Word: styles
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1970-1979
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Sellars comes into his own in the second act. Futuristic fantasy is more suited to his playland theatrical style. His actors, done up in round bug suits with mops on their heads, race around the stage with shopping carts. The supermarket motif is reinforced in an incessant procession of slides of dog food, toilet paper, peas, and Burry cookies, and in the soothing strains of Muzaked "Hey Jude," "Those Were The Days," and "Lara's Theme." It's tempting to settle back and watch the ads parade by--it may be monotonous but there is a certain sense...
Individual shots are often quite striking, although they have their share of phony backdrops and obvious bits of processing. But nothing really propels the images into each other. It's not the editor's-fault; Badham just never bothered to devise a cutting style, so special effects pop out at you mechanically, unsurprisingly, without the right build-up, like creaky hobgoblins in a decomposing funhouse. And because his close-ups are so brief and his cutting so nervous, we're never close to any character for long enough to build up any identification. The movie is thoroughly uninvolving...
Some enthusiasts opt for style over speed, combining tail dips and pirouettes in a kind of elegant water ballet. In Hawaii, super wind-surfers specialize in "wave jumps": they sail directly into a wave, up the crest and over, becoming airborne for a few seconds as they shoot through the foam into calm water beyond. Indeed, wind-surfers can do anything surfers or sailors can on their vessels, almost. Says Craig Roberton of Clearwater: "This sport has only one flaw. There's no way to hold onto a beer on a sailboat like that...
Bach: Six Sonatas for Clavier and Violin (Violinist Henryk Szeryng, Harpsichordist Helmut Walcha, Philips; 2 LPs). Several virtuosos have recorded these crystallizations of the baroque sonata style (Oistrakh, Menuhin, Laredo), but none can beat the suave brilliance of this set. Szeryng plays with an impassioned aristocrat's clarity, grace and brio. Walcha, a virtuoso in his own right, is appropriately brought to the fore by Philips' bright tonal presence...
...pleasures of this loose, warm, funny movie extend well beyond the plot. Dave has three teen-age cronies (Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern and Jackie Earle Haley), all clearly defined by Writer Tesich and well played by the young actors. The kids' style of hanging out-their scrapes, gags and their frustrations-is observed with a tart affection and a truthfulness that are very refreshing. So is their milieu. The boys are townies, called "cutters," because people of their class have traditionally worked in the nearby limestone quarries in Bloomington, where Indiana University is located. The resentment the cutters feel...