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.
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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.