Doing the Wrong Thing

SUMMER OF SAM (1999)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Originally reviewed in 1999)

Has he lost his mind? Has Spike Lee lost all sense of reason or purpose in making a film? After the greatness of a disturbing, provocative documentary like 1997's "Four Little Girls," Spike made a noisy, pretentious, overheated basketball drama called "He Got Game." Its chief merit was Denzel Washington's controlled performance. Now we have the noisy, melodramatic, overheated, overbaked and needless retelling of the "Summer of Sam" - a hot, noisy New York summer of 1978 when the Son of Sam killer was loose in the streets and made media headlines. I assume the latter is Spike Lee's intention as well with each film he makes.

Make no mistake, "Summer of Sam" is not an introspective character study of Samuel Berkowitz. Instead, the writers Michael Imperioli, Victor Collichio and Spike focus on the sweltering summer itself - the paranoia and the decadence that surrounded the frenzy of Sam's murderous rampages in the city of New York. For a while, "Summer of Sam" works and keeps us on guard. We see the local Italian gangs rallying against Sam by keeping track of everyone who comes and goes in the neighborhood; the brunettes wearing blonde wigs to escape Sam's wrath upon blondes; the all-night disco clubs; the promiscuous activities at Plato's Retreat, an orgy club; the swagger and sweat of the macho, sexist Italian men; the constant hurling insults; the cops vying for a local Mafia boss (Ben Gazzara) to help in the murder investigation, and...wait a second. I know where I have seen this type of anthropological view of New York's boroughs before. I've seen it in Martin Scorsese's mob dramas, and I could not wait to see one of those films again as opposed to Spike's stereotypical portrayal.

The main story in "Summer of Sam" deals with the rocky relationship between the endlessly posturing Vinny (John Leguizamo), a hairdresser, and his darling, faithful wife, Dionna (Mira Sorvino), a waitress at her father's restaurant. Vinny is a philanderer and unfaithful - he will have sex with anything that crosses his path. After witnessing one of Sam's murder victims, he decides to mend his sinful ways, though it is short-lived since we are treated to a needlessly long sequence involving the infamous Plato's Retreat.

The most interesting characters in this overlong effort are the punk rocker, Ritchie (Adrien Brody), who sports a thick British accent, and his sexy girlfriend, Ruby (Jennifer Esposito) - their scenes are electrifying and stimulate the senses. I wish Spike focused on this couple since their scenes have no clichés and rivet our attention. In marked contrast, the Vinny and Dionna marriage becomes repetitious and tiresome after a while, and the actors bring no dimension or spin to their characters. There is only so much of Leguizamo's swagger I can stand.

There are a couple of sequences that do work mainly because they involve the racial parameters of a community - Lee's forte ever since "Do the Right Thing." There's a sequence involving the Mafia boss talking to the police officers about trapping Sam, and the boss rightly pointing out that there are murders in Harlem every day and nobody reports them. I also like the subplot where the gang is convinced that Ritchie is Sam because of his deviant activities, such as his nightly gay dancing and punk rock sensibilities (he also lives in a garage). The idea of needing a scapegoat in a community that is lost with desperation to find the killer is timely and profound - this is all pure vintage Lee.

Beyond that, we get heated scenes of marital discord, hurling obscenities (Joe Pesci was never this obscene), and countless scenes of burly Sam roaring with pain in his bedroom and close-ups of his shoes pounding the pavement as he approaches his victims seated in parked cars. Since the film is not truly about Sam Berkowitz, do we need countless shots of gunfire? Do we need to see a ludicrous scene of a dog speaking to Sam? Has Spike Lee become too literal-minded? Has he forgotten how to draw insight from his characters?

In terms of visceral filmmaking, Spike Lee is still a demon of a filmmaker, but he is no visionary. The film is exceedingly well-shot and edited (many high-contrast shots; delirious montages) but it all serves little purpose, meaning or significance. What we learn about the fervent summer of 1978 is that there were power outages, the weather was hot and humid, and people cursed and had sexual escapades. Spike has forgotten how to do the right thing within all the madness - to forge drama and insight from it all..

A beautiful, bloody bore

THE HUNTED (2003)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Originally reviewed on March 21st, 2003

William Friedkin's "The Hunted" could be aptly retitled "Hide and Seek." There is the hunter and the hunted, and all they do is hide from each other and then get into prolonged knife fights. Seek and you shall find, and thus you shall be pierced by sharp knives. I hate to think that after one hour and forty minutes, the best that "The Hunted" could do was remind me there was nothing besides hiding, seeking, maiming, and bloodily violent hand-to-hand combat.

Benicio Del Toro plays Aaron Hallam, an Army agent who specializes in killing his prey with superbly timed skill. Tommy Lee Jones is Lt. Bonham, a specialized tracker whose job is to train Army soldiers to kill using hand-to-hand combat. Aaron is seen in the opening sequence fighting the Serbs in Kosovo. He systematically eliminates a Serb commander with his trusty knife. He is obviously affected by the war and can't seem to dispel images of an innocent child seen standing near the corpses. So Aaron heads out to Portland, Oregon and begins killing deer hunters! The retired Lt. Bonham is called in to service to help find him, which he does a lot quicker than the FBI does. Bonham used to train Aaron and knows his every step being an efficient tracker and killer himself. He also mentions that Aaron might cannibalize his victims after perusing crime scene photographs of disemboweled bodies. I wonder why this fact was omitted from the rest of the film.

Every scene thrives on sheer implausibility. A chase through city streets and forest hills where the grizzled lieutenant somehow knows Aaron's every single move made me think the lieutenant was psychic. Then there is the train sequence that leads to a bridge sequence where Aaron climbs the top of the bridge to only jump a few hundred feet into the water. Then he forges a serrated knife at a construction site. Somehow the lieutenant's psychic powers lead him to the construction site where he finds the spot where Aaron forged his knife! Oh, the lieutenant also makes a handy knife himself. And there are logs used as booby traps in the exact spot in the woods where Aaron wants him to be! How convenient!

"The Hunted" is beautifully shot and composed with lovingly choreographed shots of leaves, dirt, snow, landscapes, cityscapes with clearly drawn close-ups of Jones and Del Toro's faces. Friedkin also knows how to handle hand-held camera shots better than anybody (lest we forget his classic "French Connection") thanks to superb cinematography by Caleb Deschanel. The action scenes are also well-shot and choreographed though slightly unbelievable. But this is a pointless exercise in nothingness. Aaron and Bonham lack character development so that we have no clue, no insight into their lives and thus care almost nothing about them. This is certainly a waste of time for Jones and Del Toro, two of the more charismatic, powerful actors in the cinema right now - how can they play characters devoid of any single dimension or characteristic? In fact, there is not one character I cared about on any level.

"The Hunted" shows FBI agents getting sliced-and-diced, Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro getting sliced-and-diced, and that is about it. Oh, yes, there are some metaphors regarding wolves with injured paws (animals represent no harm to their own breed), children symbolizing innocence (don't they symbolize that in general?), single women who hate lovers for leaving them for extended periods, and so on. It's an old cliche for a bad movie but I do not mind repeating it: "The Hunted" is a beautiful bore. Hide and seek a better movie.

Black Mystique

BONE (1972)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Ten Best Films of the 1970's

The radicalized comic underpinnings of "Bone" are not for the faint-hearted. Ostensibly a black comedy, the film is more black than comical, a purely relentless and obscenely funny look at racial tension and living the alleged high life in L.A. in the 1970's. That it comes from B-movie director Larry Cohen is a big plus.

Yaphet Kotto appears very quickly in the opening scenes of "Bone" as a supposed exterminator - actually, he is planning to rob the biggest house on the block in Beverly Hills. The occupants of this classy house are an irritated car dealer, Bill (Andrew Duggan), and his wife Bernadette (Joyce Van Patten), who expect their pool to be cleaned promptly though the wife barely uses it. Bill thinks there is a dead rat in their pool and, thus, we see Bone (Kotto) who removes the rat. Bone is not there to exterminate rodents - he wants their money. Lo and behold, it is discovered that Bill is not adept with his finances and it upsets Bernadette, who seems to be married to the guy only for the money. Bone instructs Bill to get cash from a bank in an hour, or else he will rape and kill Bill's wife. Bill is not as quick on his feet to get cash as you might expect, and Bone's simmering, irascible rage is dulled by Bernadette. In one truly riveting scene, a naked Bernadette questions Bone as to why he did not rape her on the pool table. She begins to see that he is not what she expected.

Meanwhile, Bill turns out to be a quasi-philanderer, allowing himself to be picked by a kleptomaniac (Jeannie Berlin from "The Heartbreak Kid") who steals food from a supermarket by way of a cliched ruse - a banana peel! This girl turns out to be emotionally brittle yet manipulative - Cohen gives every small character role a chance to breathe rather being some mild throwaway type. While Bill is having his proclivities, Bernadette cheats on her hubby, seducing Bone and reminding him he is a charmer after all.

"Bone" is directed with tantalizing skill by Larry Cohen, implementing with admirable restraint the use of abrasive, flash cuts to increase the tension. Sometimes, there are scenes that leave you incredulous such as Bill's car commercial that shows dead bodies in every car on the lot! A scene like that comes from Bill's own cluttered mind, as if he fears losing his job by selling every car with mechanical problems will result in dead drivers. Also extricated from Bill's mind is the absent son who is in Vietnam when in fact, he is not. Then to complicate matters, Bernadette and Bone have ulterior motives that drive Bill to a conclusion that is hardly a foreseeable one. Or perhaps Bone is a figment of the white couples' imagination, which would make the film the most stringent and damaging look at race in the 20th century since before Spike Lee stepped up to the plate. The fact that it is still prescient says much about the supposed evolution of our society.

"Bone" is an unusual, highly entertaining and powerful dissection of race, relationships, wealth and especially the plight of the black man in the early 1970's. Yaphet Kotto (who considers this role his career favorite) sums it up beautifully, using raw, provocative language to convey how the black man as a stereotypical rapist is no more because they have been accepted into society through integration and education - the black man, that is, not the rapist. "Bone" is lacerating, frequently hilarious, disturbing and illuminating. You can't compare it to anything else and that is a major plus. The film is a revelation and an absolute must for anyone with a passion for cinema, and especially those passionate for a discourse on race.

Footnote: Producer and distributor Jack H. Harris thought the film as something more appealing to the blaxploitation market and horror film fans, thus the film has several alternate titles including "Housewife" and "Dial Rat for Terror." 

Unlike myriad weepier concoctions

FUNNY PEOPLE (2009)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Judd Apatow's "Funny People" is one major hoot and a half of a comedy-drama - a delectably hilarious and sensitively smart film. It is such a breezy romp of a film, eschewing formula for sincerity and true belly laughs that can chill you and knock you out, so much that it is probably the film of Judd Apatow's career.

Adam Sandler plays an obscene, lonely, unlikable comic named George Simmons, who finds out he has a form of leukemia and may die sooner than later. He has no real friends, only showbiz connections and fellow comics he knows as mutual acquaintances, but that is it. Part of me started to resist this plot because, as we know, most films feature an unlikable lout who knows he is dying and tries to remedy and redeem his shortcomings. Except Judd Apatow is not making a weepy version of the forgotten Julia Roberts weeper, "Dying Young," or any myriad weepier concoctions. Thank goodness for that because Apatow has too much up his sleeve to allow for cheap sentimentality at the expense of solid characterizations.

George finds a young, brash, up-and-coming comic who can write good jokes, so George hires him. He is Ira Wright (a slimmer Seth Rogen), a highly sensitive comic who is starstruck by George. George likes Ira, takes him under his wing, and Ira slowly becomes a friend who can listen and be saddened by George's health problems (the restaurant scene is a keeper). There is also Laura (Leslie Mann), the ex-girlfriend whom George almost married but decided to cheat on. Laura is married to an Australian named Clarke (a hyper Eric Bana, himself a former comic), who is not a big fan of George and also presumably cheats on Laura. George tries to reach out to Laura, but is it too late to renew their relationship? I won't say but the answer to those questions may surprise you.

Just when you suspect what well-traveled road Apatow will take with this material, he surprises you. One scene sums up the overall tone of the film. When George first confesses to Ira about his illness, he tells Ira to kill him for fifty grand. Ira willingly takes the job, realizing what is at stake, and then George taunts him, wondering how Ira could really go through with it.

"Funny People" doesn't go far in showing the pain of not scoring laughs on stage when you're a comic (leave that to the underrated "Punchline"), nor is it interested in deeply revealing the pain of a movie star making family comedies that only kids like coupled with being a raunchy comic (Eddie Murphy comes to mind). Instead "Funny People" shows how empty a lifestyle it can be if you don't have emotional support. The real Judd Apatow (formerly a joke writer) has Leslie Mann in his life and kids - he has support in case something goes wrong. The real Adam Sandler has the same support, but the George character doesn't. George can bed any woman that comes his way, make millions doing stand-up and movies and Myspace events with James Taylor, but without anyone to care for and by remaining self-sufficient, he has nothing to latch onto and nothing to look forward to since he is dying. This is not new territory for a film but it is the approach in how Apatow laces this story with honesty that makes it original and unique.

"Funny People" may seem like a simple-minded movie on the surface, but it has so much humanity, warmth, wry emotions and so many laughs that it is anything but mediocre. And the cast do their unequivocal best to give this the show-stopping treatment it deserves. Adam Sandler gives the performance of his career - he shows more insight than usual for an essentially profane comic and shows what makes the man tick. Leslie Mann is simply fantastic, showing a fragile heart in Laura and how she loves both men in her life. Seth Rogen does his liveliest work yet, another character with a fragile heart who falls for a female comic (Aubrey Plaza) and does his best to keep up with George's varied moods. Jonah Hill is superbly on-target in the small role of Ira's roommate, playing another struggling comic who scores a part in a dismal sitcom called "Yo Teach." Jason Schwartzman plays the title role of Teach on that sitcom, as well as an arrogant actor and fellow roommate of Ira's who proudly leaves his $25,000 paycheck under Ira's pillow! There are also choice bits of Emimem mocking Ray Romano; a gray-haired Paul Reiser; a bewitching cameo by Sarah Silverman; and a funny home made video of Adam Sandler back in the day making prank phone calls that will drive you up the wall with laughter!

"Funny People" is about genuine people with real fears and flaws in loving each other, just like Apatow's romantic comedy "Knocked Up." This film is even smoother, more inclined to provide genuine insights with humor and heart in equal doses, and more willing to take its time in securing them. It is not a sentimental or simply more mature film in the Apatow canon - it skyrockets with a sincerity that keeps one's spirits up and interested in whatever Apatow's characters say next. They are that vividly realized, and Judd Apatow is one hell of a blazingly and emotionally true writer-director.

Disastrous Movie Sequel

AIRPLANE II: THE SEQUEL (1982)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Sometimes there is no real purpose to a sequel except to rehash what worked fine the first time around. The original "Airplane!" had gags flying in and out of it, sometimes in the background too. That movie could never be topped in any way unless the original ZAZ (Zucker, Abraham, Zucker) team returned to do something more epic and insane. Their inspiration was 1957's "Zero Hour" and all those silly "Airport" flicks from the 1970's, in addition to "Saturday Night Fever" and "Jaws." The only inspiration for the makers of "Airplane II: The Sequel" was cashing in on the original. Period. Repeat some of the same gags, go back through the same waters by bringing back the same regulars, and we got a movie that repeats the same notes without the spirit of inspiration.

Robert Hays returns as the beleaguered hero of the original, Ted Striker, who has escaped from a mental institution and wants to return in the arms of Elaine, the stewardess (Julie Hagerty). She is ready to board a space shuttle that is headed to the moon. Why the moon? Because passengers pay top dollar to go and visit the lunar surface which is already occupied by a base headed by Commander Murdoch (William Shatner, who definitely gives the film a shot of adrenaline). A malfunction causes the shuttle to head right into the sun! Striker is on board to save the day.

Sonny Bono appears as a serial bomber - the only laugh derived from this character is the fact that it is played by Sonny Bono. Returnee Lloyd Bridges as air traffic commander McCroskey utters some of the same lines from the original, as does Peter Graves as the shuttle pilot who asks a young kid about a dog humping...you get the idea. The late Stephen Stucker reappears as the air-traffic controller who makes offhanded remarks that have nothing to do with airline safety, and he also gets a funny part as a courtroom clerk. Other than that, writer-director Ken Finkleman does nothing except be on autopilot - the movie is labored and mechanical and lacks the anarchy of the original. The actors play their parts like machines. The jokes fall flat, like Shatner seeing the Enterprise or the passengers playing Jeopardy! One inspired bit occurs in the background (something the movie could've used more of) where two air-traffic controllers are trying to make a pot sale while McCroskey speaks in the foreground. Mostly, "Airplane II" feels like reproduced processed cheese. It should have tasted like swiss. 

Jumping the shark is the point

SHARKNADO 3: OH, HELL NO! (2015)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

As you sit down to watch "Sharknado 3: Oh, Hell No" you can't expect anything more than an onslaught of puerile scenes that just might make you say, "Oh, Hell No!" I can't say I enjoyed this one as much as the over-the-top cartoonish mentality of the last foolhardy sequel, but nobody should resist this one for the relentless onslaught of inspired cameos and gags.

There is not much plot. Fin (Ian Ziering) is pretty much a celebrity now for having killed more sharks in those dreaded climate-change-sharknados with his trusty chainsaw than anyone else. He is presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the President, naturally, played by Mark Cuban! Okay, I won't do this but every cameo in this movie should be followed by an exclamation point. Needless to say, a storm of sharknados destroys the White House, the Capitol, the Washington Monument and other historic landmarks in less than ten minutes. Ann Coulter appears as Vice President (even her Democratic friend Bill Maher would smile at that one), Lou Ferrigno is a Secret Service guard who takes a selfie with Fin (a big no-no!), Michelle Bachman plays herself, Robert Klein is the D.C. mayor, and so on. If the whole film took place in D.C., then it might have been more engaging. Instead Fin has to meet his pregnant wife, April (Tara Reid), and their daughter, Claudia (Ryan Newman - forgettable at best) at the Universal Orlando Resort, along with April's mother (thanklessly played by Bo Derek). Kim Richards is the VIP guide at the Resort who is gone far too soon.

There are a host of incredulous cameos in "Sharknado 3." My favorite might be disgraced political figure Anthony Wiener as a National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Director...it is too funny to dismiss and possibly one of the more inspired cameos ever. Everything else in "Sharknado 3" is by rote and it doesn't have the level of cartoonish mayhem as expected from the previous films. Still, David Hasselhoff as Fin's father, who has NASA experience that leads to using the Space Shuttle to demolish a series of sharknados, proves that nothing is off-limits for complete silliness. The repeated gag from the first film of someone surviving after being swallowed by a shark is taken a few Emeril notches into absurdity. Jumping the shark in these movies is the point.

Footnote: My wife suggested that "Sharknado 4" should feature the Split Enz song "Shark Attack" by Tim Finn. Let's make it happen SyFy.

Uptown Girl wrecks rom-com cliches

TRAINWRECK (2015)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

It is too soon to get a handle on what makes Amy Schumer such a twistingly funny and spirited delight - is it her combination of blonde locks and cherubic face that says, "Don't feel shame for what comes out of my mouth"? I watched the third season of her TV show, "Inside Amy Schumer," and I am not sure I can catch how she does it. The show serves as part skit, part stand-up, and partly conversational when she asks people topics that relate to the episode's humor in the streets of New York. Schumer also tackles controversial topics like rape, Bill Cosby's rape allegations and why people don't like Amy in "12 Angry Men"-style. Judd Apatow's new bracing comedy written by the comedienne, "Trainwreck," is not as controversial as the show and it is far more lighthearted and unexpectedly emotional. It is also an unexpected hoot and a half of a movie that has more depth than the average rom-com.

Amy Schumer stars as Amy, a writer for S'nuff, a magazine focusing on predominantly racy topics. When Amy is not writing, she profusely smokes pot, parties hearty, drinks like a fish and is usually spent after having anonymous sex with club dates in their apartments. There are no limits to Amy - she has no interest in romantic relationships, especially with a musclebound John Cena (absolutely hilarious) who wants marriage yet has odd sexual requests. No, Amy wants to be single and free to party! That is until she meets a Billy Joel-loving sports doctor, Aaron Conners (Bill Hader), whom she is profiling for a magazine article. Aaron and Amy seem to hit it off quickly yet she has her own special requests after sex - no breathing in her direction while sleeping in the same bed.

Anyone who watches rom-coms (I have seen one too many) knows the outcome of this relationship. The difference is in the details of the outcome. Amy Schumer serves her Amy with brains and her own attitude towards blah relationships - she views them with the same indifference and lack of emotional connection as she would the latest text or tweet. Amy is abrasive, sexually carnivorous, willing to be drugged out of her mind (though not too far in the land of Apatow) and curtails likability yet she possesses something more - charm. Even when she says filthy things or makes filthy gestures (or vomits during a knee replacement surgery), you can't help but still like Amy and be charmed. She is Sarah Silverman with a heart. Schumer and director Judd Apatow also infuse some pathos with regards to Amy - her fractured relationship with her prejudiced dad (Colin Quinn) who is in an assisted living home, and her topsy-turvy relationship to her married sister (Brie Larson) which could've used more insight. Nevertheless, Amy might be making everyone's lives miserable but you hope she rises above it all. She is not too conceited but she is self-centered, too concentrated on satisfying herself before she can satisfy anyone. It is that element that makes "Trainwreck" rise above any other mediocre romantic comedy where the woman, the scorned love object, often learns to be subservient and remain the love puppy. Except we are in the land of Schumerisms where such behavior, usually written in dishonest rom-coms from a man's perspective, isn't tolerated.

"Trainwreck" has a gallery of earned laughs from a juicy supporting cast. An unrecognizable Tilda Swinton plays the bitchiest, meanest, most realistic boss since Kevin Spacey in "Horrible Bosses." There is also LeBron James as himself who scores many direct laughs as Conners' buddy who can't block Conners for one instant during a basketball game; the aforementioned John Cena who "looks like Mark Wahlberg ate Mark Wahlberg"; Colin Quinn as Gordon, Amy's loudmouth father who clearly shows where Amy's personality comes from, and Dave Atell as a homeless man who desires alcohol as much as Amy does. Marv Albert, Chris Evert and Matthew Broderick also shine in sparkling cameos during an intervention, and let us not forget Bridget Everett (fans of "Inside Amy Schumer" will know her) who has a zinger that can't be repeated here in print for fear of causing hysterical laughter. I would love to see Everett have her own movie some day - she may go places that may even leave Amy Schumer blushing.

"Trainwreck" is not a seamless comedy-drama but it is a little purposefully messy and disorganized and that adds to its appeal, not unlike Amy Schumer. Sure, the ending is foreseeable but it is not finite - Schumer and Hader make a great couple but the friction in their characters' relationship shows. What is missing is some of the biting humor from her Comedy Central show but that is not where Amy and Apatow want to go. It shows Amy Schumer is a genuine talent, a stunning, sprightly actress who doesn't feel small on the big screen.