Give 'Em Hope Katniss

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (2013)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is a potent, energized, super sleek and far more solemn sequel than the original - a darkening of the saga has begun. It is far more political though no less emotional than the powerhouse original. The stakes are still high in the Katniss Everdeen character yet the movie, as a whole, leaves you wanting more - maybe because one more book follows and I can only imagine where this fascinating dystopian tale leads. 

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) resides in District 12 after winning the 74th Hunger Games, but a sadness persists in her. She is a victor for having killed various tributes in those violent games, and she lost a friend, Rue from District 11, an allying tribute. The other victor is Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) who is Katniss's friend whom she cares for, yet she also has feelings for Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth), who now works in the mines. Trouble is afoot when President Snow (Donald Sutherland), the president of the Capitol, insists that Katniss and Peeta makes appearances, show their support for each other by getting engaged and utter banal dialogue to the districts who know better - they know Katniss is their rebel-in-the-making. All this leads to Snow announcing a special Hunger Games, the Third Quarter Quell, where selective tributes from previous Games will once again fight to the death. Katniss is in and Peeta volunteers, though Haymitch (the heroes' mentor) is initially picked (still played with quirky humor by Woody Harrelson). If none of this makes any sense to you and if are unsure who Cinna is, or Rue or what the hell the Hunger Games are or what the Capitol stands for, watch the original film or read the first book, still a startlingly suspenseful, fast-paced book by Suzanne Collins.

"Catching Fire" never falls out of step or loses our connection to the characters, many of whom bring a lot of emotional baggage. Like Gary Ross' original film adaptation, "Catching Fire" is short on spectacle and CGI effects and long on story, political maneuvering and a dystopian society that is separated from the Capitol. The Games are just as vivid and tantalizing as they were before but the strategies have changed (though I would not reveal how they changed). Just as tantalizing is watching Philip Seymour Hoffman as the new gamemaker, Plutarch Heavensbee (I love these names, maybe Plutarch is a play on the word plutocracy?), who wants to kill Katniss, and his conversation with Snow over how to handle the growing rebellion - two powerful men who convey malice with words. I also love the attachment that Katniss has to previously killed tributes and her attachment to Peeta and Gale - two men who deeply love her and want her to succeed. 

Jennifer Lawrence, an actress slowly becoming something of an institution, makes Katniss a sympathetic heroine - someone who has not lost sight of her impoverished roots. She wants to help the people of District 12 and others but she is unsure of how to do it. Lawrence has a special gift, as shown in radically different roles such as "Silver Linings Playbook," of making us cling to her and share the intimacy and connection she has to her characters. Katniss Everdeen is on her way to becoming instrumental in the rebellion and spreading hope - her last scene is a stunning transformation of a disheveled girl on fire into a woman that may lead an uprising.

A few characters, that is certain tributes, are tossed aside rather abruptly in the Games. Although I only started reading the book, I wanted to see more of the tribute with specialized teeth that can tear flesh. Amanda Plummer plays one other tribute who is not given much screen time. Still, newcomers such as Jenna Malone's intensely manic Johanna and Sam Claflin as the arrogant Finnick lend much gravitas to the proceedings. 

A fine cast that fills their roles with precision and tact, not to mention superb special-effects (the poisonous fog is an indelible image) and stunning production design, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is clearly a labor of love for all involved. I can't wait to see Katniss shoot and score more direct hits with the next two installments. She gives me hope. 

Recycling Daniel LaRusso

THE KARATE KID, PART III (1989)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

If the then 27-year-old Ralph Macchio could no longer convince the audience he was the 17-year-old Daniel, the Brooklyn kid who could kick with the flair of a praying mantis, in the regrettably awful and crudely entertaining 1989 sequel, "The Karate Kid Part III," then what was left except sheer boredom? Amazingly, this latest chapter is not boring at all, but it is so sloppily written and acted in such a ham-handed way that it is almost impossible not to laugh.

Daniel LaRusso is back in L.A. from Okinawa with his mentor and friend, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), and is about to start college. Instead of an education, though, he takes his tuition money and helps Miyagi build his lifelong dream, a bonsai tree shop! Daniel is also interested in defending his title at the tournament he won against the drained and practically soused Kreese (Martin Kove) and his Cobra Kai school of karate thugs. Miyagi says no, and eventually Daniel concedes. But not before virtually bankrupt Kreese decides to go after the Karate Kid and his teacher with the help of a millionaire buddy, Terry (Thomas Ian Griffith), who has a magnificent home, dutiful servants, a profitable business involving dumping toxic waste, and is a hell of a martial artist. Terry is not about to let his old war buddy down, so he recruits the new karate "badboy" in tournaments, played by Sean Kanan (who was in a different kind of good/bad movie called "Rich Girl"). Terry's intention is to get the badboy to force Daniel to fight in a tournament, thus leading Terry to befriend, train and fool the blindsided and terminally stupid Daniel.

Let's face it: the "Karate Kid" movies were never truly believable. The first film had some ounce of credibility but what made it sing was the developing relationship between Daniel and the Zen-like master Miyagi (not to mention a sweet, credible romance between Macchio and Elisabeth Shue). The second film was merely a dull rehash without much else to recommend it except some beautiful locations. This movie is a recycled joke that merely recycles the airy dynamics of the first two movies. The exception is that Daniel no longer resembles the character Macchio created in the first film - he is a refrigerated replica of the smart-ass Daniel from Brooklyn. Miyagi is about the same, though there could have been some attempt to enhance his character and his origins. Daniel, though, is the one who hasn't learned anything from his master - he does, then he doesn't, and then he realizes his mistakes all too late in the game. The character in the original would never have fallen victim to the charms of Terry or his violent philosophies. And, for the first time, Daniel is such a sweet, sensible teenager that he befriends rather than dates the Cute Leading Girl (Robyn Lively). At least one honest trait remains in Daniel - he tries to apologize to a kid whose nose he broke.

Despite such glaring flaws, including the increasing stupidity of the main character, "Karate Kid Part III" is a fun bad movie, something that acts as sincere as an episode of Nickelodeon. It is hard to say what makes it so watchable despite the fact that nothing in it works. It is the kind of bad movie where Daniel is stuck in an unreachable pit at the bottom of a mountain, thanks to the bad guys who stole the suspension ropes, and all Daniel-son can say is (paraphrasing), "You suck man!" You get the idea.

Judas Priest! The kid can play

42 (2013)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Jackie Robinson's story was once told with the real Jackie himself in a rousing 1950 picture called The Jackie Robinson Story. 63 years later, Hollywood tries to do it again and with improved results. "42" is an equally rousing and often powerful film dealing with the first black baseball player to play in an all-white baseball team.

Chadwick Boseman is the enigmatic Jackie, playing for the Negro Leagues before being inducted into the Brooklyn Dodgers in the late 1940's. Cigar-chomping Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford, in his most colorful, dazzling performance to date), the Dodgers' general manager, takes a chance on a rookie whom Rickey knows will make history. Rickey has a talk with Jackie, telling him that racist language is likely to be thrown at him from every white player. Rickey has a simple stipulation: Jackie has to restrain from fighting back and take the verbal abuse.

Verbal and physical abuse is in store for Jackie Robinson. I am not talking "Passion of the Jackie" here but an opposing team player does stab Jackie in the foot at one point. Mostly, when Jackie steps to the plate, a lot of hollering and boos from the stands takes center stage. The difference is that Jackie is a hell of a baseball player - he can hit home runs and he runs like a jackrabbit, stealing bases with ease. He taunts the pitchers, egging them with his "superhuman" athletic abilities. The audience of jeering patrons is stunned (also stunning is seeing how blacks sat at one end of the stadium, while the whites sat on the other though that does change in different states where Jackie's wife can sit comfortably among whites).

As written and directed by Brian Helgeland ("L.A. Confidential"), I do wish the film focused on other aspects of Jackie Robinson. In this film, he is presented as a hotheaded rebel, a far cry from the 1950 version of yesteryear, but there is not much else beyond being a good baseball player and a good husband to his wife Rachel (Nicole Beharie). Only one scene shows Rachel's own recognition of racism and how it divided everyone - the ladies' bathroom for whites only. At the beginning of the film, Jackie also expresses disgust when a gas station owner doesn't let him use the bathroom at all. Mostly, Helgeland is more focused on Jackie's complex relationship with Rickey, and the dynamics of playing off and on the field. Most brutal scene is when the Philadelphia Phillies’ racist manager Ben Chapman (Alan Tudyk), shouts an endless barrage of racist insults. It is so bad that Jackie has to run off the field and smash his bat to smithereens. Even more telling is seeing how Jackie's teammates are alarmed as well.

These aspects of Jackie Robinson are shown to great and powerful effect - it moves you and you can't help but sympathize. Another less obvious angle is the portrayal of Wendell Smith (Andre Holland), a black sports writer/Jackie's driver who had to type his sports column in the stands with the audience - no black sports writers were allowed in the booths. It is essential that Jackie break down all barriers to allow Wendell a chance as well as other black baseball players to integrate with the whites.

"42" is largely an entertaining, old-fashioned sports picture painting an ugly portrait of racism - it is as if Jackie's abilities on the field were the precursor to the Civil Rights era. As I had mentioned, these elements are handled as well as expected, particularly a scene where a young kid mimics his father's racist tirade only to then realize that something is aflutter. But the movie doesn't see Jackie as anything other than an icon - the screenplay displays the character's justifiable anger when necessary but otherwise he keeps his cool. Chadwick Boseman does keep the character lively enough with a sense of humor - he is forthright and knows when to display mischief and smiles and angry looks to keep us wondering if he, just once, might lose his cool. The tension is blatant and keep us on edge and Boseman is too good an actor to make us think we are looking at a statue. I just wish there was more insight into the man himself.

Acid-tongued Office Space

IN THE COMPANY OF MEN (1997)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
(Originally reviewed in 1997)

Men and women are likely (and understandably) to be disturbed by the acidly amusing and intoxicating "In the Company of Men," a new film about how pernicious and hateful men are towards women, and men. The film is a devilish surprise: a morbidly comical and terrifyingly real expose on what happens between men and women in today's society.

Newcomer Aaron Eckhart (resembling a young Harrison Ford) stars as Chad, a malignant office worker who continually shares his hateful views on other workers and women to his bumbling colleague, Howard (Matt Malloy). Chad hates everyone, hates his job and especially hates women. One night at a restaurant, Chad proposes an idea to Howard: they will find an insecure, sweet woman whom they will woo and then dump with a major thud. The idea is that they must be complicit in their wounding an innocent woman, which leaves Howard unsure whether to proceed with such a plan. Chad finds the right victim - a fragile, deaf secretary named Christine (Stacy Edwards). Chad's only objective in this game is to inflict emotional injury by only pretending to love Christine. Howard, however, really starts to develop feelings for her, and feels that this game is immoral.

There are many ways in which "In the Company of Men" makes us see how complex this triad is. Chad is eminently lethal and hateful whereas Howard is more caring and has some shred of humanity. The film doesn't make Christine a complete saint, though, considering she dates both men simultaneously until Chad tells her he really loves her. Essentially, Christine dumps Howard for Chad. Then Howard becomes envious and feels he has to do something to prevent this false union. But does Howard suddenly care because she's deaf, or because he loves her? And is Chad really doing more damage to Howard than to Christine?

"In the Company of Men" is both darkly comic and scathingly serious in its treatment of a curious subject - it is written by first-time writer-director Neil LaBute, and at times, you won't know whether to laugh or cringe. A major reason for this imbalance is the depiction of its characters who are acutely performed by all three leads: Eckhart is brilliantly effective as the insulting and obnoxious Chad; Matt Malloy makes Howard as pathetic and cumbersome as you can imagine; and Stacy Edwards is a revelation as the flattered Christine unaware of her doomed relationship with Chad; she projects sympathy and heedfulness.

"In the Company of Men" is a film you're not likely to forget and shouldn't - it is profound, shrewdly written and masterfully directed. LaBute composes this world in bland, colorless ways such as the anonymous offices; the employees dressed in white shirts; the dreary cafes, restaurants and rental cars; and roofs that seem to offer no discernible view. What will stay with you, though, is Chad's malice thereby evoking the most uncommon and complex behavioral portrait of the year.

Smile and smile again

POLICE ACADEMY (1984)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Frequent laughs dominate "Police Academy," a 1984 comedy that lampoons, I'd gather, police academies. Still, for the number of scattershot laughs and humorous situations, "Police Academy" is generally high on the goofy meter. It gets off on general goofiness and goofball characters to muster enough to get by as an adequate comedy.

Steve Guttenberg is Mahoney, a parking lot attendant who is forced to join the police academy or else he will be jailed. He is one of many proposed cadets to the police academy which has abandoned strict credentials, such as an education, to join. Why? I dunno but this is merely the template for some cartoonish types. There is Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow), who mimics various sounds; George Martin (Andrew Rubin), a Spanish lothario who beds any and every woman; Kim Cattrall as a female cadet whom Mahoney keeps his eye on; Eugene Tackleberry (David Graf), a former security guard who is gun-obsessed, volatile and ready for action; Leslie Barbara (Donovan Scott), a desperately whiny sissy; and Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith), the intimidating former flower-shop owner whose stare is enough to bring anyone down on their knees. Short-tempered Lt. Harris (G.W. Bailey) is responsible for making sure these cadets quit, per the Chief of Police's orders. 

"Police Academy" could have been excessively raunchy and downright mean-spirited like the following year's  moronic and racist comedy, "Night Patrol," but it opts for easygoing laughs that do not gross out or bludgeon you till your numb. I love watching Bailey's Lt. Harris losing his cool (used to far better effect than the tired shenanigans of 1987's "Mannequin") in front of the cadets, or getting fooled by Larvell's mimicking of a police transmitter (in fact, anytime Winslow's Larvell shows up on screen, it is hilarious). The scene where a fight instructor holds down Leslie between her legs had me rolling with laughter. Even scenes that could have fallen flat are juiced up and make me smile, such as the visit to the Blue Oyster club or the marvelous George Gaynes as Commandant Lassard who receives special oral treatment behind the podium.

"Police Academy" is miles ahead of its sequels, far too many to mention and none nearly as fun as this one. I would not call "Police Academy" uproarious or even close to the Zucker (ZAZ) brand of comedy spoofs but as a pleasing hour and a half of general goofiness, it will do. Laughs are scattershot but smiles are aplenty.

Interview with Jill Whitlow: Perky Girl-Next-Door-With-Attitude

INTERVIEW WITH JILL WHITLOW: 

THE PERKY GIRL NEXT DOOR WITH ATTITUDE

By Jerry Saravia

Jill Whitlow - That was Then, This is Now

No matter how small her screen time is, Jill Whitlow memorably stands out. Whether it is as the perplexed girl who is a bit shocked by Rocky Dennis's appearance in Peter Bogdanovich's "Mask," or the sassy boutique girl who wonders how two nerds have girlfriends in "Weird Science," her appearances stay with you and strike a chord. Of course, she has not just appeared in small roles. Jill Whitlow is synonymous with cult horror favorites such as "Twice Dead" and "Night of the Creeps" with full-bodied lead roles. Jill has also accrued a few television credits, including roles in TV shows such as "T.J. Hooker" (episode: "Two Faces of Betsy Morgan" where she played a runaway who is a prostitute by night), "Gimme a Break," "Silver Spoons," "Swamp Thing" (which lasted three seasons), "Freddy's Nightmares," and "Growing Pains."

Jill Whitlow (Center) in Peter Bogdanovich's Mask

Jill Whitlow usually played the girl-next-door, but with far more spunk and attitude. She could be vulnerable but she was also assertive and stood her ground - she was more woman than girly and probably would not fit in with the Valley Girls of 1980's cinema (I can't imagine her in any of the various Spring Break sex comedies of that era). Even in the episode of "Freddy's Nightmares" (entitled "Mother's Day") playing literally the girl-next-door, her character was a bit manipulative, egging the new neighbor to throw a party that turns into a bloody disaster. You haven't lived until you see her inspired way of flipping the bird in "Night of the Creeps." Speaking of horror roles, Jill Whitlow is considered by some as one of the first female empowered action heroines as proven with her Cynthia Cronenberg role in 1986's "Night of the Creeps" (just in front of Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor in 1984's "The Terminator").

I had the good fortune to interview Jill Whitlow and here, you will learn about her early days, how she got discovered, her thoughts on her male co-star in "Twice Dead," and whether or not she will return to the cinema screens in the possibly forthcoming "Night of the Creeps 2."

Jill Whitlow in a still from a Pepsi commercial - jillwhitlowfan.com

Jill Whitlow as Mindy in 1982's Porky's, Jill's film debut

1.) Let's start right at the beginning. What influenced you to become an actress, and how did you get the role of Mindy in "Porky's"?

Jill Whitlow: "I was hired to be in a ketchup commercial when I was 3 yrs old by an agent who saw me at the mall with my mom and it all started from there. When I was 16 I auditioned for the role of Mindy in Porky's and got it! After being on the set and working with Bob Clark I knew it was what I wanted to do!"

Winger's Hungry video

 2.) You appeared as a newlywed in the music video for Winger's "Hungry," quite a tragedy that your character dies in a horrible car wreck (even more horrifying that Winger's own fiancee died in an auto accident later on). Who decided you should play the dearly departed, or maybe you were a fan of the band?

Jill Whitlow: "I auditioned for the Winger video...I had never heard of the band before then! Great song though, eh?"

Two different Jills in 1988's Twice Dead

3.) Let's talk "Twice Dead." A curious little horror flick, though I am wondering why you have so much chemistry with actor Tom Brashanan when you are supposed to be playing his sister. Didn't it seem more like a boyfriend/girlfriend scenario to you, looking back, or maybe just on the set  ;) ?

Jill Whitlow: "Uh oh...LOL, You could tell? Yes, we were dating! I know...sick!"

Jill Whitlow as Cynthia Cronenberg in Night of the Creeps

4.) You have worked with film directors like Fred Dekker, Bob Clark, Peter Bogdanovich, John Hughes, etc. Any experience that stands out the most, aside from "Night of the Creeps,"  or one you are most fond of.

Jill Whitlow: "Fred Dekker, of course, is my favorite. John Hughes was very sweet...but Bob Clark kinda become my father. He took such good care of me and really was the reason I moved to LA. He introduced me to my first agent, flew me to LA and believed in me so much!"

Jill as Tena Tidy in an episode from Adventures Beyond Belief TV series (1988)

5.) Other brunette actresses had a tough time getting roles in the 1980's, up through the early 90's - seems like the blonde bimbo was the role for women in teen sex comedies and horror flicks, to some extent. Clearly other qualities came through beyond the girl next door in "Night of the Creeps," or your brief cameo as a boutique salesgirl in "Weird Science." Were there any roles you auditioned for that you regret not getting, or any you regretted taking on, that is symptomatic of casting agents looking for a particular type? 

Jill Whitlow: "No actually, I always did the best I could, and it is what it is, right? That's how Hollywood works."

Jill in TV's Swamp Thing episode: "Mirador's Brain" (1992) 

6.) An episode of the TV series "Swamp Thing" is listed as one of your last credits, circa 1992. I know you raised a family afterwards but was that the sole reason for leaving your career, or were you planning on coming back at some point?

Jill Whitlow: "No, I was not planning on returning. I loved being a 'mom'. And really, I am very glad I was there for my kids every moment. I never missed a thing watching them grow up and loved every minute. Now that they're at college...hmmm...you never know."

Jason Lively and Jill Whitlow in 1987's "Ghost Chase"

7.) How did 1987's "Ghost Chase" come about? And what was your working and personal relationship with Jason Lively, considering it was the second time you two worked together? 

Jill Whitlow: "About Ghost Chase...after Night of the Creeps, the director of Ghost Chase - Roland Emmerich - thought Jason and I would become the "pair of the eighties" kinda like the Breakfast Club clan...so he did not even audition us, just hired us. Many people don't really like the film cause they don't understand it. I liked it! It was a blast and great memories working in Germany. As for Jason and I? Just very good friends.

8.) Lastly, speaking of coming back, any word on "Night of the Creeps 2" (though I think your character meets an unkindly end in the theatrical version, unless we are supposed to prefer the alternate version)?

Jill Whitlow: "We have talked about it and it would be exciting. BTW...my character did not die. I blocked the little creep. They just didn't see it...LOL"

Jill Whitlow films available on DVD/BluRay/VHS:

Ready for prints, 2 for the price of one

ONE HOUR PHOTO (2002)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Originally reviewed in 2002)

Loners like Seymour Parrish are fascinating because they lead such insular lives. They are not necessarily rejects of society nor are they deviants in the strictest sense. They want to belong but simply do not know how, thus alienating themselves from everyone in the process. In "One Hour Photo," Seymour Parrish is one loner who wants to belong to a family, and starts to develops an attachment to one.

Seymour ("Sy") Parrish (Robin Williams) works at a one hour photoshop in a department store not unlike Walmart, here called SavMart. He is a fine employee and always looks to give the customers the finest prints he can make, despite problems with maintenance who know next to nothing of the finer details of photo processing. Sy is committed to his job and knows his customers well. There is one customer he is fond of, perhaps a little too fond of. The customer is Nina (Connie Nielsen), who always wears black leather and lives with her aloof husband, Will (Michael Vartan), an architect, and their young son, Jake (Dylan Smith), who plays violent video games. Nina's existence is one of comfort despite having a husband who is never there for her or her son. Sy knows nothing of their marital problems - he just knows the pictures he has printed of them for years. They seem like a happy family and Sy wants to be one of them, often imagining himself as Uncle Sy. He has also made extra prints of their pictures and, in one truly eerie scene, he has collectively pasted all their prints on one wall space in his living room.

Sy does not live a charming existence. He works in a photo shop that seems sterile and bland at best. His home is grayish and completely devoid of color. He watches "The Simpsons" on television and never flashes a smile. This man has no pleasures in his life. But by getting close to Nina at his workplace, he looks for details. She reads the spiritual lessons of Deepak Chopra and finds himself reading it as well. In one scene that sums up the character's insularity crossed with populated public places, Sy seats himself at a fast-food restaurant in a mall where Nina happens to be. Needless to say, Nina is surprised at Sy's interest in Deepak Chopra. We may also be surprised that perhaps Sy never goes to eateries at the mall because there are so many people - he seems more comfortable alone or talking to Nina. Sy even tries to buy Nina's son a warrior action figure but her son refuses to accept it. Will considers the "photo guy" a "stranger" and is alarmed by his appearance. But eventually Sy discovers a secret involving Will that he uses to his advantage. Of course, this also opens the doors to Sy's lack of reality about families in general. Sy is now at a boiling point and we are not sure what he will do his next. Even his firm boss (Gary Cole) is driving him crazy.

"One Hour Photo" is directed by music-video director Mark Romaneck, but don't let his background turn you off. He does not bombard the screen with flash cuts and fancy editing tricks but rather cools off the dramatics in favor of a Kubrickian mode - sets, lighting and color play more substantial roles than camera moves. The gray colors inside the photo mart, the malls, and Sy's apartment make us feel queasy. This is not just Sy's insular existence but his own state-of-mind, and some of it may remind us that malls are not exactly bursting with color and imagination - they look just as dull and placid as Sy's apartment. Mostly "One Hour Photo" is not in-your-face. Like Robin Williams's performance, it is subdued and this factors in how creepy the film is. At times, it is nearly unwatchable. Anytime Sy talks with Nina or her family, we feel we are on edge, unsure of what he may say or do.

Robin Williams, fresh from a quietly menacing turn in "Insomnia," makes Sy compassionate and harmless yet still threatening. His own search for a perfect family and the flaws he finds shows how unrealistic his expectations are. He reminds me of Jerry, the psychopathic, smiling stepdad in "The Stepfather," who also craved the perfect family and basically went berzerk when they did not fulfill his promise. Sy is not as prone to such murderous tendencies as Jerry was, but his insularity and his needs prove to be as explosive and surprising. It is one of Williams' most powerful roles in a long time, far more reserved than usual. If Williams did this to wipe out the thick sentiment of "What Dreams May Come" and other post-"Patch Adams" oddities, he has succeeded admirably.

"One Hour Photo" never veers into familiar thriller cliches, nor does Sy Parrish prove to be some one-dimensional monster in need of psychiatric help. I could have lived without the flashback structure, however, and would have liked more emphasis on Nina - the fact that she calls her husband neglectful is only skimming the surface of her troubled family. Taking visual cues from "The King of Comedy" and "The Conversation," Romaneck still finds a way to make"One Hour Photo" grate our nerves. We want Sy to belong to a family, and we would like to him to be happy. Sy wants all the familial trappings that life has to offer - in short, the American Dream. He just has a creepy way of showing it.