The Hunt for Truth

THE FUGITIVE (1993)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

25th Anniversary of one of the top action films of all time

There are so few action-pictures that qualify as intelligent and character-based with interwoven plots that involve and excite. The beauty of a shining diamond in the rough like 1993's "The Fugitive" is that it holds its characters at the center of the action - they propel the movie forward rather than having action scenes designed to move the movie forward. So many action movies rely on the pyrotechnics of explosions on cue and lots of rampant gunfire to keep everyone awake. "The Fugitive" never fails in its understanding that we want to see these characters, whether it is the good doctor accused of murder, Dr. Richard Kimble (an expertly cast Harrison Ford) or the frustrated U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones, quite possibly the second to best role he has ever had which garnered him an Oscar), or the One-Armed Man who doesn't like people intruding on his business, or even the Chicago detectives who bust Kimble. No role is too small to generate interest, no character or situation too ambiguous to remain inconsequential. That is why "The Fugitive" is one of the few perfect chase pictures in film history, equal to the masterful chase picture from Alfred Hitchcock, "North by Northwest."

That should be sufficient praise for "The Fugitive," a movie I first saw in theaters in the summer of 1993. After seeing it, it was clear to me that it was superior entertainment but what was not lost on me was the investment I had in the characters. Ford's Dr. Kimble is a man of strength and integrity (well, that sums up the real Harrison Ford too), a smart man who wants his wife's murder solved. Truth is that after much digging she was not the target, he was! After escaping within an inch of his life in a prison bus that collides with a train (a stunning sequence), Kimble is on the run, shaving his beard, stitching his wounds, coloring his hair, and somehow matriculating back into society despite all the cops in hot pursuit. Kimble has nightmares about the murder and comes close to getting caught by the relentless Gerard and his team, running through moonlit woods and swimming in icy waters. Although the Chicago surgeon is not a detective, he is able to piece together the puzzle, long before we have everything figured out or the U.S. Marshals.

Of course, Sam Gerard is not a villain here. This is a man who has seen it all and never assumes that any small detail can be overlooked. When Kimble jumps from the high precipice of a dam, Gerard doesn't think for a moment that Kimble did not survive a deadly fall (I am not sure many could make it without at least breaking a rib). Gerard says "I don't care!" when he initially confronts Kimble who reminds Gerard that he did not kill his wife. In another instance, when Gerard kills an escaped prisoner without a moment's hesitation after almost killing another U.S. Marshal (ponytailed Tom Wood), the U.S. Marshal who claims to have ear damage as a result of the shooting asks why Gerard did not choose to bargain with the prisoner. Gerard then answers very politely: "I...don't...bargain." Tommy Lee Jones shows coolness yet projects concern - he did not want one of his own killed in the line of duty.

Every role is memorably conceived and executed whether it is Julianne Moore in the small role of a suspicious doctor; an early performance by Jane Lynch as one of Kimble's friends; Jeroen Krabbé as the duplicitous doctor who was one of Kimble's trusted friends; the late Andreas Katsulas as the One-Armed Man with a prosthetic limb who has a magnetic presence on screen; Sela Ward as Kimble's wife who can hold her own against anyone except for the One-Armed Man; Ron Dean and Joseph Kosalas as Chicago detectives whose characters feel like real Chicago detectives, sans cliches, and much more.

"The Fugitive" is first-class entertainment - humorous, exciting, suspenseful and contains some incredible edge-of-your-seat action scenes. All this works because we see real people on the screen, all desperate to get to the bottom of the life-or-death situation they are involved in. Harrison Ford projects two secret weapons: vulnerability and reluctance and milks them both. He is the thinking man's action hero, the one you root for and have a rooting interest in as well. Tommy Lee Jones is the U.S. Marshal who really does care, nary a sentimental bone in his body. Jones' star-making performance renders his Gerard as one of the more complicated characters in action films ever. We hope he can catch Kimble but only to help him, and Jones subtly makes that his character's purpose. Director Andrew Davis ("Under Siege," "Code of Silence," "The Package") has a knack for character study and suspense, and can conduct a cat-and-mouse chase like a real master. I am not sure he has ever worked again with the same degree of talent but it doesn't matter - so few directors ever make a marvelous movie like "The Fugitive." 

Amy Schumer is no trainwreck

I FEEL PRETTY (2018)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

The Social Justice Warriors attacked the trailer to Amy Schumer's empowering romantic comedy "I Feel Pretty" prior to its theatrical release, criticizing the movie’s alleged message that if you are not a pencil-thin female model then you cannot possibly be confident. Well, seeing the movie now, the assumption is that Schumer's character is not confident of her looks until she hits her head while using an exercise bike and then, like magic (inspired by the Tom Hanks movie "Big"), she is more confident than ever that she is beautiful. Not because she thinks she is thin but because she thinks that she is a knockout, a sexy, upbeat woman that everyone is dying to know. That is the movie's joke on itself, she loves herself and thinks she is amazing. Without the resolute spunk and attitude of Amy Schumer, this movie might have been a disaster.

At first, uptight Renee (Amy Schumer) feels she has zero beauty and could never find a man. When she goes out to the bar with her devoted friends, Renee has trouble ordering a drink. At work in a Chinatown office where she helps manage a website for Lily LeClaire, she wants to communicate with her male worker but it is all work and no play. However, after she hits her head, she examines her belly at the gym, looks at herself in the mirror and says, "Wow! Look at me!" Renee's life turn around completely as she fulfills a dream job - working as a receptionist for fashion designer and CEO Lily LeClaire (played in an all-too-brief performance by Lauren Hutton). Lily's granddaughter is played by Michelle Williams who befriends Renee and asks for tips on their product line. So Renee wants to be a receptionist who just gives makeup tips? Oh, no, is this what supreme confidence does for Renee?

Of course, let's not forget what genre we are talking about here. There has to be a meet-cute of some kind, and that is demure Ethan (Rory Scovel, a brilliant stand-up comedian) whom she picks up at the dry cleaners. Ethan is stricken with love at Renee's confidence and self-esteem, especially when she decides to dance at a bikini contest. Scovel shows such uncommon sensitivity that I was floored by his performance.

"I Feel Pretty" is not the standout comedy that "Trainwreck" was (Amy Schumer's best film by far). The writers have changed since one of them is Abby Kohn (who also co-directed the film), and her past credits include "Never Been Kissed" and "Valentine's Day," not the greatest bedfellows. Why Amy did not write this film is beyond me but so it goes. In terms of its story, I would have preferred if it followed a different path than the whole cosmetic line subplot at a Fifth Avenue fashion company. I am not sure what plot I would have preferred but perhaps Renee could have discovered the real Renee some other way. Her friends (Busy Philipps, Aidy Bryant) are given short-shrift and I would have liked them to have had more screen time - the fact that they love Renee no matter what she looks like is a relationship aspect that deserved more depth. Still, it is fun seeing Amy and Rory together - their relationship has real spice and charisma. In fact, Amy Schumer seems to really sparkle in any shared scene with Rory.

Uh, oh, yes it has happened again. I really enjoyed the heck out of "I Feel Pretty," a movie that was universally dismissed by critics (this ever growing list of heavily underrated movies may depict me as a contrarian but far from it). There is nothing in the film you can't anticipate and the cliches come flying in overtime to be sure. Despite some shortcomings with Michelle Williams' one-note characterization (an actress I usually love), the movie is often diverting enough and has sufficient engaging dialogue to warrant more than a mild recommendation. And when Renee realizes her self-worth, well, eyes will get misty. It is that kind of cute rom-com movie that Amy Schumer can knock out of the park. It's just not a home run.

Fun yet Recycled Webbing

SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (2017)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Spider-Man Homecoming" is exactly the teenybopper Web-Slinger movie that some Marvel fans wanted from "The Amazing Spider-Man" movies and did not get. It does not have a brooding antihero, much like Andrew Garfield's interpretation in "The Amazing Spider-Man," and it has more humor and more of Peter Parker's romantic flirtations in his high-school years. What it does not have is much of an identity - it looks and feels like a Spider-Man tale but our friendly neighborhood arachnid hero appears to be stuck in recycled webbing.

Eager, ambitious high-school student Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is in awe of his Spider-Man suit, designed by the smarmy Tony Stark aka Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.) The suit talks to Spider-Man and has a GPS signal - think of it as an iPhone superhero suit. Before I even thought to my 47-year-old self, hey this is too modernized for me, Spider-Man flies around as only a human spider can, thwarting thieves in an ATM robbery where they are masked with the likenesses of the Avengers (!) Unfortunately, an angry contractor (played by Michael Keaton), who lost his business years ago  to the government, has stolen some alien weapons from a massive alien ship destroyed by the Avengers. Along with some former co-workers, they have been selling these dangerous weapons on the black market. Spidey gets wind of this and tries to prevent further sales but that is not easy when the contractor, Toomes, becomes a supersonic Vulture with mechanical wings (in the comics, he was an old bald man with elongated wings). Nevertheless, Peter has scholastic duties to live up to, like the academic decathlon that he quits and rejoins much to the chagrin of his fellow students.

Watching "Spider-Man Homecoming" can be a strange experience considering this is the third reboot of a franchise that began fifteen years ago! Two actors have played the web-slinger with varying degrees of success, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. Tom Holland has the snap, crackle pop of a hopping, anxious Spider-Man but he lacks the presence to hold the screen together as Peter Parker. Somehow, Holland convinces as a high-school teenager learning his ropes around girls and feeling shy enough to go back to his crime-fighting instincts, but he is not a persuasive Peter Parker. I never got the impression he was the same person that occupies that red and blue supersuit. As Spidey, he rocks the screen. As Peter, he looks too generic. If that is the intention, I must ask why when you consider Maguire and Garfield who both resonated strongly as Peter.

A similar problem plagues Michael Keaton's Vulture character - as Toomey, there is seething menace but not so much when he puts on a metal mask. Compared to Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin from way back, the villainy is not as potent.

"Spider-Man Homecoming" is certainly an entertaining ride from start to finish, and there is never a dull moment with hair-raising sequences such as the Washington Monument cliffhanger that will have you grabbing a hold of something to keep you steady. It's got everything you might expect in a superhero movie except a genuine sense of urgency. The webbing still sticks, but they need stronger chemical components. 

Friends Drive Each Other Nuts

S IS FOR STANLEY (2015)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

You might think that a documentary about a film director's personal driver would be less than a spellbinding way to kill 90 minutes. Truth is that "S is For Stanley" is in fact a spellbinding documentary, a richly drawn and intriguing story that delivers an emotional wallop. It is about the fruitful relationship between two men who established a rapport through a friendship that could not die.

S is not just any Stanley, it is the late Stanley Kubrick, the restless taskmaster who hired Emilio D'Alessandro to drive back and forth between London and Kubrick's home which was a good half-hour away. Whether it was transporting the infamous giant phallus used as a weapon in "A Clockwork Orange" or handling the delivery of hundreds of candles for the "Barry Lyndon" shoot, or taking care of Kubrick's various cats or the faulty zipper in a jacket, there was no reprieve from the master filmmaker. D'Alessandro argued with his wife over the countless workdays with no vacation in sight and, during an argument, Stanley called for another favor. Stanley endlessly called Emilio's house until he figured the best thing was to have a private phone line with Emilio (interestingly, a private phone line also existed between Kubrick and Spielberg).

Though it shows Stanley Kubrick as relentless in his work ethic, it also unveils a far more human side than anyone had thought. Kubrick was not a cold, humorless man, he was full of life and had compassion for all living things. Helping to pay for the hospital bills for Emilio's son's or trying to save a donkey from getting slaughtered or wondering why the rabbits are laying in the sun, this man consistently wondered and cared about everything and everyone. In his last few years, especially during the grueling two and a half year shoot for his last film, "Eyes Wide Shut," Emilio reveals how sickly and grayer Kubrick got. Anyone believing in conspiracy theories about Stanley's death at the hands of assassins should hear Emilio's tearful depiction of Stanley's last day before dying - you can't help but choke up.

This intoxicating documentary by director Alex Infascelli also makes sure we get acquainted with Emilio, an Italian immigrant who drove a cab before being discovered by Kubrick. Emilio had a passion for racing car driving but his close relationship with Kubrick also showed he had a patience and a fondness for this man who wrote one memo after another to him. Emilio clearly has soul and empathy too. If the newer documentary "Filmworker," which details the relationship between Kubrick and his longtime assistant Leon Vitali, is half as good as this one then they will have the distinction of being the most introspective insights into the legendary director we'll ever have.

"S is for Stanley" fulfills two rules for any documentary about a renown filmmaker - if the character telling the story about the filmmaker is half as interesting as the filmmaker, you have made a good film. "S is for Stanley" could be subtitled "E is for Emilio."  

Macroscopic Entertainment

ANT-MAN (2015)

Reviewed By Jerry Saravia

Reprinted with permission by Steel Notes Magazine

Some Marvel comic-book movies may seem interchangeable, but personality distinguishes the best of them. “Thor” was a thunderous epic picture, with a hero wielding a hammer and a beer with the same glee. “Captain America” was an adrenalized dose of nostalgia, while “Iron Man” had the delectable witticisms of Robert Downey, Jr. to keep it afloat. If it weren’t for the shrewd casting, these movies would barely get by with their CGI effects. “Ant-Man” has the distinction of being the funniest, the loopiest and the most entertaining of all these movies. It is not a typical summer blockbuster with CGI fireworks to keep everyone awake, and it is not standard-issue Marvel fare either.

As I said, personality separates the solid efforts from the weaker ones -- “Ant-Man” coasts along with a high humor quotient and the always charming Paul Rudd taking center stage. Thank the Marvel Gods for having faith in Paul Rudd -- he is a charismatic actor who brings Ant-Man to vivid life. Rudd is Scott Lang, a master thief (he prefers cat burglar) and sometime electrical engineer who is released from San Quentin prison after a three-year stint. No sooner than you can say “pussy burglar,” Paul is lured by his cellmate pal, Luis (Michael Peña, always a hoot-and-a-half), back into the burglary business when he has to rob a wealthy man’s residence. Problems persist when he’s caught with his pants down and then realizes there is an ulterior motive. The wealthy man is actually Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), a retired entomologist and physicist who had summoned the unknowing Scott to his residence in the first place. Dr. Pym had developed a chemical substance that allows one to shrink to the size of an ant (marginally smaller than the Incredible Shrinking Man) and he is worried that his protégé Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), who now runs the company, may discover the secret to shrinkage and use it for military application. Why does every villain nowadays want to use such incomprehensible technology for war? Pym only uses ants to place sugar cubes into a cup of tea. That is more like it.

Pym hopes to use Scott as his Ant-Man to infiltrate the top-security of his former company and steal the Yellowjacket (the new shrinking suit created by Darren), and not without some rigorous training. Scott’s hope is to redeem himself in the eyes of his young daughter and be seen as something other than a felon by his ex-wife (Judy Greer). Pym has to confront his own lies about his late wife to his daughter, Hope (Evangeline Lilly, with a black bob haircut that recalls the cinematic sirens of the past) who works for the same company that is creating the Yellowjacket. Hope also helps Ant-Man train and delivers a knockout punch without breaking a sweat (2015 is the summer of women who can kick ass as swiftly as men, witness Charlize Theron in “Mad Max: Fury Road”).

“Ant-Man” has all the existing tropes and clichés of the typical comic-book movies (protagonist is the Everyman trying to survive, summoned to do good, training montages, etc.). What rises rather than shrinks “Ant-Man” is its easygoing star, Paul Rudd, and a far less epic feel than most of these overblown movies. The effects are jaw-dropping yet they still possess the clumsiness of its reluctant hero -- when he first tries on the suit, he escapes a near-drowning from water filling up a bathtub to practically being stomped on by partygoers, to making an LP skip while a DJ hosts a party, to being swapped while sliding down a newspaper and so on. It is all nifty without being overcooked, and a fiery finale involving the Thomas the Tank Engine made me smile.

A workable and enriching screenplay by Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Adam McKay and Paul Rudd help to create a sense of pathos and enough spurts of eye-filling action (always centered around the plot) to make “Ant-Man” one of the liveliest and funniest of recent comic-book films. It is virtually comical throughout (thanks to wry turns by Michael Pena and Tip “T.I.” Harris), makes a mockery of the large-scale action of “The Avengers,” and has enough digs at corporate billionaires to swing just barely past the liberal meter. Michael Douglas lends gravitas to the proceedings, and there is something bewitching and startling about Evangeline Lilly -- it is as if she has something to hide and that suspicion about her makes the character more interesting. It is Paul Rudd, though, who steals the movie, shrinking its epic feel to his indie-level charms. He is swift, likable, smart, vulnerable.

So is that army of ants.

Affleck is still Chasing Amy

GONE GIRL (2014)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Reprinted with permission by Steel Notes Magazine

It is tempting to dismiss “Gone Girl” after its opening scenes of a somewhat haggard Ben Affleck driving to a local bar called “The Bar” with a coffee drink in his hand, talking to a female bartender who begins with the typical “Look who finally graced us with their presence” statement. I was almost ready to give up since the scene reminded me of those Edward Burns movies and other indie rom-coms of the 90’s, heck Affleck was in some of those. But as the scene unfolds, we learn the bartender is actually Affleck’s sister and Affleck’s character actually co-owns The Bar. Then he arrives home to find his wife is missing and one of the living room tables has been smashed. Director David Fincher immediately fashions a cool sense of suspense and menace, almost a creepy vibe washed with placid, dull colors. Affleck looks dull, his sister looks dull, and everything looks plain and rather bland. Naturally, that is the point. If everything looked as pristinely beautiful with a Technicolor tint as in the opening scenes of David Lynch’s suburban nightmare “Blue Velvet,” the creepy vibe would not be as strong for this intense story. People can go nuts in perfectly balanced bland suburban towns.

Based on a best-selling novel by Gillian Flynn who also wrote the intricate screenplay, Ben Affleck is the disaffected Nick Dunne who discovers that something besides his Best Director Oscar is missing (sorry, it had to be said). All hell breaks loose and the media has a field day with his wife’s disappearance. Naturally, Nick is seen as a murderer, the husband who did away with his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), the inspiration for her parents’ books called “Amazing Amy.” Nick makes every mistake imaginable – he smiles for the cameras, shows no real remorse or emotion especially when supposedly feigning concern at a candlelight vigil in honor of Amy, and still carries on an affair with a younger woman. This whole section of the film, including Ben Affleck’s demeanor, reads and smells like the infamous real-life murder case involving Scott Peterson, right down to the pregnancy factor. Only writer Flynn and director David Fincher store some grisly surprises that will take your breath away. I cannot say more for fear of spoiling but those who have read the book, you know what to expect. All I can say is do not expect to see a corpse.

Speaking of Scott Peterson and that equally grisly and profoundly disturbing media story, I recently revisited an interview Diane Sawyer had with Scott and the comparison with Affleck is uncanny – Affleck acts and looks like Scott Peterson to a tee (including in interviews). Nick Dunne is the performance of Affleck’s career and the purposeful lack of an emotional center makes him more human than he first appears. Once you consider the numerous twists in the narrative, you will understand his indifference in hindsight. As for Rosamund Pike, she delivers a scorchingly eccentric performance that will make you nervous, shocked, befuddled and downright exhausted. You are never too sure what to make of Amy and her alleged disappearance, and the minute details are revealed through her diary in voice-over and exacting flashbacks.  

If I have a bone to pick, it is that “Gone Girl” has flashes of character-oriented details and nuances yet scant insight into one of its main characters. Without revealing the twists, you still wonder why one specific character behaves the way they do – motivation takes a backseat. Despite that, “Gone Girl” is an entrancing, blood-curlingly fierce suspense thriller, one of Fincher’s very best mainstream flicks since his underrated “Panic Room” with a fantastic supporting cast (especially, in atypical roles, Tyler Perry as a cynical attorney and Neil Patrick Harris as Amy’s wealthy ex-lover). “Gone Girl” is consistently watchable and unpredictable, showcasing a marriage that is not what it seems leading to a touch of fatalism that will keep you up at night. It is a swift, intricately layered, sensational thriller that requires strict attention. Prepare to squirm throughout.

Weaponized 40-ton truck

DUEL (1971)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Reprinted with permission by Steel Notes Magazine

Right at the start of Steven Spielberg's masterfully exciting "Duel," you can see the unimaginable road trip the main character has to face. The unaired theatrical version of this TV-movie shows Dennis Weaver's Red Plymouth Valiant pulling out of a suburban garage from his intrinsic point-of-view (Suburbia has been an iconic staple of Spielberg’s work). Through a series of dissolves, Weaver’s character travels through the city streets and tunnels until he is finally in the lonely desert road. He is David Mann, a salesman presumably headed to some city or town for a meeting. We never know what David sells nor do we need to. When he tries to pass a gas tanker truck in a Californian two-lane road stretch, the truck roars past David like a bat out of hell. It startles David and before long, the chase is on. This is not so much a cat-and-mouse chase – it is a terrifying chase picture where the truck driver’s intent is to kill David.

The only instance where the film rests is literally at rest stops. A truck stop café is the setting for various truck drivers who look on at David as David is sitting at a table, imagining which one is the menace on the highway. David can’t figure it out and, alarmingly, as he picks a fight with one truck driver who has similar-looking boots, the ominous gas tanker truck through the window’s background takes off. It is a virtuoso Spielberg scare scene, anticipating the menace of the unseen shark in his very own “Jaws” three years later. A Snakerama gas station stop (also featured in Spielberg’s “1941”) that features rattlesnakes as its main attraction gets awry when David uses a payphone and sees the truck is headed right into it. David escapes in the nick of time (a cliffhanging moment that is as hair-raising as Indiana Jones’s own wondrous cliffhangers that Spielberg himself later directed) and the truck practically demolishes everything in its path. When David manages to elude the driver near a railroad crossing, he sits in his car for hours, feeling elated at the prospect that the nightmare is over. As soon as he starts his engine and leaves, he stops in the middle of the road and sees the truck yet again, waiting impatiently for the chase to continue.

“Duel” is relentless, manic and in-your-face, a brutal nightmare that takes place in daylight. 35 years later after its debut on television, it still carries a hypnotic charge. The film could’ve been a bore had it been one endless chase scene but it’s got the presence of Dennis Weaver and an ugly-looking truck to compensate, not to mention Spielberg’s tight direction and constant changes in composition so that you never feel you are looking at the same shot over and over again. It is “Jaws” on wheels only this sort of restless panic where road rage and aggression take center stage is a reality faced by many motorists daily, more so than the prospect of running into a hungry shark. What Spielberg does so cleverly is to make us fear for David’s plight and we never know if David will survive it. That Red Plymouth Valiant is no match for a grimy-looking gas tanker truck emitting all sorts of exhaust into the atmosphere – a tree-hugging liberal’s nightmare. But the environment is hardly what David cares about, it is the lack of control he has over this unseen driver (only the driver’s boots and his arm are ever visible). When it is all over after the truck plunges over a cliff, David feels victorious and jumps up and down. Then he settles down and sits on the edge of a cliff, looking despondent. The nightmare may be over but we never know what really stimulated the truck driver to aggressively attack David (the various license plates in the truck’s front bumper certainly suggest that this driver has done this before). There is calm and unease and the victory slowly dissipates. “Duel” is about a lonely man on a lonely two-lane road who, by the end of the film, is more alone than ever.