A lovely country road. An old man riding his bike. A pigeon landing on a fence and getting fried. Welcome to the world of Stephen King as brought to us in ”Golden Years.”
This is the best-selling author`s first television series venture, a tale that combines elements of ”Cocoon” and takes an interminable time getting to its obvious point in its two-hour movie premiere.
The point is that Harlan Williams (Keith Szarabajka), a handyman at an ominous top-secret government laboratory, was doused in some strange greenish chemical during a explosion caused by an experiment gone bad.
Shortly after returning home, he discovers that his eyesight is improving, his hair is turning brown and . . . well, perhaps you get the idea that the experiment had something to do with reversing aging?
That`s sure to be the focus of the series` seven-week run. But King, who wrote this movie kickoff and the next four episodes, while Anderson wrote the final two, has gathered around Williams a potentially lively bunch.
There is, principally and most handsomely, his loving wife, Gina, beautifully played by Frances Sternhagen. There`s also Williams` dense but dear co-custodian who gives Harlan, when he goes back to work after the explosion, a stuffed squirrel he made at a taxidermist`s class.
On the more dangerous periphery is the driven scientist (Bill Raymond)
whose experiment went sour; the general who is in charge of the lab (Ed Lauter) and its head of security (Felicity Huffman), who have a flirtatiously charged relationship; and some strong, silent CIA types, led by a killer (R.D. Call) called in to shadow the investigation of the explosion.
This story, like King`s novels, takes a while to get rolling. But as any of his readers know, he rewards patience. Already I sense a wonderful juxtaposition of good (the Williamses) and evil (most everyone else), dark twists and turns. King is among the best at infusing stories with terrors that fit neatly and plausibly into contemporary life.
His work is filled with a solid foundation of familiar references. The show`s title, for instance, comes from a David Bowie tune that includes the line ”Run from the shadows in these golden years.”
I like the implication of that line and believe that I`ll be one of many willing to stick around for the end of this King road.
”GOLDEN YEARS”
The two-hour premiere of a seven-part series produced by Laurel Entertainment Inc. Created by Stephen King; executive producers are King and Richard P. Rubenstein; produced by Mitchell Galin and Peter McIntosh; directed by Ken Fink; first five episodes written by King, the final two by Josef Anderson from a story by King. With Keith Szarabajka, Felicity Huffman, Frances Sternhagen, Ed Lauter, R.D. Call and Bill Raymond. Airing at 8 p.m. Tuesday on WBBM-Ch. 2 with subsequent one-hour epsiodes airing at 9 p.m. Thursdays beginning this week.
`TONGUES UNTIED`
10 p.m. Tuesday, PBS-Ch. 11
”Black men loving black men is the revolutionary act,” intones one of the many voices that are heard in the controversial and often contrived
”Tongues Untied,” the latest offering in the ”Point of View” series.
Produced by Marlon Riggs, a 34-year-old filmmaker who is gay, black and HIV-positive, the hourlong film is a powerful piece of filmmaking and a passionate personal story, so much so that its message is often distilled in a loud and dizzying flow of words and images.
The film, which had a limited theatrical release in 1989, is a mix of many things. There is street poetry. There is music of many types, rap, dance and newsreel footage. There are nameless men reciting monologues.
There are a number of explicit words and pictures-of men kissing, a nude male dancing and a couple of full frontal male nudes. There is also what seems to be a torrid male lovemaking session.
Although many may find these things objectionable, they do not appear to be meant to offend and are not what any but the most prudish would deem graphic.
The filmmaker`s intent is not to shock viewers. Rather, ”Tongues Untied” is a film that tries to come to grips with the rage and frustration that are part of the experience of growing up gay and black and, in doing so, affirm the black gay life.
As such, and even though it is too arty for its own good, ”Tongues Untied” is an important document.
I am disturbed that more than one-third of the country`s 50 largest public television stations have refused to air the film and that many others- including WTTW-are pushing it out of prime time.
Stations fear that the show might scare potential donors, offend viewers and rekindle debates about National Endowment for the Arts funding (the NEA gave ”P.O.V.” a $250,000 grant). The film may cause all those things, but shouldn`t public television not be afraid of controversy?
