A new menace in Middle-Earth

THE HOBBIT (2012)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

The critics have declared Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" too long, too expository, too much and, in some instances, too boring. Some have also complained about Peter Jackson's new invention - a 48-frame-per-second film that makes everything appear hyperreal - fake-looking in other words. I have not seen the film in this format so I can't comment but that hardly matters. "The Hobbit" is a lavishly mounted, extraordinarily intimate and awesome fantasy adventure - it blows away any other fantasy films since Jackson's own "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King." 

Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) is a hobbit who happily smokes and eats in his own little house. He is approached one day by Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen), a wise old wizard who has summoned a league of extraordinary dwarves to Bilbo's house. Bilbo knows precious little about Gandalf (this tale takes place 60 years before "Lord of the Rings") and is dismayed by all these dwarves. Their mission is to go back to their own homeland called The Lonely Mountain, which they had lost to an intensely fire-breathing dragon named Smaug who drove them out and killed many. Dragons love gold and this Smaug basically sleeps in it. Gandalf wants to recruit the reluctant Bilbo as the "burglar" which would help the dwarfes enter their own palace of riches. On the way, the group confront giant Scottish-accented trolls; a Goblin King (Barry Humphries) with ravaged, acne-scarred skin and an oversized hanging chin; Radaghast the Brown (Sylvester McCoy), a wizard who resides in the forest and keeps bird poop on his head; the return of Gollum (Andy Serkis) who performs a game of riddles with Bilbo; the Stone Giants who try to crush each other while our heroes hang on for dear life and, most memorably, Azog the Pale Orc (Manu Bennett), a dangerous creature who lusts for war and intends nothing but to kill all dwarves. Naturally there has been some resentment towards Bilbo and that is true of the dwarf Thorin (Richard Armitage), a warrior who has a dislike for Elves and especially Azog. 

"The Hobbit" is simply a delight from first frame to last, easing from one encounter with fantastical creatures after another to dwarves singing and doing Bilbo's dishes! There are also the enormous vistas of Middle-Earth (played by New Zealand) coupled with vast palaces covered on every inch of floor by gold; the Goblin King's fiery underground lair; the deep bluish starkness of Azog's surroundings or the amber tones of Radaghast's own treehouse - all add great flavor and richness to the fantasy. Director Peter Jackson has also created the most convincing creatures I have seen in a fantasy film of this type yet, thanks to his creative WETA visual effects team. 

The story of this hobbit's adventure might be trifle next to the epic proportions of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" but that would be false advertising. The book of "The Hobbit" could have been mined for a two hour film or less, but Jackson and his writers have taken the tale and expanded it (including returning characters like Saruman and Galadriel who were not in the book) with a flair and magical rhythm that makes you forget its running time which is precisely ten minutes short of a three-hour span. Martin Freeman is a wonder as Bilbo, smart and witty yet innocent of the dangers that lay ahead (he has also got Ian Holm's feistiness). Ian McKellen is as sublime as ever as Gandalf and Andy Serkis shows a more psychopathic Gollum than we had anticipated in the years prior to "Lord of the Rings." Finally, there is the rough and tough Richard Armitage as Thorin, a dwarf who shares some of Aragorn's cynicism (in hindsight, I see a similarity to Viggo Mortensen's iconic character) but is also changed by this hobbit who is along for the ride. 

"The Hobbit" is part of a new trilogy of stories by Jackson and I do look forward to seeing where this story goes. But what is most alluring and captivating about Jackson's return to Middle-Earth is the intimacy. My favorite scene is where Gandalf explains to Galadriel his reaction to the bravery of Bilbo Baggins. Gandalf speaks in such gentle tones and with such sympathy that it is extraordinarly moving. It shows Peter Jackson's heart is in the right place. 

Welles proved them wrong with Kane

RKO 281 (1999)

Reviewed By Jerry Saravia

It is suitably ironic that Orson Welles was largely ignored by Hollywood after "Citizen Kane" and "Touch of Evil" - they wanted no part of him. Now, Welles is afforded more unauthorized biographies and film books than probably any other director. His film noir classic "Touch of Evil" was recently restored to the director's original specifications and editing strategies, forty years after the fact. His reigning "Kane" won its place in the AFI list in 1998 as the greatest American film ever made. His rejected screenplay for "The Cradle Will Rock" has been made into a film by director Tim Robbins. Now we have the story of Welles' s battle over "Citizen Kane" called "RKO 281," a supremely entertaining film with ball-of-fire performances and authentic period detail.

This lush biography stars the well-cast Liev Schreiber as the 25-year-old boy wonder who took Broadway by storm, and conquered the airwaves with his infamous "War of the Worlds" broadcast. He is given the opportunity to make a film about "War of the Worlds" but convinces a studio boss (Roy Scheider) to give him support to make a film called "Citizen Kane." "Kane" is of course based on the pioneering news tycoon William Randolph Hearst (grandly played by James Cromwell), and once the insiders in Hollywood catch wind of this, all hell breaks loose. "Kane" is of course Welles's first attempt to act and direct a film, and this causes pressure for him and his crew, including telling his cinematographer to make holes in the floorboards so he can get a real low-angle shot! But once Hearst and his young wife (Melanie Griffith) hear that their life story will be a Hollywood movie, he makes demands on all the studios to burn all existing prints of the film.

"RKO 281" maintains a tight focus on Welles and his battle over having complete control over his project - this was of course his own downfall since he was never afforded that control again in Hollywood. The film shows him to be a genius and a manipulator, and there are the highs and lows of his relationship with screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (John Malkovich) - the controversy existed about how much of Welles's input ended up in the screenplay.

Schreiber is perfect for the role, and even looks a little bit like Welles - his intense outbursts are particularly good. His relationship with Malkovich is also well-presented, and through them we see that making a film, no matter how passionate or personal it is, is an arduous chore - what collaborations aren't?

"RKO 281" has many extraordinarily shot sequences, such as Hearst's dinner party or the behind-the-scenes filming of "Kane" - at one point, a camera falls off a crane as it is tracking in for a close-up! I also like the moment when Welles is inspired by Hearst's house or the puzzle pieces on the floor. If nothing else, "RKO 281" could have been longer. There are no references to the actors who worked on "Kane" (except for Joseph Cotten) - where's Ruth Warrick or Agnes Moorehead or Ray Collins in all this? How about the specific lighting design of "Kane" with all those memorable shafts of light?

Minor carps overall, "RKO 281" is a splendid recreation of an era in Hollywood not so different from today's - when big bucks and box-office revenues accounted for more than artistic integrity. Thank God that Orson Welles proved them wrong.

Moore's targets are Canada Dry

CANADIAN BACON (1995)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia (Originally written in 2004)

The controversial left-wing connoisseur who confronts and embarrasses the corporate underbelly of America, Michael Moore, is best known for making documentaries that are as confrontational as he is. Moore's genius is his penchant for catching CEO's of big corporations with their pants down. But one thing he can't do is direct a fictional movie (though some might argue that his work is anything but non-fiction) and his sole fictional film from 1995, "Canadian Bacon," is proof of this. Although I admire the intentions, it is all about as laughable and satiric as anything seen in "Saturday Night Live" in the last decade.

The movie begins in Niagara Falls where American cops, like the local sheriff (John Candy) and his assistant (Rhea Perlman), are encouraging unemployed workers to commit suicide by jumping into the cascading falls. It seems that the local weapons factory, Hacker Dynamics, has closed down and laid off hundreds of workers (shades here of "Roger and Me"). The reason is simple: the elected President of the U.S. (Alan Alda) has no wars to fight, thus no weapons need to be made. As a result, the Prez is slipping in the polls. What can he do? Well, the National Security Adviser, Stuart Smiley (Kevin Pollak), and General Dick Panzer (Rip Torn) suggest searching for a new enemy. The Cold War is over (though they also suggest that some friction could be generated with Russia) and most of the other dictators are dead (amazing how the former and very much alive Iraqi president Saddam Hussein is ignored, though I liked the joke about Noriega). That leaves Canada, the country to the north of the U.S.! And why not? Look at their maple leave flag! Look at the socialist groups that exist! No crime, no wars, no major poverty, no way! Besides, they play that violent sport called hockey! The reluctant President decides to go along with it, at any cost! His administration will convince the American people that Canada is the new enemy!

As I said, the intentions are admirable and, sometimes, "Canadian Bacon" hits the satiric bone with a clear stroke. It is an ingenious premise and vintage Michael Moore (some of the ideas are reiterated in his galvanizingly funny book "Downsize This!") Unfortunately, Moore fails to imbue the ideas with comical payoffs or real brazen humor. Most scenes are flatly staged and utterly dull, including scenes of the Canadian control room where all electrical power is handled by two senior citizens! There is a terminally unfunny moment where an RCPM officer (Steven Wright) is confronted by Candy's sheriff - the officer's headquarters is surrounded by jailed Canadian citizens who have committed the most rudimentary offenses.

The performances are not any better, lacking any zest or comic energy. We have Alan Alda, who would be the ideal President, trying his damnedest to look like a buffoon - he hardly seems like a charismatic leader and appears to have molded his straight-man shtick from the latest Woody Allen flick. Rip Torn, as the shrewd general, brings all the fire and brimstone you might expect without a shred of comic timing - he is like a cardboard cartoon of himself. John Candy comes off best as the sheriff who wants to find his assistant and rescue her from the CN tower! Candy always had an undeniable comic gift yet he squandered it in films like this one. G.D. Spradlin, who plays the head of Hacker Dynamics, takes the route of playing his character straight, as it should be.

"Canadian Bacon" needed the zing and the comical innuendoes of Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove" or even Sidney Lumet's "Network." Kubrick and Lumet knew how to make you laugh by taking a serious subject and poking fun at it by going to extremes. Moore will have none of that. He assumes the subject is funny on principle. All he has done is laid a big one on the audience.

This Lantern is hardly minty fresh

GREEN LANTERN (2011)

Reviewed By Jerry Saravia

Maybe it is stiff competition but 2011 brought two Marvel superheroes to the screen with blazing energy and colorful fun, those two being Thor and Captain America. That same year, DC Comics brought to the screen "Green Lantern," a convoluted misfire with a few tricks up its sleeve but with little of the pizazz and personality of its Marvel competition.

Ryan Reynolds is an ace fighter pilot, Hal Jordan, who has bad memories of his own father, a fighter pilot who lost control of one his planes and died in an explosion. Hal is supposed to be testing these new fighter planes and ejects himself before letting one explode (those planes are damn expensive). His on/off again girlfriend, Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), vice president of Ferris Aircraft, is upset by his inability to fly one of these planes and to let go of his past trauma. That is until Hal tries to rescue a crash-landed alien craft carrying one of the Green Lanterns from the planet Oa, who gives him the ring that will make Hal into a Lantern. This is no easy task - Hal trains to gain control of the ring which can conjure up anything he can imagine as a weapon. He better have a good imagination when he confronts the Parallax, a giant piece of the Nothing that consumes the lifeforce of everything, I gather, and destroys everything in its path with its various tentacles.

"Green Lantern" is a goofball comic-strip picture, short on logic and coherence, long on Hal's quips and elaborate action scenes. It is barely distinguishable from any other comic-book movie out there with the exception of the accent on the color green.  I have always liked Green Lantern from the comics but I gather this is one movie we did not need - it feels like a flavorless supersonic version of "The Matrix."  It is also another one of those movies where the laws of physics are grossly exaggerated, and where a human like Hal can be tossed from one room or wide open space to another without ever breaking a bone. I can handle that when it comes to a god like Thor or the Hulk or Spider-Man, but this Lantern seems impervious to any injury.

The Parallax is a fascinating looking monster - a former Guardian of the Universe who was exposed to the yellow energy of the fear. I wanted to see more of it rather than the painfully overwrought and uneven performance by Peter Sarsgaard who becomes an Elephant Man of sorts (with all due respect to John Merrick) after being exposed to the Parallax. Sarsgaard's character is a most unworthy villain when we learn little of his purpose or reasoning of trying to defeat Hal, other than being Carol's ex.

Ryan Reynolds is the right actor for the role, bringing it a level of exuberance and wit I had not seen from him before. But the movie directed by Martin Campbell (who made the roughest, toughest James Bond film in eons, "Casino Royale") exerts little patience for any real development of a story - his direction and Stuart Baird's editing zigzag all over the map from one situation and plot contrivance to another. I never got caught up in anything the Lantern(s) had to do except their mission - to destroy a giant gray cloud with spider legs. Not very momentous.

Do not touch Jodie Foster's hand puppet

THE BEAVER (2011)

Reviewed By Jerry Saravia

Mel Gibson with a hand puppet directed by forgiving star and friend Jodie Foster? I said heck no, especially after watching deliriously and unintentionally funny previews. "The Beaver" is not a complete mess but it is unfathomably ridiculous and so completely uneven and jagged that it is hard to relate to on any level.

A toy company owner, Walter Black (Mel Gibson), who is married and has two sons, has become a complete emotional wreck - he suffers from depression. His company is coming apart at the seams, his wife (Jodie Foster) is already planning to buy another house and move in with her two sons - all this after kicking Walter out. Walter stays at a motel and unsuccessfully attempts suicide. If you have the read the news of Mel Gibson's hateful rants in the last few years, you can't help but think this is a semi-autobiography. What we have not heard the actual Mel indulge in is using a beaver hand puppet that speaks with a Cockney accent! This is where the film lost me - the puppet speaks with this accent that comes out of nowhere. The film wants us to believe the hand puppet is almost speaking as an impulse and involuntarily, even though Walter has control of it. Bipolar much?

Once the beaver talks, Walter makes amends with his wife and his youngest son. When Walter has sex with his wife, he still needs the beaver! (No intentional puns here) Again, the film loses me when it resorts to the puppet. Walter still can't communicate with his eldest son, Porter (Anton Yelchin), a high-school student who is paid to write other students'  term papers and such. Guess who thinks he can make a difference with Porter...the beaver of course. Naturally, the toy company becomes a success thanks to the marketing of a novel toy designed by Walter - a beaver for goodness sakes!

One relationship stands out in "The Beaver" and that is Porter's relationship with the high-school valedictorian, Norah (another stunning performance by Jennifer Lawrence). When Porter is asked by her to write a valedictorian speech, he delves deep into her past. There are scars and some deep emotions are expressed - all thanks to actors who are not using beaver hand puppets.

I respect and admire Jodie Foster and I still think she had a remarkable directorial debut with "Little Man Tate." She is also an exceptional actress but she is lost in this film - a delicate flower who can't make head or tail about her husband's mental illness. "The Beaver" is clearly about mental illness but it is exceedingly outrageous in its conceit because it never cuts deep or rings true. It wants to be a black comedy with a dramatic pulse, or maybe the other way around. Maybe it is really about the impossibility of leading a suburban family existence without the aid of a puppet. Or maybe it is really the story of a mentally ill man. Or maybe I just didn't care.

Scorsese Rocks the Stones

SHINE A LIGHT (2008)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Shine a Light" is a smashing entertainment - an electrifying concert film that will rev you up and make your eyeballs pop out of your head. The fact that it is the Rolling Stones performing should be enough to keep you elated but the fact that Martin Scorsese directs it is more than just praise - it was inevitable these two forces of rock and roll would come together.

The film was shot over two nights at the Beacon Theatre in New York City in late October 2006, as a benefit for the Clinton Foundation (Bill and Hillary Clinton can be seen briefly). Reportedly, the theatre was so small for a filmed concert that certain seats from the front had to be cut out so the cameras could fit (someone who attended the concert told me this was the case and a matter of inconvenience for the patrons). Nevertheless, what was filmed is truly spectacular. The Stones come on stage with an unabashed fury and resonance that I didn't see before in any prior Stones film. The 63-year-old singer Mick Jagger struts and dances and runs across the stage and through a catwalk-of-sorts that is a sight to see - a man in his sixties doing such voluminous body language is actually inspiring. Keith Richards picks that guitar and plays it like a demon, as does Ron Wood who both admit they play badly when they are not playing together. And it is wonderful to see straight-faced Charlie Watts playing the drums and even winking slightly to the camera. These performances are awe- inspiring and proof that this band is unstoppable and as spry as ever. They have also maintained their humor, especially craggy-faced Keith who quips to the audience: "It's good to see you all. It is good to see anyone!"

Just as demonic and ferocious in his fast-talking, humorous ways is Martin Scorsese. Seen briefly in the opening backstage scenes, trying to figure out what the playlist selections will be so he knows where to position the cameras (or knowing something as important as when Keith Richards will start riffing on his guitar in any opening number), Scorsese seems nervous yet cocksure - this is the Stones and he has used their music in his films. He has many cameras (sixteen of them) that will swoop up and down and come from the sides as furiously as the Stones will be on stage. "Shine a Light" is not a meditation on a band like Scorsese's "The Last Waltz" was on The Band. In fact, whereas "Last Waltz" was melancholic and had the occasional energy of a depleted band performing one last hurrah, "Shine a Light" is quixotic and a huge rush of caffeinated energy, with dazzling, dizzying camera shots from overhead and at low-angles, all cut together seamlessly. Not one inch of the stage is uncovered, not one performer is left out, not one close-up is omitted - this film is highly energized in its filmmaking, and it is actually up to the Stones to catch up with the cameras.

Occasionally, the film cuts to old documentary footage of the band, especially to some prophetic words from Mick Jagger as to whether they will be performing in their sixties. "Shine a Light's" chief concerns are with the glorious Stones and showing them perform with gusto and verve. I would not say this film is better than the chilling "Gimme Shelter" or that it is as awesome in its staging as in "At the Max" (if you have never seen it, do check it out, preferably in IMAX format). And yet, because of the show-stopping tunes and the showstopping band giving it 110% in ways never quite captured before on film, and using the intimate Beacon theatre as its stage, "Shine a Light" may well be the definitive, modern Rolling Stones concert film.

When Fresh Meadows was once Twin...

WHEN FRESH MEADOWS WAS ONCE TWIN...

By Jerry Saravia

I was a mere 9 years old when I lived in Fresh Meadows, NY in the Queens borough in 1980. I used to live on 194th St. and right across the street was the Queens Fresh Meadows Public Library. A block or two south took me to the one and only Fresh Meadows Twin Theaters. Price of admission for afternoon matinees were two dollars and with my weekly allowance, I would frequent the theater on a weekly basis. The films I had seen there were "Popeye," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Rad" (God, why did I see that? Just because I had a BMX bike?), "The Sword and the Sorcerer," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," "Hercules," "The Natural," "Misunderstood," "Supergirl," "Nightmare on Elm Street 4," "Terms of Endearment," "A Christmas Story," "Victor, Victoria," "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn," "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (about four times), "Always," "Breakin'" I and II, "Hook," "Rambo: First Blood Part II," "Another 48 HRS.," and on and on.

Inside the Fresh Meadows theater (ahhh, the days of balconies)

The inside of the movie theater looked like a palace and the actual screening room was vast, plus the sound system was excellent. It is interesting to note the films they played there because it was only a twin theater until sometime in 1987 or 1988 where they began showing 5 films and it became a Cineplex Odeon Theater (they would include the revolting "Cocktail," the action masterpiece "Die Hard" and the controversial "Mississippi Burning," not to mention "Madame Sousatska"). This may be because further south on the adjacent Horace Harding Expressway they had a multiplex (The Cinema 5 which had a beautiful mural outside of it) where they would show films that the Fresh Meadows theater would not show. For example, the "Superman" flicks were never shown at the Twin, nor were "Star Trek III" or "Star Trek IV" (those two were at the Cinema 5) nor any Elm Street sequels except for Part 4, or Kubrick's "The Shining" or "Full Metal Jacket" (at least this was all true from 1980-1989 when I eventually moved and only visited up until 1991). "The Last Temptation of Christ" may not have made it anywhere in Queens, to the best of my knowledge, since it was playing at one or two exclusive theaters in Manhattan. In fact, I don't think any Martin Scorsese flicks were shown at the Twin during that period except for "Raging Bull."

My memory of the twin theaters was of seeing those big, bright red letters on the marquee which gave me goosebumps every time I passed by there or went to see a film. My favorite memories are of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Rambo: First Blood Part II." I had no desire to see "Raiders" at that time because it looked like a western to me and not very exciting - of course, once I sat down to watch it, the film thrilled and spooked me to such a degree that I was literally grabbing the arms of my seat. Now I can't say I had the same experience with "Rambo" but I do remember my own classmates asking adults to pay for their ticket since it was restricted. Those were the days.

Below are pictures I located online of the various changes Fresh Meadows Twin went through since 1949.

1949 (Note the Meadows sign adjacent to the marquee)

Aerial view, 1951

1976 (Meadows sign still intact although "Rocky" seems to be the only film playing. I could not find any pics from 1980-1989 of the theater but I do remember that they did away with the Meadows sign. Also the Fresh Meadows neon letters from the top of the building were yellow. My apartment faced the back of that theater and had the same letters in yellow).

Today (No longer the twin and the neon letters above are now white which is not as striking) Another interesting change is that "Indy 4" is playing and it is simply called "Indy 4." Back in 1984, "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" took over that whole side of the marquee with, again, bright red letters.