Comic Books are bad for yah

COMIC BOOK VILLAINS (2002)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

 

There is only one reason in the world to sit through the overcooked, overstuffed "Comic Book Villains" and that is Donal Logue. He is one of those unsung journeyman actors who pop up to give an otherwise mediocre film a lift. When he is the lead, as was the case with the cutesy yet diverting "The Tao of Steve," we fans, we precious few, are delighted that an actor like Donal Logue is allowed the chance to headline a major film.

"Comic Book Villains" has Logue as Raymond, a comic-book collector and store owner who is more knowledgeable about comic-book minutiae than anyone else. He learns from Conan (not O'Brien but Danny Masterson) that a certain Mr. Creeswell has passed on and left his precious comic-book collection to his mother. It is so precious that it includes early comics about the Human Torch, Captain America's first appearance, and a lot more . It is a virtual gold mine which would save Raymond's faltering comic-book store. Unfortunately, a rival money-hungry comic-book owner (Michael Rapaport) and his money-hungrier wife (Natasha Lyonne) are also interested in getting their hands on these comics, thanks to Conan who fesses up the information about Creeswell to them.

At first, "Comic Book Villains" is comical, pardon the pun, and light on its feet. It is fun seeing these characters trying their best to impress the unimpressed Ms. Creeswell (Eileen Brennan) in the hopes of persuading her to sell the comic-book collection. It is also fun listening to the comic-book enthusiasts discussing sex lives of various comic-book heroes. But then director James Dale Robinson changes the tone from comedy to black humor to nearly sadistic claptrap. We are entering Tarantino waters here, sort of, but all sense of fun is lost when Cary Elwes is introduced as this macho-istic, dangerous criminal-type who has a pole-dancing girlfriend (oh, and his name is J. Carter, no doubt a nod to you know what). Carter's purpose is to help Raymond rob the Creeswell residence. Oh, yeah, and Carter is also a home fixer-upper.

Donal Logue makes it worthwhile somewhat by giving us a Raymond who was bullied and wished he became interested in something other than comic-book trivia. Of course, he blames this on Carter. Cary Elwes is occasionally convincing but he seems to have drifted in from another movie. Michael Rapaport's finely-tuned comic delivery is lacking in a film with stilted dialogue. Lyonne's smile is memorable but she could have really given the film a shot of adrenaline if her role had been magnified.

The one film that successfully mined and mixed comedy with film noir was Jonathan Demme's "Something Wild," a tough, violent and also exceedingly sweet movie. "Comic Book Villains" has characters who are sweet-tempered and innocent until they suddenly become amoral sadists. We have two movies here, and they do not merge.

The colorless Superman

MAN OF STEEL IS BACK...again?
(Commentary on teaser/trailer)

By Jerry Saravia

I suppose it is a broken record on my part and I promise to let this remake-reboot topic die, for the time being. But my Spidey-Film-Critic Sense is nagging me after watching a teaser for the new 2013 flick, "Man of Steel." Why in the hell do we need another live-action remake (forget the word: reboot) of Superman? I understand a "Justice League" film might indeed be a good idea but a new "Superman" flick? The last time we had Superman flying the skies was in the thoroughly unpleasant, humdrum and sickeningly joyless "Superman Returns," a disaster with lame casting and dull conflict. The only actor who delivered in that film was Kevin Spacey as the bald-headed Lex Luthor. So Warner Brothers decided it was time to do it all over again, as if it hadn't been done right the first time around with Christopher Reeve in the nearly flawless 1978 charmer, the highly entertaining "Superman." WB now has some British actor named Henry Cavill to play the Man of Steel, Russell Crowe as Jor-El, Kevin Costner as Pa Kent (is the studio serious?), and I refuse to mention any of the other oddball casting choices. The studio's reasoning: (I am quoting) "Just treat Superman Returns as the Ang Lee Hulk." I am one of a minority that happened to enjoy Ang Lee's "Hulk," far more than the repetitious and numbing experience of 2008's "The Incredible Hulk." Of course, that is just me.

Now that I have seen the teaser, I see what Warner Brothers is up to. Director Christopher Nolan is one of the producers who came up with the revamped story. No details have been revealed thus far but the dreary, overcast Smallville seen in flashes tells me that director Zack Snyder ("Watchmen") and Nolan are casting a serious tone on this one. How much more serious can it be than to have Superman flying at incredible speeds to turn back time to save a dead Lois Lane in the original and best version ever with the late Christopher Reeve? Anyone that considers the first two original Richard Donner-directed "Superman" flicks to be campy hasn't really seen them. They are fun and have a sense of wonder, like all comic-book movies should. Seems like filmmakers today are taking a cue from Nolan's Caped Crusader and anything post-"Sin City" and making every thing look dark, dreary and foreboding, nary a trace of humor or wit. Not all comic-book films have this pale, subterranean look - consider "Iron Man," "Thor" and "Captain America" which are fun-filled and pretty damn good films in their own right. That is not to say that "Man of Steel" might not be fun (I am hoping it is superior to "Superman Returns") but the colorless Superman outfit seen in behind-the-scenes photos indicates that we have entered a Bizarro world. Once again, I fail to see the point.

My name is...Linda Lee

SUPERGIRL (1984)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

There was hope with the first known screen version of "Supergirl" that lightning might strike twice with a different franchise in the vein of Superman. My hope was that "Supergirl" would be more fun and engaging than the dreary "Superman III." Well, it certainly is but the film sank fast to the ground and nothing could keep it afloat, not even my best friend at the time who detested the film. I still like it, certainly far more than "Superman III," but it has a camp value that rates it as a late Saturday night viewing.

Helen Slater, in her first starring role, plays Supergirl, also known as Kara, who has fled in some orb from her dying planet, Argo City, to retrieve a precious power source known as the Omegahedron on Earth. Her planet exists in innerspace, which means she comes flying out of the water dressed in her Supergirl costume! Yes, we are talking a skimpy red dress, red boots, blue shirt with the famous S emblazoned on it and a red cape, not to mention striking blonde hair. Supergirl has a mission: to retrieve this crystal with magical powers and save her planet. Lo and behold, she has to deal with stereotypical truck rapists, Lois Lane's sister (Maureen Teefy, who has Margot Kidder's sarcasm intact), a lovey-dovey Jimmy Olsen (Marc McClure), a flamboyant witch named Selena (Faye Dunaway), schoolgirl bullies and pranksters, a huge monster that resembles the Nothing from "The Never-Ending Story" (another cinematic charmer from 1984), and a pure hunk of a mechanic (Hart Bochner). Oh, yes, and I forgot to mention that Kara aka Supergirl can't be seen flying around the Illinois area so she conceals her identity as a high school student at a private all-girls' school and calls herself Linda Lee (based on a photo she spots of Robert E. Lee!)

"Supergirl" is flat-out silly and incomprehensible at times, but never less than funny and campy. Slater is wonderful as Supergirl - she makes the part her own and imbues it with enough charm and heroism to come across as anything but ludicrous. She has many priceless moments, including some hysterical reaction shots when talking to Bochner's character who has fallen in love with her secret identity. I also found Dunaway quite funny and regaling, giving the role every ounce of humor she can muster. She is not as over-the-top as in some of her later work, or her famous villainess, Joan Crawford, in the criminally underrated "Mommie Dearest." Brenda Vaccaro plays second fiddle to Dunaway, and is equally delightful. Peter Cook and Hart Bochner can get on your nerves, and Mia Farrow's cameo as Kara's mother leaves a lot to be desired.

On the plus side, the special-effects are well-done and the flying sequences are convincing (including Supergirl's somersaults in the air). The storyline could have used more development (and this concept of innerspace was not very clear to me). Still, it is nice to see the Phantom Zone for once, which looks like one grimy, depressing place! How Selena manages to send Supergirl there at one point, let alone hear of it, is baffling to me. It is all fluffy nonsense that could have led to some sequels had the original not bombed so badly with audiences and critics. I say remake the film and bring back Helen Slater! The time is right considering all these comic-book heroes are coming out of the woodwork and entering our cinema screens. She could be our own darling Superwoman all over again!

By the way, seeing what a film nut I am (emphasis on the word "nut"), I saw the director's cut version of "Supergirl" and the 124 minute cut, which is precisely twenty minutes longer than the theatrical cut. The discrepancies of the plot and other sweet scenes (like Supergirl practicing her kissing on a mirror) are in the director's cut, though there are deletions of other lines or transitions (for instance, the word "retarded" is omitted, which is a stupid idea). But I do think there is too much of Selena and her ritual acts in this cut, so I'd say stick with the 124 minute cut, by far the better version.

The existential Batsignal has been tainted

THE EXISTENTIAL BATSIGNAL HAS BEEN TAINTED

By Jerry Saravia

07-22-12
Movie theaters, particularly packed movie houses, are supposed to generate thrills and anticipation especially with a big, epic summertime blockbuster film. The mood in a movie theater has always been about generating excitement - it is a communal experience and the most that should ever happen is that someone speaks too loudly on their cellphone, throws popcorn at the screen and occasional belligerence. A movie theater is a place where people yell, holler, laugh, cry and exhibit a range of emotions. The last thing that anyone ever expected was for a man wearing bulletproof gear and a gas mask to shoot randomly at people watching a film, as he entered from an emergency door and threw tear gas.

Violence has occured at movie theaters before, more often than not in the outside of the theater than the inside (such was the case of the Westwood, L.A. riots outside a movie theater showing "New Jack City", though there were reports of gun violence in other cities). Few probably remember a 45-year-old security guard who shot a woman in the back as he sat behind her while watching "Schindler's List" in a theater, back in January of 1994 (Read this fascinating and eerie firsthand account from a witness http://www.fright.com/edge/realshooting.html). Fortunately, the woman survived and no one else was hurt but panic did ensue with all patrons leaving the theater en masse. Colorado's tragic incident, however, is a sickeningly senseless act of murders that crossed the line between the patrons watching a film and the reality of the world they were eager to escape from for a couple of hours. Only that line has been blurred with regards to the film that was screened, "The Dark Knight Rises."

Though I have not seen the film, it is pretty close, judging by reviews, to the other two Christopher Nolan-directed Batman installments. I love "Batman Begins," possibly the best Batman flick ever made with equal doses of heroism and noir firmly placed in unison and it had the most full-bodied and developed Bruce Wayne interpretation by far. "The Dark Knight," as great a film as it is, is not really a Batman film - it is a nihilistic nightmare about the Joker painted as a malicious, malevolent and ugly terrorist who has no sense of humor. I liked the ambiguity of the finale and the idea that the hero has to escape from Gotham to preserve himself and the city. In other words, the Joker won and the reality of what was seemingly a comic-book film was, in fact, perilously close to the world we live in.

I am not suggesting that the killer, who has not given a motive for the shootings, has been inspired by the latest Batman flick or the previous Batman flicks (though reports are flooding in that his booby-trapped apartment was full of Batman paraphernalia). In fact, I believe the killer would have used any big-screen event premiere with a huge crowd to carry out his deadly attack (though he did tell police he was the Joker while being apprehended). This 24-year-old college dropout had methodically planned this crime, systematically killing any and everyone at random. In the end, 12 people thus far are dead and 58 or more have survived, some with critical injuries. I am suggesting, however, that an existential reality has infected some escapist, post-9/11 films, notably the revisionist Batman films. Director Christopher Nolan has no doubt used our currently troubled, economically recessive climate to dictate the morally hazy environment of Gotham City. The previews for "Rises" indicate a film that is far more sinister and darker than anything ever attempted before with the title Batman, particularly with clips showing exploding football fields, gunfire at a stock exchange and much more. But this terrible tragedy has infected the film forever and anytime anyone mentions "The Dark Knight Rises" in the future, this Aurora, Colorado tragedy will be alluded to or referenced.

Though the media hasn't quite made the connection between the film's subject matter and the killer (and let me be clear, I could care less if the killer uses the Twinkie defense, murder is murder), I myself might not have made such a connection had it been a Katy Perry concert film. I say pray for the victims of this unspeakably atrocious act and, speaking for myself, I am uncertain if I can bring myself to see "The Dark Knight Rises" anytime soon. 

An Oedipal Paradox

BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Like "The Wizard of Oz," "Back to the Future" is a pop masterpiece that generations can enjoy again and again. It is enthralling, hugely entertaining, explosively funny and charming as hell. It also contains a rare Oedipal complex for a Spielberg/Zemeckis blockbuster and a final coda that still remains somewhat unsatisfying in retrospect, just like "Oz."

But first on to the specifics. "Back to the Future" stars Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, the aspiring teenager who would rather kiss his girlfriend and play in his rock n' roll band than attend school on time. He lives in a small town named Hill Valley where the main concern has to do with rebuilding a clock tower! His parents are nothing to write home about. Marty's father, George (Crispin Glover), is a nerd who wears oil-slicked hair and laughs in a manner that would drive anyone mad. Marty's mother, Lorraine (Lea Thompson), is a drunk who looks haggard and wasted - she looks like a former beauty who was ravaged by life. Then there is Marty's brother (Marc McClure) who works at a fast-food restaurant, and his heavy-set sister (the late Wendie Jo Sperber) who can't meet anyone special, or is not allowed to at least. Apparently, Marty's parents met by sheer luck as Lorraine's father hit George with his car while George was spying on the goods. Dad's boss, Biff (Thomas F. Wilson), picks on him and Marty, and doesn't spare a moment to remind Marty to tell his mother, Lorraine, he said hello. There is no happiness in this household.

But the movie picks up tremendous pace as Marty's pal, Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), a crazed inventor with electrified white hair, calls him to show his latest discovery, a time-travelling DeLorean! It can go from 0 to 88 miles per hour in a flash but 88 is the magic number as it transports one through time at that speed. Marty is astounded as he records all this on his video camera until the Lybians show up and kill Doc for making a nuclear bomb out of pinball machine parts! Marty runs and heads off into the DeLorean and mistakenly goes back to the year 1955! Yes, good old 1955 where he meets his parents when they were high-school teenagers!

"Back to the Future" is a movie I watched religiously, especially in theaters where I saw it four times. What is more amazing is how much teen movies have changed since. Marty's preoccupation in this movie is to get his parents to date each other and attend a dance where they kiss so he can be born in the future! I have a sick feeling in my heart that if this movie were made today, Marty would be more concerned about having sex and discussing it with his parents than anything else. But I digress. This is not so much a teen movie as it is about teenage life in the 80's in contrast to the 50's. Teen dating, values, morals change with each passing generation but certain systems, like family, remain the same. And Marty knows that all too well, trying to preserve his own family so he and his siblings can exist.

The details are what count in "Back to the Future." As all fans of the film know, the Twin Pines Mall of 1985 becomes, through Marty's intervention, Lone Pine Mall in the alternate 1985. Marty's dietary concerns in 1985 consist of pepsi-free soda whereas in 1955, you can get a cup of black coffee for 5 cents and coca-cola comes in glass bottles. The local theater of 1985 shows a porno film whereas in 1955, you get to see a Ronald Reagan flick. Essentially, the Hill Valley of 1955 is in pristine condition and the high school, as Marty wisecracks at one point, looks brand new. It is a time when one had to earn a date, particularly to go to a dance, and skateboards and rock and roll were still nonexistent. Marty McFly changes all that - he changes the future for all resulting in an alternate timeline.

"Back to the Future" mixes laughs, tension, action and drama in equal doses, always surprising us and keeping us in wonder every step of the way. We never know what to expect next, and the thrills and comedy keep coming at us from one scene to the next. Director Robert Zemeckis knows how to channel all the ingredients carefully (he co-wrote the script with Bob Gale) and maintain the right flow and rhythm. No scene or moment is wasted. Even a terrifically human moment, that could seem like a throwaway, where Marty teaches the young George about setting his mind on accomplishing anything, which includes socking the bully Biff, has a tenderness that shows the right balance of heart and humor. In fact, looking at the film in a more analytical approach, it really is about Marty and his relationship to his parents. Zemeckis and Gale maintain that interest throughout, including Marty's own relationship to Doc Brown whose 1955 counterpart is doing his best to get the young lad safe and sound in good old 1985.

And yet, the ending still vexes me. I suppose it is a flaw that the Zemeckis-Gale team did not see foresee but it is there. When Marty returns to 1985, it is an alternate existence where his father is a successful science-fiction novelist, his mother does not drink and plays tennis, his brother works at some firm as does his sister, yet his girlfriend remains the same (I still think there was a missed opportunity there if the girl had been someone else entirely). Marty loves his new life, and make no mistake, it is a new one where he takes pride on his new truck and loves his parents for having changed from their original existence. And that is just it. What about the parents Marty had? Yes, one was a slob and the other a drunk, but should he not love them the same way regardless? Those people will never exist...so is Marty still the same? One wonders when he arrives a bit earlier in 1985 to try to prevent Doc Brown from getting shot. Okay, he sees himself going back to 1955, and so who is that Marty? The same or different? Just wondering but I feel his love for his parents of the other 1985 should have been richer and more loving than accepting essentially new people as his parents. It is like the ending of "Wizard of Oz," an ending that has always bugged me as well, where Dorothy returns to the dour, sepia-toned Kansas in extreme delight uttering the famous lines, "There is no place like home." Really? As compared to the marvelous sights of the city of Oz?

But that is a minor quibble really. There is too much to love in this movie. Every scene and every line of dialogue is memorable. Marty's discovery that he really is in 1955 and wakes up in his mother's bedroom is hilarious. The moment where he watches an old "Honeymooner's" episode that he recalls seeing in 1985 and telling Lorraine's family in 1955 that it is a rerun is priceless. Marty persuading Doc Brown of 1955 that he is from the future and that the future President is Ronald Reagan, the actor, is sidesplittingly funny! There is also the tense moment where Marty starts to disappear as he plays in Marvin Berry's band waiting for his parents to kiss so he can exist. Who can forget Marty pretending to be Darth Vader from the planet Vulcan and playing a Van Halen tape! But the Oedipal moment, an unforgettable scene in all of sci-fi and fantasy, is when Marty is forced to kiss his mother of 1955 and she says, "It felt like I was kissing my brother." It is a moment to stop time yet it is handled delicately and with polish by Zemeckis and Gale. As far as I am concerned, it is the highlight of the "Back to the Future" movies.

"Back to the Future" is fantastic entertainment from beginning to end. It brings smiles, has a great sense of fun, has lots of great , fully realized ideas and excellent performances (including small yet equally memorable bits by Claudia Wells as Marty's supportive girlfriend and J.J. Cohen as one of Biff's bullies ("Check out this guy's life preserver"), and milks its time travel premise for all its worth. It is a definite classic for many years and generations to come, but that ending might still leave you reeling.

"The only band that ever mattered"

COLOR ME OBSESSED (2011)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Thanks to my rocking and rolling wife, I have listened to the Replacements. My fave song of theirs is possibly "White and Lazy," but do not color me a fan just yet (I have listened to only one full album). I do like their spare, frenetic style that is at once an affront to the mainstream and yet embraces it at the same time. It is almost as if they dare to enter the cold, sterile world they so seemingly hate. I think that encapsulates the Ramones as well, one of the major influences on the Replacements. Watching this daring new documentary "Color Me Obsessed" reminds me of the adulation, the criticism and the influence a band can have on a generation raised with, in the case of the greedy, baby-boomers of the 1980's, Reaganomics.

The forming of the Minneapolis-based Replacements began in 1979 (thyey were first known as Dogbreath) by drummer Chris Mars and brothers Bob and Tommy Stinson. The Replacements were soon joined by lyricist Paul Westerberg, a local janitor who overheard the group practicing day after day while hiding in a bush. Songs that cut deep ranged from "Unsatisfied", "Answering Machine", "Can’t Hardly Wait" to endless cover songs (and the ultimate punk thing to do - to daringly call an album of theirs "Let it Be"). The Replacements played a vast number of live shows and a finite number of them resulted in fights and drunkeness. The band members prided themselves on outrageousness, both in their look and their on-stage behavior. Bob Stinson wore a tutu, played guitar in a garbage can and wore diapers. If a show was never truly unruly and unpredictable (as was the case with a Trenton, NJ show), then the fans were disappointed. Same with their albums - the Replacements' last few albums were too professionally produced, lacking the chaotic, garage sound of their early work. One fan, David Minehan of the Neighborhoods, says he is a fan of bands who produce sell-out albums. To each their own.

The multitude of the criticisms in this documentary come from the fans who are given ample time to supply their opinions on the band's musical highs and lows. Robert Voedisch, a farm boy who religiously listened to the Mats' "Pleased to Meet Me," is my favorite subject in the movie. He talks about how nobody in his school ever heard of the band except for his teacher. Robert also discusses how the band is part of his DNA and is unsure if he really loves the band or not.

We also hear from New York Times' media columnist David Carr, actor George Wendt ("Cheers"), Tommy Ramone (who produced the 'Mats "Tim" album), and other bands such as Babes in Toyland, Gaslight Anthem, among others who have been deeply inspired by the 'Mats. Some may not realize that Chicago film critic Michael Philips is also a huge fan, a fact omitted from this film. We also get a list of grades that Village Voice pop critic Robert Christgau gave each Replacements album (he never graded their last album).

"Color Me Obsessed" is that unique rarity - a fan-based documentary without one stitch of music or photos of the band itself. At first, I was baffled by the purposeful choice of director Gorman Berchard to omit the music completely. I have heard some of the Replacements' music but the uninitiated may have no idea what the fans are talking about (not even a couple of lyrics are sung or uttered, hence we lose whatever poetry exists in Paul Westerberg's writing). I respect the sound and brave choice Berchard made and there are enough colorful interviews in here (including a brief bit by The Fleshtones' own singer, Peter Zaremba) to make up for it. Still, I would have been pleased to hear from the 'Mats themselves.

One, two, Freddy 1, Freddy Redo

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (2010)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

 Horror remakes have so dominated our movie theaters that it is almost unheard of to imagine a new idea by a new director. 1984's "Nightmare on Elm Street" was a sensational, inventive horror film that introduced the world to the hideous burn victim with a red and green sweater, Freddy Krueger. The original film was not perfect - the ending was muted and stiff - but it is a classic in the genre, spawning several sequels and a postmodernist redux by the original film's director, Wes Craven, called "New Nightmare." Now we get the inevitable remake of the 1984 film and the big surprise is that it isn't half-bad and develops a far more sinister tone. It doesn't eclipse the original, not by a long shot, but it ain't an embarrassment either.

After witnessing a teenager kill himself in a cafe, we have a pretty teen girl, Kris (Katie Cassidy), who was the kid's girlfriend and is in mourning. She sees a vision of herself as a young child with razor-like tears on her dress at her boyfriend's funeral (she falls asleep briefly). Kris knows something is rotten in the Elm Street world when she discovers an old preschool picture that shows her and her high-school friends - the twist is she didn't know them then, or did she? There is also the demure, sullen Nancy (Rooney Mara), who works as a waitress and can't sleep. Her friend, Quentin (Kyle Gallner), also has trouble sleeping and is practically a walking zombie who takes medication to keep him alert (and has a propensity for adrenaline needles). It is saying something in 2010 when the teens are more insular and pill-popping than the teens in 1984 - these kids do not party and have no fun. They simply worry about the demonic killer of their dreams, Fred Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley). At least in the original, the kids had sex and thought about something besides talon-gloved child murderers.

This Elm Street film has got one chip that falls into place beautifully, Jackie Earle Haley. He looks like a burn victim and has some token one-liners (including stealing Englund's show-stopping one-liner from "Elm Street 4" - "How's this for a wet dream?") but he is also scary and disgusting to look at (and so was Englund in the original film, which left him often shrouded in deep shadows). One truly nice touch is when Quentin has a nightmare about Freddy where Freddy makes himself the innocent victim of crimes he didn't commit. It is the wittiest idea in the entire film.

The teens are not memorable, though, and the actors do try their best. Rooney Mara as Nancy comes off best, though she pales (literally) in comparison to Heather Langenkamp in the original (Rooney went on to play Lisbeth in "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" remake). Kyle Gallner looks like he is in a deep sleep even when he is awake (or maybe he realized he could adopt a Robert Pattinson dreaminess). These teenagers look like emaciated zombies with stylish clothing living in a very subterranean Elm Street world. It looks like a dream world in a dream world, and I am not sure that is the best visual approach. One of the pleasures of the original was that it showed a sunlit, almost picturesque suburbia where evil could intrude.

There are some scares, some moments that will make one jumpy, and almost no real humor in "A Nightmare on Elm Street." The humor could've been mined in such a way as to make us feel uneasy without the complete focus on dread. For some reason, today's filmmakers feel that horror films have to be deadly serious minus grisly humor. I admire the fact that the movie is not chock full of blood-splattered murders and Jackie Earle Haley does a competent job as Freddy - he holds the movie together and leaves a lasting impression. As directed by debuting director, Samuel Bayer, it is just a well-made shocker that could've used more imagination and, yes, a little bit more humor.