Film seems only a boring western By Kathleen McElroy "Tom Horn” — Steve McQueen’s latest project, for which he is both the lead character and the executive producer — is a plausible, realistic treatment about the life of an Old West scout who helped capture Geronimo. But it’s just not an entertaining film. The movie isn’t drama; the film rarely rises above a stoic documentary tone. Thus, the audience has no chance to feel any emotions toward the characters in the film. Considering the weaknesses of the film, the acting is pretty good. McQueen plays a good, rugged Horn — complete with the scraggly clothes and accent — who ends the rustling problem in a small, terrorized Wyoming town and finds time to fall in love with the school marm, Linda Evans, formally of “The Big Valley.” Robert Farnsworth turns in the best job of acting in the film as quiet-but-honest John C. Coble, a rancher who befriends Horn and eventually hires him to stop the rustling. And the camera work is fine, but how can you miss when you’re shooting the Wyoming wilderness as background footage? However, director William wiard creates a moving slide show Review depicting the life in the early 1900’s in Wyoming. It is not an intimate film about the man and his emotions. The love scenes in "Tom Horn,’’ hardly sexual, are difficult to understand. What Horn and the teacher are talking about is a mys tery — and to top it off, the audience, far from being a part of the scenes, feels like an intruder. Wiard also sets too ominous a tone throughout the movie to ever give the audience a chance to enter into this world. The melodrama tic symphonic score and the scene cuts done in black let the audi ence know from the very start that they’re sitting and wait for Horn’s downfall. However, “Tom Horn” is far from being a complete waste — technically the film is well-executed. Some Western film lovers will probably like it because it’s just another Western — only this time with an unhappy ending. It’s nothing against sad films. Depressing movies can be enter taining by being compelling like “The Deer Hunter,” or touching like "West Side Story.” “Tom Horn” doesn’t demand emotion—a polite amount of pity is directed toward Horn since his character deserves it, but it’s an attachment that ends the minute the film’s over. Wiard shouldn’t get all the blame for the ineffectiveness of the film. The script tries to capture the style of the more classic Westerns, with the gutsy contemporary ideals thrown in, but what emerges is con fused and not the coherent thread the film needs. Again, “Tom Horn” is not a bad movie — presenting a true version of a misunderstood Western hero’s life is a noble effort. But some how, it doesn’t work — it takes more than accuracy to make a good film. Moritz Bon hard, founder and musical tro, ” a behind-the-scenes look at opera in director of the Kentucky Opera Associa- the making airing Sunday, April 10 at 7p.m. tion, rehearses with the chorus in “Maes- on Channel 15. Best Sellers United Press Internationel Fiction The Bourne identity — Robert Ludlum Princess Daisy -Judith Krantz The Devil’s Alternative — Frederick Forsythe Portraits — Cynthia Freeman The Bleeding Heart — Marilyn French Memories of Another Day — Harold Robbins The Dead Zone — Stephen King The Lion of Ireland — Mor gan Llywelyn The Paladin — Brian Gar field Smiley's People — John Le Carre Nonfiction All You Need to Know Ab out the IRS — Paul Strassels How to Become Financla!- ly Independent In Real Estate — Albert L. Lowery The Third Wave — Alvin Toffler Donahue — Phil Donahue Free to Choose — Milton Friedman How to Invest Your Money and Profit From Inflation — Morton Schulman The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court—Bob Wood ward and Scott Armstrong The Book of Lists No. 2 — Irving Wallace et al They Call Me Assassin — Jack Tatum Nothing Down — Robert Allen Review Journey album uses same old style Journey is one of those bands that just can’t leave a good thing alone. The style that they pioneered with “Infinity” three years ago persisted through “Evolution” and can now be heard on the new album, “Departure.” In the case of Journey, consis tency is not an asset. These guys are still doing “Infinity” out-takes. But who can argue with success? Journey has become a successful record-selling band, as well as a group of on-stage performers. It hasn’t been an easy road for the San Francisco-based band. In their formative But who can argue with success? Journey has become a successful re cord-selling band as well as a group of an on-stage performers. years, after Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon left Santana to form an “experimental” band, Jour ney spent as many as 300 days on the road. The only support they received was from a handful of disc jockeys at album-oriented FM radio stations. They paid their dues. But enough history. A band with this much fan support has no right to inundate the public with three carbon-copy albums. The imitation thing is what killed Bachman-Turner Overd rive, Humble Pie, and (excepting recently) Robin Trower. All of these artists hit hard, sold well with two or three albums, and dis appeared. If Journey is not careful, they’ll be next. The inner sleeve of “Departure” boldly in vites you, “Join us for our departure into the A band with this much fan support has no right to inundate the public with three carbon-copy albums. 80s” (and I’m about tired of their liner notes, too). The problem is that no departure is to be found. The band still relies heavily on the voice of Steve Perry, but most of the novelty of his high, powerful voice has almost worn off. Schon’s guitar work is as fast and clear as ever, but it lacks the fire that pervaded “Infin ity.” And drummer Steve Smith is just no re placement for Aynsley Dunbar. “Any Way You Want It” opens the album in typical fashion, with layered vocals and spor adic heavy-metal pounding. This cut sounds the most like their previous work: intricate keyboard and bass lines wrapped around the vocal. Ross Valory is a good bass player, but he lacks the precision to play the “lead bass” he attempts (a la John Entwhistle). In fact, “Any Way You Want It” characte rizes the album better than any other song. The degeneration of the song into the repeat ing of the title over an uninspired guitar jam takes you back to "Walks Like A Lady,” “Someday Soon," “Where Were You” and “Precious Time.” It just seems that Journey has run out of things to do, so they stick to this nonsense. Other low points: Three of the songs on the second side run together to form what I sup pose is the departure suite. The songs, “De parture,” “Good Morning Girl” and “Stay Awhile” are odd little pieces sounding more like Rogers and Hammerstein visit the West Coast than a rock band. “Departure” is meaningless; it’s 38 seconds of the band tuning up. The other two are better, though, only because Steve Perry is pleasant to listen to. He’s the only bright spot here. “Departure” is meaningless; it’s 38 seconds of the band tuning up. But take heart, all is not dim. There are two songs that are better than the rest. “People and Places” and “I’m Cryin’” fea ture Neal Schon’s best guitar work since “In finity.” “People and Places” focuses on interesting harmony vocals between Schon and Perry and the most inspired lead guitar on “Departure.” Schon is a good guitar player and it is really a shame that he is not given more of a showcase on this album. “I’m Cryin’” is a spacey attempt at the blues, complete with the “whoosh” sound of a phase shifter. But again Schon saves it. Fear not, Journey fans. No matter what I say about this album, it will probably go platinum. Geoff Hackett Hackett is a junior marketing major.