Uncool Dumb and Dumberer

BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD DO AMERICA (1996)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Originally reviewed in 1997)

They represent the ostensibly gross, stupid, stoned and horny teenagers of America. They are Beavis and Butt-head, the popular animated duo from MTV (created and voiced by director Mike Judge) whose only form of vocabulary is "Huh, huh, huh, huh. That was cool." A half-hour of these two nitwits is one thing, but a full hour-and-a-half!

Now, I did watch a couple of episodes of their MTV show during 1994 when they were quite popular. Their act was mildly funny, but it was also an accurate portrait of the dumb and dumber set of teens in the 1990's. They were nihilistic to the max! They rarely went to school and they didn't care about anything or anyone except...watching TV, particularly music videos.

This movie has the duo looking for their stolen television set. They get on a "DreamAmerica" bus, and are inadvertently branded as hitmen by the media. The FBI is pursuing them trying to retrieve a stolen device hidden in Beavis's shorts! All the naive Beavis and Butt-head want to do is score by bedding down with a tough chick named Dallas (voiced by Demi Moore).

"Beavis and Butt-head Do America" is repetitious and boring warranting only a few mild chuckles. The PG-13 rating defuses a lot of the jokes, and the movie suffers from too many bland gags and not enough social commentary on today's teens. The best scene is towards the end where Beavis overdoses on caffeine pills and coffee and literally goes berserk as he becomes "Cornhoolio." I also like the scenes with B & B trying to score with Dallas. It is also a pleasure to hear Robert Stack's voice as the FBI Agent Fleming, but even he gets monotonous. Beyond that folks, there's not much more. Hearing and listening to Beavis and Butthead's limited vocabulary for an inordinate amount of time is not what I would call good comedy or good satire. Wayne and Garth rule, if you ask me.

Hairy but not hair-raising

TEEN WOLF (1985)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Teen Wolf" is innocuous teen fare, nothing special and nothing earth-shattering. I first saw this film back in 1985 when Michael J. Fox was the new breakout star with TV's "Family Ties" on the air and the glorious "Back to the Future." As time has wore on, we can be honest here, it became clear that "Teen Wolf" was not a good movie but it does have a few laughs and more than a few lulls that make it safe as a TV movie, not as a theatrical release.

The plot reads like a made-for-TV movie. Scott Howard (Michael J. Fox) is an insecure high-school teenager who plays with a losing basketball team. One day, he notices a long hair on his chest. Something else happens - his eyes glow threateningly and his voice deepens when he insists on buying alcohol despite being underage. When Scott feels pressure to make a basket at a game, his eyes glow again and presto, basketball makes it through the hoop! Of course, at one game, he transforms into a werewolf and shows the players how to shoot hoops. Guess what happens? Scott's Teen Wolf becomes a star and his team wins every game. He ignores his best friend, Boof (Susan Ursitti), in favor of a pretty blonde named Pamela (Lorie Grifin) who wouldn't give him the time of day otherwise. Scott also gets to be in a play - argh, this gets dumb and dumber as it goes along.

Aside from the anomaly of a PG-rated movie showing teens smoking marihuana, most of "Teen Wolf" floats by thanks to Michael J. Fox whose easygoing charm raises this mediocrity a couple of notches. Kudos must also go to James Hampton as Scott's father, who knows a thing or two about werewolves - his few quiet scenes with Scott are marvelous to behold. But the movie shares the old tired cliches about learning to be yourself, respect who you are and others will respect thee. The movie would've been more fun, possibly dirty fun, had it focused on pride and arrogance by showing how far Scott could take his wolf routine (it is implied that as the wolf, he has sex with Pamela). Apparently, not far enough.

Whispering the CIA roots

THE GOOD SHEPHERD (2006)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

For the first two-thirds of Robert De Niro's sprawling, though often deeply unsettling, deadly serious-minded CIA picture, "The Good Shepherd" holds one interest in its solemnity and its peaks of unfolding secrets lurking in every corner of its narrative. The film wallows in secrets and codes and it is intrinsically fascinating for a while yet, for a nearly three hour film, it can get overbearing and somewhat lost in its ambitions.

Matt Damon, who is only allowed a flicker of humanity, is a robotic man devoid of anything other than the stringent, straight, by-the-book characteristics of a CIA agent. Damon is Edward Wilson, a poetry student at Yale who is inducted into the Skull and Bones society (according to this movie, falsely deemed by some historians, it is also an induction into the spy business). Wilson is approached by a shadowy agent (Alec Baldwin) to spy on Wilson's poetry professor (Michael Gambon - the most amazing performance in the movie) who may be holding secret Nazi meetings within the school. Once Wilson aptly sniffs out info on his professor, he is introduced to a world of spying, first and foremost on the Soviets. De Niro has a small and tightly controlled role as a general who reminds Wilson that in a time of war, it is Wilson's duty to be patriotic and fight the good fight. My issue is that, aside from fighting Communism in the postwar years, the movie never establishes what Wilson's fight entails. There may be a Yuri who has defected who cannot be trusted, or is there? Most of the film features flashbacks to a cryptic photograph showing a couple in bed together uttering in whispered tones about something, but what? Sound recordings are heard, time and again, and by the end of the film, we figure out the big secret (fans of Robert Ludlum and other spy novels might spot this coming a mile away).

As I said, most of "The Good Shepherd" conveys the reality of a world shrouded in mystery, silences, hush-hush tones but without a whole lot of spine-tingling suspense. There is not much narrative thrust here - this is a world inhabited by a man whom we cannot quite fathom. It is shown that Wilson's father committed suicide and left a note, but Wilson hides it from his family. Other than that, he dates a pretty woman who happens to be deaf (which foreshadows a spy suspect) and then abandons her for a sexually carnivorous woman (Angelina Jolie). The relationship with Jolie lacks much depth - Wilson is so committed to his job that he works overseas for six years and Jolie has affairs to keep her need for human contact open. Most striking image is seeing Wilson going to work everyday, briefcase in hand, as he boards a bus to Washington, D.C. But we never quite get a handle on Wilson or any glimpse into his inner life - despite scenes where he is clearly working intelligence, he may as well be running a bank. And what in God's good Earth did Jolie see in Wilson?

"The Good Shepherd" is involving enough as a document of the history of the CIA, without actually dramatizing it. That can be a plus but we feel lost when Wilson is the anchor of the movie. There are nifty, memorable turns by Joe Pesci as a gangster with Cuban ties; the aforementioned Michael Gambon as the homosexual spy who may be aware of secrets within other agents; Robert De Niro as General Sullivan whose own cool, detached mannerisms speak volumes more than Damon's Wilson; Lee Pace as another agent (and Skull and Bones member) whose gaze holds you in place (he should have played Wilson), and Tammy Blachard as the spurned woman of Wilson's life. As watchable as the film is, it lacks thrust and moral weight. The film aches to be nothing more than a shared whisper about the CIA's roots. I wanted more than a whisper.

Fleshy pods make icky virtual images

eXistenZ (1999)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Virtual reality is a concept that is beginning to lose its luster partly because no one seems to have the imagination or the stamina to explore it. After enduring endless ordeals like "Lawnmower Man" and "The Matrix," one can savor the lurid, fascinating, uneven "eXistenZ," the latest from the twisted mind of David Cronenberg, who helmed mind and body experiments like "Crash," "Videodrome" and "The Naked Lunch."

"eXistenZ" stars Jennifer Jason Leigh as Allegra, a twisted, sexy computer designer whose latest creation is a game called eXistenZ, a virtual reality game where a bio-port is connected to the spine, and resembles a fleshy game pod made of amphibious organs and brain matter. The game begins, but this is not a world of razzle-dazzle computer pyrotechnics or laser beams or kung-fu fights. Instead, you experience a world where trout farms exist, guns made of chicken bones that fire human teeth, people walk and act like zombies, and Chinese waiters serve you two-headed amphibians. To make matters worse, Allegra enters her own game with a seemingly incompetent market trainee (Jude Law), who has not been accommodated with a bio-port.

"eXistenZ" never makes clear when it is a game or when we are seeing reality, although I am sure that in our reality, two-headed amphibians who seemed to have wandered in from Jurassic Park are non-existent. Nevertheless, Cronenberg's idea is to show that a faux reality may not be far from our own - our feelings and emotions dictate our fantasies, and some are more dangerous than others. If only he pushed further with this concept as Wim Wenders did with the dreamlike, humanistic "Until the End of the World," a parable about the danger of being addicted to visual images. Cronenberg wallows in grisly, fleshy details and sudden bursts of violence - the most impressive is the shooting of a Chinese waiter, which shows that the Jude Law character may be taking the concept of the game's "free will" too far.

The actors follow the command of Cronenberg's universe, and no one ever overacts even in the game. Jennifer Jason Leigh is indeed one of my favorite actresses of all time - a quixotic wonder with her expressive eyes, sexual demeanor, and wavy-like patterns in her blonde curls. She is the perfect Cronenberg heroine, and we side with her and hope she can survive her own destructive game. Jude Law reminds me of Rufus Selwell in "Dark City" - he handles his role with aplomb and subtle smirks directed towards the whole ridiculous show. I also enjoyed the tense, rat-like Ian Holm as the designer of the pods - it is a real kick to watch this actor repairing a bloody pod.

"eXistenZ" still has Cronenberg's continuing clinical obsession with flesh and bodily fluids - it affected me to watch these slimy appendages being applied to our semi-heroes in agony, as if they couldn't get enough. This is decidedly not meant for the "Matrix" action crowd. Thus, "eXistenZ" disturbs and intrigues, but it never is truly profound or provocative.

Chameleonic American Friend

THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (1999)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
(Original reviewed in 1999)

How does one comprehend the chameleonic Mr. Tom Ripley's actions, and his desires to be someone else by any means necessary? Is it an attraction to the posh lifestyle of his new friend, Dickie, or a need to come to terms with his own identity? Director Anthony Minghella's adaptation of Patricia Hightsmith's 1955 crime novel is as smooth and clever as the titled character, a thrilling, masterfully told thriller - an exemplary character study of deception and lies, and of an identity crisis in turmoil.

Matt Damon plays the youthful Ripley, whom we see at the beginning of the film playing the piano at a reception wearing a Princeton University jacket. He catches the eye of a wealthy New York ship magnate (James Rebhorn), who falsely assumes that Ripley went to college with his son, Dickie, considering that Ripley's jacket is emblazoned with a Class of '56 patch. Under false pretenses, Ripley is asked by Dickie's father to fly out to Italy to bring back his son, who is living the high life with his girlfriend, Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow). Once Ripley arrives in Italy and meets Dickie, he is introduced to a glamorous world of lavish parties, concerts, beaches, and hot jazz clubs. Dickie (Jude Law) is a difficult man to get to know, but he is immensely likable and full of energy. His girlfriend Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow) likes everyone, and takes a liking to Ripley who is the total opposite of Dickie. But slowly Ripley falls in love, and Dickie is the man he adores and wants to be - Marge and a snobbish friend of Dickie's (Philip Seymour Hoffman) are merely distractions in Ripley's fantasy world.

"The Talented Mr. Ripley" weaves its story and characters smoothly like a snake, and the slow pace exemplifies its creepy atmosphere - we get the sense that Ripley's intentions or goals are unclear throughout the film. What does he want with Dickie, and will he help Dickie's father or does he begin to see himself as Dickie? And who in fact is Ripley? Sure, he is a talented piano player and a gifted mimic, but who is the real Ripley?

Excluding "Good Will Hunting," I have not cared for Matt Damon as an actor, especially in the cartoonish funk called "Dogma." In the guise of Thomas Ripley, Damon finally finds a character as complex, mischievous and duplicitious as anything he's ever managed to play before. One moment he is a smiling simpleton who seems utterly harmless, the next moment he's a conniving, amoral, two-faced murderer. The transition is brilliantly executed by Damon and he makes us hold our breath every moment he is on screen - we are never sure how he is going to react. And to Damon's credit, he makes Ripley sympathetic, and there were moments when I was tense and scared for him since his murderous ways could be uncovered.

Jude Law, who played the cyber hero in David Cronenberg's "eXistenZ," displays an interesting range for his character - a devious, devilish grin that masks his own insecurities about getting close to people, and displays a gradual temperamental attitude toward Ripley. Law looks like he belongs in the past, and think of how well he could have fit in any of Hitchcock's thrillers, especially "Rope" or "Strangers on a Train." If Law did not utter a syllable, he would still be a commanding presence on screen, so let's hope Oscar nominations are in the running.

Gwyneth Paltrow turns in a surprisingly credible and intelligent performance, her best turn since "Hard Eight." Though the role is somewhat thankless and similar to the awful "A Perfect Murder," she gives the character, Marge, more weight and nuance than expected. She is amorous, lovable but she also is suspicious of Ripley, though she does love him as a friend. Paltrow slowly shows irritation at seeing Ripley everywhere she goes, especially after Dickie mysteriously disappears. It is a superb performance overall - I'd rather hand her an Oscar for this mature role than for her Oscar gold in "Shakespeare in Love."

Director Anthony Minghella, who previously helmed "The English Patient," follows Hitchcock's golden rule of psychological thrillers - to make us care for the characters enough that we feel for their safety, even for a murderer like Ripley. And no secret is made about Ripley, we know what he is and what he is capable of and so Minghella makes us wonder what will happen next. He also shows us the decor and atmosphere of Italy in all its splendor, and all the sights will make you wish you were there along with Ripley, Marge and Dickie.

Tightly structured and suspense built on characters motivations (what a rarity nowadays), "The Talented Mr. Ripley" is a masterpiece in the best tradition of Hitchcock. And there is a sense of emotional doom when Ripley discovers that he is not aware of his own identity, and may continue searching for any kind of identification. Brimming with vital supporting turns by Cate Blanchett, Philip Baker Hall and Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Talented Mr. Ripley" is a uniquely great film - it may leave you with a bitter taste but you won't soon forget it. Now that takes talent.

Adventures of Hoffman, Queen of the City

FLAWLESS (1999)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Originally written in 1999)

Robert De Niro never bores me, and he is always trying to make a fresh cut out of every character he plays. In "Flawless," De Niro plays a paralyzed cop, and this echoes memories of the mental patient he played in "Awakenings," yet surprisingly his role here is overcome by the dazzling Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Hoffman plays a drag queen named Rusty, who considers "herself" to be an artist - a showgirl with dreams of having a sex operation. Rusty is a show-off - always entertaining any and everyone including a group of drag queens who sing together loudly at his, or, um, her apartment. This infuriates a cop named Walt (De Niro) who lives across the courtyard. Walt is an aching homophobe who also has a low opinion of certain women. When one asks to tango with him, he replies, "You are a whore. She is a lady." One night, Walt gets a stroke when he hears a shooting and is paralyzed on the right side of his body. It does not take a rocket scientist to know that these two opposites, Walt and Rusty, will come together in some way - how and why is the reason of most of these movies with generic buddy-buddy formulas exist in the first place. When we think of this formula, Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte come to mind in "48 HRS." or De Niro and Charles Grodin in the fabulous "Midnight Run." I almost want to pair "Flawless" in the same company, but it is a near-miss.

In a matter of speaking, the thrust of "Flawless" is the developing relationship between Rusty and Walt, as Walt reluctantly takes singing lessons from Rusty to correct his speech impediment. This relationship is often threatened by a subplot involving a secret stash of money and some gangsters - somehow, this feels out-of-place and seems to come from another movie entirely. There are not enough scenes of Walt's inner life, or his relationship with a tango dancer or with his cop buddies. Director Joel Schumacher obviously has an affection for Rusty and the circle of drag queens - this may be very personal terrain for Joel but he never takes it as far as one would hope. Instead, we get more gangster threats involving stolen money and drug deals that make one squirm at the screenwriting level. Does a dead parrot and a kidnapped mother merit any attention in a character study like this one?

What is particularly invigorating about "Flawless" is Philip Seymour Hoffman - his performance is on par with Terence Stamp's subtle drag queen character in "Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert." Hoffman makes the smart choice of not infusing any of the stereotypical cliches often associated with such a character - he makes her human and compassionate and appropriately effeminate. There are some scenes between De Niro and Hoffman, particularly when playing the piano and singing, that will take your breath away. Hoffman can easily add this character to his memorable turns in "Boogie Nights" and "Happiness" - this is an actor I will keep an active watch for in the future.

De Niro lends another fine character role to his oeuvre - it is a difficult part to play because he has to play it with a speech impediment (sometimes it is difficult to comprehend what he is saying). De Niro is essentially second fiddle to Hoffman, who has the showier part, but his character is too underdeveloped. The transition from homophobe to a compassionate human being is less credible than Nicholson's transition in "As Good As It Gets," but at least De Niro makes Walt touching in his frailness and inexpression.

"Flawless" has its share of flaws - the deletion of the gangster subplot would have improved things greatly - but it has a certain poignance and there are delightful zingers along the way, courtesy of Hoffman. And it is Hoffman's performance that is really flawless - he makes his affinity for Hollywood starlets very inviting. You feel like singing and dancing along with him.

Written in cold blood

CAPOTE (2005)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Capote" is not a big-screen biography of one of the most famous writers of the 20th century. In fact, this is one of the great films about the process of writing and how the subject of what one is writing can affect the writer so deeply.

The book was "In Cold Blood," considered one of the finest non-fiction books ever written. The writer was the fey, egotistical Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman). The movie begins in 1959 where Truman is enjoying the fruits of his success after writing "Breakfast at Tiffany's," though he feels the need to pursue something other than fiction. He finds it when he reads about the brutal slaying of a family in Kansas by two killers. The killers are apprehended and Truman sees the potential for a New Yorker magazine article, something to delight his crowd of friends and intellectuals. Capote visits Kansas with Nelle Harper Lee (Catherine Keener), another writer who has just completed "To Kill a Mockingbird." He wants to see the mutilated bodies and visit the murderers, as well as question the local police on the grisly details. After assimilating so much information, Capote decides that a non-fiction book would be more appropriate.

The killers are, as most true crime enthusiasts know, Perry Smith (Clifton Collins, Jr.) and Richard Hickock (Mark Pellegrino). Capote spends more time questioning Perry and developing his confidence in the story, realizing they both came from similar backgrounds. Capote feels pity for Perry and requests the help of top lawyers to avoid a death sentence. But something happens to Capote as he feels the essence of the crime to be too brutal to feel any kind of pity for the murderers. When Capote starts learning the details of the crime and hears a confession of true evil from Perry (one of the most startling, stark confessions of the power of evil since Polanski's "Death and the Maiden"), we see that Capote feels remorse and shame at himself for being lured by such a grisly crime.

Philip Seymour Hoffman gives the first truly knockout performance of his inspiring career (that he won an Oscar and so many actor's prizes for this role should come as no surprise). He captures Capote's look and voice with vivid fidelity, but there is more than gifted mimicry at work here. Hoffman captures the man's humanity, his loss of ethics and morals in writing such an emotionally draining book, and his growing disintegration through alcohol. His performance is certainly complex, evoking the deceit of his character and the bond he develops with Perry, despite fake promises and lies.

Catherine Keener is a slight weakness in the film's structure playing Nelle Harper Lee, Capote's dedicated friend. Somehow Keener is a little flat and doesn't have enough scenes - I would've been fine if her role was omitted altogether. Her role is so brief that you'll forget she was ever Capote's research assistant in the first place.

The real crux of the film is Capote's relationship to Perry and Clifton Collins, Jr. is exceptional as Perry. Collins doesn't channel Robert Blake or even Eric Roberts - he opts for a complacent quality that is just as creepy and realistic. Same with the short-shrifted role of Hickock, as played by Mark Pellegrino who has an eerie laugh.

"Capote" is not an entertaining film. It is a slow-paced, dark, penetrating look at the ethics of exploiting someone for the purposes of a book. It affected Capote till the end of his days, to the point that he never completed a book after "In Cold Blood." I get the sneaking suspicion that Capote might have wished he never wrote it in the first place.