Keep Your Eyes Wide Shut

EYE SEE YOU aka D-TOX (2002)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Sylvester Stallone has had his ups and downs in his career but "Eye See You" (originally titled "D-TOX") is a cringe-inducing, slapdash affair that looks like it was cobbled together out of other superior serial-killer movies. It is generic and fairly inconsequential.

Stallone is FBI agent Jake Malloy, who is on the hunt for a serial killer who targets cops. The latest victim is Malloy's partner, killed brutally with a drill to the eyes (hmmm, the title of the film is becoming clearer). Next victim is Malloy's wife who is killed the same way and strung up in their living room. As a result of two tragedies, Malloy becomes an alcoholic and is eventually recruited to a rehab clinic that looks like an impenetrable prison in the middle of a bad winter in Wyoming! All cops who have battled their inner demons go to this clinic but something is askew in this place - the killer might also be there and that means he is a cop!

The set-up for a slightly different take on the FBI-chasing-clever-serial-killers plot is actually well-handled in the first half-hour. Always watchable Robert Patrick appears as a brash, uncouth SWAT officer who laughs at other cops' misfortunes and past traumas, and he makes the movie come alive in brief spurts. There is also Polly Walker as the psychiatrist/nurse who shows a sympathetic eye for these beaten-down cops. Most of the actors that appear are favorites of mine, especially Robert Prosky, Sean Patrick Flanery, Charles S. Dutton, and they all shine when they appear, adding a little chrome to this clunky vehicle. Stallone also fares well, exuding a little more nuance than in the overrated "Cop Land."

What could have been a fairly psychological thriller ends up looking like the snowy climax of John Carpenter's "The Thing." The characters run up and down the halls of this most unsettling clinic, and run outside in the snow and warn each other and yell at each other. Lots of yelling but not much suspense. Once we discover who the killer is and that the movie is another mediocre template for the inevitable, "Eye See You" loses much in the way of potency or any vested interest in Malloy's inner demons. The only demon exposed is Hollywood mediocrity.

I am lost in this timewarp

TIMECOP (1994)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

An average Jean Claude Van Damme picture doesn't make it his best, it just means it is average. I have seen Van Damme in other action pictures, some reasonable and some are forgettable, but this "Timecop" is far too diluted from the usual Van Damme picture and has no ambition to fulfill its neat premise. I am not sure we should question time-travel logic but this movie has far too many inconsistencies and tumbles over itself one too many times.

Van Damme is Max Walker, a timecop, literally a cop who travels through time to prevent greedy people from his future (the year 2004) from tampering with the past. Max is saddled with a greedy partner of his, Atwood (Jason Schombing), who travels to the 1920's to make stock deals that he knows will go through the roof in the future. Atwood meets his comeuppance rather quickly. The corporatist Senator McComb (Ron Silver, disarmingly evil) oversees a commission to regulate time-travel after an opening sequence shows someone else from the future stealing gold bullion from Confederates to buy arms in the future! You follow? Let's just say that McComb has designs on his future where the 10% get to control everything and the other 90% can go to Mexico and live more comfortably. You know, I never saw "Timecop" in 1994 but I would say that McComb definitely had a good idea of the future of America in 2014 - his only flaw is that actually the richest 1% own everything, not 10. Did he not see 1987's "Wall Street"?

"Timecop" faces far too many contrivances in its narrative which jumps around a little too frenetically. It wants to be a love story between Max and his wife (Mia Sara - defining thanklessness) who face an uncertain future - both Van Damme and Sara are about as convincing a couple as C3P0 and Lisa Simpson, if they ever got it on. Then there is the introduction of Gloria Reuben as Max's new partner that almost develops into a buddy-buddy action picture but then becomes a case of betrayal. Then we get Van Damme in some of the most elongated fight scenes I've ever seen, mostly edited with a sledgehammer. It is not enough to deliver a kick in a master shot, it has to be seen in close-up as well, and it just got on my nerves to see such herky-jerky fighting. The rain-soaked finale has endless fight scenes as well. We expect Van Damme to kick and punch his enemies but it grows weary after a while.

"Timecop" also lost me with its time-travel technology (thanks to Roger Ebert who brought this up in his review) - McComb and his minions use a gadget that allows them to materialize from a wormhole of sorts to another like plasma. The timecops use a rocket car that takes much longer to travel than the gadget. Huh? Overall, the movie has a fascinating premise - a government-funded Time Enforcement Commission to battle greedy evildoers from changing the past - but it is actually a Van Damme martial-arts picture where he has to save his wife from killers. In other words, average.

James Whale's real-life monsters were not his creations

GODS AND MONSTERS (1998)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Originally reviewed in 1998)

I know very little about the late James Whale except that he was a fine director and he was very open about his homosexuality. His films also reflected his way of life, and his need for companionship. These ideas about Whale come through in the well-acted if disjointed "Gods and Monsters," a fictional story of Whale's last days before mysteriously dying in a swimming pool in 1967.

The exceptional Ian McKellen plays the silver-haired, colorfully attired James Whale, living in luxury at his house with his harsh housekeeper (played by an unrecognizable Lynn Redgrave). He's a forgotten movie director who revels in the glorious Hollywood days of the past, and is immersed in painting and in the painful memories of serving in the war. One day, a new gardener named Clayton (Brendan Fraser) begins working on Whale's lawn, and Whale immediately becomes transfixed by his physique. He offers his pool as a welcome respite from work and asks Clayton to pose for his drawings. Clayton is a dim-witted but kind man who is a little slow to understand Whale's advances and intentions, even when asked to remove his shirt.

"Gods and Monsters" is a smooth piece of entertainment, yet it is unimaginatively directed by writer-director Bill Condon. Whale's nightmares are filmed in Gothic blue tones that undermine any sense of real drama or tension in his own life. There are the silhouetted figures against a night sky (shades of Whale's own Frankenstein pictures) that say little if anything about the man.  The rest of the picture is too stilted and dry; moments that require some sense of movement are too inert. I admire restraint but Condon could have framed certain scenes in more interesting ways. The dinner party is especially awkward, where Whale reunites with his old-time friends, Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester. The actors who portray these horror legends are convincing, yet we barely see enough of them.

Though the filmmaking lacks pizzaz, the performances do not. Ian McKellen is a remarkable actor and brings such an uncommon blend of sensitivity, wryness, wit, and nobility to James Whale, thereby evoking the man's own personal demons. He also brings a delicacy to the man (his looks, gestures, etc.) that makes us want to watch his every move. At the very least, Condon had the good sense to feature this titanic actor in nearly every scene. Brendan Fraser can't compete with McKellen, but he does bring something to Clayton that makes us sympathize with him. Still, it is difficult to believe Fraser as a dumb, hulking man who doesn't catch on to Whale's charms and subtleties. And Clayton's brief relationship with a waitress (thanklessly played by Lolita Davidovich) drags the narrative and becomes unnecessary in context.

Lynn Redgrave is nutty and uproarious as the housekeeper - a servant to Whale for almost twenty years. She sees through Whale and resents his routine advances towards young males. Her reactions to a nearly nude male reporter in one scene is hilarious to watch, and I liked her comments about "Bride of Frankenstein": "Your film is not my cup of tea".

"Gods and Monsters" wants to be a celebration of life and art. This theme, however, doesn't resonate with the richness or importance of the similar "Love and Death on Long Island" or "Ed Wood." What one does take away from this movie is McKellen's delicately sublime, incredibly understated portrayal of the emotionally ailing James Whale. He shows us that his own monsters were not his creations.

Sick and out-of-control kids

SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT (1999)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Originally reviewed in 1999)

I am not sure what I expected from this feature-length version of the cult animated series but certainly not the high-voltage blast of laughs I got from this "redneck mountain town." South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut is a spry surprise: a delightful, profane and inventive film guaranteed to offend, upset and, most significantly, incite laughter from many audience members.

Our good old cardboard cut-out buddies, Cartman, Kyle, Stan and Kenny are back - this time, they are giddy trying to get in to see an R-rated film called "Asses of Fire," which stars two movie stars, Terrance and Phillip. Naturally, they can't get in so they bribe a homeless man into buying them tickets. After seeing the profane film, the South Park kids litter their mouths with four-letter words and objectionable phrases galore. Their parents are outraged and insist on causing a media stir by claiming that the movie is dangerous, and all this results in a war with Canada and a face-to-face encounter with Satan and Saddam Hussein!

"South Park" does not shy away from delivering on its promise as indicated by the title. The movie is bigger (there's a deliciously hellish Inferno sequence), longer (a bit too long even at eighty minutes), and uncut (and proud of it, too). There is enough here to draw ire from all social groups concerned with demeaning values, deteriorated morals and bad taste in the cinema offerings of today. In a sense, the creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone comment on such issues by making a movie about them (apparently, they fought long and hard with the MPAA over maintaining an R rating for this movie). This is a great, postmodernist hook for "South Park," and it is possible that the series could be enlivened greatly with such inventiveness.

There are many good jokes concerning Winona Ryder, Bill Gates, the Baldwins, the Internet and the litter of adult websites, electric-shock V-chips, abortion, Satan and Hussein's romp in the hay, the question of censorship, parental responsibility versus the media's towards the young, etc. Is this a comedy or a political film? Both, and it was smart and timely for the creators to invest such interest in today's post-Littleton, Colorado issues. Name one other recent film with this much political commentary.

"South Park" runs out of steam after a while partly due to the numerous song-and-dance numbers (some are funnier than others). The characters are still quite engaging (the mortal Kenny is still my favorite) and the situations are clever and involving (the attempt to save the movie stars from possible execution is hilarious). I may draw some ire for saying this but "South Park" should be seen by kids under 18. It is important and addresses many issues with wit and obscenities galore. It is a film of the times, it is about us, and it is about how we live now. Whoever thought a cartoon could have this much potential?

Do I look like someone who cares what God thinks?

HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE (1996)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Sitting through "Hellraiser: Bloodline" is not a chore and a half like the last two sequels but it may still cause your ass to shift a little. "Bloodline" is actually better than I expected, and believe me when I say that my expectations were low, but it is also a confounding mess, tinkered with during post-production to such an extent that director Kevin Yagher used the pseudonym that draws pause before any movie, Alan Smithee.

The opening scenes are set in Space Station Minos...excuse me? Are we talking Pinhead in space? Yes, and in the future no less, 2127 to be precise. On board the station is Paul Merchant (Bruce Ramsay) who has a robot that holds the iconic Lament Configuration puzzle box that once opened, well, the Cenobites from Hell appear and like the use of chains piercing human flesh. The robot explodes when Pinhead (Doug Bradley) appears, and when guards enter the station and apprehend Paul, Paul tells his story through flashbacks to the 1700's about a French toymaker (also played by Ramsay) who first created the puzzle box. The box is sold to an aristocrat and is used for evil purposes that involve chains piercing flesh, well, what did you expect? A peasant girl's dead body is used to resurrect the spirit of a Cenobite named Angelique and, along with her lover (Adam Scott, his film debut), they try to stop descendants of the toymaker (the bloodline) from closing the path to Hell by means of another Lament Configuration! Pinhead also wants to turn Earth into some sort of hellscape, or something. I guess he wants to see all of humanity suffer with fatal piercings.

After a while, the movie never has a firm hand with its narrative. I never understood Angelique's motives or even Pinhead's. Bruce Ramsay fares better in 1700 period decor than in modern day or futuristic settings - playing three related characters, he expresses the same doleful reaction for each. Bradley's Pinhead is the stuff of nightmares and his cryptic lines ("Do I look like someone who cares about what God thinks?") can curdle the blood but this Cenobite is more thrilling to watch when he isn't on screen so much. It is, however, amusing to hear him say that Hell is far less amusing nowadays.

"Hellraiser: Bloodline" is watchable and a huge improvement over the last two sequels, but it is largely unremarkable. Only Mickey as the lascivious Duc de L'Isle, the aristocrat from the 1700's, brings much needed passion as an evil man who might enjoy his black magic a little too much. It is precisely that passion that could have ignited "Hellraiser: Bloodline" into something other than routine business as usual. 

Pinhead meets Bad Lieutenant

HELLRAISER: INFERNO (2000)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

After four sequels to Clive Barker's extraordinary 1987 cult film, "Hellraiser," the theme of pain as pleasure has all but dissipated from the series. The fourth "Hellraiser: Bloodline" (and last to receive theatrical release) was watchable enough but it was diluted from much of what made Clive Barker's original, well, original. "Hellraiser: Inferno" is a noir story involving a corrupt police detective who opens the dreaded Lament Configuration box and literally deals with demons for the rest of the film.

Craig Sheffer is the detective, Joseph Thorne, who snorts coke, steals money from crime scenes, has sex with prostitutes and basically ignores his wife and daughter. He is not a tenth as corrupt as Harvey Keitel's "Bad Lieutenant" but he comes awfully close. The bad-to-the-bone detective steals the Lament Configuration box from one particularly gruesome crime scene, opens it and, presto, Cenobite and chain fever! Murders occur left and right, videotapes with vicious crime scenes are delivered to Joseph, his own partner is suspicious, need I say more? There is also a psychiatrist (James Remar) with an incredibly vast knowledge of the puzzle box.

"Hellraiser: Inferno" is practically a noir story with fatalistic overtones that just happens to briefly revolve around our favorite Cenobites. Sheffer actually has quite a few potent scenes and James Remar is always a pleasure to have in any movie (you keep wishing to see more of him). Pinhead (Doug Bradley) appears in nothing more than a cameo, though this demonic figure is gradually less effective with each sequel. Still, considering the other sequels are steaming turds at best, this moderately interesting "Inferno" veers from the same-old same-old and has a haunting, elegiac tone to it. The end is frightening and holds you in its grip. "Inferno" will not set "Hellraiser" purists on fire for having to sit through another sequel - I will say that this is the first one in the series I've actually enjoyed.

Family is a bundle of twigs

THE STRAIGHT STORY (1999)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Originally review from 1999)

After the decadent mania of "Lost Highway," one of my favorite films of the 1990's, I never expected director David Lynch to make a peaceful, simplistic film thriving on simple pleasures. Sure enough, Lynch always manages to surprise audiences, and "The Straight Story" is no exception - a wonderful film that is as illuminating and introspective as Laura Palmer's descent into hell or the duality of human nature in "Lost Highway."

Based on a true story, Richard Farnsworth plays Alvin Straight, a stubborn old man living with his slow, loving daughter, Rose (the amazing Sissy Spacek) in a small Iowa town. One day, Alvin learns that his brother is sick, and decides to travel on a 1966 John Deere lawnmower from Iowa to Wisconsin to see his brother. You see, Alvin does not have a driver's license and has no one to drive him there, so, yes, a lawnmower might do the trick.

Alvin himself is not in perfect health - he has to walk with two canes and has bad eyes. But the stubborn, eccentric soul must travel against all odds on that damn lawnmower with an oversized trailer (chock full of Indian coffee beans and American wieners) and get to his destination. He must overcome speedy monstrous trucks, a paranoid deer lady, a runaway pregnant teenager, burning houses, dozens of bicyclists, and so much more. Alvin will be kind to strangers, but insists on sleeping outside or in his trailer, never in anyone's house.

And that is it. No time warps, no truly outrageous characters or elephant men, and no Agent Cooper or mystery men. David Lynch plays it straight, as it were, never opting for stereotypes or condescension - this Midwestern world is presented simply and without artifice. That in itself captures something which Lynch has only briefly pinpointed in the past - a heartland of emotions and embraceable humanity. The reason may be that the screenplay is written by Mary Sweeney, Lynch's long-time skillful editor, who once read an article about Straight's long journey in Time magazine and ever since wanted to make a film about it. Smart move

"Straight Story's" humanity comes from the strength and vigor of Richard Farnsworth, a veteran stuntman who has also given fine performances in "Comes a Horseman" and "The Grey Fox," and here gives a performance of rare dignity. He is essentially a face wrinkled with memories of times past, as when he recounts the horrors of World War II as a sniper, or when he relays the importance of family as a bundle of twigs. Moments like this are priceless, especially for Farnsworth, and he embodies the film with quiet grace and panache. The Academy Awards should recognize this man, as did the Cannes Film Festival with a standing ovation.

David Lynch also gives the film the needed pace and style to match a simple slice of Americana. There are numerous high-angle shots of the farm fields, and the grain elevators working its way through them. These shots are repeated by Lynch to emphasize that life in these parts moves slowly because that is the way of life - there is no need to hurry. In a scene of extraordinary calmness and solitude, Lynch shows Alvin on his lawnmower traveling at 5 miles per hour, and then Lynch pans to the sky followed by a mini dissolve as he pans down and shows that the vehicle has only moved a few feet ahead. This journey may take a while, but Lynch understands that these people can appreciate a good sunset and the aesthetic beauty of the farmlands, or to have a campfire without rushing through deadlines or last-minute events.

Is "Straight Story" such a departure for Lynch overall? Well, a G rating and the fact that it is a Disney picture may put off those accustomed to mutant babies and car accident victims. Don't fret over the choice of material because Lynch certainly has an affinity for these people in the Midwest - the opening scenes unravel much in the way as they did in the famous opening moments of "Blue Velvet." The buildings, the hardware stores, the empty streets, and the woman lying on her lawn chair next to Alvin's house - all beautifully framed and composed by cinematographer Freddie Francis. The lingering shots of Alvin's lawnmower against a desolate landscape will resonate long after the film is over.

1999 has produced more end-of-the-world, millennium thrillers than one cares to count. It is suitably ironic that the Master of Weirdness produced one of the gentlest, most humane films of the 1990's, and Farnsworth's performance beautifully manifests in this world of Midwestern calmness and sincerity. "The Straight Story" is a haunting, touching, poetic film - unforgettable in its sincere attitudes towards the simple aspects of life.

A code not worth decoding

THE DA VINCI CODE (2006)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Originally reviewed in 2007)

At 159 minutes, "The Da Vinci Code" wears out its welcome at about the forty minute mark. This is unfortunate because the movie establishes some suspense within its murder mystery - the notion of unraveling demonizing codes and symbols - that evolves into an overdone and, frankly, not very enthralling conspiracy theory. I love conspiracy theories, even if some cause disbelief, but this movie becomes more absurd and pointless as it reaches its anticlimactic ending.

Tom Hanks is Robert Langdon, a Harvard symbologist with a hairdo that belongs to an animated character or one of the Three Stooges (yep, it is a distraction). He is recruited to the Louvre where a grisly murder has taken place, with symbols like pentagrams and phrases like "So dark the con of man" gracing the walls and floors. Langdon finds all kinds of clues, thanks to the victim, the Louvre's curator, who has orchestrated these clues in such a way that no mortal, aging man could ever do who is dying from a gunshot wound. He gets help from a French policewoman, Sophie (Audrey Tautou), who is not quite what she seems (well, she is a cryptologist). Something is suspect and thanks to some red herrings, of which this movie possesses quite a few, Langdon and Sophie are branded suspected killers in the death of the curator! Now the whole French police, which includes the determined Inspector Fache (Jean Reno), chase them from France to London and back to the Louvre.

The most fascinating section of the film involves the grand, majestic Ian McKellen as Sir Leigh Teabing, an authority on the Holy Grail and anything related to the Knights Templar. He explains that the codes Langdon and Sophie are trying to decipher reveal who, not what, the Holy Grail really is (let's just say it has nothing to do with a carpenter's cup but rather Mary Magdalene herself). All of this is thrillingly realized in superb dialogue by McKellen as he debunks the myths of Christianity, Jesus' divinity and so on.

Unfortunately, just when the film picks up a little steam, it is back to running around from town to crypt to a London bus as Langdon keeps trying to decipher the clues to this major puzzle. If Mary Magdalane was married to Jesus (hello "Last Temptation of Christ" detractors!) and fathered a daughter who became royalty in the Merovingian Dynasty of France, then that means the bloodline exists to the current day. This is what the Catholic Church, the Vatican and some albino, self- flagellating Opus Dei member (played by Paul Bettany who seems to have wandered in from the "Passion of the Christ") are trying to protect, but to what end? Is it because it would reveal that Jesus was a man who could marry, and not just some prophet who had a firm understanding of spreading peace and love? That Jesus is not the Son of God? Ah, maybe that is it. Sorry, people, the Kazantzakis novel of "Last Temptation of Christ" sort of revealed the possibility that he would want to lead such a life, even if he hadn't.

Based on the controversial novel by Dan Brown, "The Da Vinci Code" never musters enough excitement with its story because the actors are practically all dull. Tom Hanks looks so placid and unconvincing as a symbologist that he feels like a distraction. Amy Tautou, so wonderful in the film "Amelie," is so flaccid and devoid of personality that it seems like a crime (don't just watch "Amelie" for proof of her dynamic acting potential, see "Dirty Pretty Things" as well). Even reliably hammy Alfred Molina as a Vatican priest seems to be coasting by on menacing stares and nothing more. Not even the truly reliable Jean Reno musters much energy. Practically everyone in this movie, with the exception of McKellen, is sleepwalking through a hazy, cheerless script. I never thought the pairing of director Ron Howard and actor Tom Hanks combined would make me snooze but I think, in time, "The Da Vinci Code" will be called the most boring controversial film ever made.

Fearlessly Combatting AIDS

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (2013)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

I have watched sad, despairing films about the AIDS virus before, such as "Longtime Companion," the forgotten "Parting Glances" (with an early, earthshakingly-brave performance by Steve Buscemi) and the critically acclaimed, watchable yet overly sanctimonious "Philadelphia." There are many others but it is really "Dallas Buyers Club" that hits the right chord and strikes a more honest, devastating impact than most others of its ilk.

The mid-1980's around the world was hit with a major blow - AIDS had ravaged and taken the lives of many (not just homosexuals). A stigma was attached to this disease, alluding to a misrepresentation of what the disease was and who it could affect. Electrician and part-time rodeo cowboy Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) had unprotected sex with many women and shared many intravenous needles. An accident at work lands Ron in the hospital where he is told by the doctors that he has AIDS. Woodroff can't and won't believe he has the HIV virus because he mistakenly believes that homosexuals get the virus only, not heterosexuals. When he flashes back to his sexual proclivities, he realizes he is wrong.

Unfortunately, Woodroof cannot procure the drugs necessary to combat AIDS and live longer than expected. Dr. Eve Saks (Jennifer Garner, in one of the most tender roles she has played) cares for many AIDS patients and tells Woodroof to take AZT, a drug Ron later discovers is more poisonous than helpful. When Ron makes a trip to Mexico to find alternatives, Dr. Vass (Griffin Dunne), a doctor who lost his American medical license, suggest the antiretroviral drug ddC and the protein Peptide T - both, however, are not FDA-approved. In scenes that have an air of polished wit that is never overplayed, Woodroof disguises himself as an international businessman and a priest as he travels to other countries to smuggle these sought-after medicines and proteins for his own market - the Dallas Buyers Club. Operating out of two motel rooms, Woodroof only asks for 400 dollars to join the club and get the medication needed for AIDS patients to stay healthy. Naturally, after snatching patients from Dr. Saks and her superior, Dr. Sevard (Dennis O'Hare), the FDA comes calling and confiscates the medications that were illegally smuggled into the U.S.

Directed with a galvanizing raw feeling and a near-hallucinatory charge by Jean-Marc Vallée ("The Young Victoria"), "Dallas Buyers Club" has no pretensions nor does it judge the hero of the movie, Ron Woodroof who is depicted as homophobic and straight (some actual sources who knew Ron say he was not homophobic, and that he was definitely homosexual). Regardless of the accuracy of his sexual orientation, it shows Ron developing compassion and sympathy for those afflicted with the disease because he himself is going through pure hell. Most telling is his relationship with the HIV-infected, transgender (and fictional) Rayon (Jared Leto), who is high quite often yet she develops a respect for a man who defends her. It is a business partnership and Rayon knows how to get the clients.

Woodroof never loses sight of his sexual needs, masturbating to pictures of women or having sex with a "full-blown AIDS" patient (a scene some may scoff at but, I have to admit, it is shockingly funny). McConaughey gives ample strength and pure heart of mind to Woodroof, never fearing that his character may be tough to like yet easy to admire. Woodroof can be reckless and fearless but those are qualities that hold him as something other than a saintly icon of the AIDS movement. Leto, an actor who can be as fearless as McConaughey, shows such sensitivity and beauty of mind and soul as Rayon that it becomes an extraordinarily moving performance - Leto holds you in his grasp as Rayon and you can't turn away. That is also the heart and soul of "Dallas Buyers Club" - don't turn away and never forget.

Flashback to the past

THE LIMEY (1999)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Originally reviewed in 1999)

I don't know about any of you but I can live without seeing another crime picture, especially in this post-Tarantino age. A story about a criminal avenging the death of his daughter from other criminals should not inspire much thought or excitement. But in the hands of the extraordinary director Steven Soderbergh ("Out of Sight," "Sex, Lies and Videotape"), "The Limey" transforms its paper-thin premise into pure excitement and examines it up close with an extraordinary actor at its center, Terence Stamp.

Stamp stars as the "limey" (slang for a British person, particularly a sailor) otherwise referred to as Wilson, a former criminal released from prison who comes to L.A. in search of his daughter, Jenny (introduced in Wilson's voice-over at the beginning). She is presumed to be dead, possibly killed by a former record producer named Valentine (Peter Fonda, thriving on his "Ulee's Gold" streak). Stamp is relentless in his pursuit, actively waging a war to find the truth. He is lean, mean and vicious...and apparently ignorant of modern society. There's a wonderfully sly scene where he discovers that the men outside of Valentine's grand palace are not bodyguards but valets.

"The Limey" could be a late-night movie of the week or an HBO drama at best if it were not for Soderbergh's flashy direction or Stamp's vulpine charms. He is the heart and soul of the film, supplying both subtle humor and crafty, suggestive mannerisms. Stamp has one great scene after another: whether he is smoothly speaking to an old flame, bashing heads at a factory, throwing people over balconies, or having flashbacks of his daughter, or trying to explain in a thick Cockney accent the turmoil of his life to a police investigator. There is nothing this man can't do - he makes the film eminently watchable.

As in "Out of Sight," Soderbergh cleverly and astutely flashes back and forth between one scene to the next, utilizing freeze-frames and different backdrops while whole conversations take place. This is not a new feat of cinematic interpretation - think back to Godard's wildly jump-cutting scene-shifting in the groundbreaking "Breathless." It is also an added plus to insert footage from Stamp's 1967 film "Poor Cow" throughout, not to mention allusions to Peter Fonda's "Easy Rider" by playing the song "Magic Carpet Ride." "The Limey" is all about allusions to the past, as we follow Wilson on his path to discover the truth of his daughter's possible demise.

"The Limey" also benefits from a great supporting cast, always a necessity in a L.A. noir story. There is the Lesley Ann Warren as the old flame, the terrifically funny Luis Guzman, and, aging like fine wine, Barry Newman as a corrupt aide to Valentine. With a stirring conclusion, wonderful compositions, and a full fledged character study at its center, "The Limey" stands alongside "Jackie Brown" as an exemplary look at the seedy, laid-back lifestyles of Los Angeles.

Time-twisting fun

OUT OF SIGHT (1998)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Originally reviewed in 1998)

Next to Tarantino's "Jackie Brown," "Out of Sight" is the best Elmore Leonard film adaptation yet with the most energetic cast imaginable. And it also helps that the stylish director Steven Soderbergh is also on board.

George Clooney, in his best role by far, is the suave yet none too bright bank robber serving time in prison for a botched robbery attempt. It is there where he meets an assortment of criminals and lowlifes played by such top-notch actors like Ving Rhames (the moralistic friend who steals cars right in front of their owners), Steven Zahn (a clueless pothead), and Don Cheadle (a more cunning villain than I've seen in recent crime films). Together they conspire to rip-off a rich attorney (Albert Brooks) who may be hiding valuable diamonds in his house. Problem is a devastatingly beautiful federal marshal (exotic Jennifer Lopez) is on Clooney's tail.

"Out of Sight" varies from other Leonard adaptations in its time-twisting narrative and brisk, comical dialogue that lends an extra punch to the proceedings. Soderbergh often shuffles sequences out of order creating a universe of disorder - an editing staple that he later took further in 1999's "The Limey." It is a directive that would make Tarantino blush in its exquisite smoothness. My favorite sequence is the Clooney-Lopez sex scene where they are talking intimately as we are shown scenes of their eventual coupling.

Add to that the flashy direction by Steven Soderbergh ("Sex, Lies and Videotape") and a marvelous cast (including the funny cameo by Nancy Allen) and you've got one hell of an entertainment, and one of the best crime films in quite some time. There's also the sizzling chemistry between Clooney and Lopez who manage to swelter the screen as much as Gable and Leigh did. And for major laughs, Albert Brooks and Steve Zahn fit the bill perfectly. An outstanding picture that would make Hollywood blush in its seamless blend of violence and comedy.

Extra bonus: Don't miss the superb cameos by Michael Keaton (reprising his role from "Jackie Brown" as a DEA agent) and Samuel L. Jackson.

Lumet's Big Bad and Funny Turd

GLORIA (1999)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
(Originally reviewed in 2000)

"Gloria" is unbelievably funny and so rottenly made that you can't help but like it, for the sheer audacity of it being so bad. Only director Sidney Lumet is not a director who can fail and muster such idiocy with an unrealistic East Coast tale - after all, Lumet is a New York director who has crafted realism in many of his best pictures. This film is directed by someone who has no idea what to do with a project that has the pedigree of John Cassavetes. 

Sharon Stone plays Gloria, a gun moll who attempts to run all over New York City with a supposedly tough yet tender kid (Jean-Luke Figueroa) who is the survivor of a family that was gunned down (he assumes he is the "man"). Gloria also takes along a diskette that contains crucial information needed by the mob (headed by George C. Scott with his main henchman, incredulously played by Jeremy Northam). Gloria runs around in high heels and sexy clothes that scream loudly, yet she manages to outwit her pursuers at every turn (this made me laugh throughout).

A high-speed car chase is actually thrilling at one point and keeps you on edge. But there is not one note that is believable at all. Cassavetes' original 1980 flick by the same name possessed authority with the casting of Gena Rowlands. The original "Gloria" also felt grounded in some reality - it was also thrilling and edgy and it was probably the late master's most accessible film. Here, we just have Sharon Stone with a bad Big Apple accent and turgid villains that utter the same old phrases we have heard at least ONE MILLION times before. Lumet's picture is never really boring, but it is never really much of anything and one wonders what prompted Lumet to remake it. Still, there is Sharon Stone and she is a looker, no matter what she does. 

Police corruption like you've always seen before

NIGHT FALLS ON MANHATTAN (1997)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
(Originally reviewed in 1997)

We've been accustomed to seeing Al Pacino play loud, unruly lawyers so it is quite refreshing to see Andy Garcia as a smart, tough lawyer in one of his best roles since "Internal Affairs." The movie may not be great but it is a well-crafted, watchable piece of entertainment.

Garcia stars as Sean Casey, a tough New York City lawyer who has been trying minor cases such as freak accidents, drug dealers, petty thieves, etc. He's no ambulance chaser but he's trying to get ahead by playing the rules, and he was a former cop so he "knows the streets." His father, Liam Casey (Ian Holm), is an undercover cop trying to catch a big-time heroin dealer and is subsequently shot while on a stakeout. Sean is upset by this and so is the whole city since two cops were previously killed by this psycho dealer. The D.A. Morgenstern (Rob Leibman) screams bloody murder and wants the dealer found who managed to escape in an NYPD car! The D.A. makes Sean the leading prosecutor, much to everyone's chagrin, but he's also risking his political future when the defense attorney turns out to be a brilliant shyster, Sam Vigoda (Richard Dreyfuss). It is, theoretically, an easy case and one that could launch Sean's career, but is there police corruption at the core? What do you think? Have you seen movies about corruption before or is this something entirely new to you?

"Night Falls on Manhattan" is not an original film nor should you think that director Sidney Lumet hasn't made similar films before. This time, Lumet has made it fresh by instilling a sense of humanity and making his characters invigorating and real. Garcia's Sean Stone is the moral center of the film - a lawyer who uncovers a hotbed of corruption and lies and people who mask the truth. Could his father, Liam, be concealing evidence? And what about Liam's partner, Joey (James Gandolfini)? And how did all three precincts manage to arrive within seconds after Joey calls for backup during the stakeout? If you haven't heard the disturbing news of New York City cops lately, then you must be residing on a mountain top in Tibet somewhere.

Lumet's problem as a writer is his frequent lack of credibility. For example: why would a psychotic dealer turn himself in to a defense attorney when he could have skipped town? Why would the D.A. assign such a media crazed event over to a small-time lawyer who has no experience trying such cases? Because the lawyer's father is a cop who was badly injured? I don't think such cases occur in New York City but what do I know. This movie was written for the screen by Lumet and based on a pulp novel by Robert Daley. Maybe that explains it.

As usual, Lumet's casting is impeccable. Garcia is strong and believable as Sean, a lawyer who by chance becomes D.A. in a movie full of miraculous chances. Richard Dreyfuss is superbly witty as the Alan Dershowitz-type who is trying to reveal the corruption himself. The great British actor Ian Holm is quietly understated as the wise old cop who may or may not be involved, and adores his bewildered son and his partner. James Gandolfini, who has appeared in a slate of mediocre movies, shines brightly and evocatively as Liam's partner - his scene with Ian Holm and Garcia crackles with energy as he begins to admit his involvement. This is an actor to watch for in the future. Veteran actor Rob Leibman shouts and spews with relish in several great scenes as Morgenstern, the D.A. who is always looking for a fight. The one performance that doesn't ring true is Lena Olin ("Unbearable Lightness of Being") as Peggy, a legal assistant to Sam Vigoda. Her frivolous romance with Sean exudes little charisma or excitement and takes up too much screen time.

"Night Falls on Manhattan" falls short when compared to Lumet's great, intelligent police movies such as "Prince of the City" and "Serpico." Nevertheless, it is a fine film and uniformly well acted but it ends with a silly anticlimax that diminishes the power of the first three-quarters (a similar problem pervaded Lumet's "Family Business"). Still, how can you resist a great cast in a generally vivid, exciting picture when we are mostly bombarded by superfluous hogwash nowadays. Don't resist.

You think Jackie is funny?

FIND ME GUILTY (2006)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

For 21 months in the late 1980's, the government persecuted 20 members of the Lucchese crime family of New Jersey on over 70 criminal conspiracy counts. This actual trial has been known as the longest criminal trial in history. A clownish, seemingly honest mobster represents himself as his own attorney and turns the court into a circus. Sounds like it could be decent subject matter for a movie. Only director Sidney Lumet has converted this fascinating trial into a listless, lifeless mess of a movie.

Vin Diesel is the wisecracking mobster, Giacomo "Jackie Dee" DiNorscio, who in the opening scene of the movie, is nearly left for dead after he's shot by his cousin. Then, an impending trial hangs on him - the prosecutor tells Jack he can rat on everyone or get a 30- year-plus sentence. Jack maintains a loyalty to his crew, even to the disapproving mob boss, Nick Calebrese (Alex Rocco) who, for reasons never explained, hates Jack. What is there to hate? Jack is flamboyant, energetic and throws one-liners and get applause from the jury. The presiding judge (Ron Silver) objects and holds him in contempt of court more often than Joe Pesci did in "My Cousin Vinny." But Jackie also loves everybody, even the cousin who betrays him and runs to the feds. I think Jackie might've been out of place in the world of "GoodFellas," but what do I know.

If "Find Me Guilty" had the audacity to poke fun at this relentless trial that makes a mockery of justice, then it might have been a winner. Instead Lumet and his co-writers T.J. Mancini, and Robert J. McCrea play it too straight and narrow - they don't see or acknowledge the humor. This should not be an episode of "Law and Order" - it should be the "Network" of courtroom dramas. It should focus on the ridiculous stature of our legal system. After all, the film seems to say that even if you are a murderer and a drug abuser in the mob, as long as you act like Jay Leno in court, you might have a chance to beat the system and win over a jury. Since that is the theme of this movie, why do the filmmakers exhibit a monotonous level of energy throughout?

Vin Diesel seems like such a clown as Jackie that, had the film been wittier and more pungent, he might have not been miscast. Considering the serious-mindedness of it, he is miscast though he tries to breathe some life into it. I did like the underused Alex Rocco and the magnetic casting of Peter Dinklage as one of the defense attorneys. Also worth noting is the cameo by Annabella Sciorra as Jackie's ex- wife who is stunned Jackie can't attend his mother's funeral. But "Find Me Guilty" lacks energy, focus and punch. Its best passages are narrowed by truly extended, overlong, dull courtroom setpieces that don't amount to much except an outrageous verdict. If only the film had been as outrageous.

The Tale of a Mermaid and a fruit wholesaler

SPLASH (1984)

An Appreciation by Jerry Saravia

Ron Howard's "Splash" is a festive, funny, joyful kind of romantic comedy. It puts you in a silly frame of mind, evoking pleasure through its likable characters and original concept. How often do you see a movie where a guy unknowingly falls in love with a mermaid? (1946's "Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid" perhaps, though a whole different kind of picture). In 1984, it was certainly an original and fresh take on the usual romantic couplings. Since then, we have had a TV movie sequel (unseen by me), M. Night Shyamalan's eccentric and overlong drama/comedy/thriller/something called "Lady in the Water" which starred Bryce Dallas Howard (ironically, Ron Howard's daughter) and a Hong-Kong inspired tale from 1994 called "Mermaid Got Married." But "Splash" rises above most because it's got Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah as the lovebirds, it's got New York City as its setting, and the lovable eccentricities of John Candy as Hank's brother.

Hanks is Allen Bauer, a co-owner of a a fruit and vegetable wholesale business who finds himself in Cape Cod on a whim. Once there, he gets knocked out by a motorboat and is rescued by a blonde mermaid (Daryl Hannah). Allen wants to get to know her but she is mute. Finally, she finds him at his address thanks to Allen's missing wallet. In a nod to immigrants that came to Ellis Island and perhaps saw their first welcoming landmark, the Statue of Liberty, our mermaid of the wandering seas is at the famous monument completely in the buff. Allen and the mermaid finally reunite, and she calls herself Madison after seeing a Madison Avenue sign. Madison quickly learns English by way of repetitive TV watching and is adept at using Allen's credit cards at Bloomingdales! But when Allen learns that Madison is only in NYC for a short time and that she refuses to give up her big secret, things get a little heated and complicated.

What is a little amazing about "Splash" is how winsome and innocent it is, and how the Allen character is permitted to act a little upset at the unknown dilemma centering on Madison amid all the innocence. Hanks doesn't shy away from losing a little control (there is something a little fierce about how he breaks down the bathroom door when Madison doesn't answer). Yet the movie also features one of the sweetest gifts ever given to anyone that you just started dating - a mermaid fountain that somehow finds its way into Allen's swanky apartment. How it gets in there is not as important as the gift itself and how it was obtained, which is best discovered by first-time viewers. A marriage proposal by Allen is first turned down, then accepted. Allen just deeply loves this mysterious woman, unencumbered by her origins or her secrets - he just wants to know her. If that is not true love, I do not know what it is.

"Splash" also has some comedic bits, more or less on the slapstick side. Hanks can be funny (check out his fumbling about in a taxicab) but it is John Candy as Freddie Bauer who shows warmth and an easygoing attitude - he is a party boy but not an excessive party boy (this is a Disney flick after all). Freddie loves his brother whom he feels should loosen up and pick up more women at bars. Candy is allowed some tomfoolery when playing racquetball and hitting himself on the head, or dropping change on the floor so he can look up women's skirts. This is easily one of Candy's best roles ever, far eclipsing almost anything else in his career. Watch his role in this movie, and then see him as a leading man in the underrated "Only the Lonely" and you will see a dramatic actor of sublime restraint who was often shortchanged ("Planes, Trains and Automobiles" and "Uncle Buck" excepted).

Another actor who brings a barrel of laughs is Eugene Levy as scientist Walter Kornbluth, who is absolutely certain that a mermaid is walking around New York City. He gets into a few accidents when he can't catch up with Madison and inadvertently sprays a water hose on the wrong women! The idea is that the water hose will change Madison's legs into fins, thus proving his theory.

"Splash" is an intoxicating romantic treat, blending belly laughs and a romance between two leads of blissful chemistry with ease. This might easily be one of Ron Howard's finest films, showing that there are true cinematic pros who can make this kind of upbeat movie just right. I have seen my share of romantic comedies, perhaps one too many post-"Splash" that do not even have a tenth of what makes "Splash" work or any of the classics from way back in the day. The lovely last shot alone possesses a lyricism that defines what true love is. You may shed a tear.

Throw this dog out the window

JUST MARRIED (2003)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Harmless, inoffensive and dumb. Those are three words to describe "Just Married." Also, a major inactive pain to the funny bone in the sense that your funny bone will not be jerked by the maddeningly unfunny movie that transpires. No pain, no gain.

Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy are a young, likable couple who decide to get married. She is rich, he is not (he loves sports and just has to watch them at a bar in Venice, Italy). They are on their honeymoon and get into one scrape after another with each other's attitudes. Their rental car breaks down and they are snowbound for a whole night. The hotel management is not very accommodating. There's an old flame, a hot blonde that tries the moves on Ashton; a poor dog that jumps out the window; unwanted cockroaches; heavy sex in a bathroom in an airplane, and I think you get the point.

We all know that despite the incessant fighting between Kutcher and Murphy, things will work out and they'll recognize that they are in love. Like I said, this movie is harmless, inoffensive, dumb and highly unnecessary with a couple of chuckles along the way (to be absolutely fair). There are, however, too many of these disposable wastes of cliched romantic comedies out there. My advice: make out with your girlfriend instead and throw this movie to the dogs.

Lifetime is a little clueless

THE BRITTANY MURPHY STORY (2014)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

It is an impossible task to cast an actress who has the puppy dog eyes and glimmer of danger that the late Brittany Murphy had. Brittany was a unique, quirky actress who had a face that spoke of love and warmth, but with a slight edge. You could love the girl as she showed us naked honesty, but you also sensed that you could not wrong her or you could end up in trouble. She was the girl who could listen to music by, say, the Beatles but you might believe she was a closeted Ramones or Clash fan at heart. Amanda Fuller plays Brittany but Fuller looks too sweet, too wholesome minus the edginess - she looks more like an innocent Ellen Page. There ya go, Lifetime, cast this actress for the Ellen Page Story.

Amanda Fuller and Simon Monjack

"The Brittany Murphy Story" purportedly tells us about the rise and fall of the actress who hit her stride with films like "Clueless" and "Don't Say a Word" and hit her low with "Just Married" (a rom-com with Ashton Kutcher whom she had a brief relationship with). Most of this Lifetime biopic focuses on Brittany's loving, devoted relationship to her mother (Sherilyn Fenn) and her topsy-turby relationship with Simon Monjack (Eric Petersen, who appears more jovial than the real Simon who also passed away), a con-artist who happens to be a screenwriter and occasional press photographer (his screenwriting duties on the film "Factory Girl" have been disputed and settled out-of-court). Far more interesting is Adam Hagenbuch as Ashton (and boy is the resemblance uncanny), showing he had really cared for Brittany, but he disappears far too soon.

The real Brittany and Simon - see the spark?

"Brittany Murphy Story" could have used an infusion of energy - most of the film is flat and flatly photographed in monochromatic tones. It is almost as if Brittany's life is depicted as one of lost hope from the beginning and the allegations of drug abuse are mentioned again and again, but there is precious little attention attached to the films she made (not a word on "Girl, Interrupted" or "Sin City"). I wanted to see actress Amanda Fuller spring to life with the dynamic gusto that Brittany Murphy showed in her own films. Fuller infrequently casts a spark in the role - she is mostly dour and unflatteringly photographed. Though the film does not skimp on Brittany's dizzy spells or doldrums or bipolar condition, it makes no real distinction between early Brittany and down-in-the-dumps-curtains-closed Brittany. It only shows her in a dizzy spell from start to finish.  

In Space, there is only more Space

GRAVITY (2013)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Make no mistake about it - "Gravity" is often edge-of-your-seat suspenseful and has amazing visuals of space that really envelop you. It is a film about a terrible accident at a space shuttle, and it is often astounding and marvelous to see the panorama of the Earth as we and the characters orbit around it and try to keep breathing amid chaos. But, at the end of the day, the movie ends too soon, leaving us with fewer impressions than we had. It is an entertaining footnotes kind of movie, lacking anything tangible to latch onto.

Sandra Bullock is Dr. Ryan Stone, a Biomedical engineer aboard her first space shuttle mission, the Explorer. George Clooney is Lt. Matt Kowalski, the leader of the Explorer team. They are fixing the Hubble Space Telescope as Kowalski does his spacewalk in circles. It is an astounding sequence, filmed in what seems like an unbroken shot that runs forever. It is transfixing and there is a terrifying beauty about it - the idea of hovering above the planet Earth while engaging in matters that are beyond normal human means. In a sense, director Alfonso Cuaron ("Y Tu Mama Tambien") is also implying how Earth is not within anyone's grasp when you are running on oxygen for a short amount of time, hovering over the home planet where no one else can see you. Was mankind meant to be hovering in space? Then Mission Control in Houston warns the crew that flying debris from a destroyed Russian satellite is making its way in the astronauts' direction. It is time to abort the mission but complications ensue - Dr. Stone and Lt. Kowalski feel the impact of the debris as it strikes the Telescope, the shuttle and the space station. The shuttle is beyond any repair and the entire crew is also dead. The Space Station has only one malfunctioning module. Their situation now is really dire.

I rather not give away much more of this 91-minute science-fiction thriller but I can say it involves more explosions and space stations. Bullock's Stone also has one rather absurd hallucination, thoughts of her long-lost daughter and her need to get back to Earth. She expresses little emotion about the other dead astronauts, and that is rather odd considering it is her first space shuttle mission, nor does she shed tears for Kowalski who performs an action in the film that has been criticized by scientists for reasons I cannot spoil. As I had mentioned earlier, "Gravity" is quite a cinematic experience and in an IMAX theater in 3-D, it might be even more thrilling.

The issue is the movie is only 91 minutes long, or maybe it is too long to tell a tale that could've been shortened to a half-hour. Or maybe too short to tell a tale that could have used more character exploration. "Gravity" feels like the last thirty minutes of "2001: A Space Odyssey" expanded to feature length. It does the job of entertaining the audience but I expect more from a Clooney-Bullock-Cuaron team up.  

Surviving 9/11

WORLD TRADE CENTER (2006)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Oliver Stone is known for his fire and brimstone approach to filmmaking where every point is made with a hammer yet loaded with an emotional ferocity. His best films ("Platoon," "Born on the 4th of July," "JFK," et al) pop with such exuberance and emotional power that they become more than films - they are vivid portraits of calamitous events painted with a human face. "World Trade Center" is definitely a powerful film but its approach is not as incendiary or full of layered images upon images in the typical Stone style post-"JFK." This time, Stone takes a backseat to visual and aural overload because this survival story doesn't need it.

Set on the early morning hours of 9/11/01, we follow two Port Authority cops, Will Jimeno (Michael Pena) and John McLoughlin (Nicolas Cage, at his restrained best), as they prepare their daily routine of awaking in the wee hours of the morning and traveling from Long Island, NY and New Jersey to Manhattan. Jimeno is the average cop on the lookout for a missing person. McLoughlin is the sergeant who commandeers his unit, and has kept a close eye on the World Trade Center since the infamous 1993 bombing. Of course, he has never dealt with the enormity of the situation at hand - two planes have flown into the World Trade Center. A major rescue mission is at hand but how on earth can they rescue people when the towers implode and crumble to dust while they are in the WTC lobby? Both Jimeno and his partner and friend, Dominick Pezzulo (Jay Hernandez), are stuck with McLoughlin under the rubble of smoke and debris and the occasional fireball. Pezzulo is eventually crushed to death, leaving only Jimeno and McLoughlin to talk to each other about their families so they don't fall asleep and possibly die (keep the brain active, as they say, so you don't fall into a coma).

Oliver Stone has not made a conspiracy film about 9/11, so don't go expecting a paranoid, political twist on modern events on the order of Stone's "JFK" or "Nixon." Stone has crafted something here that is akin to "Platoon" and "Salvador" in its individual story of survival. The difference, in the case with this film, is that it is an apolitical story of two protagonists who serve to protect and are in dire need of protection from certain death. Stone and writer Andrea Berloff also evoke the complications of almost losing someone on that dreadful day through the protagonists' wives. Jimeno's loving pregnant wife (astutely and honestly played by Maggie Gyllenhaal) is an emotional wreck who is waiting for the call that says Jimeno is alive and has been rescued. McLoughlin's wife (exceedingly well-played by Maria Bello, sporting striking blue eyes) tries to distance herself from the catastrophe, hoping McLoughlin is alive yet realizing that their love of each other might have soured prior to 9/11.

"World Trade Center" is essentially a story of strength and survival in the most dire and inhumane of catastrophes. It doesn't exploit the 9/11 tragedy but merely embodies it, as seen through the eyes of two heroic cops who did their damnedest to help others. The scenes of Jimeno and McLoughlin trapped in the rubble are about as intense as you might expect in an Oliver Stone film (despite discussions on "G.I. Jane" and a vision of Jesus, which the actual Jimeno saw). And also as expected, the scenes between the wives and their families glued to the TV screens, waiting to hear good news, are emotionally devastating. In fact, Bello and Gyllenhaal have scenes of such unparalleled power that you will grow more than misty-eyed - they are affecting in such a deep way as to make you remember how the day affected just about everyone.

I am a fan of Ollie Stone's critical dissent on politics but, this time, I can say I am glad he found the nerve to tell a simple survival story through the prism of 9/11. Some say Stone may have lost his touch and cleaned up his paranoiac fervor. Not so. How many filmmakers would dare to make a film about 9/11? Exactly.

The Day the World Changed

UNITED 93 (2006)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Originally reviewed in 2006)

I am thankful that the filmmakers of "United 93" did not exploit the 9/11 tragedy and turn it into an "Airport" version of the story. "United 93" is a white-knuckled, thoroughly intense and emotionally devastating movie - it is so intense that many viewers could easily pass out. We all know what will happen and the eventual outcome, and it is that knowledge that makes the film almost unbearable and riveting from start to finish.

"United 93" begins with a recitement of the Koran by two of the suicide hijackers before they board the United 93 flight from Newark. One of them shaves all the hair from their body, and another one remains almost unsure of himself. They board the plane without a problem. We see all the passengers on board, including the flight attendants, stewardesses and the airline pilots. There is a 30-minute delay which makes the hijackers nervous, including the leader. We almost don't want that plane to take off but it does, and the intensity begins. We see the military commanders in a station getting ready to conduct a NORAD test. There are also air-traffic controllers in airport towers and at a control center in Ronkokoma, NY. It is business as usual, making sure all flights are in communication with the air-traffic controllers. Then, a hijacking is reported. Then one of the flights disappears in a radar scope (we know what's happened at that moment) and all hell breaks loose. The World Trade Center has been struck by aircraft, the Pentagon is in flames, the President is nowhere to be found, and the F-16's are not getting any confirmation on what to do or where the missing aircraft is. Communication is at a standstill, and Flight 93 is unaware of the hysteria until the hijackers attack the passengers and take control of the aircraft.

You know what you are in for when watching "United 93." What makes the film riveting and involving is director Paul Greengrass ("Bloody Sunday") who has employed a hand-held camera immediacy to the proceedings. Hand-held cameras are often used in manufacturing a documentary-look to a fictional recreation of a historical event. What Greengrass and writers have done is make us bear witness to a tragedy unfolding in real time without ever truly knowing the passengers. This is an inspired stroke, in a sense, because the audience will feel as they are aboard that plane with them (and how often do you get to know the passengers when you board a plane). The immediacy places you squarely in this infamous day's events in ways that not even the newscasts could ever accomplish. We feel for the passengers and their anxieties and fears, especially when they learn the pilots are dead and that they are part of a suicide mission. It becomes relentless because we feel helpless and want to do something.

All the actors perform as credibly and realistically as possible, and some of the air-traffic controllers and other personnel are played by the actual participants (Ben Sliney plays himself as the chief of air-traffic control). In fact, there is not one frame of "United 93" that feels false or inaccurate. And the movie doesn't inflate the patriotism of our first freedom fighters (as the passengers on board this plane have been known as), especially a key moment where Todd Beamer says the famous words, "Let's roll." When the moment happens, it is caught as a glimpse rather than a grandstanding moment where the audience can cheer.

"United 93" is a controversial film largely because of the subject matter. Was it too soon to have a film depicting the events of 9/11? I would say no: a film like this, as honest and intensely emotional as it is, is never premature. A bad, exploitative, dishonest take on these events would've been premature. Thankfully, "United 93" is the former.