The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 06, 1981, Page Page 9, Image 9
Entent;
Airba
By Chris Handal
Staff Writer
Wednesday night George Plir
Belk Auditorium talking al
fantasies he has played out. I
that 24 hours later students al
Spur were living out their dra
iv/viv auiis uy (jenunning ai I
contest.
The students came dressed
vests, unbuttoned sleeveless
cords three inches too short. (
wearing tight black pants am
Benatar haircut while anothei
wore furry boots and gym si
group of football players showe
in Confederate flags.
The rules of the Airband c(
was sponsored by Contempoi
and the Golden Spur were
anyone had to do was to brinj
whatever props deemed neces
: 1^ a i it? *
juuges raieu uie penormers 0
Telling t
Last Wednesday, Mrs. Augi
Librariansbip Story-teller-in-R<
birthday. It marked a lifetime
ning and lovirig children and the
It is a testimony of her travels
continued through Pittsburgh,
and eventually flourished in Col
the importance i
f.f ~ f^K-i.
f.- .J . .' J^B ' Ijv>x- ;
? {ip ^
Mrs. Augus
'The Fin
By David Baker 1
Fttrn Critic I
"The Omen," Richard 1
Donner's phenomenally
frightening horror film, is I
the only movie I will admit to <
having been terrified by.
Many others apparently
were scared silly by it, for it <
became the third highest- <
grossing film released in <
1976. 1
Its $100 million success 1
spurred its distributor, 20th s
Century-Fox to announce i
plans for not one, but three 1
sequels, the first of which, 1
"Damien: Omen II," was I
released to lukewarm
response in 1978. "Omen II"
'''.v " ?r V ' y;> " '' vHSSBg
WKKfT " * fli
Sam Neil/ stars in '77
ainmer
nds ai
zero to five. I
received a cas
npton was at was awarded t
bout sports received one. 1
t was fitting there were inte
i me uoiden The Rolling
ims of being armed with i
an Airbands cardboard guil
They were; fo
in wigs and called thems
shirts and School." Perl
)ne girl was "Fools from y
i had a Pat of 14 This sc0]
r performer groups perforn
horts and a Dolly Parton.
;d up draped Then Mark ]
Carlos Santan
mtest which was s^ow and
*ary Sounds from the audiei
simple. All his performam
I music and place tie. The
sary. Three Confederate fl
n a scale of performed a bi
stories f
ista Baker, USC College of
?sidence celebrated her 70th
of teaching, lecturing, learstories
which amuse them,
which started in Baltimore,
Albany and New York City
umbia,S.C.,where Mrs Baker
3f story-telling to librarians,
ta Baker
1 s~> r<
lai^ont
had its scary moments, but
they were few and far between
and when, according to
Variety, it earned only $12
million in rentals, Fox
dtecided to combine "Omen
III" and "Omen IV."
The result is "The Final
Conflict" and, as might be
expected, it continues the
lownward slide from
Donner's original vision. In
fact, there is not a single
shred of susDense generated
n "The Final Conflict" and
here's only one tiny scene,
/ery early in the picture,
iiat's at all frightening.
THE BEST IS just a silly,
w Final Conflict' as an adui
"\+? fr-T 5
| ,
muse
"or the record, the winners
e of beer while second place
wo six packs and third place
However, most of the people
rested in having a good time.
Bones took the staee first
in invisible bass guitar, a
tar and a baseball bat guitar,
llowed by seven girls who
elves "Fools from your
forming to Molly Hachet,
our School" received a score
re kept them in first place as
tied to Pat Benatar, Rush and
Durham took the stage to a
a recording. The beginning
there were a few cat-calls
nee but by the end of the song
ce garnered a 14 and a firstscore
was equalled by the
agged "Jock Rockers" who
zarre stage show to AC/DC's
me rtlmr
U/t
teachers, student-teachers i
universities have poets-in
residence, few, if any has t
residence.
"This type of story-telling i:
and swapping stories out of ;
Sunday, one day after she w
technique in Jacksonville, N
reading involved. You do co
versions: there are about 360
learn it as well as you can an
telling it."
unuv*ii\u ur in dauimu
mother told her stories; her fa
books. As the years passed, s
involved in literature. In 1937
New York Public Library. As i
required to teH stories. Wher
trade, it became important to h
Mrs. Baker attended the I
Albany State Teacher's Colleg
University for 25 years. Forme
Wayne Yenawine asked Augus
the librarianship position. Cui
reiterated Yenawine's request
son and family was living in C
husband moved from New Yorl
Daily, Augusta Baker will c
lectures and travel around the
year, she visits Texas Women'
a airplane trip to Las Vegas 1
Currently, she's doing a series
South Carolina for the nun
aepanmeni 01 social services.
Here in Columbia, Mrs. Bab
lict'a ba
stilted and sometimes
downright stupid attempt to
capitalize on the "Omen"
title.
For example, the original
film was set in 1976 and
Damien Thorn, the An
ticnrisi, was men six years
old. "The final Conflict" is
set in 1981 and Damien
Thorn is 32. Even if he was
born of a jackal, he is not
going to age 26 years in five
without arousing enough
controversy to end any
political ambitions he might
have had.
But even if "The Final
Conflict" had been set in 2002
as it should have been,
t Damien Thorn.
. |
?k ??K. tt. , - t'I
Fool from vnur Srh /' nJ
"Back in Black." When the la;
failed to score at least a 14 it w;
the three way tie would b<
allowing the groups to perfor
letting the audience decide tl
became a two-group contest
announced that the "Jock R
suffered an 'injury' and would
compete.
After "Fools From Your
Mark Durham performed, the
i ys been
md adults. Although other
-residence and writers-inhe
position of story-teller-in5
not just simply sitting down
your head," Mrs. Baker said
as the guest speaker on her
,C. "There's a great deal of
mparative reading, different
versions of 'Cinderella.' You
d then there's the business of
re, Augusta Baker's grandther
was always interested in
he became friends with those
, she accepted a job with the
i children's librarian, one was
1 she had to learn about the
ler.
Jniversity of Pittsburgh and
e before teaching at Columbia
r College of Librariansip Dean
ta Baker to visit USC in leiu of
rent Dean William Summers
and after considering that her
lolumbia, Mrs. Baker and her
<. and settled here last year,
onduct workshops, seminars,
state. For one week out of the
^ * T : ;A_. n A.1 'A*
s university. r or anoiner, 11 s
or another lecturing venture,
of regional workshops across
sery school teachers in the
:er tends to her garden under
domen
director Graham Baker
would have ruined it. In
"Omen II," Don Taylor did a
passable job of imitating
Donner's flow-and-ebb style,
but Baker doesn't even at- !
tempt to do the same.
Baker has abandoned
?~ -i ?
i^v/iiuci a use vi tiuse-ups on
animals, preferring
medium-length shots that
transmit little meaning and
no uneasiness whatsoever.
Donner used these subtle
shots to build the suspense to
an almost unbearable peak
in "The Omen " One would
think Baker could have
taken the hint.
LIKEWISE. David Seltzer's
script for the original
picture was well-researched
and documented (from the
Bible), whereas Andrew
mrKin s screenplay for "The
Final Conflict" is almost a
parody of religion.
Imagine, if you can. seven
priests scampering across
all England like pious 007s,
desperately trying to seek
out and destroy Damien,
who is the U.S. Ambassador
and, as such, would be quite
an easy target to find Add to
that a sub-plot about the
killing of all the baby boys
born on a certain morning
and you have the closest
thing to sacrilege ever
presented in a major studio
release.
?, *i-r??-I
^jBH ' V J
HHHilll
rforms at the Spur. (Photo by i
>t two groups asked to make tto
as announced were so close thai
e settled by one more time b<
m again and given a case of bee
ie winner. It
when it was The crowd re<
ockers" had contest was so po:
not be able to Sounds plans to sp
the semester ends
School" and everyone's feelin(
audience was 61 Everyone I
i li-f
i * tci gij c c
the warm sun while she is able to v
and read many of the newest chi
feels are still being vvell-written in
AT USC Mrs. Baker recognizes
ments which she says is "untappe
her story-telling techniques is ovei
the USC administration with the
her position and ambitions.
"I encourage teachers and libra
tell stories and relate them to ItK
stories but if you're very careful ii
then tell your story from the boc
excite the child to read the book," s
this thing exciting to children, w
time to read?"
Am A ??.: 1 A.- ? 4. r% - I Ml
vjii /\piu zi, /\ugusta natter win
time to receive the Regina Meda
Association at a luncheon. She'll ta
will probably give a short speed
volved. It will be a small compel
those who have benefited from her
to children.
^K j| flHByffi <y^ TP^JB
4 iM jmlL ^8
Damien Thorn is the Antichri
Finally, the movie's if
climax, a variation on the pi;
Second Coming, looks for all ce
the world like an outtake
from one of those horrid '
Schick Sunn Classic movies ,
that cost about $f>0 each to !"(1
produce. '0I
The only person who ev'
manages to hold on to even a wjJ
modicum of integrity in this a "
l. i J - - ? !
uvtrruiuwn anu overauvertised
fiasco is Sam Neill, al
who plays Damien. Neill cr<
proved himself to be a scr
talented leading man in last aPI
year's "My Brilliant ar(
Career" and here, even with as
his blond hair dyed jet black R
and a smirk pasted to his s'r
face in every scene, he still u>
can take command of the lsn
screen and make us believe, rev
w?t??*?-??-?
/ >.,
KHH
lorry Newman)
2 decision. The responses
t the audience was asked
;fore Mark Durham was
r.
action to the Airbands
sitive that Contemporary
onsor another one before
. Ron M~rken summed up
^ bes ly laying. It .vas
had fun. don't you think?"
s work
ark
Platte
slue
tertainment
isit her two grandchildren
IMran'c KaaItc tuhiph chp
LIVU til O k,,"v'
the 1980s.
the talent in other departd
so far." The response to
rwhelming and she credits
good sense to understand
irians and even parents to
>oks rather than made-up
n your choice of books and
>k, it might motivate and
he said. "If we don't make
hy should they take their
return to New York, this
1 by the Catholic Library
ke the award in stride and
h thanking the people in
nsation of gratitude from
life's work; a life devoted
^'v
st in 'Final Conflict. '
not in the character he
ays, at least in his conption
of it.
Fortunately, due to
velopments in the plot,
x can't resurrect its plan
a lourth installment,
en if this one fools the
rid and goes on to become
nt.
riut that isn't likely to
ppen, judging from tht
:>wd reaction at the
eening 1 attended It
pears that theatergoers
n't looking at "Omen III"
being "The Final Con
t." but as being the last
aw. Horror movies are on
way out and this movie
t going to Ik> the one to
erse that trend