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TflE GAMECOCK Entertainment June 13, 1984 ? Page 6 'Firestarter' fails \ By AtHion L. Stein "Firestarter," yet another Stephen King story thrust nnAn tliA KnrrAr.liiinftri/ imiKIip ic mnrA nf Q r?nnf Q inpH upwu liiv nv/i i vrt UUU51 j puviivy ?k1 iiiviv vb u vv/iiimiiivm chimney blaze than the raging wildfire one is led to expect. Highlighted by a few glowing embers and several smoldering performances, the film, as a whole, is barely lukewarm. Drew Barrymore stars as eight-year-old Charlie McGee, a sweet little girl with pyrokinesis, the power to ignite fires with her mind. A government agency known as "The Qhrvr*" wnntc fr? f?vr?lr?it h#?r ahilitv hut Pharlip's tplpnathir father (David Keith) and her own fear of the consequences stands in the agency's way. This is Drew Barrymore's movie and she performs with such naturalness, innocence and intelligence that one can't help but feel a twinge of pity for the child ? a victim of the government, cursed with a deadly power she doesn't want and can barely control. That same innocence makes her use of adult language all the more shocking and funny. r\o?>A/4 1/ Co Avnallant Knt i n noricnn tA tho Hpnth L/avcu rv^mi is lawiiuih, uui 111 vuuipui uv/u iv tuv uvptu of his performances in "An Officer and a Gentleman" and "The Lords of Discipline," his talent was left untapped. It is refreshing, however, to hear his unforced Southern accent in a sea of homogenized voices and contrived drawls. The performances of Martin Sheen and George C. Scott are difficult to appreciate. Sheen, as th>. head of "The Shop," is a one-dimensional man who looks like a Kennedy and sounds like cardboard. Scott is a unfortunate u~:? r> *u~, oeocc;n i-i p nnt r\n_ CrtSlUig, as ixaiuunut luv. agvuvj a ujujjii . i iv uui wn ly fails to be believable as the menacing Native American with a demon's soul, but the humorous lilt in his voice brings back memories of his performance in the black comedy "Dr. Strangelove." Art Carney and Louise Fletcher also play shallow characters, but do the best they can with the material given them to work with. What is delightful is that Charlie's power lies as much in her charm and reputation as in her ability. The government agents dance shyly around this little girl, fearful of provoking her wrath. But despite the reputation and power resting on Charlie's n*>atir A/\op nnt tVio Krat Kt11 Ic o miicinn anH dUUUlUti 3, L/It*v UUVS MUl pi?J 1IIV uiui) VUV U UIIIUMIII^ ? ?* adorable. King builds the horror in this story through tension rather than gore and graphic violence. Charlie leaves a few burring bodies in herwake, but the tension of the chase carries the film forward. Tangerine Dream's soundtrack is excellent, and adds a lot to the film. King also tackles a political speculation: In "Firestarter," the government was responsible for Chailie's pyrokinesis and her father's telepathy via a drug experiment in the 60s in which her parents participated. Now it is also responsible for them being hunted down like animals and, in effect, being either tortured or killed. After seeing this film or reading the novel, one wonders if the government actually does carry on secret experiments and what the consequences might eventually be. The R rating is probably a box office ploy to draw people into the theater. The film could easily have been rated PG. Thompson Twins alb By Robort O'Connor Modern music seems to be collectively forming its own special brand of cliched motives and rhythms. Success for a band can be attributed to a catchy beat and unique synthesizer sound. The Thompson Twins, who caught the attention of Ameria last year with the pleasing "Lies" and the energetic "Love On Your Side," have stepped outside the limited boundaries of modern pop music. "Into The Gap" is not only a collection of danceable tunes. It contains a certain brand of intelligence nUnrnntln rtf nlo/>a wlian fnmnarpH tr* iiiai skills |;iwa3aiuij uui vi piavv tt aivu wmipmw w group's peers. Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie and Joe Leewayare mistakenly identified for their outward appearance and strange name rather than for their creative music. "Into the Gap' establishes the trio as more than just another British gimmick "Hold Me Now," the group's phenomenal top ten single 'The Natural' displa By Marita Porto Baseball is as captivating for America as apple pie, an< those looking for an all American film with a plot will not b disappointed in "The Natural." a n ?i 1 /" 1 me movie, starring Kooen Kcuiuru, vjucuu v.iust, nm Basinger and Robert DuVal is captivating many summe moviegoers with it's warmth and personality, not to mentio an interesting story line. It does not take .viewers long to learn to love Roy Hobbe th down-home country boy, played by Redford. Despite some difficult to believe special effects, "Th Natural" overcomes it's confusing moments and proves t viewers that Redford can act as well as look great on camen Glenn Close, who play s> Redford's long lost girlfriend, - - -?i ; 1 1 J??i an excellent addition 10 a wen organized anu ucvciupcu The story begins with the death of Roy's father. After storm, the boy carves a bat from the wood of a fallen oak trc< engraving it with the words "Wonder Boy" and a lightenir bolt. His father's death urges the boy to continue with h to ignite imaginati If looks could kill... Drew Barrymore stars as a pyrokinetic young girl who becomes increasingly valuable to the government. I lum delights listeners ? * MA/v A rtronoful m/\/\/l CUI1I1UI CKapc CVCIl IHC lliusi licu-iuiuaiuib. n 51 awvi ui mwu compliments a shattered love affair in only the most majestic manner. Who could resist Bailey's passionate yearnings? " stay with me/let loving start" The tune attained its huge success because of its humanistic emotion. The second single, "Doctor Doctor," shifts the feeling * toward a sinister sensation. The triad blends harmony and sheer honesty ("doctor doctor/can't you see I'm burning"). "No Peace for the Wicked" is pure, michievious enjoyment (We're dancing till we drop/we're all too scared to stop"). The second side of "Into The Gap" fluctuates between perfec tion and a comfortable repetitiveness. Most notable are the haunting "Sister of Mercy" and "Storm On The Sea." The latter hyt pnotizes the imaginative listener while the former is a , depressing tale concerning a lonely woman, ("you can hear her cry alone at night"). The Thompson Twins deserve credit for showering originality on a crowded unimaginative music world. ys Redford's talents dream ot oecoming a oaseoan greai. i Then, we skip to Redford as a semi-adult promising his girl e friend the endless all-American dream of marriage. However, Redford gets delayed along his way to the n Baseball Hall of Fame by a ;ornivingwoman and despite many r other problems, eventually maVes it to the majors, a bit older n and more cynical, but nonetheless lovable. His entrance into the big time is tainted by some mysterious e circumstances but with the help of his magical bat, and the hallowed lightening bolt, Redford makes his coach's dream e come true to win back the part of the team which he lost to the o team owner. i. Despite it's similarity to the age-old King Arthur and the is sword plot, "The Natural's" ending leaves the viewer t. pleasantly surprised and certainly satsified. a A quaint but definitely not trite movie, "The Natural" pro5, ves that there are still some movies made for audiencesofevery n mrtuiAc Hpcnifp a fpw rnnfncino technicalities. that 1? U5V UV/IHV ?IIV/?IVJ, WW.? - ? V is can make Americans proud of their country roots. on of audience |^^|^^??EH^^ ^^^lHPwlsgv?..-i*<** &'#$?&$&&& A ,;. t ;jyt^|jjbj|jj Hfe^. -J ''.|||j||j|||||^^ ' SsL. 1 Guadalcanal Diary plays to enthusiastic audience By Keltoy Linnigin Georgia has become a mecca for progressive bands in the Southeast. From this unlikely source have emerged some of the better regional acts in recent years. A few have metamorphosed into that elusive but ever-desirable buttarflu nofinnal ctarHnm Thp nampc arp familiar* Thp I Swimming Pool Q's , The Roys, Love Tractor, Pylon, R.E.M., The B-52s . . . and now, Guadalcanal Diary. Taking their name from a book written by a World War II veteran, Guadalcanal's "Watusi Rodeo" is an EP offering four songs whose titles and concepts are as equally interesting. "Dead Eyes" is a whirlwind scng echoing the driving, forceful tones synonymous with the L.A based band "X" (for whom GCD once opened) minus Exene's disconcer Illlg, IUUIIUIUUC VUttth. "Michael Rockefeller" passionately punctuates the inner turmoil of the man lost in New Guinea, while "John Wayne," the best known of the songs, is a dark-humoured but clever ballad told through the eyes of a downtrodden gunslinger: I used to be the top-notch gun in this town. That was before the Duke started handing around. / wish I'd killed John Wayne. " Guadalcanal Diary made a Columbia appearance to an enthusiastic audience Saturday night at the Beat Club on Assembly Street. With Mtirrav Attawa's vocal nroweiw af the helm, flanked by Jeff Walls on guitar, Rhett Crowe on bass, and rounded out by John Poe's energetic drumming, the end result is a nice, tight delivery, precison tuned. Disappointingly, theonly song not performed from "Watusi Rodeo" was Guadalcanal Diary's hypnotic remake of Miriam Makeba's "Liwa Wechi." This is sheer atmosphere, calling up Siddharthian motifs of ziggurats, prophets, evening meditations of another place and time. As Rhett Crowe confided, "This one is the most difficult to perform live. It's an incredible strain on Murray's voice. 11 oo oaa too, a lot ot people ask tor it. No reason to fret though. From such obstacles are great videos made.