Nolan's Nightmute noir

INSOMNIA (2002)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Original review from 2002)

Usually a promising independent director takes a wrong turn when he goes for the big leagues. Thankfully, that is not the case with director Christopher Nolan who made a big splash with the complex, suspenseful "Memento" in 2001 - the one film of the year that was talked about all year round. "Insomnia" is a remake of a 1997 Norwegian thriller unseen by me, but if it is half as psychologically complex or as thrillingly conveyed as this film, I suppose I will have to make a visit to the video store soon.

Al Pacino plays yet another cop, this time a veteran with a deeply troubling moral complex who has fostered a career of catching serial killers. As soon as Will Dormer (Pacino) arrives in Nightmute, Alaska, to investigate the brutal murder of a teenage girl, we already sense he has seen too much in his work and is exhausted by the sheer banality of the job. In this case, the town itself lends even more exhaustion to Will. You see Nightmute is a town where in the winter, the nights are always bright. Will can't take it, trying to cover his hotel windows with pillows and sheets but it is no use. He fails to sleep and develops insomnia.

Will arrives in this town with his partner, Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan, who appears to be in a somnolent state), both from the LAPD. Hap is ready to cut a deal back home with the Internal Affairs department over Will's tampering with evidence from prior cases. Will can't take it, and an accident involving Hap while searching for the killer in a rain-drenched, rocky, remote area of Alaska sinks Will even deeper into insomnia and moral dilemmas.

Two people catch on to Will's secrets. One is a smart, quick-learning rookie (Hilary Swank), who learns as much about Will's persona as she does about Will's police training. The other is the killer himself, a second-rate mystery writer, Walter Finch (Robin Williams), who discovers that Hap's accident was no accident at all, and tries to clear himself of the murdered girl by using Will. The twists pile up, Will's insomnia grows out of control, and an innocent person may go to jail instead of Walter. Where will all this lead? Somewhere between the murdered girl's ex-boyfriend and her own best friend, but that is just the beginning.

"Insomnia" does not submit to the usual cliches found in any typical thriller involving cops and serial killers. The climax also doesn't evolve in a typical fashion. The strength of the film lies in its psychological profiles of its two main characters, Will and Walter. Their cat-and-mouse game is strictly dependent on their personalities and their actions, not motivated by twists generated by the screenwriter to be as superfluous and precious as possible. Also worth mentioning is how the film deals with Will's immoral actions, as we sense that his flaws and screwy ethics could slowly conspire against him. We also begin to feel some measure of pity for Walter, despite his murderous, controlled rage. In short, Williams does not play the killer as a menacing psycho with obvious psychological and mental problems - he plays him as the recluse he is with some measure of restraint. Pacino has a few moments where he hollers but it all comes from his inability to sleep and to deal with his past indiscretions. To say that Pacino and Williams have never been better is to state the obvious - they have given their very best performances by far.

It helps that director Nolan knows how to handle the mood and atmosphere, as well as the actors. From slippery rocks to torn down cabins to floating logs to a stunning opening sequence involving snowy formations along the Alaskan border, "Insomnia" feels as close to a bleak noir thriller as "Fargo" did, using daylight as evocative of danger as the nighttime. In one gripping scene, we see floating logs that keep colliding and preventing the desperate Will from rising to the surface of the water - it is as riveting as scenes like it go.

"Insomnia" is a first-class thriller, expertly shot and staged and acted. Thanks to director Nolan, Pacino, Williams and the rest of the fine cast, this film is as good as mainstream thrillers can get. Rarely do character nuance and observation seem as thrilling as they do here.

Fargo in Alaska

THE BIG WHITE (2005)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"The Big White" is as much a homage to the Coen Brothers as it is its own movie. Still, ripping off "Fargo" with some clear delineations doesn't render it as a bad film - just a solid effort that could've been so much more.

Robin Williams is Paul, a near-bankrupt travel agent living in the icy world of Alaska. He has a wife, Margaret (Holly Hunter), who walks around the wintry roads with her pajamas, is disorganized around the kitchen and is afflicted with Tourette's Syndrome. One night, Paul discovers a dead body in the dumpster and passes it off as his long- lost brother so he can collect from an insurance policy worth one million dollars. Of course, he has hit a snag since the corpse is not his dead brother since the hitmen who killed this anonymous person are trying to find the body. Then there is the insurance agent (Giovanni Ribisi) who suspects foul play and, to make matters worse, Paul's real brother (Woody Harrelson) suddenly shows up in town. This definitely is Coen territory.

Unfortunately, director Mark Myloyd chooses to up the ante on riffs borrowed from "Fargo." The hit men are clumsy and stupid, just like the ones in "Fargo" (though one of them tries to be a good cook). Paul's character is not so different from William H. Macy's own Lundegaard, though Williams is far more restrained. And lastly there is the landscape, which is not as much of a character as Minnesota was in "Fargo."

The one refreshing aspect to "The Big White" is the dynamic, bouncy charm of Holly Hunter. She dominates the screen and proves her worth in gestures and body language - a character who is suffering yet she does a good job of hiding it. One wonders if the Tourette's is an actual symptom or just some other gradual mental illness. Her Margaret is an original that is coming from a better movie. I didn't dislike "The Big White" and I enjoyed the performances, but it is merely a faint echo of "Fargo." Had the movie focused on these characters instead of all this insurance and ransom business, it might have been a real offbeat winner.

Poop and Robin Williams spell trouble

RV (2006)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Predictable poop, both the overall movie and the content of one shot. It seems any movie about a family going on vacation or simply staying home or involving bratty teenagers involves some poop joke. We had it in "Meet the Parents" (which had correctly timed flying poop, if there is such a thing) and the "Shrek" movies (even "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" had Jar-Jar stepping on some feces, and let's not leave out Marty McFly in "Back to the Future Part III"). It is a desperate gag that seems to work best in "Family Guy" than it does in the movies. For a movie like "RV," you would've hoped for a little more inspiration considering Robin Williams stars in it. Then again, the poop out-stages Williams which is not a good sign.

"RV" starts off with a whiff of inspiration in the first scene. Williams plays Bob Munro, a devoted family man who does impersonations with plushy dolls to give his daughter, Cassie, a good laugh. She loves it and she says she doesn't want to get married. Bob tells her it is good to be married, and they will always be best friends. Then we flash forward to his daughter as a typical teenager (Joanna "JoJo" Levesque) who hates him. Rather than staying true to their relationship, the movie goes all over the map. Never content to be a family vacation movie like Chevy Chase's own "National Lampoon" films, the movie develops a plot that borders on idiocy. You see, Bob Munro's job is in jeopardy and in order to rescue himself out of losing his home and his family, he agrees to make a presentation in Boulder, Colorado for his sneakily mean-spirited boss Todd (Will Arnett, who at this point can play this role in his sleep). This means the planned vacation trip to Hawaii is off, so Bob tells his family that they are going to Colorado, in a rented RV no less! The wife hates the ideas, as does the kids.

There is a Murphy's Law in comedies starring Robin Williams, and this one starts off with one hazardous event after another. Bob has problems maneuvering the RV from his own driveway. He can barely drive it on the highway. They stay at an RV park which involves the dreaded poop joke - this time, involving some complicated hoses that need to drain poop and sewage (There is even a reference to a poop fairy). Then the Munro family meets one kooky, extremely friendly family, the Gornickes, specifically Travis and Mary Jo (both exceedingly well-played by Jeff Daniels and Kristin Chenoweth). They perform country songs together, live off of their mobile home that looks more like a bus selling franchise products. Their horn plays the first five notes of the "Star Trek" theme. This is a fun, original family that seem to be coming from a better movie, one that the Munros are unwisely trying to get away from.

To be fair, "RV" has some funny moments, mostly thanks to Robin Williams. I love when Williams is searching for a signal so he can email his presentation to his boss - not too many cell phone towers in the desert. I also like watching Williams struggling with a seatbelt or doing his "homeboy" routine. Also worth watching is a terrific scene where the RV is tilting and rocking back and forth on a peak in Diablo Pass - it is a Chaplinesque and Homer Simpsonesque moment.

But the movie never really carries itself and roars with comic possibilities. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, it too often feels flat and stillborn, something that you would not say about the early "National Lampoon Vacation" movies or even the recent and far superior "Little Miss Sunshine," a delectably funny road movie. The Munro kids look like superficial, well-fed, bland kids with little to no personality. Williams seems content to play it safe, which means a witless, stock family guy with no quirks other than pretending to take a dump in the woods. Huh? Why did they hire Robin Williams to play this role? And poor Cheryl Hines as Jamie, Bob's wife, appears as if she would rather join the Gornicke family. So would I.

Uneven sales pitch

CADILLAC MAN (1990)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

The pacing is off in the first unwieldy hour of "Cadillac Man," an alleged comedy of manners. Or is it a comedy of manners? I am not sure. Robin Williams is the Cadillac salesman but he is not the best at a sales pitch. He is desperate to sell cars, you see, because he has three different mistresses and an ex-wife to support. He also ignores his daughter (whom we never see). Some of this is prime comic material that could stretch in so many directions. The one direction the writers chose is unexpected and an altogether different movie.

Tim Robbins plays a delirious, insane madman who crashes into the Cadillac dealership and threatens everyone with a machine gun. He is mad as hell and will not take it anymore because he believes his wife (a thankless Annabella Sciorra) is cheating on him. Williams tries to calm him down, but none of this material results in comic fireworks. And with the exception of Williams throwing in some witty one-liners, there is nothing funny about it, not the staging nor the histrionic performances. Robbins exists in a vacuum of obscene screams - if he is not screaming, he is firing his machine gun at the ceiling. If he is not shooting, he is screaming and hollering and mustering something that is akin to cartoonish excess. Sometimes he does both and it grows wearisome and monotonous.

Directed like a frenzied comedy minus the humor by Roger Donaldson (a strange director to helm this travesty), the movie never builds into anything - it is simply frenzied. Williams is also more restrained than I expected. And though the film had potential with its first hour (and the far too brief appearance by Elaine Stritch as a widow that will leave you in stitches), the rest of the movie is a train wreck. And you know train wrecks are not funny. 

High-speed romp that is more than inept

A LIFE LESS ORDINARY (1997)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

So let's see what we have here. A dim bulb of a janitor (Ewan McGregor) has just been fired by his stern boss (Ian Holm). The boss's daughter (Cameron Diaz) loves to play a little William Tell with her orthodontist (Stanley Tucci). The daughter visits her father at his "Hudsucker Proxy" office. The janitor comes back asking for his job. Instead he kidnaps the boss's daughter, though he knows next to nothing about kidnapping or ransoms. He is also incapable of making a ransom phone call. Two pistol-packing angels (Delroy Lindo, Holly Hunter) are sent to earth to make sure the janitor and boss's daughter fall in love by any means necessary.

I am usually a sucker for offbeat romantic comedies but this turgid, lifeless film by Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting") has nothing up its sleeve. McGregor and Diaz barely pass a 2 on the electric chemistry scale so their eventual affair is unbelievable. Most of the dialogue is unfunny and, at times, barely audible. To make matters worse, there is an ineptly staged bank robbery and a car chase! It even has one of the most torturous of cliched devices, a karaoke duet! The tone is inconsistent, veering from melodrama to cutesy romance to black comedy. Jonathan Demme's "Something Wild" had abrupt shifts in tone but all in the service of a story - this movie is like a high-speed romp through an interminable void.

"A Life Less Ordinary" is a major comedown from Boyle's "Shallow Grave" and the electrically charged "Trainspotting." Boyle seems to be coasting on Coen Brothers territory with not a tenth of their style or pungent wit (it is no surprise that Coen regulars Holly Hunter and Dan Hedaya are in the movie). There is a clever, funny animated sequence that has more laughs than anything in the entire movie - unfortunately it is placed during the end credits.

Angela just wants to party

NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (1988)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Until the film picks up the pace during the last forty minutes or so, "Night of the Demons" is a sorry sight to behold - an amateurish horror film with blank automatons substituting for human beings. It is strange that the blank automatons gain a little sparkle in their eyes when they are possessed by demons. As high-school teens, they are about as interesting as watching makeup dry.

Directed by Kevin Tenney, the bare thread of a plot dangling on Linnea Quigley's nipple has a few select teenagers going out to a Halloween party at, get this, a mortuary! I am guessing it is an abandoned mortuary and for good reason - evil spirits reside there! Angela (Mimi Kincade) - the Goth queen who robs convenience stores while her friend (Linnea Quigley) shows her ass to dumb, entranced store clerks - is the party leader. These teens, including a beer-bellied jerk who just wants to PARTY!, are disposable, unlikable young jerks. Excepting the sole black kid (Alvin Alexis) and a vulnerable and virginal Alice-in-Wonderland-costumed girl (Cathy Podewell), the rest are soporific at best.

When the evil spirits start their possession duties, "Night of the Demons" excites and manages to be frightful. Some scenes with the monstrous transformation of Angela actually work (the makeup is extraordinary). Other scenes with Linnea Quigley leave a lot to be desired, including the insertion of a lipstick in her nipple! Don't ask me to explain that one! There is also the mean old man in the neighborhood who places razor blades inside of apples...but his actual purpose in this film left me mystified.

Essentially, this is "Evil Dead" in a mortuary and nowhere near as blood-curlingly fun. "Night of the Demons" could have used more demented humor and horrific shenanigans overall, and less Linnea Quigley though short-sighted males will enjoy seeing her breasts. Ah, the small pleasures of 1980's horror flicks. 

Heart-Felt

MUPPETS MOST WANTED (2014)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

When the Muppets hit their stride, they are as fun to watch as any animated film that contains copious CGI. I am happy to report that "Muppets Most Wanted" is as invigorating a treat as The Muppets from three years ago or any Muppets film in eons. It is cliched and contains a wisp of a plot that could be written on a candy wrapper, yet it is buckets of heightened, endearing fun.

This sequel picks up precisely where the last "Muppets" left off, now literally seeking a reason to do a sequel (Postmodernist winks have also become cliches). A new manager named Dominic Badguy (Ricky Gervais) suggests that the Muppets take their show on a European tour. The Muppets are delighted though Dominic is not at all what he is cracked up to be (how many managers take calls from President Clinton and Rihanna in less than five minutes?). Badguy's boss is a world-class criminal named Constantine, who bears a strong resemblance to Kermit the Frog, and has escaped from the Siberian Gulag 38B. The Russian authorities are searching for Constantine who switches places with the unbeknownst Kermit the Frog - a fake mole makes all the difference. The plan is that for every stop on the Muppets tour, the dynamic evil duo get closer and closer to uncovering the location of the Crown Jewels of England! Walter (a Jason Segel created Muppet from the 2011 film) is suspicious of the heavy-accented Kermit though none of the other Muppets sense any trouble. Meanwhile, a French INTERPOL inspector (a hilarious Ty Burell) and Sam Eagle (who each compare the sizes of their badges) try to decipher the identities of the thieves.

Big questions remain - will Fozzie Bear ever be funny? Will Kermit, er Constantine, marry Miss Piggy before the reluctant Kermit? Can Kermit survive the throes of the Gulag? Can Tina Fey ever be unfunny? (the answer is NO!) Will Badguy and Constantine manage to get hold of those precious jewels? Can Usher ever be referred to as anything but an actual usher?

"Muppets Most Wanted" is pure rollicking silliness and super-duper family fun. The songs by Bret McKenzie are memorable and witty ("I am Number One" might be my favorite). The surprise cameos are a joy. I can honestly say that the movie made me laugh, thrilled me, and further renewed my faith in Hollywood's deep appreciation of those delightful members made of felt. "Muppets Most Wanted" indeed.