 children 12 under) SWAIN'S CHARCOAL STEAK HOUSE 1800 Morehead Across From MT IDC Cards Invalid 332-2414 1 r''''''r I r' tory's" format is the brief appearances it affords such tiresome members of Brooks's acting stable as Cloris Leachman (why does this attractive and talented actor keep allowing Brooks to inflict these ugly roles on her?) and Harvey Korman Two we don't see enough of though are Broadway song and dance man "Sophisticated Gregory Hines and Brooks regular Madeline Kahn As a tap-dancing slave from Ethiopia part?" "125th Hines is a graceful ingratiating comic Kahn's gum-snapping Empress is a bizarre gilded bird with a busy little face a shrieking buzz saw voice and an inability to walk on rose petals scattered by slaves without pitching floorward For fans impatient for "Part II" Brooks closes this chapter with flip funny and tasteless previews of coming attractions: Hitler on Ice (Adolf subs for Peggy Fleming) A Viking Funeral Three Mile Island and Jews in personating C3P0 and R2D2 Best Roy Rogers and Trigger Finish with a Flying Horse Children should love them all and be only momentarily discomfited by the Medusa upchucking her frankly fake bloody insides I did however always picture the gods as a gorgeous fun-loving 'iv '01r IP Ilr'li--- CalitIilDialt Illa'N dto 44Fir a k---- 4 ii CI 2 Captains Value Pack 0 0 Thrift Pack Peg $949 I (Feeds 4 or Morel OFF (Feeds 4 of More) Reg 1149 -1 COUPON GOOD I to IHRU JULY 31 1981 SEAFOOD FEAST (Feeds 6 or More) Reg $1379 4 GS1Q9e)0(1'-- T2111 I a Ca Kai 00 OFF COUPON GOOD IHRU JULY 31 1981 Thrift Pack Peg $949 (Feeds 4 or Morel Captains Value Pack (Feeds 4 of More) Reg 1149 SEAFOOD FEAST (Feeds 6 or More) Reg $1379 1 AND REVIEWS: 1 4r-- 01 The Titans' At The Eat In Carry Out CHARLOTTE GASTONIA MONROE Now 3623 SHARON AMITY Open at Central Ave at Eastland Mall 41IMilamEmlinommoial51mgmtmminmIllImINIIMPOPr 'Clash "Clash of the Titans" is more fun than a '50s fur forbidden fruit and fin flick has any right to be The pleasures of fur and fin are courtesy of Ray Harryhausen the master of special effects whose movie monsters and design sketches are on exhibit at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art Many other delights involve actor Harry Hamlin's fetching look in a diaper and cape Harryhausen's design projects have included "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad" "One Million Years BC" "Jason and the Argonauts" "The Beast from 20000 Fathoms" "Earth vs the Flying Saucers" and "The Three Worlds of Gulliver" Similar fantasy creatures and the saturated Metrocolor make "Clash of the Titans" look like a cinematic throwback And under Desmond Davis's direction the cast plays this Grecian soap opera as though it were in the days when Zeus could wish newlywed Perseus "fine sons" without causing half the women and a few enlightened men in the movie theater to foam at the mouth Perseus (Hamlin) love child of 's Metropolitan Museum of Many other delights involve Harry Hamlin's fetching in a diaper and cape irryhausen's design projects included "The Seventh Voy- of Sinbad" "One Million BC" "Jason and the Argo- "The Beast from 20000 )ms" "Earth vs the Flying ers" and "The Three Worlds Illiver" Similar fantasy crea- and the saturated Metroco- nake "Clash of the Titans" like a cinematic throwback under Desmond Davis's di- NI the cast plays this Gre- soap opera as though it were ywed Perseus "fine sons" days when Zeus could wish out causing half the women 1 few enlightened men in the theater to foam at the rseus (Hamlin) love child of Space Thus Brooks cleverly closes the movie he began with a visual-aural joke on "2001" with another on "Star Wars" Incidentally the rating is a pretty good joke itself "Part has obviously been stamped for Brooks's liberal use of the scatological lexicon including "The Magic Where "History" and last summer's PG-rated "Airplane!" differ and what is I think of more concern than vocabulary is Brooks's tendency toward a jaded cynicism "Airplane!" took on the disaster film genre with a pinkcheeked enthusiasm that was refreshing to be around It sure makes sense to me: Let the kids watch people ripped apart by lions in a PG-rated flick but forbid them to hear some four-letter words unless their aparents babysit Too bad this is just the sort of harmless frequently hilarious summer movie that will appeal to adolescents of all ages Manor longin-the-tooth lot even though Laurence Olivier as Zeus and Ursula Andress as Aphrodite both look divine a IF YOU'RE GOING "Clash of the Titans" is playing it the Manor Theatre Zeus adores and wins Andromeda (Judy Bowker) Andromeda daughter of Cassiopeia (Sian Phillips) was formerly betrothed to Calibos (Neil McCarthy) a half-divine bad egg turned into a horned tailed monster for thoughtless behavior After some ill-chosen remarks by the motherof-the-bride PAPILNIS' oulut -witsn et tne II of-the-bride at the Perseus-An- mg nectar-and-ambrosta crowd tans" Is rated PG end contains violence dromeda engagement bash Cali- These Olympians are a grim and partial temele nudity bos's mother (Maggie Smith) dooms the virgin to be snack food IOk '7EA cs for the Kraken the Last of the r- Ail- Titans With the delightfully spry 4 help of Burgess Meredith as the 1 playwright Ammon Perseus must sweetie move mountains to save his $45311-11ACIT4414() KiFESTIVAL)6 Harryhausen's stop-action an- 'mated menagerie is unflaggingly -ette 4- engaging On an imaginary crea- ture we can't criticize the muscu- 5 4 4: bgriolltiattkik lature or the distribution of Noloal AN weight but we would certainly 110W aireatuly 4- 13 'ti Ift 4 recognize a horse dog or vulture i that walked queerly or whose leg at "'f 9 hausen is brave and talented bent in the wrong place Harry- Pe enough to try all three together with some other creations sure to qualify next April for Best Kra- III i 1 :4 91 IS 4' ''''') ken in a Supporting Role Best Skeleton in a Cape Best Owl Im- III I II 1164 I I 1 i 1 I -kki 04 04oeir" --r-T---Avt 1-1-4eti talk o'''''''' -it '7 4 ei 4 esil A to i 4- CT! 11 (:11 -1 1 44 i i 41 -if 114 N' 44 il Is your knowledge 7 twe' k- Ai 0 Ft of the Old Dstament At 11- 4 4 in bits and pieces? 2 A g' 1 xii ilk aot I 11 nt''''': gig: i' 5h di 0 it ar it 1 1110 AO' os 4: tgAi 1 4 -0 '140 th Of 11111e' lie moll east 43t )I ''17eNCI Crab "Derilltou out IN1b crab Each dl(ing a of 4 Steal( art fresh sala se 1 a vat a a ni nty of ho ar L- to get a clear pc- the upco iming "kalk Te minal's' at ice 1 sere vel gang an al pr of the Scriptures if you the church listed below rur speo only scattered bits of i Walk Thrts the Bibk Seminars Mike Lehman Show At a brea a oi gi 1190 Winchester Parkway Suite 203 Smyrna GA 3008( Illation bout the Old Join us in our dazzling new night club where 7 til INF tment But in just one everything live entertainment dancing Thru the Bible Church at Charlotte drinking and conversationno cover charge inar we can help you 2500 Carmel Road i nit 4000 vein odbibli- Charlotte NC 28211 Free Hors d'oeuvres Monday-Friday 5-8 PM 8TEAK aVILLd Es isto to 704364-5913 Open Monday through Friday 5 PM til 1 AM es piaccs and evolts Saturday 8 PM tit 2 AM 4750 Albemarle Road 568-5900 Old Testament 4 will Old Testament e- 4717 Sharon Road 366-1237 you see the So-iptures Saturday June 131981 4 Stletliton Center 100 Woodlawn 525-9526 -Al-e Lich cif trer lig! it )u 'II New Testament McDowell St at Independence Blvd RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED (lighted With hat Saturday July 11 198 1 372-4100 learn Rerister now fin- ecorwight MI Steak and Ale Restaurants nt Ameries The ft I I I ifs your knowledge of the Old Testament in bits and pieces? hard to get a clear of the Scriptures if you only scattered bits of information bout the Old urient lit in just one That the Bible we can hell) you 4000 years ot history to memoryThe IARTS UK events Old TeStallidit will you see the Saiptures much cle trer light delighted with what learn Register now fin the the at the Perseus-Andromeda engagement bash Calibos's mother (Maggie Smith) dooms the virgin to be snack food for the Kraken the Last of the Titans With the delightfully spry help of Burgess Meredith as the playwright Ammon Perseus must move mountains to save his sweetie Harryhausen's stop-action animated menagerie is unflaggingly engaging On an imaginary creature we can't criticize the musculature or the distribution of weight but we would certainly recognize a horse dog or vulture that walked queerly or whose leg bent in the wrong place Harryhausen is brave and talented enough to try all three together with some other creations sure to qualify next April for Best Kra-ken in a Supporting Role Best Skeleton in a Cape Best Owl Im upcoming "Walk Thru" seininin at chtu ch listed below Walk Thrts the Bible Seminars 1190 Winchester Parkway Suite 203 Smyrna GA 3008( Church at Charlotte 2500 Carmel Road Charlotte NC 28211 704364 5913 Old Testament Saturday June 13 1981 New Testament Saturday July 11 1981 nectar-and-ambrosia crowd These Olympians are a grim now aprtiny Mike Lehman Show Join us in our dazzling new night club where everything live entertainment dancing drinking and conversationno cover charge Free Hors d'oeuvres Monday-Friday 5-8 PM Open Monday through Friday 5 PM til 1 AM Saturday 8 PM tit 2 AM (S) Sheraton Center McDowell St at Independence Blvd 372-4100 PARENTS' GUIDE: "Clash of the Titans" is rated PG and contains violence and partial female nudity I FESTIVAL Dtifing the rnontll of3une ertloy ourl(ing Crab or feast Eacb Steak and I(ing Crab served with a fresh salad of your raaldng and plenty of hot bread At a very special price $995 STEAK a 'OLE 4750 Albemarle Road 568-5900 4717 Sharon Road 366-1237 100 Wood lawn 525-9526 RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED eCopytight MI Steak and Alt Restaurants nil Ameries Inc It's picture have Test Walk Seminar commit hibliad MUMS of the help in be you.