Imagine a peaceful nation

THE U.S. VS. JOHN LENNON (2006)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Originally reviewed in 2007)

When I think of the late John Lennon, I think of one word: Peace. That is what encapsulated the meaning of his famous song, "Imagine," and more obviously, "Give Peace a Chance." But peace can be seen as a threat to the national order, specifically our government, and especially during a time of war. The latest documentary about Lennon, "The U.S. vs. John Lennon," focuses on the goverment's attempt to shut him up and bring him down.

John Lennon has always been the abrasive, outspoken Beatle, despite his pacifist, ideological views. In a sense, he was the most confrontational and the one people really listened to. No other celebrity has ever managed to have a bedroom protest for days with the media present, sing "Give Peace a Chance" repeatedly and have others sing along, give numerous interviews on the "Mike Douglas Show" and the "Dick Cavett Show" and, in short, make our goverment and our own President of the U.S. nervous. The real question is: why did Lennon make them nervous? Perhaps, Lennon's savvy skills as a PR person, as well as maintaining press conferences, giving interviews, spreading his message of peace and trying vainly to end the Vietnam War were all too prevalent - clearly, the message was working. Yoko Ono was his partner, but radical activists who decried the war are also mentioned, including the late Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin. Lennon took it a step further - he became a latter-day Gandhi and used rock n' roll as his tool, and bed-ins for instrumenting change.

The film's time period runs roughly from 1966 until Lennon's unfortunate murder in December of 1980. We see the mop-topped Beatle was no ordinary Beatle at all - he infamously claimed that his band, the Beatles, was more popular than Jesus. Though later Lennon clarified his error, he did say that they were in fact more popular after all. As everyone knows, the Beatles didn't remain a group forever, thus enabling John Lennon to carve his own personal niche with his own songs, recorded his way (we hear over 40 of them from "Well, Well, Well" to the tear-inducing, powerful peace anthem "Give Peace a Chance" to "Beautiful Boy"). Interestingly, as high profile as Lennon got (and he certainly eclipsed Hoffman and Rubin), the more trouble he was for the Nixon administration. Nixon, the late Strom Thurmond and the other powers-that-be bugged Lennon's phones, followed him everywhere (and not always incognito) and even tried to get him deported due to a marijuana charge back in England! As clearly stated by John Dean, former White House Counsel for Nixon, the peace demonstrations were a definite concern. Let's not forget the "War is Over - If You Want It" signs/billboards that were plastered all over the world.

The problem is that some of this focus is lost when we hear only incidental interviews from certain parties. Jerry Rubin, Angela Davis, Black Panther co-founder Bobby Seale, liberal author Gore Vidal, and Yoko Ono contribute some positive insights about Lennon and the paranoia of the times. As for the negative insights of this Beatle, we hear strong words from G. Gordon Liddy who feels that if Lennon hated America and its war, he should've left (Mighty strong words coming from someone who contributed to the Nixon resignation in such ugly times). Incredibly, Liddy feels even less apologetic about the Kent State massacre. But we hear precious little about Lennon's thoughts on the unpopular war, or even from those close to him. We do know that after Nixon got re-elected, Lennon stayed out of the limelight - perhaps he knew that peace was not an option anymore. But why did he give up? What happened in those years after Nixon got re-elected and Vietnam ended? And is there an implication from Yoko that Lennon was killed by the government, hence Mark David Chapman, Lennon's assassin, and that he was a trained CIA operative? Did the government still feel Lennon was some sort of threat to the upcoming Reagan era?

As a film, "The U.S. vs. John Lennon" definitely recaptures those trying times and the hope that things could change. In many ways, it is still relevant in the Bush era, considering we have an unpopular war that hardly anybody wants. But nobody is expressing peace or hope the way John Lennon did during Vietnam - we have no one to motivate us and spring for a change and counter the way our goverment behaves. All we have, for better or worse, is Rosie O'Donnell, Bill Maher, John Stewart and a host of comedians doubling as political experts who bash Bush and the war any chance they get. But nobody is truly saying, "Give peace a chance." Maybe it is too scary a thought in this day and age, even for our Democratic presidential candidates, to utter such a word. Lennon did use it, and meant it. He saw beyond politics, as even the late John F. Kennedy did.

I certainly admire "The U.S. vs. John Lennon" but I think it shortchanges John Lennon, presenting him more as the myth than the man. We know he had his foibles and flaws, and I only wish the filmmakers showed more of that. Or maybe they just want to continue to provide Lennon as the synonym for peace. Maybe that is not such a bad idea after all.

Space Oddity rivets the attention

MOON (2009)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Moon" is an odd duck of a movie, so relentlessly sad and despairing that it might make sentimentalists crazy. Of course, "Moon" is also a throwback to a bygone era, the 1970's sci-fi flicks that told stories in imaginative and unusual ways in unusual settings. Yep, some of them had sad endings too.

Sam Rockwell is Sam Bell, an astronaut at a lunar station, and his three year stint of sending canisters of helium-3 back to Earth (our planet is in worse shape than it is now) and tracking harvesters, which extract helium from moon rocks that provide pollution-free power back to our home planet, is coming to an end. This job looks quite boring and he is the sole occupant of this station. Sam does talk to computers, specifically a talkative, sometimes intrusive HAL-9000-type computer named GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey) who is his eyes and ears to any transmission sent or received to Earth, including video messages sent by Sam's wife and daughter. But something is happening to Sam. He hallucinates and thinks a girl is in the station that could be his daughter. A video transmission is apparently tampered with. When he investigates problems with the harvester in his rover, there is an accident and somehow Sam is dragged back to the infirmary. How is this possible if GERTY is always inside the station? Is there someone else on the moon?

I rather not give away too much information but, suffice to say, there may be more going on the station than Sam Bell is aware of. The trick in a film dealing with loneliness (and what can be more lonely than space?) is finding the right actor to keep us motivated and compelled. Debuting director Duncan Jones could not have chose anyone better than Sam Rockwell, an underappreciated actor whose offbeat nature keeps us guessing and wondering. Rockwell doesn't have a predictable bone in his range of mannerisms, and supplies just enough credibility and compassion to make us care for his plight. There is also some business about how Lunar Industries, a fictional company, is implementing cost-cutting measures to have their lucrative business kept afloat without losing a dime. I will not reveal how this is happening but I can say Rockwell and especially GERTY keeps us wondering. Once the truth is out, the film grows more despairing and more thoughtful.

"Moon" reminds me a lot of "Silent Running," a highly offbeat sci-fi picture from the 70's that starred Bruce Dern. Whereas "Silent Running" dealt with environmental concerns, "Moon" deals with the fragility of humanity in intriguing ways, and the dire cost of outsourcing jobs. I can't say more than that, or maybe I have said too much already. GERTY might have recommended keeping this review down to a single paragraph to avoid potential spoilers. If you like sci-fi films that deal with ideas, put your thinking caps on and you will have quite an experience with "Moon." I am sure GERTY would agree. 

9/11 Reimagined as a Monster Movie

CLOVERFIELD (2008)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Cloverfield" is an anxiety-ridden, claustrophobic nightmare of a movie. It is 9/11 reimagined as a monster movie, only the monsters are not terrorists but rather an actual monster with a Godzilla-like snarl and rage against anything in its path. The fact that it is set in New York City makes this movie impactful and the monster significantly scarier than I had imagined. 

"Cloverfield" states from the beginning that we are watching a government file - found footage of a horrific night in New York City. Anxiety seems to set in right from the start. Yuppies are at a going-away party held for the young vice-president of a company, Rob (Michael Stahl-David), who is travelling to his new job in Japan. We are watching a hand-held camcorder capturing these events and if you are reading this and saying, "God, not another amateur found footage flick a la "Blair Witch Project," think again. We know something is about to happen, but what? The new vice-president is royally pissed that his platonic female friend, whom he had slept with, is seeing a new guy. And then, the horror starts. An earthquake sound rattles everyone. An explosion is seen in the distance. The severed head of the Statue of Liberty rolls along the city streets. Pandemonium sets in. It is a monster with a lethal tail, destroying any and everything in its path. But why, and where does it come from? "Cloverfield" never answers these questions.

"Cloverfield" is a straight-faced, interminably terrifying rush of a movie, laced with a real sense of terror. The monster is barely seen so we have to imagine its rampage, eliciting from our hand-held point-of-view shots only glimpses (we really get a sense of the enormity of the creature at the end). The movie never slows down for a second and the anxiety of getting away from the terror builds, even for its rather short 74-minute excursion. It helps that we care about the characters. Michael Stahl-David's Rob cares about his newfound girlfriend, even if she cheated on him, and races to find her in easily one of the most thrilling rescues I've ever seen (let's say it deals with a nearly toppled apartment building). Hud (T.J. Miller - hilarious stand-up comic in real life) is the camcorder-carrying member, documenting all the action and providing a few nervous laughs (as the late Roger Ebert suggested, how much power does that camcorder battery have that it lasts through an entire night into the next day?). There is also Marlena (Lizzy Caplan, a hypnotic presence), the dizzying and dazed girl whom Hud has a thing for. We care just enough about these characters to hope they make it out alive, and director Matt Reeves allows for a few contemplative moments where we get to focus on the trauma and the impact it has on its victims.

"Cloverfield" is a great movie experience but it may be a bit much for those who are still conflicted and traumatized by 9/11. There is a lot of that imagery here, including clouds of dust that may make you squeamish, more so than in Steven Spielberg's dark, bleak remake of "War of the Worlds." Aside from Oliver Stone and Paul Greengrass, fewer and fewer films have truly dealt with the tragedy of that fateful day. Action movies, horror films and other genre pictures have used the iconic imagery of 9/11 to spice up their own films. "Cloverfield" feels utterly real and in the moment, words which I never imagine using to describe a Godzilla rip-off/homage. But this movie is not eye candy - it is an emotional response to caring for one another and trying to survive in these tough times. This is where "Cloverfield" really strikes its chord.

Skippy as a metalhead!

TRICK OR TREAT (1986)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

I am no fan of heavy metal music nor am I a fan of Marc Price. Therefore it seems unlikely both would be linked together in a movie. "Trick or Treat" has no tricks up its sleeve and is no delicious treat to sit through.

Marc Price plays Eddie Weinbauer, an introverted heavy-metal fan who is obsessed by one metalhead, Sammi Curr (Tony Fields). Curr dies in a hotel fire and now Eddie is devastated (he hears this news while writing a letter to him). Eddie feels Sammi is the only one that could understand him, and he is definitely right (both are from the same high school). The local DJ (creepily played by Gene Simmons) gives Eddie the only copy of Sammi's last record. But when Eddie plays the LP, he notices that there are hidden messages conveyed when the record is played backwards. The messages contain instructions on how to torment and kill all the school bullies that are hounding Eddie.

Though it has a good enough premise for a low-budget horror flick, the movie flounders after a nicely effective opening. Marc Price, formerly known as the nerdish, oblivious Skippy on TV's "Family Ties," is completely unbelievable as someone who would love heavy metal music, much less dance to it. His line readings in close-up shots reek of complete implausibility - he stares and winks while delivering jokey sentences. I am not surprised that Price has never gotten far beyond the confines of this disastrous horror pic - all I can say is that he has less charisma than on the TV show. He doesn't look like a heavy metal fan, and his long black hair and puppy dog eyes elicit zilch in terms of nuance or any emotion.

The movie flounders with many setpieces where Eddie confronts the bullies and is terminally tricked and embarrassed in front of the whole school (my favorite is when Eddie is thrown naked out of the shower into a women's gym class). A nice touch is seeing heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne play a reverend who considers heavy metal music immoral. I also like a bit involving a reptilian creature that has its way with a horny teenage girl in the backseat of the car (though I hope someone can enlighten me on what the creature has to do with the rest of the movie).

"Trick or Treat" has no wit, no surprise, no atmosphere and no scares. Trick and treating is probably more fun than watching this steaming pile of junk.

Buscemi's Ode to Valley Stream

TREES LOUNGE (1996)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
(Originally written in 2002)

"Trees Lounge" is the story of Tommy, an unemployed drunk who flirts with the ladies and lives in a depressing small town on Long Island, New York. He can't find work as an auto mechanic so he starts driving an ice-cream truck after the owner dies of a heart attack (played by veteran Seymour Cassel). Tommy can't help but drink himself to a stupor at the Trees Lounge bar where he maintains an apartment upstairs. Night after night, he drowns himself in disillusionment with his friends. Tommy's life might have some meaning, though, when he has a brief dalliance with a teenager who can't inhale cigarettes, Debbie (Chloe Sevigny). Problem is she's too young and her father, Jerry (a terrifyingly funny Daniel Baldwin) may just kill  Tommy if he finds out.

The movie is packed with a great cast of actors including an old drunk David Lynch-type named Billy (Bronson Dudley) who continually stares into space; the fat drunk moving company owner, Mr. Hyde (Mark Boone Jr.); Tommy's old and pregnant flame, Theresa (Elizabeth Bracco); Chloe Sevigny as the aforementioned ingenue who enjoys going for a ride in Tommy's ice-cream truck; and Tommy's former angry employer, Rob (Anthony LaPaglia) who is Theresa's husband.

Most of all, it is Steve Buscemi who makes a big impression as writer, director and star of an exuberantly 

fresh and wonderfully made sleeper. His rat-like features and skeleton body underlie a deeply troubled soul 

searching for some escape from this town. At its best, "Trees Lounge" looks and feels like a depressing smalltown where life continues to go on, even if its inhabitants do not.                                               

It is time that the Academy Awards recognize the talent of independent spirits like Steve Buscemi (as of 2002, they still haven't). If Hollywood hasn't learned the sad truth yet, it's that quantity isn't everything.

Terry Gilliam's Unfinished Opus

LOST IN LA MANCHA (2002)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

I remember being a cameraman's assistant during the Zozobra Festival, an annual event in Santa Fe, New Mexico. There was live music and food, and it went on for many hours. After it was all over, the TV director who helped to direct it for live TV was visibly upset. It was a disappointment for whatever reason. Maybe she didn't get all the shots she had hoped for, who knows. But that glazed look of disappointment is exactly what you see in director Terry Gilliam's face in the fascinating and upsetting documentary, "Lost in La Mancha."

Terry Gilliam, the former Monty Python member who made movies with big, fantastical ideas and epic, profound visuals that no one else could conjure in films ranging from "Brazil" to "12 Monkeys," is seen on working on his latest project, "The Man who Killed Don Quixote," a labor of love he had been trying to adapt for ten years. A 32 million dollar budget has been approved with European investors (Hollywood turned its back on it). Costumes are designed, sets are constructed, actors are hired, and everything seems to be in working order. A French actor named Jean Rochefort has been hired to play Don Quixote, and he looks the part and has learned enough English to do it justice. Johnny Depp has been hired to play a hero from the future who plays the part of Sancho Panza. Three actors are hired to play giants. As I said before, this production looks good and practically classic Gilliam.

Problems arise on the first day shooting in the desert where fighter jets are in the skies, the extras have not rehearsed their roles, bad weather leads to flooding, etc. Gilliam gets bewildering stares when he asks if the production's equipment is insured. Rochefort is clearly uncomfortable due to possible prostate pain and has to fly back to France to see a doctor. Delays continue and, after all the investors come to visit a scene near a waterfall with Depp mouthing off to a dead fish, a pervading feeling of doom settles in. Will Rochefort be able to come back and continue his Don Quixote role? Is this all the assistant director's fault?

A lot of this is engrossing material and, almost simulatenously, perplexing - why didn't Gilliam seek to replace Rochefort or why not keep shooting whatever scenes were needed without Rochefort? Also, despite the fact that Depp was not the blockbuster star he became until "Pirates of the Caribbean" when this movie was shot, why not take the time-travel concept further, rewrite it a little and introduce a new character played by Depp or maybe Marlon Brando? There are many what-ifs in this scenario - for a hefty budget, the production could've been remedied without being shut down or maybe the Europeans are less forgiving than Hollywood when things go wrong and the budget increases. I sense there is more to this documentary that we are not seeing.

"Lost in La Mancha" serves as food for thought on the logistics of what can go wrong with the shooting of a big-budget movie. But there are too many questions and not enough answers as to the film's unfortunate shutdown. Orson Welles once tried to make a Don Quixote movie with the added plot of a director trying to make a movie about the subject. Gilliam could have done the same, without documenting just his frustration.

A Poor "Black Man" adopted by Mabel King

THE JERK (1979)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Comedy is a rare gift for anyone, whether it is the writers or the actors who have to perform it. Timing is everything and Carl Reiner's "The Jerk" is an oddball comedy. It was Steve Martin's first foray into a comedic leading role, playing the most insanely dumb and most ignorant white man on Earth. You know you are ignorant when you think you're a poor black man.

Martin is Navin, adopted by Southern black sharecroppers who bear nothing but absolute love for him. One day, after hearing a radio channel where jazz music is playing, Navin is inspired to hit the road and appear on radio! His family supports him but they are afraid he might discover what a cruel white man's world it really is. Nevertheless, after Navin hitchhikes across the country, he works at a gas station (and assumes the public toilet is his bedroom!), works at a circus where he gets a tattooed, motorcycle-driving female daredevil who consistently has sex with him, operates a mini-railroad ride for kids where he meets the sweet Marie (Bernadette Peters), and eventually invents a new pair of eyeglasses with a built-in support mechanism for the nose so they do not fall off. Naturally, Navin's new invention makes him filthy rich. And this is where the film lost me. For somebody so dimwitted and naive about everything, it turns out Navin inadvertently invents something that is supposedly useful. The fact is that the sympathetic Navin becomes a wild and crazy guy who wants to party and has no scruples - I just didn't buy it.

"The Jerk" has too many long pauses, too many hesitations when in fact it should drive forward with the special brand of that kinetic Reiner engine (it worked in "All of Me" and "Oh, God!"). The engine this time floats around, and some gags run on too long. When Navin tries to buy time with some discovered Latino thieves at the gas station, I lost patience because the gag is drawn out. The payoff works but the buildup is slow as Navin keeps running back into the gas station over and over again to keep the thieves waiting. Same with a crazy shooter (M. Emmett Walsh) who tries to kill Navin at the gas station. The shooter shoots at one paint can, then another, and another, and another until you say, get on with it already!

I liked "The Jerk" overall and Steve Martin is often quite hysterical. He is the kind of physical comedian who can't stay still for long - he always has to gyrate or use his body language to emphasize distress or anxiety. Jackie Mason is a showstopper of a presence with his perfectly timed one-liners. I can't help but adore Mabel King as Navin's adopted mother - her unadulterated love for her son is heartbreakingly real. I only wish that the comedic gags were exerted with far more energy and pizazz.