page 16
daily nebraskon
thursday, September 14, 1978
arts and entertainment
Pink panther's revenge a variation of old comedy theme
By Peg Sheldrick
"The Revenge of the Pink Panther'
might more aptly be titled "The Rehash of
the Pink Panther. " This latest in the long
line of farces involving Inspector Gousseau
offers nothing new.
Hie script by Frank Waldman, Ray
Clark, and Blake Edwards exists mainly
as an excuse for a great deal of wild slap
stick involving the moronic detective. And
movie review
the slapstick isn't all that novel. Some of it
is just plain old. (Do they really think the
audience hasn't seen a flower pot fall off
a balcony and hit someone on the head?)
Of course it's meant to be outrageous, but
a little of that can go a long way. The film
seldom gets beyond a "Three Stooges"
level of comedy.
Same old schtick
The stars are not at fault. Peter Sellers
is just as good as ever, but he's doing the
same old schtick. Dyan Cannon also is fine,
but if you really want to see what she can
do as a comedienne, you should see "Hea
ven Can Wait. " Both actors are talents who
could be put to much better use. Hie cast
contains many faces familiar to "Panther"
fans, including Herbert Lorn as Chief In
spector Dreyfuss, the boss Gousseau
literally drove mad.
Henry Mancini's score is all right, but
there are only so many ways to play the
all-too-familiar "Pink Panther" theme.
That's the problem with the movie on the
whole-ifs just a variation on a theme
that's been played a little too often.
Physical comedy
Die-hard Gousseau fans no doubt will
enjoy this outing, as will anyone with an
insatiable appetite for slapstick. And there
are some very funny moments, but those
who aren't bowled over by this kind of
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Photo courtesy of United Artists
Peter Sellers comes back to life as Inspector Gousseau in 'The Revenge of the Pink
Panther."
physical comedy will find it a long wait for
the gems.
"The Revenge of the Pink Panther"
currently is playing at the Cinema 2.
Just when you thought it was safe to
go back in the water, Jaws 11 came along.
And just when you thought no one
would dare try another Jaws ripoff,
Piranha comes along.
That's right, folks. Those sharp-toothed
nasties from the tropics have made it to
the U.S. to join the ranks (or rather
schools) munching on hapless humans to
satisfy their appetite for flesh and the
movie-goers' appetite for gory schlock.
The next thing you know, Charlie the
Tuna will turn on us.
Lots of blood
Enough blood is splashed around to
keep the Lincoln Plasma Corporation sat
isfied for years to come. The whole thing is
about as terrifying as "Creature Feature,'
It only runs about 90 minutes, so with the
flashes of nudity and the excessively grim
moments edited, it will be ready to be
shown on the tube in short order.
The plot is a hodgepodge of stereo
types, cliches and stupidity. It starts off
with the typical teenage couple blundering
their way (by the light of a full moon, of
course) into becoming the first casualties.
Instead of the usual crusty old farmer, the
next victim is a crusty old mountain man
who pats his dog and utters philosophy
right out of The Wilderness Family.
Anti-hero
Bradford Dillman is the (anti) hero, a
hard-drinking lot who has retreated to the
woods to escape his past (as well as his ex
wife.) Our heroine is a poor man's Nancy
Drew who is liberated (i.e., she suggests
hopping into the sack herself instead of
waiting for him to make at pass-but she
still can't fix a car.) She unleashes these
orthodontist's nightmares on the world and
exonerates herself by uttering a bewildered
Tm sorry."
The evil genius who has created this
superstrain of toothy terrors is named
Hoak (for obvious reasons). Of course, he
isn't really to blame-the Government is
at fault. They got him started on the pro
ject in order to develop a special piranha
to use in North Vietnam. (This is a social
statement. Heavy, man.)
Fear saves child
Dillman's soft spot is his cute little
blond waif of a daughter. She is persecuted
by her summer camp director for her fear
of the water. (Shades of Bless the Beasts
and Children.) She, with that mystical wis
dom of a child, is unwilling to go in the
water. This fear saves her from ending up
as a seafood platter. She's lucky-most
everyone gets either mutilated or eaten
alive. In fact, most of her camp buddies
are eaten up (in a scene that isn't so much
scary as it is just plain gross).
Evidently the object of this mess is to
kill off as many cast members as possible.
This probably saves overhead. It also spares
the actors and actresses from having to live
down this amateurish trash. You almost
wish that when they finished the picture
they had thrown the film to the title
characters.
"Silly contrivance'
At its best it's a silly contrivance of
cheap shocks, cheap jokes, and none-too-special
effects. At its worst, Piranha is
bloody tripe chock-full of characters as
callous as the people who made the film.
The movie is best suited for carnivor
ous fish fans and for strong-stomached
types looking for a good laugh.
Piranha, rated "R", currently is playing
to the Cooper Plaza.
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Weekend's entertainment:
blues, acrobatic dancers
Photo courtesy of Associated Booking Corp.
Top blues artist Albert King will be at the 2nd Annual Great Plains Blues Festival
Friday. The show begins at 8 pjn. in the Nebraska Union Centennial Room.
Two of the country's top blues artists,
and one of the world's most innovative
dance troupes headline this weekend's
entertainment in Lincoln.
Headlining Friday night's 2nd Annual
Great Plains Blues Festival is Albert King,
with special guest Luther Allison. King is
considered by some to deserve the disputed
title of King of the Blues. King had to wait
until the mid-60s when he was in his early
forties, to really make his mark on blues
and rock. Once he was heard, on the Stax
album Born Under A Bad Sign, his impact
was inescapable among blues players.
Among the first to pay homage to King
was Eric Clapton, then with Cream, whose
"Strange Brew" and later cover version of
"Born Under A Bad Sign," were virtually
carbon copies of King's style. Jimi Hendrix
owed a great deal of the blues side of his
playing to King, and Jimmy Page and a
host of lesser lights in English blues and
rock were soon under the King spell.
The throaty guitar tone, the arching
lines he creates from basic blues material,
and the powerful playing of his "flyingV
guitar are trademarks of the King style.
Appearing with King is Luther Allison,
who should be familiar to local blues
enthusiasts, having played a recent date
at The Zoo Bar. The high energy sound of
Allison and his band have made him one of
the country's favorite blues performers.
One of his recent shows was visited by Bob
Dylan. The show starts at 8 pjn. in the
Nebraska Union Centennial Room. Ticket
Tickets are $4.00 with UNL student I.D..
and $5.00 general admission.
The Pilobolus Dance Theatre visits Kim
ball Hall Friday and Saturday. The group
does not like to call themselves part of the
modem dance movement. Instead, they
prefer to be described as "athletic and
acrobatic dancers." According to Ron
Bowlin, the Kimball Hall manager, "the
choreographer has no background in the
modem of classical dance, he is more
interested in the language of movement
and what it can create."
The company, which is made up of four
men and two women "tries to create
images as they flow from movement to
movement, moment to moment," Bowlin
said . Their ability to create unique designs
in theiT choreography, and to put humor
into dance, are considered the high points
of their how.
Those still wishing to view the Pilobolus
Dance Theater should note that both
shows are nearing sell outs.
Another dance event in Lincoln this
weekend is 'The Children Of Theater
Street" at the Sheldon Film Theater. The
film is a story of the ballet school in Lenin
grad, where the children are auditioned at
an early age to determine if they have the
potential to be admitted. The children for
the most part have sacrificed a normal
childhood for the hope of becoming a
dancer for the State ballet. It wiD be
screened September 14 through the 16 at 7
and 9 pjn., with 3:00 pjn. matinees
Friday and Saturday.