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-THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL, WEDNESDAY. APRIL 11, 1990
6B
International group will perform Up With People Sunday, April 22
... at the Mossy Creek Barnyard Festival near Perry
'Fourth War'
a real thriller
MOVIE REVIEW
JACKIE K. COOPER
"The Fourth War "
John Frankcnkeimer's film, "The
Fourth War," has traces of the
brilliance this director showed in
"The Manchurian Candidate" and
"Seven Days In May." Once again
he had takei die subject of war or
the potential for war and made a
thriller that is always full of the
unexpected.
Roy Scheider and Jurgen
Prochnow star as leaders of
opposing armies. Both mem are
"heroes" from former wars and are
now straining at the leash for
another chance for battle. They face
each other across the boundaries of
Germany and Czechoslovakia in
1988 and itch to do battle.
Tim Reid co-stars as the aide to
Colonel Knowles (Scheider). He is
aware of the potential for danger in
the man and seeks to keep it in
check. But unknown to Clark
(Reid), Knowles is secretly
breaching the borders of
Czechoslovakia to play a game of
cat and mouse with Valachev
(Prochnow) and his army.
The "games" between the two
men escalate until a final
confrontation is unavoidable, The
sides line up tp back up their officer
and the possibility of a "fourth war"
begins.
Scheider is great as the war mad
Knowles. He is an actor who
showed signs of greatness at one
point in his career but then some
bad choices of vehicles sidelined
him. If every movie had been a
"Jaws" he would be a major at this
point. As it is he is still a
competent actor in any role he
plays but he lacks star magnetism.
'Weekend's' last page is, by far, the best
Easter Weekend
by David Bottoms
Book Review
David Bottoms' first novel.
Easier Weekend, is a totally unre
demplive story. It focuses on nega
tive aspects of every situation and
leaves the reader feeling uninspired
and sullied. For a writer who claims
to be a poet as a well as a novelist,
there is little of joy or beauty in
this aspect of Bottom's writing.
The book concerns a young man
named Connie who is desperate to
get enough money to get out of
Macon, Georgia and on the road to
Montana. His brother Carl is also
desperate for money but for other
reasons. He has run afoul of a local
hood named Tommy and if he
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Prochnow also bordered on
stardom. His role in "Das Boot"
made him the talk of the
international film community, but
he 100 selected weak follow up
films and has seen his career stall.
"The Fourth War" is not the film
to gel either his or Scheidcr's career
resurrected.
Tim Reid deserves better than
this supporting role. He is an actor
of dramatic skills that far exceed
what is called for in this part. It is a
role he could play in his sleep and
without any challenge.
The movie is rated R for
profanity and violence.
There is a lot of tension and
excitement in this film. People are
not always who they seen to be and
situations change at the drop of a
hat. This is where Frankenhcimcr’s
brilliance comes in. He can keep us
off guard and still make it
believable.
A film with this story could not
be set in the present day because of
the changes in the European
situation. And knowing these
changes weakens the emotional
impact of the film even though it is
said to be set in 1988. Still the
tensions and feelings of mistrust
between the countries are valid ones
and install apprehension even in
today’s environment.
For good solid action,
suspenseful script, and good sturdy
directing skills you could do a lot
worse with your entertainment
money than "The Fourth War." A
few years ago it would have been a
major film, today it is a minor one.
But the enjoyment level is still
high.
I scored "The Fourth War" a
detcnlish 5 out of 10.
Reviewed by Jackie K. Cooper
doesn't pay his debts he might not
survive for too long.
Carl decides to kidnap a local
college student and collect a ran
som. Connie goes along with he
act and gets heavily involved. Al
though he is stated to have a good
heart and to be kind in nature, the
fact that he allows the young man
to be kidnapped, beaten and chained
does not indicate a charitable spirit.
This lack of compassion perme
ates the entire story.
The story itself does hold some
interest in the tension it creates
concerning the ransom of the stu
dent. But a violent ending negates
all that precedes it and makes the
reader more than pleased the pages
have ended.
Festival relives olden times
By ANDREA SELLERS
Staff Writer
Mossy Creek Barnyard Festival
steps back through lime and pre
sents a living history to all who
pass through the gates.
Mossy Creek Festival is April 21
and 22 this year and officials are
gearing up to provide the quality
crafts and entertainment they do ev
ery year.
This year the international cast of
Up With People, sponsored by
Bank South, will perform at 1 pm
on the 22nd.
The group will perform their new
show "Face to Face". The group's
aim is to encourage people of all
nations to understand and accept
each other.
With the iron curtain coming
down all over Europe it is espe
cially fitting that the Soviet Union
is participating in the group for the
first time ever.
The Soviet students will be fea
tured in their own special segment
of the show.
The show features 60 college age
students in an extravaganza that
features rock, gospel, folk, rhythm
and blues, pop hits from the six
lies, ballads and hard hitting raps.
The entire cast of 100 students
represents 17 countries and 30
slates.
Mossy Creek also has three new
native American craftsmen who
will come to show their talents.
Dan Townsend, a Creek-Cherokee
from Florida, is one of two artists
in America who engraves authentic
Indian designs on shells and bones
and interprets their traditional
meaning.
He is scheduled to give talks and
brochures will be available on the
designs.
Pamela Adams and her mother,
Nancy Consccn from Cherokee,
N.C. will demonstrate traditional
Indian honeysuckle basket making.
Jcancnnc Lester creates Indian
dolls dressed to visualize the
character of Plains and Woodland
Indians. The dolls are dressed in
pelts, feathers, shells and beads.
Shirley Willis, who is returning
for her third visit, is an award-win
ning silversmith who incorporates a
good deal of turquoise in her jew
elry.
There are 31 new exhibitors for
this festival. The exhibitors are
only part of the fun, however.
There will be clogging in the
amphitheater by the Clogging Ex
press. The Fort Mountain Boys and
Good Os Boys will sing for the
crowd.
Jim Hudson will sing songs and
play his hammered dulcimer.
On Saturday only, "The 1940's
Radio Hour" will be performed by
the Northside High School award
winning Thespian group.
There will be hayrides and entcr
The best characteristic of this
first novel is relief. Relief it is over
and the plot and these characters do
not have to be tolerated any more.
Seeing that last page appear, Mr.
Bottoms, was pure poetry.
And for those readers who are
not familiar with Macon, Georgia,
it is a very nice southern town.
You won't believe it from reading
this book, but trust me, it is. The
rot and decay of people and places
described by Bottoms is a miniscule
part of a valid picture of the town
and its inhabitants.
Easter Weekend is published by
Houghton Mifflin. It contains 198
pages and sells for $18.95.
Reviewed by Jackie K. Cooper
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Entertainment
r\ i J
tainment scheduled for the children,
like Larry the Leprechaun who will
tell stories in the Fantasy Forest.
There will also be food, from ice
cream with a song from the Sweet
Adelines to fried chicken and barbe-
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On top of all this will be the
settlers around the old homestead at
Mossy Creek who will carry on
traditions like apple cider pressing,
cooking soap and hominy in black
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pots over fires, hand carving dough
bowls, weaving chair seats with
cornhusks, shearing sheep and
making bobbin lace.
Mossy Creek will open the gales
at 10 am on April 21 and 22 and
close a 6 pm.
Parking is free. Adult tickets arc
$3 and children tickets arc sl.
For a weekend of family fun and
living history visit Mossy Creek
Barnyard Arts and Crafts Festival.
For more information call 922-
8265.