Establishment of two different Beats

HEART BEAT (Hollywood - 1980) THE LAST TIME I COMMITTED SUICIDE (Independent- 1997): 

THE BEAT MOVEMENT - CONTRAST BETWEEN TWO FILMS 

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

The Beat generation started in the early 1950's with the advent of Jack Kerouac's groundbreaking novel "On the Road" - the story of Jack's wild adventures on the roads of America with his untamed friend Neal Cassady. "Heart Beat" is the first film to truly focus on Jack's relationship with Neal and his wife, and it is a semi-successful portrait. "The Last Time I Committed Suicide" is the superior work, which focuses on Neal Cassady's life and times before meeting Jack Kerouac. One film says more about Beat poetry or Beatniks than the other, yet they both have a sense of time and place.

"Heart Beat" has the miscast John Heard as the shy outcast Jack Kerouac, who tries to shake his Establishment origins by embarking on a journey from New York to San Francisco with the ex-convict and troublemaker Neal (Nick Nolte). Together, they drink, fight, hitchhike, smoke pot, and share Neal's society girlfriend, Carolyn (Sissy Spacek). While living in San Francisco, Jack starts to write "On the Road" using his friends, especially Neal, as models for his improvisational, rambling story.

"Heart Beat" has the right look, the right clothes, the right cars, the 
perfect atmosphere, but not the right attitude. The film is too 
conventionally directed and scripted by John Byrum allowing for little 
pizzazz or energy. It's hard to tell that the film is about the birth of the 
Beat movement because we barely hear or see anything relating to the Beat 
period.                                                                       

The actors don't help much. John Heard is adrift and unconcerned throughout - 
a far cry from the book's depiction of a lusty, charismatic individual who 
learned to strip away his introverted side. Heard exacts the same deadening 
tone through the whole film. Nick Nolte is a little out of his element 
playing the cocky, flirtatious Neal - he just acts like a funny pretty boy. 
Sissy Spacek is not allowed to do much except exude sunny smiles. Only the 
late Ray Sharkey brings any energy or enthusiasm as the Allen Ginsberg-type, 
Ira.                                             

"The Last Time I Committed Suicide" is a big improvement on every level; a lively lark of a film about the early life and times of Neal Cassady. The charismatic, perfectly cast Thomas Jane plays the wild, frantic Neal who works a night job at a tire company, and begins to get ideas about an archetypal, rebellious character who supersedes all "intellectual" men. In the meantime, Neal hangs around with his drunk friend, Harry (Keanu Reeves) at the pool hall with various girls. Neal also has a troubling relationship with Joan (Claire Forlani), a secretary prone to suicidal tendencies.

The beauty of "Last Time I Committed Suicide" is that it not only has an authentic sense of time and place, but it also contains a great performance by Thomas Jane (the drug dealer in "Boogie Nights") combining humor and pathos. Jane brings the cocky, arrogant side of Neal alive, and is pitch-perfect on Neal's pseudo-intellectual babble speeches about life and love ("It's a metaphor, man!").

I know I'm in the minority on this one but Keanu Reeves remains one of our most underrated actors; he delivered powerful performances in films such as "Permanent Record," "Much Ado About Nothing and "My Own Private Idaho," if anyone cares about his talent. Here he delivers one of his best, surliest characters in the form of the drunk, bloated Harry who reminds Neal that marriage doesn't figure in his equation. Also worth noting is the underused Claire Forlani ("Basquiat") who shimmers each time she appears on screen in a largely underdeveloped role.

"The Last Time I Committed Suicide" is briskly directed by Stephen Kay, and he employs jump cuts, black-and-white and color cinematography, freeze frames, zooms and slow-motion to emphasize the rambling, inconsequential, and languid sense of Neal's life. The Beats considered themselves beatific and weary (or beaten) from trying to shield themselves from the Establishment. "Suicide" comes a lot closer to capturing that movement than the dull, Hollywood fluff of "Heart Beat."

Trekking Where We Have Gone Before

FREE ENTERPRISE (1999)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Obsessions can be treated with care, as they don't run your life. Pop-culture obsessions, a staple of 90's cinema and Generation-X, can ruin one's hope to connect with people unless you find that special someone that shares your obsession. In "Free Enterprise," the obsession is over "Star Trek" (the original series only). You have heard of Trekkies and how William Shatner famously told them to get a life. Now we get to see how Trekkies really act, more or less.

There's Mark (Eric McCormack) who is pushing thirty and is a successful low-grade exploitation screenwriter. He is so low-grade that he has a pitch meeting where he pushes a movie called "Bradykiller," about a killer who kills any girl resembling the girls from the "Brady Bunch." Mark's friend is Robert (Rafer Weigel), an editor for those same low-grade movies who is fairly lax. He is such a Trekkie that he rather spend money on laser discs than on the rent, thus enabling the breakup with his current girlfriend. He clearly has mixed up his priorities. Of special note is the fact that this movie was made in 1999 when laser discs were a minor big deal despite the advent of DVD's.

All Mark and Robert can do is wallow in their own miseries. Mark is more sensible with money yet he is afraid of commitment with another woman. Robert only wants a woman who shares his passion for "Star Trek" and "Star Wars," yet he is also afraid of commitment. One day, they inadvertently run into William Shatner at a bookstore. By Shatner, I do mean the real Shattastic, the real McCoy, Captain Kirk himself, who is in a bit of a creative slump. He is trying to make the play "Julius Caesar" into a musical where he will play all the characters! Shatner hopes that through Mark, his vision can become reality.

"Free Enterprise" has a nice set-up for a fun-filled comedy but it loses its footing and goes into territory that simply marks time. We get too many scenes of Mark and Robert regurgitating the same conversation in one diner scene after another. There is a love story in here somewhere between Robert and his potential true love, Claire (Audrey England), who loves science-fiction and comic books but is also looking for a man that can take care of her. That may be too much to ask of Robert, but what on earth does this have to do with the central story revolving around William Shatner? Such personal relationships could've mixed in nicely with Shatner saying, "Hey, get a life you Trekkies! There is more to life than make-believe!" Interestingly, Shatner himself is shown as a middle-aged, bashful man who has trouble with the ladies. Unfortunately, Shatner has too few scenes to make a stronger connection to the narrative.

I liked "Free Enterprise" enough for its sincere performances and for Shatner's quick-witted scenes. It's just that it really falls short of going where we haven't gone before.

Leave your VHS sex tape at the door

DROP BOX (2006)

Reviewed By Jerry Saravia

I never thought that I'd see a movie featuring a character as sneaky, duplicitious and as mischievous as Randal from "Clerks." For those of you who know what I am referring to, Randal was an obnoxious, though affable video store clerk who unapologetically humiliated customers and his own small circle of friends. Well, Tom in the film "Drop Box" is twice as obnoxious, to the point that you are unsure how he can still have a job as a video store clerk.

"Drop Box" is a day in the life of Tom (David Cormican) working at a video store. He is the slacker type with no pretense of ever moving forward in life, and no real ambitions except to make customers angry. He opens the store late, forces customers to pay late fees they don't owe (though at least one does), deletes customer accounts without blinking an eye and, in short, makes no real money for the store (he even gives away twist endings to movies like "The Sixth Sense"). Of course, the customers are not the most understanding so who can blame Tom for his casual mean-spiritedness.

One customer can be more pushy than others. Her name is Mindy (Rachel Sehl), who turns out to be a spoiled, Britney Spears pop diva-type who wants to re-rent a certain Mariah Carey vehicle. Only this VHS tape is not actually the movie ("Glitter" by the way) but rather some nifty lesbian porn she shot and mistakenly returned. Tom says he doesn't recognize this pop diva who's sold 2 million albums. Of course, after Mindy pleads again and again, Tom decides to help this star if she exposes her breasts and watches the tape with him, and in front of customers! If not, he stands to make a killing selling it on ebay.

Okay, so you see that Randal might never have gone that far. Tom is unlikable but not without some measure of charm or humor, and you can see how Mindy begins to like him. These characters can get on your nerves yet thanks to newcomers David Cormican and Rachel Sehl, they make them human and empathetic enough to forgive their endless banter.

"Drop Box" is a Canadian independent film that deserves a chance to be seen in theatres. Though it has a limited setting (it all takes place in video store) and inexperienced actors, who cares? So did Kevin Smith's debut film "Clerks," which "Drop Box" only shares a slight kinship with. Though "Drop Box" is not quite as shrewdly funny as "Clerks," it can stand head and tails above most comedies that try too hard to make us laugh. Thanks to the writer-director team, Anesty and Spiros Carasoulos, "Drop Box" is a major pleasure and a genuine find, not unlike what you may find on a video store shelf hidden behind "Glitter."

Jay Leno's Car Wreck of a Movie!

COLLISION COURSE (1989)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

So what we have here is a car wreck of a movie. We have "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno (in his thankfully sole leading role) as Tony Costas, a Detroit undercover cop who does his job badly. We have another cop, Fuji Natsuo (Pat Morita) from Tokyo, who is sent to Detroit to track down a Japanese engineer who stole some sort of turbocharger prototype. Costas and Natsuo are the buddy-buddy cop team who don't really want to work together, though the screenplay refuses to acknowledge this. Instead Costas thinks Natsuo is not a cop and so we have one endless scene after another where Costas chases him, sometimes in disguise.

The introduction to the villains is so slipshod that we assume they are villains because they tell us they are. Chris Sarandon and Tom Noonan are the bad guys, and in it for the slim paychecks. Same with Ernie Hudson of "Ghostbusters" fame as another undercover cop.

For what it is worth, "Collision Course" is strictly amateur night in every department. There are no laughs, mostly flat lines and flat characters. There is no energy, no enthusiasm, no urgency, and it also contains a silly synthesizer score that is pure 80's. To say this movie belongs in a garbage dump is to still give it justice. No, it belongs on a Detroit sidewalk where people can stomp on it endlessly.

YOU'RE FIRED!

THE TEMP (1993)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Original review from 1993)

"The Temp" is a ridiculously stupid, unscary thriller, so how can I possibly recommend it? Well, it has a sense of goofiness to it, and it is full of surprises and twists.

The titled vampish temp is played by the ideally cast Lara Flynn Boyle - a temp secretary for a disorganized boss (Timothy Hutton) - a junior exec for Mrs. Appleby baked goods company! Boyle eventually works her way up by getting promotions to other positions. Murder and sex are her primary rules of engagement to ascend to the top of the corporate ladder - she even tries to seduce Hutton, who's trying to reconcile with his wife (an early performance by long-haired Maura Tierney, who has since appeared in TV's "E.R."). What is a boss to do in this situation? Sexual Harassment pleas? Fire the secretary? Kill the secretary?

"The Temp" is downright silly, but it is never boring and it keeps moving. Lara Flynn Boyle exudes ample sexual energy as the villainous temp. Hutton is as bland as three-day old bread but he does have some nice confrontation scenes with the campy Faye Dunaway. It is an often tempestuous flick...good for a late night rental. Do not watch this with your boss!

Kissing in a gondola

A LITTLE ROMANCE (1979)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Picture-postcard romances are not my cup of tea, particularly teenage or coming-of-age romances. Therefore, it is with great enthusiasm that I report that "A Little Romance" is one of the finest, most poignant picture-postcard romances I have seen - genial and enlightening throughout.

The film begins with a theatre showing clips from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." "True Grit," and "The Sting" laughably dubbed in French. The kid watching these American films is Daniel (Thelonious Bernard), a French kid with eyes full of amusement at everything he sees (he would have been at home in a Francois Truffaut film). Daniel emulates certain gestures and lines from these American heroes, such as "bingo!" and "Here's looking at you kid." One day, his class visits the film set of an American production starring Broderick Crawford (exceedingly funny cameo). While Daniel observes the action, he notices a girl reading a book rather than enjoying the action of filmmaking. Her name is Lauren (Diane Lane, in her film debut), a lover of philosophy books, who instantly senses something she likes about a kid who will carry her books and has his own homespun philosophies on literature and American movies. They start dating, meeting at subway stations, porno movie theatres, and cavorting in front of the Louvre. Their dream is to go to Venice and kiss in a gondola under a bridge where the church bells toll. This tall tale is told by the supposedly worldly con artist (Laurence Olivier), who shares a train ride with them to Venice after supposedly winning a bet at the races for the lovebirds.

"A Little Romance" moves swiftly from one episode to another, and it is the charming performances by the three leads that engages us from the beginning. Bernard and Lane have terrific chemistry, and we always hope that their romantic fantasy is fulfilled. Lane in particular was already beginning to show her flirtatious personality with her winks and frequent nods - quite a good early performance. Bernard is also winning as Daniel, and evokes a smile that is impossible to forget (say that about any recent child actors in the movies). Olivier is at his hammiest and at his most assuredly comical - he obviously is having a blast playing this fallible, elderly con artist and pickpocket.

There are also brief supporting performances by Arthur Hill as Lauren's agreeable father and Sally Kellerman as Lauren's nervous, flirtatious mother, an actress who may be having an affair with a movie director (who looks like a combination of Peter Bogdanovich and William Friedkin). She has a great line when she shouts to Lauren proclaiming the move from France to "goddamned Houston!"

"A Little Romance" could have used more emphasis on Lauren's parents and especially Daniel's father, who is practically left out of the film. Nevertheless, this is an exceptionally sweet and uplifting film delicately balancing between comedy and romance with unforced ease. And there is something to be said about a film focusing on such smart kids with aspirations. Imagine that.

A Ripper in the Space Time Continuum

TIME AFTER TIME (1979)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

For truly harmless sci-fi fare with a twinge of irony, you can't do much better than "Time After Time," a very entertaining suspense thriller that successfully hinges on its two leading stars to make it work.

Set in 1893, Malcolm McDowell is H.G. Wells, the legendary science-fiction writer who invites his friends to dinner to tell them that he has invented an actual time machine! This magnificent invention is cut short by the intrusion of Jack the Ripper, who turns out to be the main doctor in town. The Ripper (David Warner) escapes in Wells' time machine to San Francisco in 1979, where he can continue his bloody rampage. Wells goes after Ripper by going to San Francisco via his time machine, which is a museum curiosity in a show in the future devoted to Wells himself! Not only does Wells have to find the Ripper, he must also deal with modern-day society and their "motorcars," not to mention television and fast-food restaurants (his ordering a meal is the biggest laugh in the entire film).

While trying to convert his money to American currency, he meets a bank teller, Amy Robbins (Mary Steenburgen), who may be one of the Ripper's next targets. Meanwhile, Amy confesses to Wells that she longs for marriage and commitment, and Wells admits he is a strong proponent of free love (The real H.G. Wells was an advocate of free love when it came exclusively to men - he had many affairs while married to, you guessed it, Amy Robbins, his second wife).

"Time After Time" is inventive and delectably funny in spots, but too much time is devoted to the Ripper and his blood lust. One scene stands out early on when Wells finally confronts the Ripper. Chillingly, the Ripper explains that the violence of modern-day society has ironically caught up with his murderous ways - he proves it by switching channels on the television that speaks of global atrocities and war. Yet Warner never feels chilling otherwise though he certainly has a threatening presence - he looks like a stock London swinger who takes himself too seriously and just happens to cut up women. Perhaps that is the idea but I sense the Ripper may have been a more powerful man than what is depicted here. What works marvelously is McDowell and Steenburgen (who later married in real-life) - they have very sweet chemistry.

Essentially, "Time After Time" is ultimately a love story with a very moving ending. It's just that the Ripper screws up the fabric of an otherwise timeless love story.