Past as prologue in film blanc

DEAD AGAIN (1991)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Dead Again" is one of the most eccentric of all noir thrillers I've seen. It's a crafty, cunningly suspenseful thriller, but its climax rushes and ends abruptly. It's a great movie but that ending vexes me.

Kenneth Branagh is an L.A. private detective named Mike Church, always on the lookout for missing heirs - he also has a knack for parking on the wrong side of the road. He also hates his loud piano-playing neighbor. Church's latest assigment is to identify an amnesiac (Emma Thompson) whom he calls Grace - she had been cared for at a church. Mike can't divulge much from her since she doesn't talk and has consistent nightmares. He asks his newspaper contact and friend, Pete (Wayne Knight), to publish her picture in the hopes that someone can identify her. Mike gets nowhere until a hypnotist, Franklyn (Derek Jacobi), offers to help mostly by hypnotizing her and discovering any hidden secrets from her past. She has secrets alright, though they are not her own - they belong to a 1940's woman named Margaret Strauss (also played by Thompson). In great detail, she tells the story of Margaret's marriage to Roman Strauss (played by Branagh), a famous, distinguished composer who hated writing music for the movies. Then we also learn of Roman's financial troubles, his maid and her son, and of a gossip-mongering reporter (Andy Garcia) who misses the war.

To be fair to those who have not seen this film, I will not reveal much more. "Dead Again" is full of surprises and clever twists. It is a film noir where daylight plays a more central role than a nocturnal setting, hence "film blanc." The movie plays like a thriller with a noir feel only in name. It is more of a love story between Mike and Grace juxstaposed with the Strauss couple. "Dead Again" also contains some of the most offbeat characters in quite some time. I will not reveal who plays an ex-psychiatrist who works at a grocery store, but it is an odd type of character. There is also the aforementioned hypnotist, Franklyn, who mostly runs an antique shop and hypnotizes his clients to find where their antique items are hidden. And there is the loudmouth Pete who says memory doesn't fade for long, using the story of an axe murder as evidence. We also see a decadent party in the 40's sequence with masked dancers and the like - those who loved "Eyes Wide Shut" might appreciate this sequence in its ornate quality.

Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson do a brilliant job at playing their dual characters. Branagh is especially good at a German accent and an American accent. At times, Thompson may struggle with her American accent but she certainly is convincing as the modern amnesiac and as the distressed Margaret. Their relationship works and we want them to be together, but her past and the possibility that Margaret Strauss has been reincarnated threatens it.

As I said, I will not reveal much more about "Dead Again." The movie has great atmospheric detail and little clues strewn throughout that suggest the parallels between the past and the present. I also like the use of color to dictate the present, black-and-white for the past (a cliche to be sure but it still works). I'll also say there are red herrings galore and enough melodrama for ten thrillers, but as the movie builds for more surprise and revelations, it ends in a slightly cheap way. Having seen the film three times, "Dead Again" has such terrific, rhythmic flow that it ends in a way more reminiscent of "Fatal Attraction" than a sophisticated noir thriller. The violent climax has several close-up shots of scissors everywhere (a nod perhaps to Hitchcock's own "Dial M For Murder" and also the film's motif) but instead of dwelling on the plot, it ends crudely and unimaginatively. Watching Wayne Knight uterring "Whew!" after a crucial character meets his demise had me cowering in disbelief. The movie deserves a more fitting resolution than something as hackneyed as a slasher film finish.

Don't get me wrong. "Dead Again" is a wonderful film and a beautifully mounted production as only Kenneth Branagh can make. As a love story, it is exquisite and very moving. But its rush to settle and finalize its surprising revelations in a frenetic mode weakens the narrative somewhat. Despite getting lost in its profundities and its excessive melodramatic strokes, it is still a thrilling ride getting there.

A Confluence of Comic-Book Movies

A CONFLUENCE OF COMIC-BOOK MOVIES: DC vs. MARVEL

By Jerry Saravia

So at the San Diego 2013 Comic-Con, more news broke about the plethora of future comic-book movies (in addition to TV's "Breaking Bad" - what does that have to do with a comic-book convention? - and more sci-fi movies than one can count, such as 'Ender's Game" with Harrison Ford). A new "Amazing Spider-Man" movie with villains Electro and the Rhino have emerged fighting against our favorite web-slinger (Electro being among my favorite of Spidey's foes) in a new, startling teaser with a blue-hued Electro (Jamie Foxx) strapped to some gurney with dozens of electrical wires attached to him (Incidentally, Rhino will be played by Paul Giamatti). "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" has emerged as the sequel to the "First Avenger" (among my favorite of the current crop of Marvel films). Expect a new "X-Men" flick from director Bryan Singer called "Days of Future Past" with a young Magneto confronting his future older self (Ian McKellen).

Jamie Foxx as Electro

And that is just Marvel - lest us not forget the surprising union of the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel in the Zack Snyder-directed sequel, "Batman vs. Superman." At Comic-Con, Zack Snyder made the announcement by having introduced it with a line of dialogue by actor Harry Lennix (who played General Swanwick) and a logo on the screen, namely the S sign and the Bat signal merged as one which made the audience go bananas. The Batman vs. Superman flick interests me because it was an on/off again project for many years, and who wouldn't want to see these two DC titans share the screen (no doubt a team-up that is in direct, obvious competition with "The Avengers" - DC and Marvel battling for mega box-office dollars). Also, it will be interesting to see who plays the Dark Knight since Christian Bale swore off donning the suit after three terrific Batman flicks. And will Christopher Nolan still be producing after he also swore off making any more Batman flicks, despite his prodigious involvement in "Man of Steel" (a review of that is coming soon)? As for the competing rival Marvel, the first "Amazing Spider-Man" flick was cumbersome and mediocre and completely unnecessary so I have little interest in seeing a sequel, at least in theaters (wait for DVD is a definitive despite my love for the web-slinger and Electro). 

Jennifer Lawrence in X-Men: Days of Future Past

My issue with comic-book movies is that there are too many glutting our cinemas, virtually on the heels of one that is released comes another ("Iron Man 3" this past May, "Man of Steel" in late June, a new "Wolverine" flick in July of 2013, followed by November's new "Thor" sequel). Don't get me wrong: I enjoy most of the comic-book films out there but seeing every one of them in a theater might prove to be much of a good thing. 

Even new comic-book-type films like the very entertaining "Pacific Rim" by Guillermo Del Toro (the sci-fi monster flick is an homage to the kaiju flicks from the Far East rather an actual comic-book per se) bears little distinction visually from say "Thor: The Dark World." (The preview I saw for it was in 3-D and looked reasonable but nothing earth-shattering or new from what we have seen this Norse god do). I do not know how many more of these movies I can take in such a short amount of time - how many Thors can we handle after already seeing this stubborn Norse god wield a hammer in the first "Thor" and "The Avengers" in the last two years? Same with "Captain America 2" - couldn't they have just eradicated a stand-alone sequel in favor of seeing him suit up with his armored shield in the hotly anticipated "Avengers 2: Age of Ultron" in 2015? I am sure some of these filmmakers and writers will find new ways to keep our interest from waning but the surprise element might disappear. Beware because if the writing and direction are not up to par beyond wowing us with dozens of special-effects and techno-super-duper explosions, these movies will become interchangeable rather than distinct.   

Sparrow and company in flat swashbuckler

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: 

THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (2003)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Maybe I never liked pirates. I have a fondness for Captain Blood, memorably played by Errol Flynn. I also enjoyed Disney's animated version of Peter Pan. I also liked "The Crimson Pirate." But then there was the horrendous "Pirates" by Roman Polanski, a film that was as dimwitted as its characters. The less said about "Cutthroat Island," the better. "Pirates of the Caribbean" is a horribly boring picture with a boorish bore as its central character. It is full of razzle-dazzle effects and it is as ear-splittingly loud as any picture, but it crashes and burns long before the last reel is unspooled. All I could ask myself was why the Disney theme park ride was more fun?

Johnny Depp, wearing deep black eyeliner, is Captain Jack Sparrow, the former captain of the Black Pearl ship. He is a revered pirate, but his exploits have been exaggerated. Nevertheless, he wishes to reclaim his ship but it is now run by the undead and its leader, Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). That is right, the undead. You see, once upon a time, these pirates were placed under an ancient curse and if they can find a relative of a former pirate, they can use the relative's blood and some ancient medallion to restore their humanity, or something like that. Meanwhile, Captain Sparrow is intent on reclaiming his ship and runs afoul of the blacksmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and there's some sort of sword duel, and many more to follow. The undead pirates, by the way, can be seen in all their ghostly, cadaverous glory when the moonlight shines on them.

"Pirates of the Caribbean" is chock full of adventure and swordsmanship, but it falls short of being a spirited swashbuckler. There is no joy to be had from one frame of this atrocity, not even with Depp's praised performance that shockingly earned him an Oscar nomination! Depp is an actor I admire more for his daring than for truly inhabiting his characters - with the exception of "Donnie Brasco," he seems to play characters with no inner life. At least in Jim Jarmusch's underrated and existential western "Dead Man," he was a wanderer who had no idea where he was headed. But in this fiasco, he plays a pirate who seems to think he is a pirate. That conceit works for the inept Jack Sparrows but, for me anyway, it is a waste of an actor who seems to be in drag and waves his arms when he has nothing else to do. Sadly, a line like, "Are you a eunuch?", is less funny when Depp says it. He is a vapid cartoon caricature that keeps reminding us he is in the movie.

Orlando Bloom has the look of a dashing blacksmith, if there is such a thing, but it is a look, nothing more. Even Keira Knightley, the brightest spot in "Bend it Like Beckham," is mostly on automatic pilot as Elizabeth, the typical damsel in distress - her main distinction is that she occasionally collapses from exhaustion? Narcolepsy? Only Geoffrey Rush has the right attitude as Captain Barbossa - you feel his lust for evil dripping from his corroded mouth. Jonathan Pryce as Elizabeth's mother is reduced to another background stick figure, like most of the cast.

As directed by Gore Verbinski ("The Ring"), "Pirates of the Caribbean" is gorgeously shot but it is as spiritless and nonsensical as any gibberish from Disney these days. Overlong to the point of dragged-out, tedious, joyless and frenetic with cannon blasts and gunfire every few seconds, "Pirates of the Caribbean" makes me long for the simplicity of Errol Flynn.

Tell her I am old-fashioned

THE AGE OF INNOCENCE (1993)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Original review updated from 1993 viewing)

Martin Scorsese's "The Age of Innocence" did not sweep at the Oscars back in 1994 as I had expected. "Schindler's List" and "The Piano" stole some of its thunder, not to mention the similar tale of repression, "The Remains of the Day." "Age of Innocence" was also a major departure for Scorsese, who is known mostly for the whirling intensity of "Mean Streets" and "GoodFellas." What the hell is this raging bull doing making a film about the social class structure of the 1870's by way of Edith Wharton? Good question, yet Scorsese has proven to be diverse in the past, from filming concert footage of the Band to dealing with a feminist heroine like Alice from "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore." "The Age of Innocence" is ironically among Scorsese's greatest films, a sumptuous, delicate tale of repression and repressed emotional violence.

Daniel Day-Lewis stars as a New York lawyer, Newland Archer, who romantically yearns for the sexy, open-hearted Countess Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer) despite his plans to marry her cousin, the childlike, innocent May Welland (Winona Ryder). But problems arise such as Olenska's unsettled scandalous divorce, and Newland's inability to cope with his deep feelings because of the strict class order of practically all of New York. People seem to repress their feelings because of fear of being ousted from family and friends - Olenska comes dangerously close to being one of these people. As a tearful Olenska says in one scene, "Does nobody want to hear the truth Mr. Archer? Everyone asks you to pretend." She then follows that line with: "Does nobody cry in New York? I suppose there is no need to."

I wasn't sure how Scorsese would direct this tale, or why he wanted to do it. This is a director who seems to deal with characters that let go of their emotions rather than keeping them bottled up. A tale of this kind is often handled by the Merchant Ivory production team or David Lean. I think it is finally the elements of tragic love, repressed feelings, and internal emotional violence that attracted Scorsese to the project, and he fuses those elements flawlessly. There are the minute, carefully chosen details such as the three-course dinners, manners of etiquette, and paintings that illustrate the bravado of certain characters, such as Beaufort (Stuart Wilson), a playboy that shames the family - his selection of nude paintings directly reflects his character. Not to mention the grandly ostentatious gossip-monger Mrs. Mingott (Miriam Margoyles), and her plethora of paintings of dogs and a savage "Last of the Mohicans-type" painting.

Scorsese brings this world alive as he did with the world of gangsters in "GoodFellas" - you almost feel as if you went back in time to a more innocent era and a sumptuous lifestyle. The cinematography by Michael Ballhaus captures every single nuance and is particularly attentive to subtle details, even in human behavior. There are throwaway moments that capture glimpses of character, such as May Welland making a quick glance at Newland when he says his goodbyes to Countess Olenska at Mrs. Mingott's house. There is also the tender, touching, underplayed scene where Newland is told by his son that May knew all along about his love for the Countess. Any other director might have played up the symphonic score or used distracting close-ups, but Scorsese films it in one long take and as a two-shot. Less is definitely more in terms of finding the right visual cues for this story.

The actors are all perfect and understated, probably more than they ever will be. It is a romantic tale of society that warrants such restraint, though some may feel bored. I mean, we are not talking about the bawdy adventures of Tom Jones here. Daniel Day-Lewis astutely captures Newland's longing and growing sense of desperation for what he cannot have. Michelle Pfeiffer is both sensual and far more pragmatic than at the onset - she magnificently captures Olenska's frail side and her need to be accepted, though her behavior is unconventional. But the biggest surprise is Winona Ryder, capturing the innocence of the title - the seemingly naive May Welland who provides the emotional center. Her frozen smile of recognition is haunting in the film, suggesting that she is far more knowledgeable of her surroundings than she lets on. There are also colorful supporting turns by the aforementioned Miriam Margoyles, Richard E. Grant as the sarcastic Larry Lefferts, Alec McGowen as the expert on gossip regarding all the families, and Michael Gough as the important head of the van der Luyden family who orchestrate a formal dinner to matriculate Olenska into society.

There is so much to love and take in from this film that you have to see it more than once. See it once for the beautiful settings, the elegant music score by Elmer Bernstein and the extraordinary camerawork, and the second time for the finely tuned acting and the emotions that threaten to explode in every one of the characters. A brilliant tragedy in the style of Orson Welles's "The Magnificent Ambersons," "Age of Innocence" will sweep you off your feet and it will stay with you.

A desperate return

ANOTHER 48 HRS.

Reviewed By Jerry Saravia

Desperation and greed mark Walter Hill's "Another 48 HRS." It is the kind of movie that assumes glass breakage, gunshots, loud music and truly thumpingly and obscenely amplified punches are the equivalent of entertainment. For some they may be. For others, beware.

"Another 48 HRS." is one of several sequels released in the summer of 1990. That summer also featured "Gremlins 2," "The Two Jakes," "The Exorcist III," among others. Not the greatest company, though Nicholson and writer Robert Townshend at least attempted to make a different kind of sequel to "Chinatown." So then came the sequel to "48 HRS.," and it was assumed that it would be as funny as the original. Actually, it is more violent and nasty, and hardly funny. The film was made quickly and dispatched to theatres without a hint of what made the original tick.

For starters, Eddie Murphy looks like a carbon copy of himself, delivering his lines as the Armani-suited Reggie Hammond with the attitude of a robot. He only has a few choice moments, particularly when talking to the phone to his old buddies. It is also nice to hear his trademark laugh, but there is no pizazz, no energy in his performance. Even a recap of the bar sequence from the original (which is what made Eddie a star) feels perfunctory and delivers on the payoff of a gunshot as a punchline, not a joke.

Nick Nolte returns as the cop Cates but he seems exhausted by the proceedings, which makes no sense since his character is no longer the alcoholic he was in the original. He hardly brings any integrity to the movie - shoot one villain, beat up Reggie, shoot another, get hit with a basketball, and so on. His scenes with Murphy have no consequence or action or sense of urgency. They seem to return for the sake of returning for a sequel, not for a new original story.

Cold-hearted and wholly unbelievable from start to finish, not to mention having one of the most surprisingly crude endings in eons, and featuring several anonymous villains (including a funny cameo by Bernie Casey), "Another 48 HRS." does have some merits. Kinetic action-director Walter Hill stages moments of brutal, gory action with verve - his images move with crispness and detail. And even if they are a few choice moments, Eddie Murphy at least makes me smile when I hear his rendition of Sting's "Roxanne." Of course, we heard this same rendition in the original, so this sequel basically smacks of replicated desperation.

A new sheriff in town

48 HRS. (1982)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Eddie Murphy was only 19 when he made "48 HRS.," the truly exciting buddy-buddy cop flick that ignited his career. It did not take long when he followed his debut with "Trading Places," "Beverly Hills Cop," and the rest is history. Eddie is only part of what makes "48 HRS." a success - it helps that he is cast along with Nick Nolte, the primal force to be reckoned with.

Nolte stars as booze-swilling San Francisco cop, Cates, who can't seem to hold on to his girlfriend (Annette O'Toole), a bartender. He frequently forgets to call her. Of course, starting his rough day as a cop with liquor in his coffee doesn't help matters. One of his partners is killed in a brilliantly intense shootout in an apartment building. Cates need to recruit someone from the inside to find the killers. So he finds Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy), a former thief who belonged to this group. The trick is that Cates only has 48 hours to locate this gang or else he is out of a job. So begins the buddy-buddy cop formula that was the inspiration for "Lethal Weapon" and many other clones.

Reggie and Cates don't get along. Cates hates Reggie for many reasons, and engages in a fistfight that is among the funniest I have seen in a long time. The idea is that Cates is racist but, nevertheless, he has to work with Reggie in gathering information. What happens between the two macho, smartass guys is that a certain respect develops, despite their differences. Cates even allows Reggie to have sex with a hot dancer by paying for his room. Eventually, the handcuffed Reggie is allowed by Cates to bring a gun into a bar and intimidate an entire redneck crowd with the attitude of a sheriff.

"48 HRS." has two formidable villains, one is a coarse thief named Ganz (James Remar) and the other is his partner, a Navajo named Billy Bear (Sonny Landham). They have a lot of terrific scenes where their macho-istic behavior results in numerous chases and shootouts, including one in a metro bus! And Ganz is barely interested in sex with a prostitute - sometimes a bad guy only thinks with his other guns. And I should not fail to mention David Patrick Kelly as a hapless thief who is mostly concerned with the Porsche he has kept parked in a garage for three years!

Tough, exciting as hell, nailbiting, chock full of macho bull and damn funny, "48 HRS." is a cop movie with balls and a hell of a lot of attitude - the movie gets off on it. Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte are memorable and their camaraderie adds to the overall excitement. I would not put this movie above "The French Connection" or "Serpico" or perhaps "Dirty Harry," but it comes close.

De Palma's jokey, dreamy noir

FEMME FATALE (2002)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Just when you thought sex was not sleazy anymore comes Brian De Palma back in fine form with "Femme Fatale," a highly erotic, stylish film that is really a noir comedy at heart. It is "Double Indemnity" crossed with "Vertigo" and De Palma's own "Obsession." It is loud, crude, high-pitched, self-parodic and a huge mess. It is also entertaining and absorbing, a truly dazzling cinematic treat.

Rebecca Romjin-Stamos stars as Laure Ash, a seductress that would give most seductresses in this decade a run for their money. This woman means business. At the start of the film, she poses as a photographer at the Cannes Film Festival to divert attention from a diamond heist. Laure has a tryst with a French model in the bathroom that is among the most erotic sex scenes ever filmed. This includes the removal of gold braces embedded with jewels which Laure cleverly removes and drops to the floor underneath the bathroom door so they can be whisked away by an accomplice. The robbery, the tryst, the scheduled film at a theatre and a cat toying with some snakelike microphone are all scored to the beat of a remake of Ravel's "Bolero." This sequence alone is so damn good and suspenseful that you hope this is the opening of one of De Palma's best thrillers. Ah, but if that was the case, this film would not be the guilty pleasure it finally aspires to be.

Laure escapes from the festival intact. Her accomplices know of her betrayal and want her and the jewels. Laure is then photographed in France by a professional paparazzi (Antonio Banderas), though we are not given the information immediately as to why. Then Laure is mistaken for another woman at a local church. She narrowly escapes certain death from her accomplices who want the jewels. Laure is taken in by the kind family who assume she is someone she is not. A suicide takes place. Laure (or her double) is on a plane to the United States where she meets an American ambassador (Peter Coyote). Seven years pass. Laure, now Mrs. Watts, is married to that ambassador. Banderas turns up again, involved in a double-crossing that keeps getting more and more complicated until we have given up. The key to this mystery is not clear until we get to an ending that asks us to determine what our fates might have been if we could turn back the clock.

The ending is silly and anticlimactic, but so is most of "Femme Fatale." The difference lies in the execution, and De Palma knows his notes of suspense and cross-cutting between parallel actions better than anybody since Hitchcock. "Femme Fatale" is more in line with "Dressed to Kill" and "Body Double" in its sleazy, sexual factor. Romjin-Stamos has a few nude scenes and some scenes of highly charged eroticism. She also adorns various styles of dress and hairstyles - a sort of homage to "Vertigo" times 10. Stamos's Laure is so amoral that Linda Fiorentino could take lessons from this true femme fatale. Speaking of Fiorentino, I admired her performance in "The Last Seduction" but this Laure is such a seductively sexual, sleek creature that I will not soon forget her. Stamos is not exactly a terrific actress but she has high energy and oodles of charisma - consider her a true siren in the film noir canon.

"Femme Fatale" is not a serious work nor a serious noir at all. It is a playful digression on noir - a pop carnival of heightened emotions and double twists in the form of a dream. It is a strange dream indeed, combined with De Palma's flair for whirlwind camera moves and excellent tracking shots that nobody can wield better than the master himself. It is also De Palma enjoying his parodic bent on suspense and noir, not to mention his own classic thrillers (I can only think of a Hitchcockian comparison in the playful "Family Plot," which was Hitch's joke on thrillers). As "Raising Cain" was a joke on horror, "Femme Fatale" is a joke on suspense. Don't listen to the naysayers. De Palma is back and better than ever.