The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 58, No. 24, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 15, 1971 Page: 7 of 8
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Andromeda Strain a cosmic bore
Nothing: in The Andromeda
Strain works right. Not the ma-
chines, not the people, not the
plot — nothing. What in the
book was a tense, sometimes
terrifying idea carried out with
a degree of skill becomes in
the film a Grade B thriller in
the tradition of James Bond
laser escapes.
The movie deals with the at-
tempt of a group of four scien-
tists to isolate, characterize, and
destroy a micro - organism
brought back to earth from a
space shot. There's some ques-
tion whether the bacterium has
mutated in outer space, has im-
pacted itself (riding on a me-
teorite, I guess) onto the cap-
sule, or has been introduced
there by an alien culture trying
to contact us here on earth.
The little bugger may even be
intelligent. Who can say?
The laboratory used by the
team to seek out and destroy
the green menace (as it later is
seen to be) is a five-level un-
derground complex just cram-
med to the solid-rock walls with
polished chrome fixtures, sens-
ing devices, clocks, and lound-
speakers announcing oxygen-
Rondolet
(Continued from Page 1)
-candidates for each position in
this year's unusual Rondelet
Court are as follows (not neces-
sarily in order): Rock King-:
Norman Hackerman, Willie's
Statue, Mark (the grub) Wil-
benga; Rock Queen: Leighton
Road, Linda Leigh, Hilary
Lforing; Soul King: Luigi Barta-
lomeo, (Leroy) THE FLEA
Marion, Frank Vandiver; Soul
Queen: Fred Weirum, Kathleen
"hotpants" Johnson, G oldie
Domingue; Folk King: Old
Whatshisass, Simon Garfunkel,
Bill Haymes; Folk Queen: Ove-
ta Gulp Hobby, Fred Weirum,
Hannah Norbeck. The winner
in each division will be an-
nounced at Rondelet Friday
night.
Dress will be not formal, not
casual. Social Committee co-
chairman Gail Goodrich de-
scribed it in a word: "'meta-
physical". She added, "You
might consider it kind of a
dressy, fancy dance — hut,
(sic - ed.), you can wear what-
ever you want."
Since the festivities have
been relocated on campus this
year, ticket prices have plum-
meted. This year, the going rate
is $1.75 a person, $3.50 a cou-
ple — and that of course in-
cludes admission to all three
places, plus setups. Tickets are
available in the R M C in the
SA office, from Social chair-
men in each of the residential
colleges, and at the doors.
Bands, announcements, etc.,
will begin at 1 pm Saturday in
preparation for the great Beer-
Bike Race in the stadium park-
ing lot. Tea trikes begin at 1:45
pm, and beer bikes at 2:30 pm.
Saturday from 4:30 pm-6 pm,
after the beer-bike race, there
will be a barbecue supper on
the RMC patio for $1.50 a head.
EARN EXTRA MONEY
Donors 18-20 years old must
have parental permission.
BLOOD BANK
OF HOUSTON
2209 W. Holcombe
Call MO 7-6142
Open Monday Thru Saturday
7:30 am - 3:00 pm
pressures, gasket leaks, ground-
hogs trapped in the shaft, that
kind of stuff. So that the lab
won't be contaminated by reg-
ular old earth ' organisms like
flu germ or psoriasis bacteria
or wart viruses, a series of
baths, radiations, and purges
(never deny the efficacy of a
good suppository) are used, and
each process could alone garner
the special-effects Oscar —
which seems to be the general
idea of the movie, anyway. Well,
bah. Who cares?
The problems with the movie
are manifest to any but the
most nearly unconscious viewer.
There's no coherent theme, no
general and viable bias that
could pull the movie together,
no ideas at all, in fact. It looks
as though once the set-designer
started working, spending
money on technogimmicks, the
worst kind of Hollywood syn-
drome took over — the stag-
ger - the - eye - so - as - to -
bypass - the - mind syndrome.
One simply cannot ask ques-
tions about the movie; the end-
ing is just a quit — there are
no explanations, no resolutions,
no justification for the relief
the scientists seem to feel. I
was relieved, but I couldn't pos-
sibly have told anybody why.
The movie might have been
an indictment of biological-war-
fare and Rand Corporation con-
tingency plans. It might have
been a good science-fiction film
in the tradition of War of the
Worlds. It might even have been
a good shock-schlock movie,
with a title something like The
Green Thing That Ate New
Mexico. It could have been a
basically patriotic movie with
glorification o.f scientists,
American know-how, and team
spirit. Instead it's a non-direc-
tional movie, recommended (by
me, at least) as therapy on a
drizzly afternoon when Love
Story is too heavy.
The script is stinko ("My
God! It's growing!"). The act-
ing is kind of so-so, though Kate
Reid sometimes, only some-
times, rises to the heights of
mediocrity. I sat through it —
not because of the suspense,
though. It's not a terrible film,
just average bad. In fact, if
you turn your mind off, it's
enjoyable enough. Just don't
ever start thinking about it.
Discount for Students
COLLEGIATE CLEANERS
Complete services for over 25 years
2430 Rice Blvd. 523-5887
*250
JUNE 6 AUGUST 6
Dallas to Brussels to Dallas
Via American Flyers
Exclusively for Rice University students,
staff and faculty members and
their immediate families
The price per seat is a pro rata share of the total charter cost and is subject to increase or decrease depending on the number of
participants. The air fare for No. 1. is 1225.00 per person based on full occupancy of the DC 8 Stretch Jet having allotted <S seat',
the use by students, faculty, and staff of Rice University. The administrative charge per person is $8 CO. The cost ol the IcT.ij n;tar,yf.
ments included in the once for flight one is $17.00 per person.
Authorized Travel Agent- Beverley Braley... Tours ... Travel
713 fc."J 274
Io communicate is the beginning of understanding.
Southwestern Bell
the rite thresher, april 15, 1971—page 7
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Mauldin, John. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 58, No. 24, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 15, 1971, newspaper, April 15, 1971; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245105/m1/7/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.