Hungry for brains

HANNIBAL (2001)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Ridley Scott's "Hannibal" has been criticized for its over-the-top gross out scenes and little else. There is a reason for this - there is little else to discuss and that is unfortunate. For all the character development that "The Silence of the Lambs" provided for Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling, "Hannibal" focuses on cartoonish types in a freak show designed to titillate, a far cry from what "Silence" accomplished.

"Hannibal" begins effectively as we observe Clarice (Julianne Moore, replacing Jodie Foster) on a drug raid with the help of several FBI agents. She kills a drug czar (Hazelle Goodman) by firing a bullet at her chest as the czar clutches her baby. The incident puts Clarice in a difficult position with the FBI as she has to turn over her gun and badge. She is on the Guiness Book of World Records for being the only FBI female agent to have the most kills. This Clarice, ten years after dealing with Hannibal Lecter face-to-face, is a changed woman, colder and less emotional. Probably a dose of good old Hannibal is just what she needs to get out of her slump. Still, another agent named Krendler (Ray Liotta) has it in for Clarice, and desires her sexually. As always, Clarice's interests in life exclude anything sexual. One funny scene shows Krendler looking at photos of Lecter unaware Clarice is watching him. She alerts him and he asks, "What are you doing in the dark?" Her response: "Thinking of cannibalism."

So far, so good. "Hannibal" then switches to Florence, Italy where the good doctor Lecter resides and is trying to find a job as a museum curator! A detective named Pazzi (Giancarlo Giannini) is investigating the disappearance of the former curator and discovers that the doctor is Hannibal and is on the FBI ten most wanted list (which also includes the terrorist Bin Laden)! The film's pacing slackens, spending far too much time on the Italian detective and so little on Clarice who is still looking for Hannibal. Keeping the two most memorable characters in the history of movies apart amounts to awkwardly patched-together situations that have little to do with anything. In fact, as written by David Mamet and Steven Zaillian, the story is almost nonexistent. There is no tension, no surprise and a general lack of credibility. How can someone like Hannibal, who never wears a disguise, be able to move about Italy in a flowing cape and a hat and not be noticed? How can you not notice someone wiping the glasses of wine they drink from at a restaurant? Well, the detective notices but surely there must have some way of him communicating this information to the FBI if he wanted to.

Of course, Pazzi chooses not to as his primary motive is financial. You see a certain billionaire by the name of Mason Verger (Gary Oldman) wants Hannibal fed to his killer boars. It turns out that Verger was forced to slice off his own face and feed it to his dogs thanks to Hannibal. Now he is a faceless cipher with no eyelids and a horrifying expression that is sure to creep out the most jaded viewer. He is about as loony as Hannibal himself and provides a handsome reward to anyone who knows of Hannibal's whereabouts. Enter the desperate Pazzi, yet he doesn't realize he is being hounded by Hannibal.

But none of this matters in the least. There is no sense of urgency since Hannibal can escape and elude authorities so easily. The crux of the film is the Florence investigation but I missed the central relationship between Hannibal and Clarice - they so embodied "Silence of the Lambs" that here, they are mostly left on the sidelines. No character shadings or depth to either one of them leaves us out in the cold. A real shame since Julianne Moore is an excellent replacement for Jodie Foster, and a brief meeting between her and Hannibal sheds little light on either one of them.

Another factor is that Hannibal was imprisoned in "Silence" thus leaving plenty of time to understand his motives and desires, and his developing interest in Clarice. Letting him loose like a wild animal does little to raise our expectations - he is simply a madman with an insatiable appetite for flesh who has a host of sardonic comments to make about cannibalism. Where is the charm and elegance Hopkins brought to the original?

Moore is well-cast and strong and empathetic but she still remains as one-note as Hopkins does. It is not her fault, the script needed plenty of fine-tuning but what can you say about two top-of-the-class screenwriters hired to provide such a mediocre, rambling screenplay?

"Hannibal" looks and sounds terrific thanks to director Ridley Scott. It is glossy filmmaking but with no soul or human interest. A climactic dinner sequence remains as loathsome and gory a sequence as anything Hollywood has ever produced before (though Scott has directed it tastefully). But mean-spiritedness and gore are central to "Hannibal" - it is a bloodless freak show where the characters are all cartoons. "Silence of the Lambs" defied genre expectations by never quite fitting into a thriller mode or a horror movie scenario - it was, at its best, a psychological character study with a gripping hold on the audience through its sheer intensity and surefire direction by Jonathan Demme. This film is a pure slasher flick, unengaging and uneven. And all poor old Hannibal has left to say are such flat one-liners like "Goody-goody" and "Ta-da." How rude!

Almost called it a wrap before the end of the first reel

THE LAST SHOT (2004)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Purportedly based on a true story involving an FBI sting to nab mobsters under the pretext of making a fake movie, "The Last Shot" might have worked had it been released back in the early 90's. Such a story of a movie-within-the-movie being made in Hollywood, or actually in Providence, Rhode Island, resembles leftovers from any post-"The Player" knockoff we have seen a million times minus any humor or satiric potential. As I said, it is refried leftovers.

Alec Baldwin plays an FBI agent who gets his finger cut off by some anonymous bad guys in a separate sting operation. His own dog, Sasha, kills herself by jumping into a jacuzzi because he is never home with her! So far, this film smacks of tastelessness and under-imagined black comedy potential. The real-life John Gotti is coming to Providence so Baldwin gets the bright idea to fake a movie shoot so as to bust Gotti and all his minions into using non-union trucks in a deliberate...oh, who cares. By the climactic third act that involves Ray Liotta as another federal agent, the whole plan comes apart anyway and the plot becomes as thin as shaved ham.

Poor Matthew Broderick (who has appeared in a slew of bad movies) is the screenwriter and proposed director of this idiotic screenplay that Baldwin uses as a cover. Question: why do most Hollywood satires feature such incredulous and unbelievably dumb script ideas in their movie-within-the-movie? Broderick's script titled "Arizona" deals with an angel in the desert named Charlotte (played by Toni Collette) and suicide and a series of flashbacks, but it is material that even jaded Hollywood executives would never want to make. I guess the joke is that Baldwin's fed wants to make it and actually believes in it. To make matters worse, Pat Morita and Russell Means appears as themselves in fleeting cameos - couldn't the filmmakers have given those two something to do beyond introducing themselves at a script meeting? As for Toni Collette, she is far too over-the-top as a diva who plays the title role in the "Arizona" script. I'll second more cartoonish hollering and hysteria from Calista Flockhart as Broderick's manic-depressive girlfriend who threatens to kill pooches - where is PETA when you really need them? Wasting any opportunity to have Tony Shalhoub in a movie wastes our time and patience.

Written by Jeff Nathanson without a shred of irony or comedic potential, "The Last Shot" falls flat on its face. Except for one scene where Baldwin mimics an obscene producer's phone call, there is not one laugh to be had from the entire movie. It is behind-the-scenes moviemaking by the numbers. 

Above the fruited plains

PLAINSONG (2004)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Watching a Hallmark TV movie may be the most harmless activity in the world, but it shouldn't be the most laughable. After watching "Plainsong," you may wonder why sentimental family movies can get it so wrong and so quickly from the start.

The movie begins with several plotlines and characters, none of which cohere in any manner. America Ferrara (what a name!) is Victoria, a pregnant high-school teenager. Her mother disowns her rather quickly after discovering the reasons for her consistent vomiting. Victoria is left to fend for herself, so she seeks shelter from her extremely nice high school teacher, Maggie (Rachel Griffiths), who allows her to live in her house despite a disgruntled father. Seeing that the father is a nuisance who attacks Victoria, Maggie lets her stay with two cattle-rustling brothers (Geoffrey Lewis, William Andrews) who have never been married. Would you trust two strangers with a frightened teenage girl? Hmm, the plot thickens.

Then there is Mr. Tom Guthrie (Aidan Quinn), another high school teacher who is either going through a divorce, or his wife is sick or depressed or all the above. The wife is played by Megan Follows, and most of her scenes have her sitting in a couch or laying in bed wrapped in a blanket (kind of like my mother). Oh, yes, Guthrie has two kids to take care of. And Mom has her sights set on moving to some city in Colorado (and she may be bisexual, though in a movie like this, you can never be too sure). We also have Mr. Guthrie's dilemna concering a senior football jock - he is failing the course but the higher-ups prefer that he passes with a solid D, I imagine. And there is the potential romance between Guthrie and Maggie, the latter being something of a push-over. And there is a fistfight between the jock and the teacher. And the two kids are assaulted by the jock in the middle of the night. And there is a cute sequence where the kids learn to ride the ponies at the deserted ranch belonging to the two strangers. And go vomit, if you must.

I have nothing against sentimental family movies, but "Plainsong" is mired in thick sentiment and a lagging narrative. It is also full of such implausible scenes that you'll laugh incredulously, if you don't fall asleep. Aidan Quinn and veteran Geoffrey Lewis rise above the material. The problem is there is not much material to rise above.

Another Stab at Manhunter

RED DRAGON (2002)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Red Dragon" is a needless remake of a film that has already claimed a devoted cult status. The original film version of Thomas Harris's novel is Michael Mann's underappreciated "Manhunter," the 1986 thriller that was filled with quiet unease. Some have seen it as the "Miami Vice" version of Harris's novel, and others have declared it as good as the film version of "Silence of the Lambs." In any case, seeing "Red Dragon," I was instantly aware that there was only one reason for its existence - Sir Anthony Hopkins replaying the role that made him a household name, Hannibal Lecter. The original role of Lecter (or Lektor as deemed by "Manhunter's" credits) was played by Brian Cox, again displaying complete understatement as Hannibal. In many ways, Cox and the film were quite chilling. With Hopkins back on board, director Brett Ratner ("Rush Hour") and producer Dino De Laurentiis are trying to make people forget "Manhunter." How awfully rude!

Set before the events of "Silence of the Lambs," "Red Dragon" introduces at Lecter at the start and how he got captured by FBI agent Will Graham (Edward Norton). The incident was so traumatic that Graham quit the agency and retired in his Florida home with his wife and child (nursing a couple of gunshot and stab wounds). Lecter was naturally imprisoned in that plexiglass jail we all know too well from "Silence of the Lambs." But a new killer is on the loose, known as the Tooth Fairy. This killer methodically butchers his victims, usually families in their own homes, in a ritualistic fashion. Graham is recruited out of retirement for his old brilliant intuitive methods of catching killers, leaving behind his family to focus on the mind of a serial killer. Meanwhile, Francis Dolarhyde (Ralph Fiennes), who is the Tooth Fairy, starts a sweet romance with a co-worker at a film processing company, a blind woman named Reba McClane (Emily Watson). But Francis also obsesses over William Blake and artistic renditions of the Red Dragon, a mythological figure, and hearing the voice of his dead grandmother (an uncredited voice over by Ellen Burstyn). Will is getting to closer to catching the killer, thanks to some professional help from Lecter, and Francis is growing more mad each day.

The novel of "Red Dragon" was a tight, suspenseful read, and extremely detailed in the quality of Graham's meticulous work in finding the killer. I also grew to like Francis, despite his murderous ways because of the humanity invested in his character. Brett Ratner's film version of the novel is jazzed-up and frenetic with thunderous music and sound effects employed every few seconds to remind the audience to stay awake because something terrible is about to happen. There is none of the introspectiveness and atmosphere of Mann's version (despite using the same cinematographer, Dante Spinotti). The camera focuses lingeringly on close-ups of characters but rarely is much communicated beyond facile reaction shots. Even the subterranean lair of Lecter's prison is lacking in any tension, compared to Jonathan Demme's similar sequence in "Silence of the Lambs."

The pluses are few and far in between in "Red Dragon." On the positive, there is none of the gory dismemberments or brain food of "Hannibal" - most of the violence in the film is suggested (though not as disturbingly as in "Manhunter"). Ed Norton does a workmanlike job as Graham, though he does not have the cool charisma of William Petersen's original incarnation. Hopkins can play Hannibal without really trying, and still succeeds in evoking malice and wit with body language and dialogue. Ralph Fiennes is studiously intense as Francis, but I think Tom Noonan had a less conspicuous appearance - he just did not seem like a serial killer which is why it worked. Emily Watson is a delight as Reba, blind to the evil she does not see. There is also a wicked cameo by Frank Whaley who tries to woo Reba.

"Red Dragon" is not bad per se, just plainly conventional and mediocre. If it had not been for Hopkins' return, nobody would have dared take another stab at "Manhunter."

Attention to grisly details

MANHUNTER (1986)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Manhunter" is based on Thomas Harris's scary novel "Red Dragon," the first book to introduce Dr. Hannibal Lecter who later resurfaced in both "Silence of the Lambs" and "Hannibal." Though Michael Mann's film adaptation is not nearly as good as the novel, nor as good a film as "Silence of the Lambs," it is occasionally gripping, absorbing stuff.

This early film does not focus on Clarice Starling, the heroine of the later entries in the series. Instead, we have a male lead who has one or two screws loose thanks to his unnaturally intense study of how serial killers think. He is Will Graham (William Petersen) who has left the agency after being attacked by Lecter (this time played by Brian Cox) and had to be committed to a mental institution to recover. But the FBI Sector Chief Jack Crawford (Dennis Farina in this one, Scott Glenn in "Silence") wants Graham's extraordinary ability to be put to work on a new serial killer. Apparently, this one killer kills families in their homes in excruciatingly brutal ways. The FBI has no suspects and no leads but Graham might be able to find out who the killer is, branded by policemen as "The Tooth Fairy." And there might be clues related to the killer's dreams of being loved and an association with the poet/painter William Blake (dealt with more specificity in the novel).

Most of "Manhunter" is absorbing, particularly the scenes where Graham investigates the crime scenes where he notes details of the executions and the direction in which the blood was spilled (some of the family members were injured or harmed postmortem). Other scenes with Graham and his wife, Molly (Kim Greist), lack much thrust or purpose - the character of Molly is so underdeveloped that we forget he is even married to her. Other characters like Crawford drift in and out of focus, though Graham does have one or two finely written scenes with Crawford where he shows his level of attention at all the details. There is also a superb scene where Graham explains his past condition to his son at a supermarket - except for some cutaways of his son's reaction, the camera trains itself on Petersen and he is quite watchable.

Still, "Manhunter" feels oddly unmoving and closed-off, much like the main character. There is none of the richness or depth that the book provides. Its main killer maintains some interest but is saddled with just a shotgun at the end as the police circle his house - his creative desires and motives are scantly mentioned here. It is a Michael Mann picture alright, complete with an electronic score (some distracting songs by Iron Butterfly) and a shootout right out of his superior "Thief." If nothing else, it is often enticing enough but not at the level of the book or at the level of "Silence of the Lambs."

Cold, heavy heart

AFFLICTION (1997)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Nick Nolte encapsulates the weary, average working man beautifully in a raw, bristling performance in Paul Schrader's latest exercise in machismo, "Affliction." Nolte is so ideal in this role that it becomes iconic - his bulky physique and dark, cropped hair remains the most frustrating character of suburban domesticity since Jack Nicholson's Bobby Dupea in "Five Easy Pieces."

Nolte stars as Wade Whitehouse, a born loser in a small town in New Hampshire. He is the sheriff, a school bus crossing guard, and performs some chores for a local, hot-headed businessman. He is also a rotten husband and father who doesn't have an inkling of how to treat his unctuous daughter. His ex-wife (Mary Beth Hurt) hates him, his straight-arrow brother (Willem Dafoe) abandoned him and the family, his father (James Coburn) doubly hates him, and the whole town seems to have no respect for him. The only one he has left to support him is his girlfriend, a kindhearted and loyal waitress named Margie (Sissy Spacek). Margie is a name synonymous with any small-town tale. Wade does find an avenue of restoring some respect and dignity when an accidental shooting occurs in the woods. He feels there is a conspiracy, a cover-up dealing with the building of a ski resort. He becomes more resourceful, and just as pathetic.

Wade beats people, drags his daughter around like a rag doll, tries to sue his ex-wife for custody of the daughter, and gives a speeding ticket to a grieving son whose father has just died. Wade is convinced that the conspiracy, which has riled up the town, will make him respectable.

The underlying story in "Affliction" is Wade's relationship to his domineering father - both are virile yet weak men with no other agenda than to abuse. Wade is afflicted by his father's abusive past, shown in hand-held grainy footage with a dark-haired Coburn spouting all kinds of obscenities. It is his childhood and his mother's untimely death that drives Wade closer and closer to the brink of madness.

"Affliction" does not have the degree of depth of Paul Schrader's other machismo portraits, such as "Raging Bull" or "Taxi Driver." Somehow, we see the weaknesses and afflicted behavior of Wade, but we rarely get close to the demons tearing him apart. In one shattering scene, he pushes his father against a wall, threatening to kill him if he gets close to Margie. Another scene has him pulling his bad tooth out of his mouth and shedding a tear. They are individual moments of isolated violence, but they do not make for a cohesive, full-bodied portrait.

The movie has a well-rounded cast, including Nolte's raw, hard-edged personality that still makes the character unforgettable, despite the ambiguities. There is also James Coburn, in perhaps the finest, shrewdest performance of his career, as the monstrous, unredeeming father with a cold, heavy heart - he does have one moment where he appears dejected after his wife's death, though there is nothing remotely sympathetic about this man. Mary Beth Hurt brings a warm glow to this brutally cold landscape as the ex-wife. She has a stirring scene where she speaks kindly about Wade's dear old mother (while 'Ases Death' from "Peer Gynt" plays on the soundtrack) - a beautiful, poignant moment. Sissy Spacek is nicely understated as the patient Margie, who finds that Wade can be too much to bear.

"Affliction" has some dark, heavy blues in its cinematographic look that embodies the snowy environment in Russell Banks' novel - he also wrote "The Sweet Hereafter." The performances are solid and powerful. But it's Wade's lack of logic and unmotivated actions that may leave viewers straining to put up with him and his afflictions.

The rent is too damn high

THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS (1991)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Buy it at Amazon

Wes Craven's "The People Under the Stairs" is either a laugh riot or just tongue-in-cheek comedy-horror, but I can't say one way or the other. Despite its subject matter, the movie is a wild freak show with elements of horror but, mostly, it will make you laugh. Intentionally or not, I can't say for sure.

A young kid from the ghetto, Fool (Brandon Adams), is living in an apartment with a sick mother dying of cancer and an older sister (Kelly Jo Minter) who merely watches over the family and hooks on the side. They are about to be evicted by their landlords, a pair of Ronald and Nancy Reagan lookalikes named the Robesons (Everett McGill and Wendy Robie), who are racist and certainly exclusionary to everyone except themselves. They live in a house guarded by a vicious dog that also holds other occupants, namely a frightened daughter who stays in her room and mutants who live in the cellar who need a dose of Vitamin D. The smooth-talking Leroy (Ving Rhames) is a thief and pimp who gets wind that the Robesons' domicile hides a treasure of valuable gold coins, which could be used to pay the rent and pay for Fool's mother's cancer. The only problem is gaining entrance to the house, not to mention dealing with a growling, vicious dog and more hidden passageways and secret doors than one can count.

There is a sense of menace to the roughly first forty minutes of the film, but then Wes Craven aims to shock and heighten every moment without pausing for much story development. The barking dog jumps out at our heroes, and sometimes the Vitamin D-deficient humans from the cellar attack from some lurking corner. "The People Under the Stairs" becomes a relentless chase picture inside a house where exiting and entering rooms is all the tyke Fool can do. Sometimes McGill's Robeson character dresses up in an S&M outfit and is armed with a shotgun, and sometimes he carves up a corpse and feeds the entrails to the people under the stairs. There is scant explanation on why these poor kids are kept in the house and why they have turned into cannibals, and why the neighborhood never hears them ranting and raving like lunatics.

I mostly laughed at the absurdity of it all in the middle of the film, and grew restless by the time the hectic climax arrives. Fool is an engaging hero and Brandon Adams makes us care for his misadventures. I'll also say that Wes Craven can come up with some clever, original ideas yet, as was the case with the overcooked "The Serpent and the Rainbow," he loses our interest by not fully investing himself in the story. 'The People Under the Stairs" is funny and diverting enough but I have no real clue what Craven is attempting here. I suppose it is nothing more than a case of the Haves and Have Nots. Or maybe just steal from the rich landlords so you can pay your rent.