Word: downers
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...have a common failing: they are scared stiff of stillness. There are no intentional laughs in either movie,and nobody smiles. The actors are too busy being realistic. And finally, the atmosphere of each becomes oppressive: the popcorn gets stuck in your throat. Existentially, Alien is more of a downer than Waiting for Godot. Beckett pins some hopes on the human spirit and personality; Alien presents people as walking red meat and pus for greedy lobsters...
...that it cannot capitalize on such a strong lead-in; there is nothing for an encore. ABC also starts behind on Saturday, with the mindless Delta House, but the night is saved by Love Boat and Fantasy Island, both strong, fatuously cheerful shows. Sunday is also a downer for ABC, with the grotesque Battlestar Galactica, which is a very bad parody of Star Wars. Monday's starter, Salvage-1, usually loses out to NBC's Little House on the Prairie...
With three men sidelined, Coach Dave Fish brought up J.V. regulars Bob Blake and Tony Downer to fill the squad's lower ranks. Blake swept Mike Busby off the court in three oh-so-quick games, while Downer annihilated MIT ten man Rich Wolf...
...Downer (H) def. Wolf...
...caught in annoying limbo, made more vexing by the picture's occasional flashes of satirical intelligence (a brief descent into the chic drug culture of Beverly Hills, the hard cynicism of Zerbe and his associates). Finally, Who'll Stop the Rain is just another ambitious downer, a wasted effort to make something meaningful out of wasted lives. -Richard Schickel