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' ' '1'"' "11 Hea /ft /i ^ VOO I By David I FHm Cri "Heaven's Gate" is pure hell. Michael Cimino, in a vain eff< once promising career, has r million fiasco that was withdi disastrous one-week run in New two hours and 20 minutes may i made, but all worse movies ("Tl "Guyana ? Cult of the Damnc ridiculously bad that one could a them, "Heaven's Gate" is simply a I mess. The picture pretends to be aba a series of conflicts that took pla< European immigrants (whom rustlers) in Wyoming in the 189 about, however, is how a writerwreckless disregard for budget* ^1111 I ? - milium uciug spem on a s< paper it was written on. Isabella Huppert and Kris , $36 million 'Heaven's Gate. THE ACADEMY AWARD C 4<m1 rv tt a. ii ijf#o s iiie ueer nunier appa to rush to his brain that he be wrong. The dialogue he si "Heaven's Gate" (alls somei purple prose and not a single lin< Dregs By Pata McElveen ii Special to tha Gamacock a "Down-home boys go to J? the big city" could almost be J! the theme of the story of the ? Dregs so far. Not long ago, jj they were an Augusta-based n Capricorn act, playing 11 mostly club dates (including P those in Columbia quite s regularly), and leaving in ^ their wake loyal legions of awed and enamored n Southerners. s Now, after a change of name, personnel adjustments, a few years of hectic touring, and a steady rise in popularity, they're an j Atlanta-based Arista troupe, [, just beginning to taste the I national recognition they so I richly deserve. But, as a sad | consequence to locals, it's been far. too long since they've been booked in Columbia. J Steve Morse, guiding 9 genius of the Dregs, now has [ an even firmer hand in the k band's destiny. The talented I guitarist/composer has now R produced the band's second IP nn tho Arict'i lohol M.JA VII MIV ni j "Unsung Heroes." But as the Dregs climb into the big time, reaching { beyond their loyal devotees ainmer 4 n % ' C/Cft mill Saker ftic >rt to save what's left of hi e-edited the four-hour, $3 awn from release after < York last fall. The resultinj not be the worst movie eve L _ .4.1 . _ % 19 4 _ ? < tie benunei, ine swarm, id" and "Sphinx") were s t least get a good laugh out g >rutal, insulting and sadisti lit the Johnson County Wan :e between cattle barons an the barons thought to b 9s. What the movie is reall director's megalomania an try restraints could result i :ript that wasn't worth th i UjaflH||HNu4 >.'<m " Kr/stofferson star in th * "imino won for his work i rently caused so much bloc gan to think he could do r Libsequently concocted f< where between poetry ar eof it is believable. i go/< i Dixieland, they are nnfolii aufora nf hniv harH it <^UVV1J UTTHA V V* ??V ff lu* U ?? ? for an all-instrumental act ) make it big these days, ome "middle ground" must e found. They realize the eed to package themselves ito a somewhat universally alatable product, without traying from the original oncept and alienating their jyalists. This is a dilemma nost class bands face: to tick to quality or l4sell out." As I said, a reminder thai With their new album, instrumental Dregs hoi nnmmercial success. Th cover, but they believe self. s Gai on be Most of the dialogue is so j: meaning that it doesn't so mil mouths as dribble down their chi In one scene, a falling-dowi ? ceedingly eloquent terms, exj 6 toxica tion stems from the lack o a room where he's been drinking B then shoot a game of pool, disc * while. 1 l_ 1 A. isimino s suDsequem crimes , 0 writing are innumerable, but Uh ,f which come late in the film, whe from the cattle barons' hired c frightened, George" and "The doubly bathetic in light of the fa ? significant enough to merit putti ? THE EDITING ? and it tool % assemble this monument to sadi 1 It's as if the editors took the ir Piniinn ohnt (nimnp hoc if that VJIillltAV kJIIVV \1 UtIIVI lAUtJ * v Miuv was 35-to-l), threw it on the edit together with a pitchfork. Nc "Heaven's Gate." Its first 90 minutes are a stri i related scenes that flow into on< | being dumped from a wheelbar utter chaos. So much happens track of it. And it's filmed from ^ one can't even tell who's shooti * overturned on top of who else. C | in mid-sentence. | Further hampering our abilit I fact that Cimino shoots virtually _ m ? a ? ww H ot ausi or a pun ot smone. tie a | were going to be outlawed toi casions, makes the unpardon; camera tilt down while a partia rjj a huge gray streak, originally 1 the sun, that moves around with I heads as if it was an 1890s foreru P I THE BEST that can be said U Gate'' is that each performer pr It Huppert in "Violette," Christc |? Hunter," Kristofferson in "! p everything. But Cimino's script and dir chance to create anything her close to a consistent characters plays the leader of the cattle ba evil-looking in a black moustacl villains more often. Cimino, on the other hand, she again. [n For the record, the title of the ^ of an 1890s roller disco, where tl l0 every now and then to boogie th )r title strikes Cimino as being ir< l(t lofty adjective. It strikes me as film 1UI1I 1 U3VU ?r'big the Dregs will continue to maintain their present course is timely. A couple of steps toward that "middle ground" mav have* somp nf us wondering. The Dixie Dregs are all of a sudden just "The Dregs" (catchy, ain't it?) Have they forsaken the i Southland? I wonder if they still end their shows with "Dixie?" 1 ALTHOUGH MORSE is sticking to the "Dreg fort mula" closely, there is no rJ * ||5Al \ ^jgjjE rank. ' Unsung Heroes," the alive to score a nation-wide * -? - <1 ?i ay iacK mourns on zns a/oum the music will speak for it n IC Id >mb regnant with philosophical tch float out of the actor's ns and necks. n-drunk John Hurt, in explains that half of his inf adequate ventilation in the . He and Kris Kristofferson ussing cosmic truths all the against the art of dialoguei most absurd ones are those n the immigrants are fleeing killers. Lines like "I'm so ;y're killing all of us" are ct that Cimino deemed them ng them in subtitles. c no less than four editors to ism ? is atrocious. riles and miles of footage that the shooting ratio of this film ting room floor, then tossed it thing ever makes sense in ng of boring, seemingly non; another like so many bricks tow. The last 50 minutes are that it is impossible to keep i so many points of view that ing who or whose wagon just >ne edit cuts Kristofferson off ies to follow the action is the / every scene through a cloud lso uses lens filters as if they morrow and, on several ocable mistake of having the 1 filter is on it. Thus, we have meant to reduce the glare of tin scenes, obscuring people's inner of The Blob. for the acting in "Heaven's eviously has done good work: >pher Walken in "The Deer Semi-Tough" and Hurt in rtfitfA o m? Ann n cvuv/ii uuii tr give aujri/nc a e. The only one who comes nation is Sam Waterston, who rons. Waterston, delightfully he, should be allowed to play >uld never be allowed to work picture comes from the name le characters gather together eir cares away. 1 imagine the inic, prescient or some other i being pointless, as does the time9 shortage of creative juices. Most compositions on "Unsung Heroes" are more of the same exciting and immensely clever Morse magic. Especially pleasing is the blossoming of the newest Dreg, T. Lavitz. His keyboard playing is easily the most jazz-oriented musicianship in the Dregs lineup, lending the band further fusion credibility. He is the first Dreg keyboardist of the last three to actually exude his own unique, personal style from within the context of Morse's compositions. The chemistry here is simply superb. And something interesting to note: First live gig as a Dreg was right here in Columbia at O'Sheas (now Dundee's Saloon). Their recording engineers have discovered some digital recording effects, nrlrlind on avtra trut/ih r\f HUVIIIIQ n? VAVI 0 iVVIVIl VI class to the sound quality. Listen to Morse's guitar cascade from one channel to another. Techniques such as this, the eternally clever composition, and sheer Dreg make this album another impressive Dreg effort. 90MMHMI Kris Kris in Michai Afi at! By Jo) Sta A selectioi collected fc faculty anc Sunday a Museums. 1 fersabroad art created m*v4in Snmi old, ranging half of the t\ to the 17th were produc forms but tended i ceremonies. The purpc annual show COLLECTS ART, is to c the interesti ftiA KxAra/1 on uic ux uau o\interests university c< This shov from the w Africa. Mos this year traditional headdresses addition t namental ( A 1 J jeweiry ar.u AFRICA!> a rich ti resisted religious pressures throughout sculptures for magica iico Tn Aft U*JV. AW 1UI necessary rituals sue The fornr these Afri< centuries ol different tri sculpture if single piec< emphasis < axis. Symi create an serenity, ai style is a crafted by W^0!^^KmMy /' '^wk- ' |M< flBB IMP WK-ii^ mHBp &&*"-' -' W a- '*M mm $fl HHB ? toff or son enjoys a game o */ Cimino's 'Heaven's Gate.' rican exl YlcKissic res Rogers (no.18). It is i wwrtt.r "Janus-head" - A, . 4 Masks which " 0ffnC?,Vr ritual danc< |y ,JjS JiLn'S animal and hu An example i * mask with rhls e*A. of' crafted by th, range ot African it ^ from various statue 0r mask i items are very t0 ^ , 1 fr?m.Kthe I living being ventieth century century. Some ed in traditional were never in- v v \ ' for use in se of the second . ing, A CAMPUS WyEM I: AFRICAN >ffer evidence of Vl;.;;j Ug 1IIMIC1 lal UIIU HHJV ope of collecting : within the j immunity. ;i / includes work estern region of t of the work in 's exhibit is r'-J ji wood sculpture, i | jl i and masks. In fijjTr | here are orcunh o C MwPiS SCifiDtii ft/jtvio ouvn ao r basketry. African art ex I ART developed "Jmus-hMd' adition which Phy. (Photo influence of Williams) and cultural of invaders AFRICAN history. Most become one were oroduced important trm 1 and religious world. Its beat icans they were the co-ord for performing emotional at cessfully. structural pri i and styles of inspiring to f :an pieces are tradition c< d. carried on hv members of oi bes. Most of the community. i hewn out of a i of wood, with Singing star mi the verticle will appear v, metrical halves man Delbert impression of Sunday, May i example of this Carolina Col t ?? * ? tieacue ruiiy concert will sU the Baule people tickets are v.^-yrj f billiards libit ;k typical of the iconography. 1 were used in ;s resemble man features, s the wooden monkey fu. ; secret Por power of ; was believe I than that of ire at MM typh ' iconog by Ti ART \ of the m iitions of ' lty is found ination titudes wi nciples. It . ind this rich .11 _ . _i i meciea Dy it intellectual Willie Nelson rith pop/jazzMcClinton on ' 3 at the iseum. The *rt at 7:30 ami >.50 and $9.50.