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Show f I Cinematic " -t Let's gotojhe mviesjSJS "HEART LIKE AWHEEL" () Ten Minutes oiRacing and 100 Minutes oBoap Opera Shirley Muldowneyntered the sport of drag racing in theOs, a time when women "just couldn't 0 that." Her passion pas-sion for driving won ot. "Heart Like a Wheel" covers 25 year of Shirley's life, from her senior year inigh school when she married mechanic ack Muldowney, who built her first drager, until 1982 she earned an unprecedeied third NHRA world title. (Remem be seeing that race on TV one Saturday 1st year?) Bonnie Bedelia is attactive and effective effec-tive as Shirley, and Bau Bridges performs per-forms wells as "Connie' Kalitta, a married mar-ried racer who drawsher into an ex-tramartial ex-tramartial affair (not neessarily condoned condon-ed in the film). But folk, this is not a car racing story with a lov affair added for spice. No, this is primrily the story of a love triangle, with a little racing thrown in. If that's wh; you want, you'll enjoy "Heart Like a toeel". It's well-directed well-directed and edited, w;h bouncy music, and has enough actio on and off the track to keep you awae. Leo Rossi plays Shirly's husband, and country-western singeiHoyt Axton plays her country-western snging father. To tidy up the rest of he story, Shirley Muldowney left her huband, tired of his fits of jealous rage, ari has an off-and-on romance with Kahta, and her son eventually became her mechanic and pit-crew chief. PG for strong profanty, adultery and a little violence. "SPRING BRSK" () "Animal House" Goes to the leach Each year 250,000 college students take a spring break at Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and do whatever affluentyoung adults do when they're unchaperoned. This grossly amateuristic film expects you to cough up three or four dollars for the privilege of seeing everything th3R rating allows. As an added bonus, you will be given the two most overworked "morals" in the history of the teen trash film: (a) all adults are stupid and hyprocritical, and ( b) sexually uninhibited kids are the only on-ly creatures on this planet who have any .sense. Don't eat before or during the show, or the price of admission won't be the only thing you cough up. Rated R for hardcore profanity, nudity, nudi-ty, sex and gross vulgarities, including even excremental situations. "THE OUTSIDERS" 100 Minutes of Nothing Kids, you're going to hate me, because I know "The Outsiders" is one of your favorite books, and you've read it four or five times. ..but we Were bored by the movie! Even the fights weren't exciting! There is an element of strangeness running through the work of Francis Ford Coppola, who has directed or produced pro-duced some memorable films. His two "Godfather" epics won Best-Picture Academy Awards, but were strange because they heaped glory upon the families of organized crime. "Apocalypse Now" is the most memorable anti-war film ever made, partly because of the strangeness of the Robert Duvall and Marlon Brando characters against a background of violence. Coppola's more recent "One from the Heart" bombed; Coppola went broke and lost his Zoetrope Studios. His two newest films, "The Black Stallion Returns" and "The Outsiders" are strange because two good books are made incredibly boring on the screen. Boring, because we simply do not care about the characters! How can we? We only see them go through their paces without apparent reasons for doing so. It is as if the director expected us to read the book first, then enjoy the movie as an arty tribute to the characters, a montage mon-tage of "moments" from the book. Matt Dillon isn't nearly as effective as he was in "Tex," nor as the other actors. We admit that some of the girls in the audience cried at the end that's always a good sign. ( Some laughed too. ) But I'll bet you a nickel they read the book. "The Outsiders" (by S. E. Hinton, author of "Tex" ) tells the story of some Tulsa kids who lack a decent home life, and are known as "greasers." We learn of their struggles individually and as a gang against the "soc" group from the other side of town. It's not even clear whether the film is intended as serious, or parody. Some scenes look as though they were shot with very little rehearsal or simulate realism. PG for profanity, violence and sexual references. "HIGH ROAD TO CHINA" () "Raiders" It's not, But Fun It Is Wealthy socialite Bess Armstrong gets two-bit pilot Tom Selleck ("Magnum, P.I." ) to get her to a remote province in China to find her father, before old Dad's evil partner in London (Robert Morley) can declare him legally dead and take over the company. There, we said the whole plot in one sentence, so it's not much of a plot. But the two co-stars make an attractive couple. cou-ple. Before it's over, their bickering which eventually turns to romance, their not-quite-hair-raising narrow escapes, and some humorous moments, will have you hooked and hoping for a sequel. Selleck and Armstrong finally find Dad, by tne way, but that's not as exciting ex-citing as the romance and adventure along the way. Now, here's our suggestion for the sequel: se-quel: Selleck and Armstrong leave her dad fighting terrorists in China, and return to Nepal. Selleck gets drunk celebrating. He gets mad again, and says all she is or ever will be is a spoiled brat. So they split up. Before he can rush to her side to make up, she is whisked away this could be voluntary, or a kidnapping into a dangerous situation in another country, probably something connected with her father's dangerous work. Selleck and his mechanic pal, "Struts" (Jack Weston), borrow a rinkydink airplane and go after her. "Remember, "The ox is slow, but the earth is patient." Huh? Rated PG: Somehow, strong profanity profani-ty seems out of place in this light, fanciful fan-ciful romantic adventure. But it's refreshing to see a romance develop without the customary sexual activity. There is some violence, and we always have a hard time getting into the spirit of "fun" battle scenes when they appear realistic. "High Road to China" has good acting, scenery, photography and theme music. "THE BLACK STALLION RETURNS" () The Magic is Gone Producer Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 film, "The Black Stallion," was a masterpiece of beauty and sensitivity. But his 1983 sequel is quite different. The first ten minutes of "The Black Stallion Returns" are exciting and renew our appreciation ap-preciation for the relationship between Alec Ramsay and his horse. Then the "black" is kidnapped by its rightful owners, and the Alec pursues them, stowing away to Casablanca in a Pan Am clipper. The rest is so boring, it seems as though it were filmed by an entirely different directors. (Director and cinematographer on this film, by the way, are not those who did the original. At times it seems as if parts of the story were chopped. For example, we never do find out whether Alec's mom knows what happened to him; and since there is little lit-tle else to care about, we must at least be told that much. And throughout the entire film, there is a constant lack of explanation, rationale, ra-tionale, and motivation for the characters' actions. (What's the background on "I want to be your guest"? Hospitality may be trait numero uno in tribal culture, but that is not clear in the film.) Alec eventually catches up with the Moroccan tribesman who repossessed the horse, gains their respect, and rides in the big race. (Somehow director Robert Dalva even manages to make the race uninteresting!) At the end, it's shades of "Call of the Wild" and "Born Free." The Moroccan travelog that this film is, should be worthwhile to some, and seeing Cass-Ole return in the title role will thrill horse lovers. And, please, we are not one to ridicule a film because it is "sentimental" (as this one should have been) and free of offensive content. Surely Sure-ly some will enjoy this sequel. But as drama it falls flat. Improbabilities and incongruities destroy what little feeling the film creates. We should have felt a surge of emotion when boy and horse are reunited, but.... nothing. Music is good, editing and photography OK, acting and directing poor. Rated PG. Why? Should be G. "MAX DUGAN RETURNS' () Simon Says Money is p Lve is Better Bl Nora McPhee (Neil Simony, sha Mason)is37,aLosAnEew' teacher, widowed, with a to! Michael (Matthew Broderick ingahardtimeofit.Suddenlvl are interrupted by Nora's fanT Dugan (Jason Robards) wh ed her 28 years earlier and hi d past. He also has $687,000 toS'S h.s daughter and grandson S gesture before he dies of tert ness. He spent years embe? money from a Las Vegas casino the casino had swindled hk T1 doesn t want her father or his 2 things gradually happen sincerity begins to shine throulr ble is, Nora's boyfriend is a noL (Donald Sutherland). "Max Dugan Returns" is a hea ming comedy that says love I k1' than money. Neil Simon's witty,?1 and the performance, Robards', are what lift this fib ! ' above the others. Not as good,, J? Odd Couple", but better thanp J Simon's recent creations. A Rated PG for strong Profanj, "THE SWORD IN THE STOVr-Fun STOVr-Fun for Kids of All This G-rated Disney animated fi currently touring with a new "P 1 short, is delightfully entertain especially for children. "Sword in! Stone" tells of young king-toW . and his friend, Merlin the Magician ,v helps him pull the fabled sword to J his true identity. v 1 The colors are particularly variedai brilliant, and there is plenty of excife ment and humor. In the very last scene, Merlin tells,;,, thur, "They may even make a motb picture about you!" "What's a motion picture?" "That's like television...uh, commercials." |