It's an Elm Street Boy!

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET: THE DREAM CHILD (1989)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

 

 

Just when Alice, the female protagonist of "Nightmare 4," thought that she had destroyed Freddy Krueger forever (in one of his best screen deaths ever), Mr. Pizza Face comes back with a vengeance. "Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child" is a weak, patched-together effort by director Stephen Hopkins (who was given only four weeks to shoot and four weeks to edit), but it is also the most interesting of the Elm Street efforts.

The powerful protagonist who gave Freddy a good fight in "The Dream Master," Alice (played by Lisa Wilcox), is now graduating from high school. She is dealing with a typical reality in any teenage girl's life: she's pregnant by her boyfriend, Danny (Danny Hassel). Of course, she doesn't realize this until she unsuspectingly resurrects Freddy by dreaming of his mother, Amanda Krueger (Beatrice Boepple), raped by a thousand mental patients (including one played by Robert Englund!) In one heart stopping moment, we see the burned Freddy fetus emerging from his mother's bloody womb, racing like a rat across an abandoned cathedral, becoming fully formed as Freddy proclaiming in typical jokey fashion, "It's a boy!"

The rest of the movie consists of Alice fending off Freddy's invasion of her unborn baby, and there are some brief, hilarious nightmares involving three of Alice's friends, including Yvonne (Kelly Jo Minter), a nurse and fantastic swimmer; Greta (Erika Anderson), a supermodel who has to lose weight thanks to her domineering mother; and Mark (Joe Seely), a talented comic-book artist who despises real-life blood and guts. The best nightmare sequence involves Mark who enters one of his own comic book worlds, where he fights Super Freddy! The mixture of black-and-white and color makes the nightmare sequence inspired and, frankly, a little silly. Some of the nightmare sequences however, were severely truncated. I had seen the uncut VHS version and the Greta death scene where she is forced to eat her own innards by Freddy is as gruesome as it gets. Dan's motorcycle bit where the bike thrusts wires into him is also quite graphic. Consider the fact that the film almost got the X-rating (a defunct rating since 1989) whereas if it was released today, it would be considered sanitized gore compared to any "Saw" installment or a "CSI" episode.

Despite its flaws and its apparent rushed, disorganized rhythm (and a far too abrupt ending), "A Nightmare on Elm Street 5" does concern itself with certain teenage problems such as pregnancy and abortion - unusual for what's essentially a slasher film. Alice deals with the birth of her baby and her beau's parents try to take her baby away ("The courts might see it differently"). I understand the parents to a degree - this teenager is telling her friends that Freddy Krueger wants her baby! Get it together, girl! Nevertheless, the Elm Street saga has always focused on teenagers and their central issues, which become the focus of their nightmares. It is also nice to see a little more of Amanda Krueger, thanks to Beatrice Beopple who gives the character a saintly, peaceful demeanor. The late Nan Martin gave the character a more haunted, aged look in "Nightmare 3."

There is also a lot less of the jocose Freddy in this film, and more of a nicely modulated performance by Lisa Wilcox; she restores whatever dignity the series warrants. Also, it is great fun watching Kelly Jo Minter as Yvonne, a nurse who has her own nightmare in a swimming pool. "A Nightmare on Elm Street 5" is far more Gothic in its look (Freddy is steeped in deeper shadows and deeper eyeliner makeup than ever before) - obviously, the filmmakers aimed to create something darker and more disturbing but it still has some fun and thrilling moments. There are some bizarre, Lynchian special-effects (the tubes emerging from Freddy's birth platform, the canted angles inside staircases that would make Salvador Dali proud, the cavernous interior design of the mental hospital). Not a complete success but I'll give it points for being anything but an anonymous sequel.

Footnote: The film's advertising originally had Freddy holding a sphere with a baby in it. It was changed to him holding a carriage in the sphere.

Wiig Wigs out as only Wiig can

BRIDESMAIDS (2011)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Bridesmaids" has been compared to "The Hangover," and I think it is an erroneously oversimplified comparison. "The Hangover" is a frenetic, male-bonding crude fantasy wrapped with quite a few laughs but no real insights into human behavior (maybe it wasn't meant to have any). "Bridesmaids" is a female-bonding comedy of manners and errors, but it is wrapped with some real insights and lots of laughs. Also, whereas "The Hangover" veered into the Vegas spotlight where everything goes wrong, "Bridesmaids" veers into complicated relationships and it is fraught with deliciously crude comic possibilities.

The incomparable Kristen Wiig is Annie, a woman of lost dreams and inarticulate men whom crave sex. Annie once owned her own bakery shop and continues baking in her home. She works at a jewelry shop where she is crass to customers (her verbal riffs with a teenage girl will have you squirming with laughter). Annie is lost but can she find her way back? She is the maid of honor for her best friend's wedding, Lillian (played by the sassy, sprightly Maya Rudolph). However, tension flares when Lillian's other friend, Helen (Rose Byrne), is spoiled rich and wants to run the whole wedding, including having Lillian get a fitting for her wedding gown in Paris. How can that compare to Annie's gift box that has a Wilson Phillips CD and other knickknacks from their early days of friendship. This leads to a mental breakdown that is hilarious, saddening, provocative and very truthful, with an added touch of slapstick that would make Jerry Lewis or the Queen of Slapstick, Lucille Ball, go "Huh? Why didn't I ever think of that?"

"Bridesmaids" is chock full of laughter from start to finish. Annie's conversations with her mother (played by the late Jill Clayburgh) are priceless. Less priceless are Annie's British roomates who seem to have drifted from a British sitcom or the British version of "Shameless" (well, that is stretching it and their inclusion is a minor quibble). Also priceless is Jon Hamm as Annie's bed buddy who consistently tells her night after night, "Alright, get the hell out of my house." Score one for Hamm's irresistible knack for playing rotten men (Don Draper might be shocked by this guy). And there is the equally irresistible Melissa McCarthy as Megan, who says what she thinks and does what she does unapologetically. There are so many great comic scenes with these women that I have a tough time naming my favorite. I guess it would be the stupendous airplane sequence. It involves a supposed air marshal, Annie having one too many drinks, Megan thrusting her leg and, well, I can't give away any more.

I've always said that modern comedies often shortchange themselves - when they contain a great idea, they don't fully exploit it. "Bridesmaids" takes the initiative and exploits every angle for what it is worth. It is my kind of comedy, teasingly chaotic and gross but aims higher with aspirations that rival most romantic comedies. It is all thanks to Kristen Wiig, who brings Annie a real dose of humanity, compassion, regret, charm and sensitivity. Annie is the saddest woman I've seen in any film in a while, and it is Wiig's nuanced, subtle work that makes it real. You come away rooting for her to get ahead, meet the right man (maybe it will be a certain sensitive policeman) and not fall in that cutesy trap where a certain Wilson Phillips song plays, ah shucks.

No pain, no gain

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM ST. 4: THE DREAM MASTER

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

The Freddy Krueger craze in the late 1980's grew to astronomical proportions, and "Nightmare on Elm Street 4" proved to be no exception in continuing the popularity of that talon-gloved fella. It was, up until 2003's "Freddy vs. Jason," the biggest hit of the series. There were more spectacular deaths, more Freddy one-liners, and there was Sinead O'Connor's hit song "I Want Your (Hands on Me)" (not to mention a subtle use of Blondie's "Rip Her to Shreds"). "Nightmare 4" is also the second best of the series and definitely the most imaginative.

The film starts with the three surviving Elm Street kids brought together into a nightmare thanks to the concerned Kristen (played this time by singer Tuesday Knight, replacing Patricia Arquette from "Nightmare 3"). Comedian Ken Sagoes (reprising his role as Kincaid from Part 3) inadvertently resurrects Freddy in a car lot with the help of his dog Jason and some flaming urine (!) Now Freddy (Robert Englund) kills the remaining Elm Street kids and is after some fresh blood, or else the movie would be over. Enter the Carrie-like Alice (Lisa Wilcox) who has premonitions and walks around in a trance. She's the only one who can destroy Freddy, and since he kills most of her friends, she acquires their strengths and becomes a formidable opponent for the big showdown in an abandoned church.

It is obvious that the series began to have less and less of the dark atmosphere of the Wes Craven original, and more of Freddy's demented criminal acting as a jokester. Still, this one is creatively designed and imaginatively directed by Renny Harlin ("Die Hard 2"). Check out the best scene in the film: Alice walks into a theatre showing "Reefer Madness" and dreams that she floats into the movie-within-the-movie, "Purple Rose of Cairo"-style. There she finds a nearly-abandoned diner where Freddy serves "Soul Pizza". It is crude and gross but tempered with enough humor and horror to make it scary. Added to that are a weightlifter who transforms into a cockroach; Freddy sucking face with an asthmatic student; a proper "Jaws" parody; an incredible junkyard sequence where the camera pulls back to reveal a planet full of junkyards, and so much more.

The movie is strictly by-the-numbers and, although not as creepy as Number 3, it is still the most visually enthralling of the entire series. Lisa Wilcox, who reprised her role in "Nightmare 5," brings us a vulnerable, timid strong-willed heroine who has her eye on a jock ("One major hunk") and on saving her friends from this demonic dream stalker. She refuses to forget the friends she lost (in a touching scene, she views a videotape of them goofing off), and it is emotional scenes of that nature that make us care. These are real teenage victims whom we are asked to identify with, hardly the anonymous variety that are featured in most slasher pictures. "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4" also boasts an ending that should have ended the series for good. Freddy kept coming back because you can't keep a child-murdering janitor down for too long.

Jesse's Homoerotic Inclinations

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE (1985)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Let's get something straight: I am big fan of Freddy Krueger. I know it is politically incorrect to like a talon-gloved, burn-scarred child murderer but at least he has some wit (unlike the robotic Jason Voorhees). Of all the "Nightmare on Elm Street" films, "Part 2: Freddy's Revenge" is the most abominable. Sure, it is dark and contains some clever moments, but it misses the mark on developing any empathetic characters or any real story sense.

This time, a family moves into the old Elm Street house where our heroine, Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp), last defeated Freddy Krueger in her dreamworld. Jesse (Mark Patton) is the new kid on the block - little does he know that a boiler room is in his house! His father (Clu Culager) orders his son to clean his room of all moving boxes - he better or else he won't be able to hang out with major babelicious student, Lisa (Kim Myers), whom he knows from the local high school. One night, however, Jesse confronts Freddy, who merely takes over Jesse's body so he can kill more high-school teenagers on Elm Street. Jesse slowly loses his mind, sleeping in class and inadvertently showing his bum during gym practice. A huge barbecue/pool party at Lisa's house results in mayhem, including a boiling hot swimming pool! Jesse even attends an S&M bar where his leather-clad gym coach (Marshall Bell) is seen (no Amazon.com gift cards to anyone who guesses that the coach will get his just desserts). A nearly naked Jesse is later returned to his parents by the police! And there are strange goings-on at the house on 1428 Elm Street including exploding parakeets, unplugged toaster ovens that shoot flames, and Jesse's dad making accusations that his son is taking drugs!

"Nightmare 2" is fairly rudimentary horror, traveling the same path as the classic original minus a worthwhile protagonist. In the original, Nancy was a real, three-dimensional human being who was confronting detached parents, a peeping tom for a boyfriend, as well as evil dreams with Freddy. Here, Jesse is nothing more than a troubled kid with baleful eyes - I would not want to see this guy in a dark alley. Thus, it is hard to care for Jesse and his plight. Kim Myers is cute as the typical girlfriend, though her one inventive characteristic is that she assumes Jesse has clairvoyant capabilities. Clu Culager steals the show as Jesse's father, though why anyone would think that their own son would place a firecracker in a parakeet's mouth is beyond comprehension.

As always, Robert Englund makes for an intense Freddy Krueger, devoid of much of the humor of later entries. Fire seems to be the major special-effect, and homoeroticism runs rampant throughout. Yet with an unsympathetic protagonist and unbelievable lapses in dream logic, "Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2" is simply an unscary run-of-the-mill slasher picture.

Raging Bull 2? Say it ain't so, Jake

Raging Bull II? Say it ain't so, Jake

By Jerry Saravia

For what it is worth, "Raging Bull" is not just a masterpiece, it is one of the great cinematic wonders of the 20th century. It is also one of the four or five most perfect Martin Scorsese films ever made (the others being "Taxi Driver," "GoodFellas," "The Age of Innocence" and, possible shocker to some, "Hugo.") "Raging Bull" dares to show not only the unflinching brutality of the sport of boxing, it also conveys the brutal, masochistic and macho-istic nature of the real-life boxer Jake LaMotta (Robert De Niro). The film is the opposite of the glory, uplifting appeal of "Rocky" - it criticizes and empathizes with a man who not only fought his inner demons in the boxing ring but also at home, physically and emotionally abusing his wife and accusing her of infidelity. It also contains Robert De Niro's finest performance ever, a shattering, emotional, violent animal of a powerhouse of a performance (let me say that not even the late Marlon Brando or any actor could've mined this kind of titanic work).

  A combination prequel and sequel that explores "before the rage" and "after the rage" of world middleweight boxing champ Jake LaMotta's tumultuous life and times. 

- Raging Bull II

An announcement was recently made that a sequel was in the works, which is iffy at best even if Scorsese and De Niro were involved. They are, however, not involved in any capacity.  Instead Argentinian director Martin Guigui (who helmed "National Lampoon's Cattle Call") is directing and co-writing this, based on the 1986 book of the same name by Chris Anderson, Sharon McGehee and Jake LaMotta, and tough-as-nails actor William Forsythe has been cast as the titular pugilist. I still got to ask: what is the point? The original film was criticized by some at the time (Pauline Kael for one) for not providing any insights into Jake's childhood (something which this pre-sequel will cover) but no insights were really necessary (the sequel book also deals with Jake's other abusive marriages and domestic violence rages). Jake's background was clear enough with his surroundings, the people he consorted with, the tumultuous relationship to his equally volatile brother Joey (Joe Pesci), and the way Jake treated his wife, Vicky (Catherine Moriarty). And when his boxing days were over, Jake became a nightclub act, owned his own Miami club before getting busted for allowing underage girls in his club, performed in bad, cheap venues in N.Y.C, and eventually played at ritzier clubs with skits that involved the writings of Tennessee Williams. Jake divorced from Vicky yet managed to reconcile with his brother. The result was a film that was a relentless and vivid biographic tale of a man who fought hard on and off the ring, and also fought hard to punish himself for his sins. He is not quite redeemed, but how many Scorsese protagonists ever are? 

I can give credit where it is due in continuing the story of Jake LaMotta. At least it is better than attempting yet another foolhardy sequel in the "National Lampoon Vacation" series (or God forbid, a remake of the original Chevy Chase classic). Scorsese himself has turned down sequels in the past to his own works (though he did helm "Color of Money", which was the inferior yet flashy and entertaining sequel to Robert Rossen's "The Hustler"). He had refused any involvement in a "Cape Fear" sequel, claiming that he did his best to show that Max Cady, the film's villain, was dead. There were also rumors for a long time of a "Taxi Driver" sequel to be co-directed or co-written with the insane director Lars Von Trier (!), and a continuation of "GoodFellas" (this is actually happening as it has been picked as a TV series for AMC and will be penned by "GoodFellas" author Nicholas Pileggi. Scorsese's involvement, though, is probably zilch). But the original "Raging Bull" had fully encapsulated Jake LaMotta, so the only place you can go from there is where Jake almost fell himself - downhill.

I am the King of the world

TITANIC (1997)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Titanic" is back in cinema screens due to the 100th anniversary of the real-life tragic event of 1912, and it is now in 3-D. Why in 3-D? I can't say except that it is almost like depicting "Schindler's List" in 3-D. Again, I said almost because "Titanic" represents both the best and the worst of Hollywood filmmaking. At its best, "Titanic" is a lavish, thrilling account of one of the biggest disasters of the 20th century. At its worst, the movie is flawed in the screenwriting department, and presents numerous cliches and particularly bad acting with a dash of silly escapist moments that should have zero association with that sinking disaster. In other words, it is nothing like "Schindler's List" but it should have been. 

"Titanic" tells its tragic tale via the only survivor of the actual sinking of the ship - a 102-year-old woman (the late Oscar-nominated Gloria Stuart) who recounts the vivid tale to a group of research scientists led by a marine scavenger (Bill Paxton). This scavenger is looking for a jewel aboard the Titanic's ruins, but instead he finds a sketch of a nude girl wearing the long-lost jewel. The nude girl is, of course, the elder woman, Rose Dewitt Bukater, who is played as a 17-year-old girl by the stellar actress Kate Winslet (who went on to roles more suited to her dramatic range).

In luminous photography and sweeping visuals, "Titanic" quickly takes us back to that fateful day in April, 1912 when the first of the Titanic's 2,207 passengers began boarding the ship in Southampton, England. We are introduced to the major characters such as the itinerant-artist Jack Dawson (Leonard DiCaprio, who has had a more varied career than expected) who wins a steerage-class ticket in a poker game, the aforementioned Rose, along with her assertive mother (Frances Fisher), and Rose's snobbish fiancee, Cal Hockley (Billy Zane). We also meet the shrewd, unsinkable Molly Brown (Kathy Bates).

Director James Cameron spares us no expense in showing us the elaborate decks of the ship, the ballrooms, the pretentious bedrooms, the tiny steerage compartments and the hot and heavy boiler room. We also see the differences in the lifestyles and treatment of the haves and the have-nots (a sort of twist on the "Upstairs, Downstairs" scenario). These differences are further exemplified by the forbidden teenage romance between the near-suicidal, potentially wealthy Rose and the clever, destitute Jack who awakens a new sensibility in her by teaching her how to spit, and sketches her in the nude. This causes problems between Rose and the violent, spiteful Cal who orders his thuggish partner (David Warner, a waste of a great actor) to keep an eye on Jack. Before you can say romantic soap opera, the ship hits a big iceberg. According to the ship's builder Thomas Andrews (Victor Garber), this will cause the ship to sink within an hour. The lower levels of the ship gradually start to sink, including the boiler room, forcing the stewards to shut off the boilers and begin evacuation. Unfortunately, there are only a limited number of lifeboats available for the thousands of panicked passengers.

"Titanic" is at its best during the last hour and a half where we see the destructive nature of the sinking of this massive ship. At this point, Cameron's main theme comes forth - man's technological advancement (and arrogance) spells death for humanity itself. Thousands of lives are lost, and we see how the stewards lead the first-class passengers into safety first. There's also a terrifying scene where one of the stewards threatens and kills a couple of eager passengers. We also see Rose trying to rescue Jack who's locked away in one of the lower levels by Cal's partner. This whole section is so stirring and emotional that you're not likely to leave the theater with dry eyes.

Cameron's weakness is in his writing. The romance between Rose and Jack certainly evokes a passion and sense of love that is not unlike most other tragic love stories. Cameron's main fault, however, lies with some of the supporting characters. Billy Zane as the cocky, snobbish Cal is laughably oafish emitting numerous cliched line readings - he seems to have drifted in from a bad Harlequin romance novel. The same can be said for the predictably cold character of Rose's mother who does not approve of Jack because she wants her daughter to marry Cal for the security he can provide. There's also too little of the boisterous Kathy Bates as Molly Brown who brightens the screen whenever she shows up, and too much of Cal's gun-toting partner who seems to have drifted in from an Indiana Jones adventure.

Other bland characters include Titanic luminaries such as the worrisome Captain Smith (Bernard Hill, who appeared in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy); the Whites Star Lines executive (Jonathan Hyde) who insists that the ship travel at full speed so they can arrive in New York a day early; and a couple of other forgettable wealthy passengers. Another lesser weakness is the movie's obligatory framing device of having the elder Rose tell us her story of that fateful night - it's interesting yet unnecessary in its own way because the power of the film is the compelling story itself that we need no guidance in following.

Still, this is among Cameron's best technical work by far, and it is a tribute to him that we don't actually notice any of the special-effects. In a sense, he makes us feel we are aboard the ship, before and after it sinks. "Titanic" is an awesome spectacle and perversely entertaining, but its narrative style and characters are less than stimulating. From director James Cameron, I'd prefer his "Terminator" films and the spectacular "The Abyss" over this sinking behemoth. The notion of it being released in 3-D feels like a bad joke and it is bad taste (the movie is already visually three-dimensional with two-dimensional characters). Then again, on the night of the Academy Awards in 1998 where "Titanic" won an undeserved slew of Oscars, James Cameron told the crowd to stand in silence to remember the victims of that disaster. Then he abruptly told them, "Let's party!" Not a subtle bone in his body. 

Irwin Allen-type Disaster Flick scores a 7 on the Richter scale

EARTHQUAKE (1974)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Irwin Allen disaster-type pictures were a dime a dozen back in the 1970's. "Earthquake" is no exception - a loud, gargantuan-size disaster picture which is nothing less than about an earthquake on the 7.0 Richter scale that nearly decimates the entire Los Angeles area. Buildings collapse, a dam begins to crack open, high voltage wires snap - sheer chaos on a catastrophic level.

This is one of those movies where a group of heroic characters, including a honest-to-the-bone cop (George Kennedy) and an office worker ready for a promotion (Charlton Heston), always seem to run into each other by coincidence. You've also got Ava Gardner as Heston's manipulative wife; an early performance by Victoria Principal sporting an Afro; Richard Roundtree as an ambitious daredevil motorcyclist; Genevieve Bujold as an out-of-work actress (one of the most sensual voices in movie history, thank you "Choose Me"); Lorne Greene as a company president who has the improbable role of being Ava Gardner's father(!); Marjoe Gortner in the weirdest casting in the film as a psychotic grocery store manager who is also a National Guard rifleman, and finally Walter Matthau who brings a drunkenly clownish bit of humor to the proceedings.

"Earthquake" is insanely silly, rough around the edges (there is the occasional Jackson Pollock-edited flash of blood color that will leave you with a smile on your face), and crudely entertaining. This was the first film to have a Sensurround effect, with sounds mimicking a major rumble. I did not have the pleasure of witnessing this film in theaters then but I am sure it worked since it won an Oscar for Sound. Worth seeing on a Saturday afternoon - you could do worse.