Loving Lucy in all her complexity

 BEING THE RICARDOS (2021)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Various film biographies always have to fulfill certain criteria such as, can an actor fully embody someone's soul and spirit without necessarily being a lookalike? Anthony Hopkins looked nothing like Nixon yet he managed to carry the weight and burden of being Richard Nixon in Oliver Stone's "Nixon." Serbian actor Petar Božović played the iconic inventor Nikola Tesla in "The Secret Life of Nikola Tesla" and certainly looked the part but did not emote much. With the exception of Nina Arianda as Vivian Vance, Ethel herself from "I Love Lucy," none of the actors look much like their real-life counterparts in "Being the Ricardos" yet they do embody their spirit, their nuances and their demeanor. Major plus and with witty, pungent and poignant writing courtesy of writer-director Aaron Sorkin, this is one marvelously terrific biography.

Nicole Kidman is Lucille Ball and we get to see her hands, her profile in silhouette, and we hear her voice but we don't see the full picture of Kidman as Lucille immediately. It is a surefire way of getting the audience to warm up to the idea of Kidman playing such an iconic legend and, surprise, she is exceedingly good. As the film starts after we see closeups of a radio while Lucy and Desi fight (or make love after fighting), we are at a table read filled with more tension than there is in finding an earring in a crate full of grapes. The "I Love Lucy" writers one-up each other, especially Alia Shawkat as Madelyn Pugh, who has her own ideas of what comedy should entail and sees herself as funnier than fellow writer Bob Carroll (Jake Lacy), who is not as quick witted at creating jokes. At the table read is Vivian Vance (Nina Arianda) who has her own issues with playing Ethel, trying to lose weight though being reminded by Lucy that more women look like Vance than Lucy ("Well, you are not exactly a pin-up girl", quips Vivian). Also on board for the table read is actor William Frawley (J.K Simmons), Fred Mertz on the show, who tries to have a drink at 10:15 am instead of 10 and hears more wit displayed between the writers' bantering than the actual show itself. Everyone at the table is waiting for Lucy and Desi Arnaz, the Ricardos themselves, when word is out that Lucy might be a Communist (thanks to a dishonorable mention by gossip columnist Walter Winchell). 

Writer-director Aaron Sorkin is mostly concerned with the backroom intrigue of rehearsals, table reads and the shooting of a revolutionary show like "I Love Lucy" (the first to use a three-camera setup for a TV show), and the slightly turbulent relationship between Lucy and Desi (beautifully played by Javier Bardem). The film's structure is during a whole week in 1952 with occasional seamless flashbacks to Lucy's first encounter with Ricky and her early days of radio, and the ending of her RKO contract in more "serious" roles. In latter years of "I Love Lucy's" production, Lucy knows deep down that Desi is possibly an adulterer yet she loves him, though she frequently questions his arriving home late at night. Yet her mind is always on the work, on perfecting a scene. It is fascinating to see Lucy on the set trying to figure out, in her mind, how to set up the gags and improve the comic timing. She also questions a scene where Ricky arrives home, says "guess who" and covers Lucy's eyes while she rattles off a bunch of other people's names other than Ricky. Lucy's thought centers on the audience - will they think she actually knows several other men that may enter her apartment when Ricky is not home?

"Being the Ricardos" also covers the national press jumping on a hot, troubling topic in the 1950's - being labeled a Communist. Lucy apparently registered as a Communist twenty years earlier to appease her grandfather and it is coming back to haunt her and could lead to the demise of "I Love Lucy." There is also the issue of Lucy being pregnant and figuring that as a plot device for the show though Jess Oppenheimer (a wonderfully droll, perceptive performance by Tony Hale) - the "I Love Lucy" creator, producer, head writer - insists the network nor their Philip Morris sponsor would ever approve (truth is, he was okay with it but not the studio). All of these events, compressed in one week though they were seasons apart at least, give the film urgency and snap. Every scene has verve, purpose and enough emotional punch to drive its narrative home. Though I could have lived without the faux interviews of the writers and Oppenheimer addressing the past and played by different actors, "Being the Ricardos" has ample drama and maximum tension to keep everyone glued to the screen. Kidman and Bardem and the rest of the cast made me, imagine this, love "I Love Lucy" even more.

Eastwood Listens in on Emotional Pain and moral ambiguity

MYSTIC RIVER (2003)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Best Film of 2003

Viewed on December 13th, 2003

For a dark, brooding masterpiece of violence and moral decay in a small town, you need not look further than Clint Eastwood's "Mystic River," a startling, highly emotional film that will cut deep into your heart. You'll be struggling long after it is over to remove the obstruction cutting into your heart. It is that powerful.

The movie begins with a startling sequence where three young boys try to play hockey on the street. When they lose their pseudo-puck, they decide to inscribe their names on a cement block. Two men arrive in a car, supposedly undercover cops, and take one of the boys away. Right away, you know you are in the hands of a capable, gripping tale by a formidable director. The ominous, grayish

skies lend a dankness to the proceedings immediately. Tim Robbins plays Dave, the kidnapped kid who ran away from his captors, now a father seen roaming the streets of South Boston, walking over his own memories. He is married to Celeste (Marcia Gay Harden), another in the line of dutiful, forgiving wives

who reaches a point of no return. One night, Dave comes home with blood on his hands and a laceration on his chest - who did he murder and why? 

Cut to Jimmy (Sean Penn), another childhood friend who witnessed Dave's kidnapping. He is a reformed thug, married and with a daughter and he's the owner of a local convenience store. One day, his teenage daughter is found murdered in a ditch. Jimmy is furious, desperately wanting to know who committed the crime. He hires his thuggish partners to do their own personal investigation around

town, the kind only they can do and not the cops. Still, a homicide investigator, Sean (Kevin Bacon), another childhood friend, is in charge along with his partner, Whitey (Laurence Fishburne). They come up with the usual clues followed by the usual interrogation room scenes, though they rival anything you might see on TV's "Law and Order."

What sets apart "Mystic River" from the expected mechanics of your average suspense thriller are the relationships and the guilt and rage fueling these characters. Jimmy is a torn soul after finding his daughter dead, screaming with agonizing pain in one of the most highly charged emotional scenes I've

seen in quite some time (the scene mirrors a singularly powerful moment in "The Pledge," a film Sean Penn directed). Jimmy wants to kill the one responsible, but his search in the small town may be deflected by the ensuing homicide investigation. The investigator Sean sets the case apart from his personal ties to  Jimmy, though the two have been estranged for some time. It is Dave whom we worry about, never knowing for sure what crime he committed. Could he be responsible for Jimmy's daughter's death? And since Celeste knows Dave murdered someone and is aware of his temper tantrums, will she go to the police or will she do something more drastic? 

"Mystic River" is methodically adherent to its meaty story and three-dimensional characters. What is more amazing in this day and age of speeded-up, zonk-you-out-and-you'll-be-entertained spectacles is that "Mystic River" creeps up on you and jangles your nerves, particularly with uneasy, sweat-inducing tension (the same holds true of the similar "In the Bedroom.") It is remarkably tense because, by the time we get to the tightly coiled finale, we have invested so much in the characters that their actions are

determined by their behavioral instincts. Jimmy's crying fits giving way to inevitable violence, Dave's own deep-rooted inhibitions about his kidnapping giving way to volatile tempers, and Sean has his own fear that one of his friends may be the killer.

There is also Jimmy's wife (Laura Linney) who has a speech about Jimmy's importance to her kids that is as close to Shakespearean as one can get nowadays - it is a spine-tingling moment. And let's not forget Celeste's lack of subtlety - she looks like a clueless schoolgirl who knows too much and can't

hide it. Sean Penn proves his worth in more ways than one. After greatly diverse turns in "The Falcon and the Snowman," "We're No Angels," "Dead Man Walking" and "Sweet and Lowdown," Penn delivers his most fully-realized portrait to date. I hate to say it but even premier actors like Robert De Niro or Al Pacino have nothing on the emotional weight Penn has invested in Jimmy - Penn's emotions

are so full of rage and indicative of such a sense of loss that I'd say this actor is past due his numerously entitled awards. Penn is not afraid of risks and his reputation exceeds him. Tim Robbins also gives one of his most nuanced performances yet - his hunched-over, flinching, repressed Dave is like a walking phantom of the neighborhood. Here is a man who has just as much hurt and pain as Jimmy but

conceals it in such a way that you feel he could erupt without a moment's hesitation. It is further proof that Robbins can deliver the most implicit of emotions even while fidgeting (a common Robbins trait) - it certainly suits the character.

Kevin Bacon has perhaps a thankless role as Sean but he brings enough of his own suppressed rage to stand out among these acting giants. Sean has his own personal hell, including a wife who always calls him but never speaks. Ultimately, the real obstruction is this murder investigation and, for once, we

have a homicide investigator who honestly doesn't let his guard down, treating this murder as he would any other. It helps that his partner, Whitey (Laurence Fishburne, in an even more thankless role), keeps Sean's mind exclusively on the details and character witness intuition.

"Mystic River" is also director Clint Eastwood at the top of his form, bringing out the story and characters without condescending to his audience or moral judgment. Though Eastwood's style is simplistic (using mostly static angles and occasionally allowing the camera to creep in on the actors), it works beautifully for this story. This is a film about people with as much hurt and pain as one can bear. And Eastwood, the true maverick, listens in attentively and with compassion.

Santa never said Ho, ho, ho

 THE CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES (2018)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

I always wondered how Santa Claus traveled around the world and dropped off Christmas gifts through all those chimneys in one night. Well, I am not sure "The Christmas Chronicles" answers that question succinctly or sufficiently but it will do. This is one comically high blast of a Yuletide miracle - the movie that "Santa Claus: The Movie" should have been and, dare I say, it is possibly better than all 3 "Santa Clause" movies. It is often hysterical, upbeat, inventive and tremendous fun and what a joy to see a Santa Claus movie that has that has that most desperate thing lacking in many St. Nick movies - a sense of wonder and magic.

Kate (Darby Camp) is the young, sprightly girl who is classified as a "True Believer" in Santa Claus because, you know, St. Nick does in fact exist. She records a video using the antiquated mini-DV camcorder (seems like they became antiquated rather fast) and pleads with Santa for some gifts despite failing Spanish. Kate's older brother, Teddy (Judah Lewis), is a sourpuss who hangs out with his "gangster wannabe" friends (the siblings lost their firefighter dad in a fire years back). Kate catches Teddy in the act of stealing a car with her mini-DV of course so she bribes him after discovering an old tape that presumably shows the hand of Santa! If Teddy can help her catch Santa dropping off presents, then she won't show their mother (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) the tape of Teddy stealing! Before one can say, hey switch to the iPhone for clarity rather than an old mini-DV, a slimmer Santa (Kurt Russell) arrives and drops the gifts off. Kate and Teddy are shaken in the awesome sight of the sled and the reindeer waiting as they float above their Lowell, Massachusetts street while Santa swishes in and out of chimneys. Kate climbs aboard the unmanned sled and, inadvertently, take off with Teddy but no Santa! 

A dilemma occurs when Santa finally gets back on the sled and loses his "magical" hat and the toy bag and the reindeer. They all end up in Chicago, a good 1000 miles away from Massachusetts, and they have find Santa's toy bag and the runaway reindeer or Christmas will officially cease to exist. Naturally Santa has some time to dispel certain myths about himself such as the fact that he never says "Ho, Ho, Ho" and he is not too fat despite his iconic depiction on soda products and billboards. This Santa knows every person by name, including a former thief working at a restaurant and a couple of disbelieving cops. Will the kids be able to help Santa and finish delivering presents since Santa's watch shows the Christmas spirit percentage dropping?

Although certain scenes in the middle section involving shenanigans with the Chicago cops do drag a tad, I overall enjoyed "The Christmas Chronicles." It is often quite funny and has a sharp, slightly naughty (don't worry, not naughty like the Christmas Store Santa in "Bad Santa") and rockin' Santa Claus who often has a sarcastic comment to make and can play guitar and sing Christmas rock songs. As played by Kurt Russell, this is a Santa with much joy in his heart yet he also recognizes the sadness of the world and of the two fighting siblings, Kate and Teddy (both Darby Camp and Judah Lewis are engaging to watch). The film's inventiveness goes as far as showing the world that exists in Santa's toy bag (I've often wondered how he fits all those millions of presents), and how these elves can work their magic and fight tooth and nail if needs be. I also love the wonderful production design of the cabinet full of letters to Santa from around the world. 

One thing I admire most about "The Christmas Chronicles" is Kurt Russell's Santa because he manages for the first time in quite a while to show the twinkle in Kris Kringle's eyes, plus the joy and the cheer without serving it up like a maudlin dish. That is something to celebrate. Ho, ho ho. 

A glowing treat that warms your heart

 LITTLE WOMEN (1994)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Originally written in 1994

 

There is likely no other novel as beloved by women as the classic Louisa May Alcott entitled "Little Women." Its story of family longing and the affectionate relationship between four sisters and their mother in Massachusetts is spirited and involving and has captivated readers since its inception. This latest movie adaptation does the novel justice - it is a breezy, breathtaking movie that will leave you weeping for joy without coercing you to tears.

The Little Women are the March sisters of Concord, Massachusetts which includes the spirited Jo (Winona Ryder), the aspiring writer of the family who stages her plays in the attic with her sisters as actors. There's also Meg (Trini Alvarado), the oldest daughter of the family who only wants to get married and live happily for love. Claire Danes plays the ailing Beth who loves music, and there's also the bratty, precocious Amy (Kirsten Dunst), the youngest sister of the family. In the film's flashforward to the Marchs' entering adulthood, Samantha Mathis plays the older Amy. The March sisters live with their strong-willed mother, Marmee (Susan Sarandon, as strong-willed as they get), a vigorous feminist and they all await the arrival of Father March (Matthew Walker), a soldier fighting in the Civil War. 

The family sticks together and support each other during hard times that include poverty, anguish and death. At one point, Marmee tries to visit her husband but she doesn't have the money. Jo decides to cut her precious hair for money and gives it to her mother to pay for the trip. And as Amy adds, "Jo, you got rid of your one beauty."

"Little Women" isn't just the March's struggling household but also the later years when each of the sisters go their own separate ways. Jo tries to develop a writing career in New York with the help of a kindly professor (Gabriel Byrne); Meg marries a stiff tutor (Eric Stoltz), and Amy ends up marrying a Laurie (Christian Bale), a spoiled rich young man who was the March family's next door neighbor. 

What makes any version of "Little Women" work are the actors, and what an elegant, fine cast of them we have here! Winona Ryder is perfectly cast as Jo (proving once again she can period films as she did in "The Age of Innocence"); Kirsten Dunst is appropriately funny as the pint-sized Amy; Trini Alvarado is merely okay as the older sister Meg, but it is really Claire Danes (from TV's "My So-Called Life") as Beth who is the driving emotional force behind the movie - she has some wrenching scenes that are painful to watch.

I do have a couple of gripes such as why is the older Amy the only one who seems to age considering she's played by an older actress? Winona is a terrific actress who is capable of much but she still looks 22 when she's portraying a 42-year-old Jo, same flaw applies to Trini's Meg. This is clearly a case of makeup issues because Winona certainly aged appropriately in "Edward Scissorhands" when she played a grandmother.

"Little Women" is a beautifully vivid and remarkably well-made film that Alcott would have loved. The film not only warms your heart and glows with elegance and style - it conveys the feeling of warmth as if you were reading the book in bed on a cold, wintry night.  

Heaven Help Us - a decent reboot

 HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN (2021)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Highway to Heaven" is one of those completely disarming movies that is impossible to dislike. Ostensibly a reboot of the heavenly 1980's Michael Landon TV show of the same name, this is one reboot that perhaps nobody asked for but that I am inclined to say, it works (and if it becomes a TV series, I am okay with that, too.)

R & B singer Jill Scott is Angela, the angel on Earth who is on a mission from her boss ("God" of course) to travel to towns across America and rectify broken relationships and provide solace and relief and a touch of redemption. Her latest job is to become a temporary guidance counselor of a seemingly upper-class high school. Principal Bruce (Barry Watson) interviews her and is amazed at her measured sense of hope and how approachable she is - a person with a sunnier side of disposition than most. Almost immediately, Angela spots a troubled student she can help, Cody (Ben Daon). Cody predictably doesn't want to talk to anyone or be counseled and is insular in his own private anguish over the death of his mother. He's also failing math and unless he improves his grade, he will repeat 8th grade. Angela can change all that and practically does. Cody opens up slowly, and also discovers photos, letters, unopened Christmas presents and other items from his mother in his closet which alarms his father. I might add that Cody's father has difficult emotional issues with his sister-in-law whom he feels abandoned his wife when she was dying (he's also trying to open his dream restaurant). Then there is the principal's own emotional woes though all this seems overloaded for any one angel now matter how much she is willing to take on (even Clarence, the angel, in "It's a Wonderful Life" could earn his wings as long as he just helped poor George Bailey).

Talk about a heavenly, charming presence on screen, Jill Scott makes all this sappy material work. When Jill is on screen (which is 95 percent of the time), she radiates with such beaming phosphorescence that you can't help but be overjoyed - you really believe she is an angel. I have not seen a more pleasing presence in any film or TV show in years. The rest of the cast is merely adequate and that is because the sheer nature of Jill Scott steals the movie from everyone.

Despite the film's lapses into silliness and one too many hasty resolutions, "Highway to Heaven" is an engaging, emotionally centered tale that I thankfully never found stifling with the occasional musical overtures to remind us that a miracle has occurred. The filmmakers may not always trust their own instincts because Jill Scott doesn't need extraneous mojo to work her magic - she carries this movie on her back and makes us believe in the potential for human kindness.  

Yuletide tale with rodents and ducks

 MICKEY'S CHRISTMAS CAROL (1983)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

There are some goofy moments, maybe too few, in Disney's own 1983 short animated version of Christmas Carol, one of many incarnations of the Charles Dickens classic novel. Scrooge McDuck (voiced by Alan Young) is annoyed by his nephew, Fred (played by Donald Duck) and kicks him out the door with such velocity that you expect Donald to have landed somewhere on the Thames. Donald returns a second later and reminds Scrooge to have a Merry Christmas. There is also another goofy moment with Goofy himself as the ghost of Marley who is forever dragging those heavy chains and tormenting Scrooge. Goofy trips over his own chain and it made me laugh. 

Beyond that, "Mickey's Christmas Carol" follows step-by-step the original Dickens classic, clearly in abbreviated form at 26 minutes. There is no major surprise or twist other than having familiar Disney characters dominating the London tale including the unusual choice of Jiminy Cricket as the Ghost of Christmas Past and sloppy Willie the Giant as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Daisy Duck as Scrooge's lost love is wonderful, though why Minnie Mouse as Cratchit's wife has no lines of dialogue is odd. Mickey Mouse is always a pleasure to watch, this time as Bob Cratchit who feels threatened by his boss, Scrooge.

"Mickey's Christmas Carol" is a sweet little confection that still works and hits all the right marks and makes you love Christmas all over again, that is if you are in a Bah, Humbug mood. Why this was never done as a full-length feature I can't say. 

Striking a Balletic Blow in Northern England

 BILLY ELLIOTT (2000)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Original Review from 2000

To be honest, I approached this movie with a certain dread. The advertisements called it: uplifting! Oscar-worthy! Finally, a bloody good film about the human soul and the triumph of the human spirit! Well, a bloody good film about the human soul is "Taxi Driver" but I know what people want
from the cinema nowadays. Sentiment and in equal doses with a touch of heavy syrup added to make you feel not so much uplifted but weepy. I resent when manipulative tearjerkers exist because there is rarely much soul or humanity in them. Think of the countless Lifetime TV movies-of-the-week, or for that matter, the absurdly awful "The Evening Star," which led us to believe that a huge mortality rate equals emotion. Not so. But I digress. "Billy Elliot" could have been a contender for most sentimental hogwash of the year but it is not: it is a humane, positively uplifting film guaranteed to at least
place a smile on your face.

Billy Elliot (the extraordinary Jamie Bell) is a young boy living in the poor section of Northern England with his tough-as-nails father, Jackie (Gary Lewis), and Billy's older, rougher brother, Tony (Jamie Draven). Billy takes care of his grandmother, who also lives with him, while his father and brother protest the town's ongoing mine strike and the scabs. The last thing they need to hear is that Billy is thinking of becoming a ballet dancer! But the macho ethic of Jackie and Tony does not allow for fairies or swans, so to speak. Billy actually takes up boxing but lacks the drive and the attitude. One day, he observes a ballet class taking place in the same gymnasium where he boxes. Billy is transfixed and decides to learn ballet. Why? Even he doesn't know but it does bring some energy and enthusiasm to the kid - he feels alive when he dances. The gum-chewing teacher (Julie Walters) instructs the boy, despite stern objections from Jackie and Tony. Billy loves ballet and the movement of the body swaying to the strains of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Ballet" - it is definitely an escape for the boy from the horrors at home. The teacher is so impressed with the boy that she tells him to audition for the Royal Ballet School in London.

"Billy Elliot" is essentially the well-traveled road about a kid from a poor town who plans to make a difference by following his dreams. The tale is nothing new but of course, what matters is how it is told. What remains questionable is the amount of time invested in Jackie and Tony's lives, which
breaks the tension and charisma of watching Billy practice his ballet. The widowed Jackie is so fed up with life and all it has to offer that to help Billy, he sadly chooses to become a scab (this turns out be short lived). This no doubt affects Billy, but the movie follows the formula to the hilt without ever following its heart. Sure, Jackie is disapproving of his son's artistic intentions but he comes around. The gritty realism we are given about a father torn by his love for his long-lost wife and by his desire to not work doesn't wash, nor does Tony's sudden change-of-heart (if I am not mistaken, he even wears an apron in one scene!)

These plot changes do not qualify as spoilers because if you've seen "Rocky" or "Flashdance," you've seen this same tale woven by many. What does wash are the beautifully choreographed ballet scenes - this Jamie Bell is one hell of a dancer, and a fine actor to boot (Haley Joel Osment, watch out!) He is charismatic, soulful, determined, enthusiastic, and a fighter - he will not quit until he gets those dance moves right. It is sheer bliss to watch any scene with Bell, and his moments with Julie Walters are
awe-inspiring (not as good though as the similar tale with Shirley MacLaine in "Madame Sousatzka"). There also some wonderful scenes between Billy and his best friend, Michael (Stuart Wells), who wears his mother's clothes. I also like the tender scenes between Billy and the teacher's daughter (Nicola
Blackwell). But whenever the film dwells on the mine strike, it is as if we were watching another film entirely. One has the grit and the other has the fantasy, and the two do not mesh evenly.

"Billy Elliot" doesn't succumb to the overt sentimentality of typical Hollywood fare by reminding us when to weep. It builds on the charismatic Jamie Bell, who uplifts us in spite of the cliches and uneven subplot surrounding him. He reminds us of how we can follow our dreams wherever they take us.