Ted Mahar: On criticism, Kael and Kubrick
I Ted Mahar, veteran of 15 years of
film criticism for “The Oregonian,”
spoke to a gathering of college and
high school students last week at the
fourth annulai Clackamas Journalism
iConference. Mahar pointed out three
major ingredients that should be in­
cluded in a review: information
j (who’s in the show, who directed it,
|etc.), analysis (how is it like other films
of the same genre), and the opinion of
the critic, which Mahar called the
Beast important aspect.
I “A good critic is a teacher,” he
said. “He or she has studied the field
of criticism, has a better understan-
ding of films, and should be more
knowledgeable about films than the
reader. ”
I Although Mahar believes the role
of critic is important (“The critic is a
consumer advocate,” he says), an
ominous cloud hangs over the pc-
tupatiori. “The entire profession is
(built on false, expectations because,
in the final analysis, no one can tell
you whether you’re going to like a
movie or not.”
[ Here is an edited segment of
Mahar’s forum:
Question: In your review of “The
Shining,” you mentioned that you
read Stephen King’s novel. How im­
portant is reading the book to writing
the review?
Mahar: Ideally, that should be done
in all cases In. practical terms',
however, I see 180 films a year, and
probably 100 of them are based, on*
¡books, and I can; tell you that I don’t-
read 100 books a year. I try to read as
many as I can, but I’ve never read an,
¡Agatha Christie ndvel.
In the case of “The Shining,” Tread
the book, frankly, only because I
knew that Stanley Kubrick was mak­
ing the movie. I Was really more in­
terested in -Kubrick the filmmaker
than in King the author. As it turned
put, the book was more interesting
than the movie. The book was
needlessly slow, and I was expecting
Kubrick to tighten it up. Instead, the
film was long and slow,\too.
Question: Do you think reading the
book put a limit in the critia’s mind as
to what the film characters could do?
Mahar: Not really, because the same
characters .were used, and the book
explained the characters better than
the movie. In the book, Jack Torrance
Speech team
■finals at finale
I Call it the end, the finis, the
finale, the terminus, the
■cessation, the expiration, the
■denouement. Whatever you
Ball it, it can only mean one
thing: the end of the. speech
Kam’s season.
I Like the Oakland Raiders,
like the Boston Celtics, like
the Indiana Hoosiers, like the
■American Olympic Hockey
learn, Frank Harlow’s speech
team finished its 1980-81
Season with a bang, as four
Students scrapped their way
Into the finals of the Com­
munity College Regional
(Tournament last weekend at
Sortland Community College.
Sd (“Too Tall”) Coyne, Tracy
Watson, Dorothy Grenier and
Wednesday, May
was a very complex character who ac­
tually became possessed with the
Overlook. In the movie, it looked like
Torrance was a man who enjoyed kill­
ing people from the start.
Question: How much of your own
opinion do you put into your reviews?
Mahar: I’m often asked after my
review has been printed what I
thought of the movie. They ask if I lik­
ed it. My answer is, from reading the
review, does it look like you would
like it? Sometimes, my opinion
dominates the review, like in my
review for the new Jerry Lewi^ rqpvie,
“Hardly Working.” My dislike for the
movie saturated the review. I tend to
be more aggressive when I hate a
movie than when I like it. If I do, I try
to state the positive points first. I
always try to state something
favorable within the first three
paragraphs.
Question: Have you ever had to see a
movie twice before reviewing it?
Mahar: Oh, I rarely have the time to
see a movie twice before writing on it.
I have to see four to five movies a
week, arid at least two plays. It’s vety,
very seldom.
Question: Do you think there is a
critical glut on the market? A glut to
the point that everyone has an opi­
nion, and only opinions that get
. notice are those made by
' “characters”? Which means the more
.intelligent critic’s opinions,' like John
Simon, get lost in the shuffle.
Mahar: It’s difficult -to tell how peo-
ple get to be famous critics. I don’t
he’s very knowledgeable and confi­
dent. I only read those who come
over the wire services at “The Orego­
nian.”
Question: Do you ever read a review
before you go see a movie?
Mahar: Sometimes. I try not to,
though. I like to go in surprised. I hate
real-life surprises, but in movies, I
don’t, mind surprises....................
Jenriifer Wright all enun­
ciated their way into finals of
the last tournament of the
year. Coyne finaled in im­
promptu, Tracy Watson claw­
ed his way into the expository
finals, Dorothy Grenier
editorialized on sex educa­
tion in high schools in order
to gain finals, and Tracy Wat­
son combined with Jennifer
Wright to slide into the finals
of the dual interpretation
competition.
.
Sidewalk
day planned
Students from six area high
schools are joining the
Clackamas Community Col­
lege Foreign Language Depart­
ment in featuring a sidewalk
cafe day from 10 a.m. to 2
p.m. on campus today.
more movies for more audiences than
anything else. A film that’s persistently
out of focus keeps you out of the film. If
a film has scratches on it, you worry
about it breaking, and you brace
yourself for it. It’s a nationwide problem
and Portland theaters aren’t much
worse than anyplace else. It’s a
cooperative adventure between the
"Portland theaters have ruined more
movies for more audiences than
anything else/9
Question: Have you ever criticized a
movie that went for nothing but
special visual effects? 1 I remember a
movie called “Barry Lyndon” that
was like that.
Mahar: You could criticize the
photography if it became literally
distracting. “Barry Lyndon” was also
long, slow and dull, but it was very
beautiful. Many people are saying the
same thing about “Tess.” I think that
in this case, people liked the movie
“Tess” more because they liked the
character of Tess more. “Barry Lyn­
don” was not a very likeable
character, but I think the film was
better than people thought.
Question: Do you feel obligated to sit
through the entire movie regardless
of whether you liked the show or not?
Mahar: No, I don’t. The only obliga­
tion I have is that if I do walk out of a
movie, I say so in my review. The only
time I’ve really felt like walking out
"I tend to be more aggressive when I
hate a movie than when I like it.”
get to read many other critics. Some
get on my nerves. Pauline Kael gets
on my- nerves. She seems, to
deliberately misinterpret films tp get
her points that she’d like to make
across. She’ll see things in films that I
swear aren’t there.
I get the same reaction when I’m
watching Sneak Previews on Channel
10. Sometimes Gene Siskel and Roger
Ebert (the two critics) are so inac­
curate in their descriptions of the
films, that it just annoys me. I enjoy
reading Ebert, but on television, he
looks like a fat fool. Ebert looks like
he’s trying to impress people. In print,
Mahar: Portland theaters have ruined
of a film was while watching
“Caveman,” It was really pretty dull.
The best part was the dinosaurs.
Question: Cqn you take much
sophomoric humor like in “The Blues
Brothers?”
Mahar: If I like it, it isn’t sophomoric.
Comedy is a very, personal thing. What
people think is funny is so unpredic­
table. It is much more personal than
say, a romance or a drama.
Question: How important do you
think that the theaters are to the films
and your enjoyment?
Rex Putnam, Oregon City,
West Linn, Molalla, Estacada,
and Milwaukie high schools
along with foreign students
froth CCC, are presenting
music, dances, skits and poetry
recitations from France, Japan,
Spain, Germany, Africa, Cam­
bodia, Vietnam, Laotian, and
Hmong from 10:05 a.m. to
12:30 p.m.
From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.,
foreign films are being shown in
CC 101. Films on schedule in­
clude “Mexico City,” “Spring in
Tirol,” “Taxco,” “Paris jamais
vu,” “Acapulco,” “Le Ballon
Rouge” and “Saltillo en
Fiesta?’
Shuey speaks
Veteran backpacker Scott
Shuey, who gave a slide show
owners and the audience.
Audiences leave crap on the floors
and managers leave it there because
they don’t have time, the staff, or they
just don’t care. There are enough pigs in
the audience to make it nearly impossi­
ble for the managers to keep it clean.
The ingredients in the food and drinks
are also working against the managers.
Tom Moyer actually took out seats at
the Southgate Theater to put in garbage
cans, but it still doesn’t work.
Question: What is your favorite
theater?
Mahar: I don’t go there as much as I
could, but I would have- to say the
Roseway is my favorite.
Question: What do you think brings
about a cult film?
Mahar: I think that an immediate rejec­
tion by the movie world helps enor­
mously. It took “Harold and Maude”
five years to break even. Many of these
films are also about weird, people in-
.general. “The Rocky Horror Picture
Show” pretty much explains the
characters.
Question: Do you think that because
the producers are now in control of
Hollywood, that we’ll see more produc­
ed films like “The Blues Brothers,” as
opposed to creative works?
Mahar: They’ve been making stock
films for the past decade through se­
quels and remakes. It has characterized
the ’70s. Besides, any director who
makes two popular films in a row will
pretty much get his own way in the in­
dustry. Money still controls Hollywood
and that is why Michael Cimino had his
way with “Heaven’s Gate,” because he
made so much money with “The Deer
Hunter.”
of the Pacific Crest Trail last
term, will return to campus
May 18 for a “Backpacking-
Part Two” lecture.
While last term’s session
covered the essentials needed
to begin backpacking, this
month’s presentation will be
geared for more advanced
hikers.
In addition to the lecture,
Shuey will present a slide show
of hiking the Great Divide in
the Rocky Mountains. Kelly
Sullivan, College outdoor and
recreation specialist, promises,
“It’s going to be just, faan-
taastic!”
The lecture will be given
from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.,
and the slide show will run
from 7:30-9 p.m., both in the
Fireside Lounge.
Shuey will also lead a group
of students on a hike up the
Wahkeena Falls trail in the Col­
umbia Gorge on May 23. The
idea is to give students a
chance to practice what they
have learned in the lecture,
and to spark some interest in
backpacking among those who
have never tried it.
The hike will cover five
miles, and include views of
both
Wahkeena
arid
Multnomah Falls. Spring is
prime time for short day hikes
the Gorge. Seasonal rains give
the area a rainforest ap­
pearance, and the varied types
of ferns, wild Oregon
strawberry, moss and first trees
add tranquility to the hike.
Sign-up sheets for the hike
are posted on the wall in the
Community Center.
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