20 Years Ago, in that nasty little wood chipper...

FARGO (1996)

An appreciation by Jerry Saravia

Best film of 1996 (Shared with Breaking the Waves)

20 Years Ago, in that nasty little wood chipper...

For better or worse, the Coen Brothers remains the most wildly original filmmakers in the cinema world right now. Being an advocate of their edgy, brilliant films like "Blood Simple" and "Barton Fink" and less of an admirer of "Raising Arizona" and "The Hudsucker Proxy," I always look forward to their next project. Their few failures are more interesting than the mediocre Hollywood movies that succeed. "Fargo" is another brilliant film in the Coens canon and a pleasant (or unpleasant) return to the dread and pessimism that "Blood Simple" wrought with an added sharp edginess and deliberately black comic humor that can make one wince. Twenty years later, it is still their most memorable effort, a delectable blend of black comedy, satire, blanc noir (white noir to the rest of you), family values and mayhem. 

"Fargo" stars the remarkable William H. Macy as Jerry Lundegaard, a Minnesota car salesman who is in deep financial debt. To get himself out of debt, he schemes to have his wife kidnapped by a couple of scummy lowlifes so that he can acquire the ransom demand from his wealthy father-in-law. Once Jerry gets the money, he can split it with the lowlifes for a percentage and pay off his debt. This is easier said than done and in the world of the Coens, nothing ever works out as it should.

"Fargo" is directed by Joel Coen and written by Ethan and Joel Coen, and the film certainly benefits by not being as simplistic or inane as any murder-of-the-week TV movie. "Fargo" has gobs of wit and malicious black humor but its main strength is derived from its sense of humanity. The humanity comes from Frances McDormand ("Blood Simple") as the local police chief, Marge Gunderson, who is very pregnant and is confronted with a triple homicide in the icy, cold, dour town of Brainerd. Marge is a strong-willed woman married to an almost sedate husband and would-be artist whose biggest concern is to paint pictures of mallards on three-cent stamps. Marge tries to solve the homicide case on her own (most of the police department is quite incompetent), and the trail of corpses leads to Fargo, North Dakota and back to Brainerd where she runs into a wild assortment of characters. They include bimbos who describe one of the killers as "funny-looking"; a lonely long-time admirer of Marge's; overly friendly waitresses and hotel employees; a tough-as-nails Native American who vouched for the kidnappers, and eventually the sneaky Lundegaard. They all speak in a high-pitched Minnesota twang that includes phrases like, "yah, sure," "ah, jeez," "you darn' tootin," and "well, yah."

Most of the truly black humor in "Fargo" centers around the two inept lowlife kidnappers (both played by Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare). Everything goes wrong from the start when they kidnap Lundegaard's wife and kill three people along the way, not to mention a reversal in Lundegaard's plans with the kidnapping. Buscemi is the "funny-looking man" trying desperately to get the ransom and threatens Lundegaard by asking for more money. The reticent Stormare kills a police officer and just about everyone else who gets in the line of fire. These nitwits both altercate and fume with the kind of erratic energy that you can only find in a Coens film.

The performances are faultless to a tee, particularly Frances McDormand who gives Marge humanity, a wry sense of humor and an emotional control that is both calm and cautious, even when she sees a body being shredded in a wood chipper. It is clearly the role of her career (she won the Best Actress Oscar for it). Steve Buscemi is as always gleefully riotous as one of the hired kidnappers who becomes too frantic when he talks. Peter Stormare ("Damage") plays the other kidnapper who is silent and eerily menacing. Kudos must also go to William H. Macy ("Oleanna") who shows both fecklessness and cowardice with equal skill.

"Fargo" has everything a great film should have - great writing and great cinematography. The sharp characterizations and ostensibly playful dialogue, full of misunderstandings, stupid mistakes and accidents, brings a creepy veneer to the whole film. It is also fascinating how the film shifts beautifully from Lundegaard's predicament to Marge's investigation with terrific balance. The cinematography by Roger Deakins superbly employs the use of pure white (snowy landscapes, cloudy skies) thus evoking the ironic twists and turns of this chilling noir tale - a sort of film blanc steeped in the trappings of noir. There's one dazzling overhead shot where we see Lundegaard fiddling and banging the windshield of his car with an ice scraper and all that surrounds him is the frozen hell of Minnesota. Shots like these are abundantly used and reinforce an emotionally blank feeling to the audience - after seeing the film, you'll literally feel cold as ice. That may explain why hordes of audience members fled the screening I attended as soon as the credits rolled up. 

"Fargo" does leave you feeling cold but it is never less than enthralling, chillingly violent, sharply funny and entertaining. Marge and Lundegaard are two of the most original characters I've seen on the screen in quite some time. The brilliance of "Fargo" as a satire and black comedy is that it never steps too far over the line into exaggeration and comic buffoonery. In that respect, Marge and Lundegaard could have been presented as eccentric caricatures. The Coens have found a way of humanizing the oddest of people in the oddest of situations.

Flung out of space

CAROL (2015)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

The most heartrending aspect about Todd Haynes' "Carol" is that a passionate love between two people is slowly diminishing, yet it is also getting stronger. So ultimately we feel a love has been lost due to foreseeable circumstances only to be deemed everlasting. Such is the beauty of this most stellar film and, although love between two women is not a novelty in 2015, it is the depiction of it that rises above most any other films. Fact is that, aside from Haynes' masterpiece "Far From Heaven," I do not recall seeing such elegance and beauty in romantically engaging strokes with a modicum of passionate love set during such a turbulent time like the 1950s. "Carol" has all that.

Modicum of passion is expected in a tale set in the 1950's. A timid, introspective, aspiring photographer who works at Frankenberg's department store, Therese (Rooney Mara, remarkable in every sense of the word), has her sad Santa hat on as she works during the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. She spots one woman in a fur coat, Carol (Cate Blanchett), who makes eye contact with Therese. A moment is exchanged. A gift is purchased, that being a train set for Carol's daughter. Phone numbers are exchanged. Not much ensues, and yet so much has happened. Therese and Carol are intrigued by each other because they dared to notice each other. Before you know it, Carol wants to show her appreciation for Therese's helpful customer service by inviting her to her country home. Carol is going through a tough divorce, and Therese is merely unsure if she wants to be with her beau who is asking her to travel with him to Europe. When Theresa is invited to go on a road trip with Carol, there is no hesitation.

"Carol" is sublime in its absolute restraint and its exquisite study of manners and implicit body language. Only Cate Blanchett could give another woman the impression of romantic interest without saying a word. Carol is going through severe turmoil over her divorce and whether she can have joint custody of her precious daughter. In some ways, Cate's performance reminds me of her brilliant role in "Blue Jasmine" only this wealthy woman can't show much weakness or vulnerability, except when she is in Therese's company. She reminds her soon-to-be ex (Kyle Chandler) that she can take a stand for herself, and reminds her former in-laws that a psychotherapist is not a doctor. Carol finds her footing whereas Jasmine's strength dissipates.

Therese is the quiet woman who has trouble making connections with others. She turns down a romantic fling with a New York Times wannabe writer. She can't fathom why her boyfriend will not sleep with her despite his admittance he has had anonymous sex with two other women. A curtain of loneliness surrounds Therese especially when she is her darkroom, or sitting in a rain-drenched car. The saddest image of all is watching her in the department store with her Santa hat - nobody seems to notice her. An early flash-forward scene of Therese with Carol at a ritzy restaurant shows Therese growing more and more disconnected, at least to other people but not to Carol. What is most remarkable about Rooney Mara is that she conveys her observations of others through acute glances, once again proving that less is more. I expect Academy Award wins for both actresses - their work is a master class in how much one can convey without words.

"Carol" is based on a partly autobiographical novel by Patricia Highsmith (she initially used a pseudonym when it was published) and, though there are some slight changes, the film bravely echoes a deep secret where two women have to keep their passion guarded yet can't resist each other. It is the repressive 1950's and, not unlike Haynes' "Far From Heaven" set during the same era and also depicting a secret love affair that is likely to burst the moral code of the times, "Carol" gives us a glimmer of hope, not necessarily a sunny disposition with a pseudo happy ending. Haynes, one of our giant national treasures of cinema, foreshadows something glorious between Therese and Carol, mostly through the hint of the color red (note the traffic stop red signals and the red lampshades in the final scene). To these two women, lesbianism is not their phrase, it is society's. For Carol and Therese, love is their higher calling. 

Re-awakening the original Star Wars is only half the fun

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Director Kevin Smith described the latest Star Wars film as the equivalent of being transported back to 1977. I have heard other fans describe the experience the same way. Being 44 years old, I do not expect to feel like a rambunctious adolescent or to repeat the experience of seeing "Star Wars" back in 1977 the same way now. We all grow up, we mature, and we can still look back with nostalgia if we happened to love "Star Wars." I have and once I sat down to watch "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," the seventh installment in the franchise, and saw the famous scroll telling us a new story (though no 20th Century Fox logo this time) about the disappearance of Luke Skywalker, I was hooked but not sold. No, not until we saw Stormtroopers killing a bunch of villagers with flame throwers, seeking a droid called BB-8 with information on Luke's whereabouts in some planet. Then we see a cloaked figure named Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), armed with an evil-looking lightsaber equipped with a hilt, who has such an overpowering voice that it is sure to send chills to your spine. And when this Kylo freezes a laser beam shot from a blaster, then I was sold. I felt like I was seeing Star Wars back with some measure of glory, something more epic and threatening than what we have seen since 1983.

But was I completely sold? No, the film critic in me still has to watch the rest of the movie. John Boyega is a reluctant stormtrooper who is not too keen on how the First Order operates, call it the Empire 2.0. This First Order also has a massive weapon at Starkiller Base that can destroy several planets at once! Death Star 3.0, sort of (well, we had two Death Stars in the original trilogy), except its massive weapon operates with power from the Sun and it is actually in a hazardously snowy planet (call it Hoth 2.0). The stormtrooper has a conscience and decides to save a daredevil Rebel pilot named Poe (Oscar Issac), who is actually with the Resistance (the Rebel Alliance 2.0). Why the sudden change in the stormtrooper with a blood-stained helmet? Well, the stormtrooper sees how fearsome and relentless Kylo Ren is, especially when ordering the decimation of a village. The stormtrooper is eventually named Finn by Poe and they escape in a Tie-Fighter before crash-landing in a desert planet called Jakku (Tatooine 2.0). Finn survives but he can't locate Poe, which leads Finn to a junk shop of sorts where spare parts from presumably the former Empire's destroyed Imperial Cruisers are sold for food portions. The fearless scavenger, Rey (Daisy Ridley), is a loner who lives inside a destroyed AT-AT (nice touch) and she can take care of herself against anyone. Rey befriends BB-8 and Finn (who is wearing Poe's jacket). Before one can say it is "A New Hope" all over again, First Order's Tie-Fighters attack our new heroes before fleeing in a "piece of junk" called the Millennium Falcon (amazingly, Rey has no idea it is the famous ship Han Solo once commandeered).

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" dovetails into various action scenes of explosions and blaster fights and, on occasion, a couple of lightsaber battles. We also get the rousing return of that reliable space smuggler, an older, spry Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and his co-pilot, an older, grumbling Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). Han still owes money to others but he wouldn't be Han if he didn't. The plot eventually deals with Luke's lightsaber and the search for Luke, heck, everyone in this movie is looking for Luke Skywalker! Where is Luke? I will not tell. General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) also returns and there is a family crisis I will not reveal here. Suffice to say, it is a crisis on par with past revelations from the original Holy Trilogy.

But the best surprise about "The Force Awakens" is that it is a rousing, applause-worthy lollapalooza of an epic and it is so much adrenalized fun that you pretty much feel Star Wars has returned to its most basic fundamental raison d'être - to wow us with pure entertainment. Still, it doesn't mean it is all fun and games without touching on the Dark Side of the Force. Adam Driver makes the most of a tortured Kylo Ren who keeps Darth Vader's burnt helmet nearby to refocus his energy on the Dark Side and not be intimidated by the light - when Kylo's helmet is taken off, we see a troubled young man who has gone astray (thankfully, not as wooden in characterization as Hayden Christensen's Vader). For the light side, John Boyega and Daisy Ridley make a formidable team against Kylo Ren, giving us much needed buckets of humor and flashes of emotion and humanity that this series has been lacking for some time. Speaking of humor, it is a distinct pleasure to see the return of Ford's Han Solo who has many of the best one-liners in the film. Ford proves he is still the Han Solo of our cinematic past, giving us that gleam in his eye we haven't seen in a while. But it is really Daisy Ridley who moved me the most, delivering a tough, sympathetic heroine from the wrong side of the Bantha tracks who doesn't need a man to hold her hand when evading incoming stormtroopers. Her final elegiac scene is so beautiful and tender, it will make most jaws drop.

For spectacular, large-scale action and terrific escapism minus all the political intrigue of the prequel trilogy, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" ranks high. And for peak moments of emotional intrigue and its firm understanding of that mysterious Force and its implications in the hands of those who treat it with restraint and those who misuse it, "Star Wars" gives us ample story with new touches on familiar material and refreshing new characters that dazzle and involve us. The film is joyously surefooted, has scary villains (look out for that Supreme Chancellor Snoke), is thrillingly divine in every department and has a level of tragedy that will give the most jaded Star Wars fans goosebumps. J.J. Abrams, the director and co-writer along with Lawrence Kasdan (who co-wrote "Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi"), has made Star Wars into a treasured piece of escapist movie history all over again. 

The First Amendment can protect me, it can protect all of you

THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT (1996)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Original Review from late 1996)

It is rare for Hollywood, especially in these politically correct times, to pursue controversial biographical figures who leave a bad taste in societal and political terms. Bad taste could be the title of director Milos Formas's unequivocally great film biography on the king of bad taste - the controversial Hustler magazine publisher, Larry Flynt.

Woody Harrelson plays the flashy Larry Flynt (always wearing loud disco suits) who starts out in Ohio running a plethora of strip clubs with his patient brother (played by Harrelson's real-life younger brother, Brett Harrelson). Flynt loves the job because he can sleep with any woman he wants. He decides to start putting nude pictures of women in newspapers and eventually magazines. At one of these strip clubs, he meets Althea Leasure (Courtney Love), a 17-year-old stripper who becomes Larry's wife and business associate. They have an open marriage - Althea is bisexual and has many male and female lovers, and Larry can screw every woman he meets as long as he doesn't kiss them. Their love and commitment is deep, and their relationship reminded me a lot of the two lovers in "Leaving Las Vegas" where two people can fall in love despite who they are and what they do for a living.

"The People vs. Larry Flynt" is not just a love story, it is a hybrid of events in Larry Flynt's life. It includes the lurid, loathsome porno magazine he created, which has sparked dissent among feminists and the like; the eventual tragic circumstances of the attempt on his life; Althea's death from AIDS, and the Supreme Court ruling centering on his right to Freedom of Speech - the right to mock any politician without being sued for hurting his/her feelings.

Firstly, Forman concentrates deeply on the emotional bond between Flynt and Althea, it is a relationship based not only on respect but also mutual honesty. For example, there's a crucial scene where Flynt decides to become a born-again Christian and attracts the attention of Jimmy Carter's evangelist sister, Ruth Carter Stapleton (Donna Hanover). Afterwards, he decides to make Hustler a "safer" magazine by eschewing misogynistic, violent pictures of women and replacing them with religious symbolic collages. Althea can't and won't accept his moralistic and religious stance - she doesn't want him to stop being the avaricious publisher he is.

The second half of the movie becomes a springboard for Flynt's Freedom of Speech defense as he is sued for libel by Moral Majority leader Jerry Falwell (apparently, Falwell was offended by Hustler's depiction of an incestuous relationship with his mother). As Flynt memorably retorts, "If the First Amendment can protect a scumbag like me, then it will protect all of you. Because I'm the worst." He is persecuted by all kinds of moral watchdogs, prosecutors, protesters, and political affiliates. Flynt is a hard man to keep down - he continues to fight even after being shot and paralyzed, enduring never-ending trials, and jail. He doesn't stop for a second after being released from jail - he wears an American flag as a diaper to court, throws oranges at the judge, and becomes a political freedom fighter defending his pornographic magazine all the way to the Supreme Court.

Woody Harrelson gives the boldest, most liberating performance of his career - he growls, he spews, he laughs in the face of every judge, and generally offends everyone because he has the right to do so. Harrelson delivers to the fullest extent with verve and a wonderful sense of humor - it is impossible to hate Flynt based on Woody's emphatic, likable performance. Ditto the trashy Courtney Love who brings a fuller sense of empathy and humanity for the smart, vivacious Althea - she is the film's soul and it is a performance on par with Elisabeth Shue in "Leaving Las Vegas" and Sharon Stone in "Casino." Love also has that rare gift for an actress where she doesn't seem to be acting - she is giving us a long look at this woman's tragic, frail human soul (and unlike some naive critics, it isn't due to Love's similar addictive background that gives the performance fire and dynamic energy). Kudos must also go to Edward Norton as Flynt's long-suffering lawyer.

Director Milos Forman has crafted a rich, penetrating, entertaining tapestry of Larry Flynt's life with the help of screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (who helmed the similarly ironic "Ed Wood"). What the movie is most successful at is making Larry Flynt into a national hero for all liberals out there. The screenplay, however, omits the most obvious aspect of Flynt's life - he is notorious in this country for his controversial magazine, and not so much for the Falwell case. Throughout the film, we never really see what drove or even inspired him to create such a magazine - the movie opts to present a balanced viewpoint on the issue of censorship but it is a mistake not to include the pictures of bestiality, violence, masochism and, arguably, sheer hatred of women included in his magazine (A brief shot of the infamous cover where a woman is being fed into a meat grinder barely skims the surface). And where are all the feminist characters such as Gloria Steinem who decried Flynt? Perhaps I am being a bit too harsh but in order to see why so many people hated Flynt, we have to see what drove them to hate him. He is essentially protecting the entire magazine (as he does through the movie) from censorship and libel, and not just the political cartoons. It is his vision he wishes to protect.

Regardless of these significant oversights, "The People vs. Larry Flynt" is director Milos Forman's finest film since "Amadeus." Forman has managed to bring a vivid, penetrating portrait of the most infamous magazine publisher of the 20th century. His film biography is witty, humanistic, honestly emotional, three-dimensional, acutely written, and marvelously acted and directed. Forget "Michael Collins." Based on the film and the renewed interest in this man, Larry Flynt is an individual who will be talked about for decades.

I am old, not obsolete

TERMINATOR GENISYS (2015)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

There are so many alternate timelines in the "Terminator" series that I kind of lost count. The first movie created an alternate timeline, as did its first sequel and the second sequel, which had a darker outcome. So I am guessing at least 4 or 5 timelines exist although the filmmakers associated with this new "Genisys" are ignoring the second and third sequels, "Terminator 3" and "Salvation." No matter because I am not sure about the continuity of these timelines and I could care less - "Terminator Genisys" is an enjoyable sequel that interlocks itself with the first two installments and still manages to be creative and somewhat fresh enough to keep us glued to the screen. Sure, much of it may seem recycled but the various time travel paradoxes and the sincere performances help a lot.

In a rather prolonged opening half-hour, we learn that John Connor, the leader of the resistance against the machines (those cyborgs, those damn terminators), is ready to send his most trusted soldier, Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney, ably cast) to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor from the Terminator. So what we are getting seemingly is a retread of the original James Cameron 1984 classic, "The Terminator." We see the original T-800 Terminator model (played by Schwarzenegger, with a touch of CGI so he can look younger) confronting those 80's punks (minus Bill Paxton) until suddenly...POW! "I've been waiting for you," says another T-800 model in a hoodie. And just when events unfold as one expects with Kyle running from the police and taking a homeless man's pants, Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) arrives to save Kyle from a new T-1000 model (the T-800 model was crushed by another T-800 also played by Schwarzenegger in the earlier scene with the punks)! So now there are three Terminators in 1984 and one of them is the good cyborg whom Sarah calls "Pops." Awwwwww...wait, what? Well you see this Terminator has been protecting Sarah since she was a tot in 1973! Talk about convoluted, but I went with it. There is also some business about a Genisys mainframe operating system that is about to go online in 2017 - it is actually Skynet, the artificial intelligence that started Judgment Day. Terminator fans should be well aware of all Skynet - others, you may have to catch up on the other films.

"Terminator Genisys" follows the hallmarks of the earlier films - explosive action scenes, extra banter between Kyle and Sarah, T-800 giving us exposition - and the surprise is that it still maintained my interest. Directed by Alan Taylor ("Thor: The Dark World"), the movie has plenty of high-octane thrills and a nonstop, heart-pumping rhythm to it. But it also pauses for some reflection between Sarah and Kyle, the heart of this story, and that gives it an edge over the histrionic "Terminator 3" or the needless "Salvation" sequel. Emilia Clarke gives us a three-dimensional Sarah Connor, nicely balancing humor with pathos (though she can't quite beat Linda Hamilton for ultra-militant toughness). This Sarah not only takes charge, she also gives commands like some millennial Army general (women in the sci-fi, fantasy world of 2015 cinema have definitely proven to be more powerful than ever before, showing their self-worth with men as the second banana).

There is a major twist involving John Connor (played by a hypnotic Jason Clarke) that the trailers gave away, which I will not reveal here (it is a doozy). It also gives much needed oomph to a series that probably should run out of gas a decade ago. "Terminator Genisys" has a silver-haired Arnold (still as steely-eyed as ever, though the infrequent forced smile may induce some cringing) and a formidable team with Kyle and Sarah (admit it, despite being played by different actors, it is great seeing them again), and several action scenes that can make your skin crawl. At its best, this new "Terminator" waxes some philosophy about meddling with the past and the future and how far one's passion and love for another human being, knowing the consequences, should go. I want to say that this movie seems to close all the loopholes and alternate timelines of all existing "Terminator" films but that is wishful thinking. Where there is one alternate timeline, there is always another. 

Jack makes you rock with joy

THE SCHOOL OF ROCK (2003)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Originally viewed in 2003

Okay, so it happened. Director Richard Linklater, the creator of the phenomenal "Slacker" and "Before Sunrise," has helmed a mainstream comedy geared for kids and some adults. "The School of Rock" looks like it may be a saccharine confection of simplistic morals and values with its parents' seal of approval that it will appeal to all ages and not likely offend anyone. The major surprise is that the movie is a kick in the head, a swift comedy with a brazen, animalistic performance by Jack Black.

Black plays rock n' roll guitarist, Dewey Finn, a lover of the old 70's bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Somehow, though, he doesn't realize that his tastes may be too ancient for most. He is the guitarist of a band that votes him out for doing too much riffing and too many dives from the stage. Finn is sure that he will make it on his own, despite the fact everyone has little to no confidence of his talents. Even Ned (Mike White), his old buddy and current housemate, tries to evict him, mostly for not paying the $2200 of rent he owes. One day, Dewey gets a call from the local private school that Ned is needed to do some substitute teaching. Dewey pretends to be Ned and subs for a science class. Disaster is in the horizon when he tells the class to take recess while he snoozes. Slowly, he realizes that the students have musical talents waiting to be tapped into, namely for Dewey's own band-in-the-making.

The best scenes involve the classroom, especially when Dewey teaches them the finer points of singers, songs and bands from the 1970's. Of course, the students have no idea what he is talking about - when he asks them about their favorite bands, they respond with names like Christina Aguilera. This is going to be hard work but Dewey is up to the task, including having the students practice with their own musical instruments (it helps they attend a music class). Dewey wants to rock with as much gusto as possible - this guy lives and breathes rock music and expects everyone to do the same.

Naturally, there is nothing in this movie that can't be foreseen. The addition of the strict school principal (Joan Cusack), who is unaware that Dewey is not the teacher he claims to be, results in the usual cliches and obligatory scenes where the students' parents are outraged with a cartoonish fury. The difference is in the execution of such time-honored formulas, and director Linklater opts for a sentiment-free attitude. It helps that Jack Black is not receptive to sentiment either, coming from the "High Fidelity" school of the take-charge-and-rebel attitude. Dewey is a character who is not out to change students and their values - he just wants them to rock and rock loud. It is a real pleasure to see Black at work, exuding his body fat and arched eyebrows to really deliver the heart of rock and roll in all its gut-wrenching glory. He is the life of the party, even if he guzzles a beer or two in the process.

What doesn't transmit as forcefully are the supporting characters - amazing considering the script is written by co-star Mike White ("Chuck and Buck"). Joan Cusack, the most underutilized comic actress in Hollywood, is not given enough scenes where she is more than the one-dimensional, rigid principal she plays. Same with Mike White as Ned, Dewey's former band mate, who has opted for temping, excuse me, subbing as a career. Even Ned's girlfriend (Sarah Silverman) is given the bitchy shenanigans that are normally associated with tedious screenwriting, not real life.

Save for those flaws, "The School of Rock" is a rockin', happy excursion into the world of Jack Black and his own philosophies on rock and roll. You may not learn much, but you'll rock with joy.

State of Mind with Zero Effect

ORANGE COUNTY (2002)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Original Review from 2003)

Writer-director Jake Kasdan showed a flair for the offbeat with the truly bizarre comedy "Zero Effect," which dealt with a heavily eccentric private investigator. Kasdan fashioned what one would call a "neo-noir comedy." It was an original. This time, Kasdan plays it a little safe, with help from screenwriter Mike White ("Chuck and Buck"), by trying to bring some invention to a dead-on-arrival genre, the romantic teenage comedy. It is a near miss but it has its share of laughs.

Colin Hanks (Tom Hanks' son) plays an acne-free teenage senior named Shaun Brumder with deep aspirations to become a writer. He starts out as a surfer who neglects his studies. One day, he comes across a novel buried in the sand. The novel is called "Straight Jacket" and it is written by a teacher at Stamford University, Marcus Skinner (Kevin Kline). Shaun is so inspired by the novel that he reads it 52 times and decides to become a writer and attend Stamford University. Only Shaun's father (John Lithgow) doesn't buy it, though Shaun tries to convince him to donate some money to the school. His drunken mother (Catherine O'Hara) doesn't want her son living somewhere else. Even Shaun's girlfriend, Ashley (Schuyler Fisk, Sissy Spacek's daughter), prefers that he attend the local university with her. In other words, we have seen this kind of plot countless times before. All I could wait for was something refreshing to happen that would elevate this material somewhat. What follows is only somewhat refreshing. Shaun discovers the wrong transcript was sent to Stamford. Thus, he persuades his brother, Lance (Jack Black), to drive out to the school with him and convince the admissions department to accept him. So what we have is a variation on "Road Trip" crossed with yet another party sequence (though thankfully limited in running time), not to mention some mischief at Stamford with Lance and a secretary (wonderfully played by Jane Adams).

I just can't say that "Orange County" is totally successful. At a meager 77 minutes before the credits come up (time it and see), "Orange County" has its big laughs whenever Jack Black appears onscreen but, frankly, little else. Black in particular is so pathetic in appearance (usually half-naked) and in his manner of speaking that you can't help but laugh every time he comes on. Director Kasdan lets him loose to do whatever he can with facial and physical movements - it is an inspired performance of a stoned, lazy personality.

The rest of the actors do not follow suit. Colin Hanks is as agreeable as they come and shares some of his father's personality, but it is a thin character given little pizzazz. Schuyler Fisk is vibrant and winsome, and she does have her mother's determined personality - with time and more developed roles, she could become as interesting as Jennifer Connelly. Catherine O'Hara is often irritating though, as is reliable John Lithgow - and their shared scenes offer no comic energy. The cameos pepper things a bit including brief turns by Chevy Chase, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Kline, Ben Stiller and Garry Marshall. Only Harold Ramis gives a performance that is the equivalent of scratching a blackboard with your fingernails. I might have said that before but, this time, it is decidedly true.

"Orange County" is pleasant time-filler but it needed more juice, more energy. It moves along quickly but it is too short for its own good. If there is a sequel, make Jack Black the lead star. He is a riot to watch always and gives "Orange County" the crudeness and comic highlights it so desperately needs. In a word, he is refreshing.