Severed entrails in listless Ripper tale

FROM HELL (2001)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Jack Ripper is known for being the notorious serial killer of the 19th century who was never caught ("I invented the 20th century"). A slew of films and books have theorized on the identity of the killer, ranging from some unknown peasant to someone connected to the Royal Family. "From Hell," based on the graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore III, makes the case that someone from the Royal Family might have been the Ripper. Though it is a mystery that is somewhat compelling, it fails miserably to gain our interest.

Set in 1888, "From Hell" stars Johnny Depp as the real-life Inspector George Abberline, a laudanum addict who has visions of the future (in real-life, he was a portly man who looked nothing like Depp). Apparently, some of Abberline's visions involve Jack the Ripper's murderous rampage in the slum area of Whitechapel, located on the East End of London. It is a city that is dark, dank and oozes corruption and menace on every corner. Murder is also a commodity in this town but this Ripper is no ordinary murderer. He kills prostitutes and "removes their livelihood," in rather grisly, gruesome ways. Inspector Abberline is convinced that it is no peasant or poverty-stricken individual - it is an educated man of some esteem and possibly a surgeon due to the dexterous manner in which the victims are butchered.

Abberline notices several details in the murder of these prostitutes. The most telling detail is the roots of grapes left behind, a tactic used by the killer to lure the victim. Also, the knifes used might have been surgical tools. This would mean that a surgeon could be responsible for the murders, considering they took place in the dark where he would instinctively know how to perform his handiwork. One prostitute that might be able to help Abberline in his search is redheaded Mary Kelly (Heather Graham) who was well acquainted with the slain prostitutes. Still, this relationship develops into an unconvincing love story that simply marks time.

Most of "From Hell" is in-your-face with little grace or style. The directors are the Hughes Brothers, responsible for the nightmarish classic "Menace II Society." That film was harsh and offputting but for a justifiable purpose, to place us in the unpredictable chaos of living in a ghetto where a gunshot was as frequent as a car noise. "From Hell" needed some space to breathe and perhaps a degree of elegance to tell such a compelling story. Instead, we have Abberline's dreams which consist of green-tinted, jump-cutted nightmares of cobblestones and blood. The cinematography is so dark and often out-of-focus that it is hard to discern what is happening half the time. The washed-out, desaturated color schemes are becoming a frequent style in films nowadays but here, it smacks of mediocrity. Black-and-white would serve the story better, a Universal Gothic approach a la Tod Browning's "Dracula."

Frankly, the pacing of "From Hell" is laborious and disconnected. I could swear I was almost ready to fall asleep at times, but the film picks up when the focus is on the grisly investigation. That comes in too little and too late. Part of the problem is that Johnny Depp and Heather Graham are so devoid of life and magnetism that they bored me whenever they appeared on screen. At least, the great Ian Holm saves the day with some core of integrity as Sir William Gull, a doctor for the Royal Family. He breathes some life into the story when he shows up. Robbie Coltrane is also a delight as Sergeant Peter Godley who loves to smack Abberline out of his druggy states.

"From Hell" is a rather vivid title for a listless, lifeless film. There is no soul, no fire, no hell. It simply starts and sputters but never feels as unified or as compelling as the real tale. It just feels ripped apart from the truth.

Introduction to Jerry at the Movies

INTRODUCTION TO JERRY SARAVIA AKA JERRY AT THE MOVIES

For those of you interested in finding more about me, check out the video link below. Although it serves as an introduction to my youtube channel, it is also useful for those who have been reading my reviews and perhaps wish to subscribe to my channel where I also review films and lots of other stuff. Thanks for your time and enjoy.

Jazzy Indy travels to Chicago, 1920

YOUNG INDIANA JONES AND THE MYSTERY OF THE BLUES (1993)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

 George Lucas's "Young Indiana Jones" TV series was short on action and thrills and long on exposition and story. Lucas's intent was to have a younger Indy involved in historical spectacles and meeting all kinds of historical figures. Lenin was one, Teddy Roosevelt another, and of course Pancho Villa. I was never a huge fan of the show but I admired the attention to historical detail even if it occasionally robbed the series of much action or adventure. Talky is one way to put it since the serialesque attitude of the Indiana Jones movies was clearly missing. There were two-hour "Young Indiana Jones" movies and one of the best was "Mystery of the Blues," aired in March of 1993. Of particular significance in this special was the appearance of the one and only iconic Indiana Jones - Harrison Ford himself.

The Ford aspect is interesting because he sports a salt-and-pepper beard (this is only because of the simultaneous shooting of his thriller masterpiece, "The Fugitive") and his appearance bookends the blues plotline of the show as he recounts the days of Sidney Bechet and Al Capone. Ford is an older Indy, 50 years old to be precise, being chased in Wyoming in 1950 by some bad guys who are wanting a sacred Native American pipe. Indy and a Native American named Grey Cloud (Saginaw Grant) are shown in a car chase that is thrilling in a snow-bound Wyoming with treacherous roads. The chase is not elaborate nor does it contain much in the way of stunts but it gives you goosebumps seeing Ford as Indy with his wit and the gleam in his eye lashed ever so firmly ("Good driving," says Grey Cloud. Indy quips, "Not my first time you know!") Eventually the duo walk during a hazardous blizzard to an empty log cabin.

The rest of the film has Sean Patrick Flanery as the younger Indy working as a busboy at Colosimo's restaurant in Chicago in 1920. Sidney Bechet (Jeffrey Wright, who is amazingly good) plays jazz and Indy thinks he can play too, specifically his soprano sax. The kid needs practice and annoys his roommate, future federal agent Eliot Ness (Frederick Weller). Indy and Eliot are also friends with future author Ernest Hemingway (Jay Underwood), a contrivance that just annoys me. Does every person that Young Indy knows have to be famous or of historical relevance? Nevertheless, "Mystery of the Blues" confronts racism, jazz, Prohibition-era gangsters, a brief discussion of World War I, a floozie or two, a well-choreographed car chase and an equally absurd and improbable finale that wraps everything up a little too neatly.

"Mystery of the Blues" is essentially oodles of fun and you gain a lot of historical value from it but it is overstuffed and little too preachy. Flanery still seems to be uncomfortable with his role and lacks any of the trademarks of the character that Ford would make his own - I just don't see how Flanery could ever grow into the resourceful archaeologist adventurer of the 1930's and beyond. Still, the film is entertaining and a good time for the whole family. One wonders, though, if that opening teaser with Ford could have been expanded into a whole 2-hour adventure of its own and if Lucas had even considered it at some point (he was thinking about aliens at that time and discussing a fourth Indy flick with Ford, who wanted nothing to do with aliens - a fun fact that "Crystal Skull" detractors might love).   

Props fighting props

KRULL (1983)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

 

A black fortress from space arrives in the planet Krull and disappears and materializes anywhere it wishes to go. The fortress is operated by some sort of monster. A valiant hero named Colwyn (Ken Marshall), who will someday be king, has to find a star-shaped weapon that can destroy the monster and save the planet. Of course, he has to save his marriage from dissolving since his wedding ceremony was interrupted for reasons unknown by the Slayers, monstrous beings who shoot lasers and seemed to have come from the world of J.R.R. Tolkien. Throw in a cyclops, a magician who keeps notes on how to use his magic, a terrific band of thieves that includes a young Liam Neeson and you got something called a movie.

"Krull" has several problems. For one, the tale is a prophecy as mentioned by the narrator but what exactly is the prophecy? This simple-minded tale is just about a future king who has to vanquish evil from corrupting the planet, but what is the monster's purpose? Why does this monster care about the planet Krull or the damsel in distress? What is it with the all-seeing eye (Tolkien, once again) and the Cyclops who can foretell his own demise? And there is the fascinating sage and the Widow of the Web (complete with a giant crystal spider that the Widow keeps at bay with an hourglass) but much of their story is short-changed for action scenes that never go anywhere or propel the plot forward. Basically, there is not much depth to any sort of mythology and the movie makes up its own rules as it goes along.

"Krull" makes the most unforgivable mistake of any sword-and-sorcery adventure crossed with a dose of sci-fi - it is tiresome and snail-paced. Say what you will about "Star Wars" (which this movie copies along with tropes inspired by "Lord of the Rings") but that series had a mythology that was extensive and clear with exciting action and colorful characters. "Krull" has some characters I wanted to know more about, especially the Cyclops and the magician and the Robin Hood gang of thieves, but they never develop into anything other than props. It is props fighting props without an ounce of imagination.  

Hackman and Romano in tight mayoral race

WELCOME TO MOOSEPORT (2004)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

This may be one of those guilty pleasure movies for me but "Welcome to Mooseport" is an affable, pleasant and thoroughly disarming comedy that works. The critics hated it but I liked it well enough. It is not a political satire nor is it the funniest political comedy. Its charms are simple and small, much like the small town it depicts.

Gene Hackman is the former President of the United States who wants to settle down in the small town of Mooseport. The town welcomes him with great open arms, though the President is not very keen on small town meetings and speeches and wanting to mingle with the innocent townsfolk. Some members of the town council, however, want the President to run for Mayor of Mooseport. His competition is Handy (Ray Romano), a soft-spoken younger man who knows how to fix toilets. Handy is unaware that he is in the mayoral running and drops out until he catches the President eyeing Handy's own girlfriend (thanklessly yet wonderfully played by Maura Tierney). Guess who asks Handy's girlfriend out for dinner? It is then that Handy decides to run for Mayor and it turns out that Handy can solve problems and beat the President in golf like no one's business.

Don't think for a moment that this movie is on the level of Frank Capra with its small-town witticisms and genial citizens. Yes, "Welcome to Mooseport" is too good to be true but I enjoyed the picture for not trying to be a cynical, savagely satirical take on small-town politics. It is simple and pure with a great cast that imbues the film with more nostalgia for a bygone era than sentimentality. Ray Romano is quirky and diverting enough to separate himself from his "Everybody Loves Raymond" character. Gene Hackman is a consummate actor who knows all the tricks to bring his guile President to boisterous life. Ditto Tierney as the tired girlfriend who wants to settle down, Marcia Gay Harden as one of the President's aides who feels the leader of the free world has lost some of his noble virtues, Fred Savage as another aide who tries to stay out of the President's eyeline, and the always engaging Rip Torn as the campaign manager.

"Welcome to Mooseport" is a lively, upbeat comedy that doesn't try too hard to be anything else. I would have liked more debates between Handy and the President and more direct punches at certain targets of humor (the Tiger Woods jokes are not as funny as Clinton's Presidential Library being bigger than Hackman's). Still, we sometimes need movies like this as a much-needed break from reality and cynicism. 

Brickman is lost in translation

LOVESICK (1983)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Marshall Brickman has done some brilliant work in the past. He did of course write the impeccable "Annie Hall" with Woody Allen, but "Lovesick" (which he wrote and directed) is curiously remote and unbelievable for a man who channels the soul and heartbreak in relationships between men and women.

Dr. Saul Benjamin (Dudley Moore) is a New York City analyst who is bored with his regular patients. One talks about a potential sex partner, another about daily, frivolous problems, and one says absolutely nothing. Saul's life is unspectacular. His life seems empty. Even his wife pays him little mind. Another analyst (Wallace Shawn) tells Saul of his longing for a young female patient (an ethical dilemna known as "counter-transference"). Before you know it, the analyst dies of a heart attack, but not before disclosing the name of the patient. Saul is intrigued and happily discovers that this young patient, Chloe (Elizabeth McGovern), is referred to him. She talks about writing plays for a famous actor in the New York Theatre world, and admits she wishes Saul would kiss her. Love is in the air, and now Saul gets romantically involved with Chloe which means she will have to stop being his patient.

For the first half of "Lovesick," Marshall Brickman does an exemplary job of bringing wit and truth to this romantic relationship and never goes for cheap, easy gags. There is comedy but it is nicely restrained, and the romance sparkles with a touch of class and elegance. Both Moore and McGovern make it convincing enough despite being such opposites in age and size. But something happens. The film shifts from an engaging romantic comedy to an off-centered, off-kilter drama about Saul's lack of ethics and good standing in his community for getting involved with Chloe (since she is no longer his patient, why should all the budding analysts care?) Also, Saul's relationship to his wife is handled with a resolution so unbelievable that I got somewhat fed up seeing Brickman go for broke in scenes that should have been handled with more depth.

Brickman is a great writer and director and has proven so post-"Lovesick" with "The Manhattan Project" and his alliance with Woody Allen in "Manhattan Murder Mystery." "Lovesick" aims high on potential and falls low on expected payoffs. A wonderful cast to be sure (it is a hoot to watch Sir Alec Guinness as Sigmund Freud, and Ron Silver as an Al Pacino-like actor), a few genuine laughs, but it fails to measure up to the genuine comic truths Brickman was aiming for.

Darkly comic tale in Central Park

REMEDY (2005)

Reviewed By Jerry Saravia

Shot on a miniscule budget of a little over 100,000, "Remedy" is at times effective and downright silly. Still, considering what often passes for vague entertainment in theaters nowadays, it has its own brand of thrills to keep people from switching off and watching a dreadful reality show.

Christian Maelen (who directed the film) convincingly plays Will, an artist who sells his canvases on the street for pennies. His buddy and coke-sniffing connection, Josh (Nicholas Reiner, the film's screenwriter), needs to borrow money to pay off 15 big ones to Tom (Rick Aiello). Will refuses thanks to his pregnant wife (Candice Coke), who sniffs coke on occasion. Nobody will lend a helping hand to Joshua. One night, while Will is truly coked-up, Josh is murdered with a bullet to the abdomen. Will is the prime suspect and pretty soon the cops are interrogating all of Will's friends, determining who the culprit could be. Is it Tom, the truly abusive drug dealer who is sweetly innocent one second and psychotic the next? The dentist (Jon Doscher) who thinks he's a smoothie with the ladies? The dentist's girlfriend who agrees to a menage a trois as well as having lesbian girlfriend on the side? Or is it Will's wife who hopes he will clean up and move to a French villa?

"Remedy" is a strange amalgam of a police procedural whodunit mixed with the yuppie party scene and a dose of a mystery thriller thrown in for good measure. The police detective scenes are as realistic as they get (thought not as well-shot as TV's "Law and Order"), thanks to the authentic casting of actor Arthur J. Nascarella as Detective Lynch, himself a former New York City cop. I could've lived without a brief laughable chase to a wall facing Central Park yet, on the whole, a fair sense of realism pervades any scene with Nascarella.

The yuppie party scene is depicted in bars and bathrooms where excessive drinking and coke-sniffing occur - are we watching an 80's Bret Easton Ellis adaptation? We also get some lesbian sex scenes and a few shots of a strip club for those who like that sort of thing. And for those who like belly laughs, intentional or otherwise, there is a scene involving the dentist and an older patient that is practically cringe-worthy.

The mystery thriller section of the plot is the most compelling of the entire film, as the last half-hour dovetails into Agatha Christie whodunit mode. The filmmakers call this a "darkly comic tale" and I happen to agree. It is clear the acting is not top-notch and what passes for style is a bunch of close-ups and the most rudimentary, underutilized locations, including bars, apartments, and some outdoor locations. (In fact, whole scenes at a supposed ritzy bar are so tightly shot that it resembles someone's apartment that just happens to have a bar.) But you can't complain when you're dealing with first-timers and limited budgets (Wes Anderson's debut "Bottle Rocket" was just as tightly shot.)

Despite some uneven pacing and editing, "Remedy" has fine support from pros like Nascarella, Frank Vincent as Will's uncle, Vincent Pastore in an atypical role as an art dealer, and even former KISS band member Ace Frehley as an aging, amused drug dealer who's heard it all. And Christian Maelen's mentally tortured junkie, Will, is a like a cross between John Amplas's Martin from Romero's "Martin" and Cillian Murphy from "28 Days Later" - the fragile yuppie junkie who has given up on life. He gives "Remedy" a short injection of heart and soul.