Word: cult
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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They open in small theaters, with little publicity, to mixed reviews. The actors are little known, the subject matter is eccentric, the tone intimate. Sometimes, though, movies can elude their death warrants and flourish into cult objects through doggedness and word of mouth. They acquire "legs"-- staying power. Herewith, reports on four small films with long, strong legs...
David Byrne is a riveting physical and emotional presence--a cult movie star who radiates otherworldly danger. Occupying the center of this glossy rock- concert film as leader of the avant-punk band Talking Heads, Byrne comes across as both stage-frightened and spellbinding. The dramatic contours of his gaunt face seek the shadows, where his most pounding, powerful songs (Psycho Killer, Burning Down the House) take form. The other band members, who appear to have been born on this planet, are along to provide white noise for the Showman from Outer Space as he surfaces in a big white...
Since Americana (1971), Don DeLillo has converted our national confusions into witty, imaginative fiction. End Zone, a resourceful handling of football and nuclear war, brought him wide and serious attention. But without bestseller sales figures or a dependable cult following, he has become something of a reviewer's writer, a provider of topical allegories ripe for explanation and interpretation. Great Jones Street confronted the void of celebrity, and Ratner's Star measured the gap between science and humanity. There were terrorists in Players, spies and pornography in Running Dog and cult killers in The Names...
...early '70s, Ashley's marvels attracted a cult following. To dance fans, her debut in Square Dance (1977) was one of the season's hottest / tickets. At about the same time she met her future husband, United Nations Translator Kibbe Fitzpatrick, and he, brave fellow, undertook to give her dancing its final finish. Onstage, said her love, Ashley was "no fun"-- pursed lips, stuck-out chin, blank stare or silly smile. Out went the mannerisms, and the ballerina began to show that she enjoyed her own performances. Ashley's perfectionism shows in several picture sequences, photographed expertly by Jack Vartoogian...
...reform to the cities needs a fresh personal push. That effort has brought him back into the limelight after two years of governing largely behind the scenes. The strategy may help attract public support and build a national consensus, but it also carries the risk of creating a personality cult for Deng--and inviting rejection of his programs after he dies. Deng's challenge is to protect and nurture his achievement without making it look too much like what it is: his legacy...