Bobby's Hollywood daydreams

 HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE (1987)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Racism and stereotypical roles given to all minorities, including blacks and Latinos has been a staple of Hollywood for far too long. During the 1980's, there might have been exceptions like Morgan Freeman's stunning, blistering pimp in "Street Smart" but they are few and far in between. Robert Townsend's writing and directing debut "Hollywood Shuffle" hits at many targets yet not hard enough, at least not to me. Townshend's approach is softer, more genteel when he needed a shot of raw nerve from the school of Spike Lee to really provide some biting commentary. 

Townsend is an out-of-work actor, Bobby, who is hoping to get the role of a pimp named Jimmy, courtesy of Tinseltown Pictures. He practices his lines in the voice of a whiny stereotype, something his grandmother (Helen Martin) is well aware has nothing to do with reality and is a step down from say the likes of Sidney Poitier. She just wants him to work at the post office but Bobby has his dreams of making it in Hollywood - daydreaming where he is an actor who wins 5 Academy Awards! He doesn't want to be stuck at the Winky Dinky Dog restaurant. 

Bobby's other daydreams includes potshots at film noir detective movies, Rambo, actors pretending to be Eddie Murphy (hilarious, especially when they imitate Eddie's trademark laugh), a Black Acting School where blacks are schooled in jive talk, even Siskel and Ebert. Some of these skits are funnier than most, though the Black Acting School is a tad repetitive (I would have stuck with the clip about slaves running to the North and exposing some of those one-dimensional stereotypes). Some other bits run a little too long such as when the NAACP President (played by none other than Paul Mooney) finds that Bobby's superstar status is in trouble with the negative roles he's been playing. 

"Hollywood Shuffle" is at its best when dealing with Bobby and his little brother Stevie (Craigus R. Johnson) who reveres his older brother, and the grandmother's disdain at the Hollywood roles being offered to black people. Some of the Winky Dinky Dog restaurant bits just don't work and I barely smiled at them, despite the presence of John Witherspoon and Keenan Ivory Wayans. Still the movie works more often than not and one of the last scenes, where Bobby plays that awful pimp while his brother and grandmother look on, strikes a chord of real truth that gets to you. That is the heart and soul of "Hollywood Shuffle."  

Graveyard pranks

 ONE DARK NIGHT (1981)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"One Dark Night" is juvenile horror with scant scares, an incoherent storyline and not much narrative thrust. Well, there's the thrust of the movie's climax inside a mausoleum although "Phantasm" beat that to the punch with more vivid thrills two years earlier. Still, for such a silly horror picture, I was rather taken by it.

A bizarre set of murders have taken place inside an apartment where an old Russian occultist, with telekinesis powers, is found dead along with a few dead young women in a closet. In what looks like an infinite number of ambulances rolling in to recover the bodies, one paramedic is struck by how objects are protruding through the walls. Some older man wearing sunglasses observes this chaos. Then he reappears at that dead Russian man's daughter's house, telling her that her father had special powers. Naturally such powers extend beyond the grave and the mausoleum where he is confined. And wouldn't you know that some high-school girls who have a clique called "Sisters" are prepared to give one tempted girl (Meg Tilly) an indoctrination to their group if she stays overnight at the mausoleum! All she has to do is sleep there overnight. Two of the three "Sisters" group decide to scare her at the mausoleum with a Halloween mask! Oh, my, all this to be a member of such a small group.

"One Dark Night" is too damn silly to take as a serious or even as a goofy horror picture - it is probably on the level of a young adult horror story that might have been featured in the 80's collection book of "Scary Stories." Nothing makes a lick of sense, nor does this putrid dead man whose coffin breaks through the walls of the mausoleum and electrical charges emit from his dead eyes. This somehow reanimates all the corpses in the mausoleum with coffins bursting ad infinitum. The girls see the horrors and scream, and run from one end of this locked edifice to the other. You know what you are getting when you watch it, minus any blood or gore, but the movie is far more absorbing with Melissa Newman as the daughter of this Russian yet every time she appears (along with Adam West as her husband), the narrative is threatened by these stupid prankish girls and Meg Tilly's boyfriend who is looking for her in his motorcycle! Trim such mischief and mischievous "Sisters" characters, beef up Meg Tilly's part beyond her being scared silly and give Melissa Newman more screen time and you might have had a true sleeper. It is sort of creepily entertaining at times with truly creepy atmosphere inside that mausoleum yet "One Dark Night" would have benefitted from a clearer focus. 

Buck stands out from the pack

 THE CALL OF THE WILD (2020)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

It is hard to fathom a bad cinematic version of Jack London's 1903 novel, "The Call of the Wild," and this new 2020 version is not bad at all. In fact, there are many stunning sequences of the Yukon Territory by way of California and CGI-filled soundstages but this film version just as often feels hampered by Buck, the dog who is a complete CGI creation. If you are going to use CGI animation for dogs, you better animate everything else. It gives new definition to the phrase "standing out from the pack."

Buck is a big husky dog, a mix of Saint Bernard and Scotch Shepherd, who also creates havoc with his current owners when he devours an entire six-course meal! The otherwise friendly dog is punished by staying outdoors during a cold, rainy night and is eventually kidnapped and abused with a club (readers of the book, beware because there is much of that in the beginning - book is tougher on Buck). He is shipped by freighter from California to Alaska where he is to be among a sled of dogs delivering mail. Buck is uncertain at first, then eventually he finds his footing as he runs along with the other dogs through miles and miles of treacherous ice and snow. The jaunty Perrault (Omar Sy) and his largely reserved partner Francoise (Cara Gee) are the mail runners and every sequence of the dog sledding, as it dissolves from night to day, is flawlessly done. Yet oddly there is not much urgency, especially when Francoise almost drowns in ice water with Buck rescuing her (he rescues dogs and people in danger and can kill easily, all mentioned in the book). The lack of urgency and panic is due to the animated Buck and I largely felt unconvinced that this was a real dog. As I mentioned earlier, if the whole film had been animated, it could have worked but combining the live action elements deters our emotional attachment no matter how well animated the dog is. The other sled dogs are also animated yet they seem more convincing, maybe because they are not replete with facial expressions every few seconds. 

A long white-bearded Harrison Ford as Thornton truly makes for a compelling frontiersman and he has an uncanny ability in making us believe all this is happening. Still, when you consider that past filmed versions of Jack London's novel have used real dogs, it makes me wonder why they couldn't do the same here. Save for some amazing scenery (though I wished they actually shot in the Yukon) and the magnetic Ford, I was too underwhelmed by this movie. It is adequate entertainment but the CGI Buck just didn't help to suspend my disbelief. 

No easy answers in Uruguay

 STATE OF SIEGE (1972)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

I was a mere adolescent in my native Uruguay during the 1970's so a political assassination was hardly on my news radar. Nevertheless, the chaos of a country in slow financial ruin in 1972 was the catalyst for guerrilla fighters trying to overthrow their government in the fact-based, marvelous thriller by Costa-Gavras called "State of Siege."

Yves Montand is convincing as an A.I.D. (Agency for International Development) American official who has just landed in the city of Montevideo, Uruguay. He is Philip Santore, actually based on Daniel A. Mitrone, an actual official who had been murdered by the Tupamaros. In actuality, Santore was serving more as an American police advisor for Uruguay since he had performed similar duties in other Latin American countries. Uruguay had been beset by the Tupamaros, urban guerrilla fighters who rob banks, casinos, and perform a whole lot of kidnapping of major government officials and citizens. Unfortunately, they sometimes kill which makes them less popular in the eyes of the country. The citizens are used to their operation as their cars are often obtained more than the people, but the officials never quite believe that the Tupamaros have the effrontery to kidnap them. Political prisoners are being held in Uruguay and the guerrillas want them released or else they will kill their latest kidnapped official, Santore. 

The bulk of "State of Siege" features Santore as he is interviewed and questioned by a masked Tupamaro and we learn that Santore has endorsed torture techniques used by the CIA - some of these include electric shocks delivered to all parts of the body. Through the Santore recorded interrogation, we learn that Santore is a guinea pig for the government, he's only following orders like he did in Chile and elsewhere. Montand crucially shows the humanity of an official who might be powerless just like the Tupamaros are in truly implementing change. No change can be expected when a democracy is expected to flourish and yet the definitions of democracy change from official to official - it is implied that they barely care about a democracy and more about maintaining wealth and prestige, at least among themselves. The sharp-witted journalist, Carlos Ducas (O.E. Hasse), can see through all the bureaucratic nonsense and he is just as present in the film's narrative as Santore is - whether or not he is on the side of the officials or the Tupamaros is never addressed. 

"State of Siege" is a sharply conceived, concisely contained thriller that starts with the murder of Santore and is carried along by flashbacks. It is a beautifully constructed narrative and there are moments that make you take pause, one in shock and horror followed by a deeper understanding of the country coming apart at the seams (there are also some humorous bits about the kidnapped officials). There are no easy answers and director Gavras has no solutions, nor does he take sides. Unlike what George Stevens, Jr. once said about withdrawing the film from being shown at the AFI, the movie never rationalizes the murder of an American official. "State of Siege" does try to interpret how fascism and the rise of violence are not answers.  

Intimacy where it has not gone before

 STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK (1984)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

The summer of 1984 had some blockbusters that went beyond the call of entertainment duty such as "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Gremlins" yet "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" chose to underplay, to let us breathe and take in character details and exposition. It is just as good as "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" and it is a fitting, infrequently somber yet excellent conclusion to part II's open-endedness with regards to Spock's death.

The Enterprise crew is all back, and they are all shaken up by Spock's sacrificial death. The distraught Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) wants to head back to Genesis, a planet terraformed in the previous installment that happens to house Spock's coffin. Top Federation officials say returning to Genesis would be hazardous, politically of course, and declare that the Enterprise is not to exit the Spacedock. Naturally this is not to be as the determined Kirk; Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) who harbors Spock's spirit transferred by Spock; Scottie (James Doohan) who factors engineering problems by a factor of four; Sulu, the lieutenant commander, who doesn't like being called Tiny; Walter Koenig's Chekov who navigates the Enterprise and, of course, Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Uhura, chief communications officer (instrumental in beaming up the crew to the Enterprise), are intent on getting to Genesis in warp speed time.

"Star Trek III" is chock full of the usual Trek specifics, including the Klingons as villains. This time, it is the nasty Klingon named Kruge (Christopher Lloyd, who plays him to the hilt), who wants the Genesis device and is ruthless in killing his own species and a girlfriend of his! We also get the slow rebirth of Spock, played by a variety of actors at different ages, as the adjustment to the surroundings is monitored by another Vulcan, Office Saavik (Robin Curtis skillfully replacing Kirstie Alley), and the inventor of the Genesis device, Kirk's son Marcus (the late Merritt Butrick). It is typically a race against time since Genesis is a dying planet.

Last minute rescues, last minute beam-me-ups, a jubilant score by James Horner, astute direction by debuting director Leonard Nimoy, extraordinarily restrained performances, a completely convincing new ship called the Bird of Prey and there is even a fistfight on an imploding Genesis that is short and sweet. Most significantly, "Star Trek III" is that rare sequel that is even more intimate with its characters than ever before.  

Muck of the past

MASTER GARDENER (2022)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Paul Schrader is one of those writer-directors who is willing to go places few wish to pursue. There is always the well-traveled road choice and his latest film, "Master Gardener," explores mostly new territory and occasionally heads towards the familiar. Still, in a time where everything is rebooted and repurposed for 80's nostalgic revivals, I am okay with Schrader recycling a third of his past endeavors.

Joel Edgerton gives a hypnotic, persuasive performance as the titular character, an insular horticulturalist named Narvel who tends to the elegant, enormous gardens of a Miss Haverhill (Sigourney Weaver, who somehow brings up memories of Dickens' Miss Havisham). It is Haverhill's private estate and Narvel has a few employees who keep the flowers blooming over the crucial seasons. Of course, nothing is precisely what it seems. Narvel is having a relationship with Miss Haverhill, usually after an elegant dinner. It is also evident that Narvel is not just any gardener, he is a former white supremacist who has committed murder (the scene where he is barechested revealing all those Nazi tattoos is a moment to take your breath away). Narvel might have changed his ways but he's still got those tattoos and he's got that haircut known as an undercut, which has become stylish in the 21st century but his plain cut is far too evocative of something we'd like to forget. 

The slow chain of events in these gardens begins to intensify when a young woman named Maya (Quintessa Swindell) is employed under the tutelage of Narvel. Maya is Haverhill's niece and Haverhill has never been happy with Maya's mother, a drug addict who died from an overdose. Maya suffers beatings from her drug dealer of a boyfriend and Narvel takes it upon himself to help her (a lot of this will remind many of Schrader's "Taxi Driver" screenplay). Narvel's hidden past is creeping up on him and I will not reveal what other obstacles he has to face.

"Master Gardener" is deftly carried along by Joel Edgerton, a workmanlike Aussie actor who has a delicate presence of repressed emotions - the guy initially can't go along with sleeping with Maya (his suppressed hate is no longer the issue). I was quite surprised by the many developments with these characters who grow on you - just like the opening title credits featuring flowers, they all blossom. Sigourney Weaver has a tricky role of appearing like a matron of all yet she secretly may harbor hate towards anyone not white-skinned (the fact that she sleeps with Narvel is indication enough). Swindell's Maya also makes a huge impression and she walks the walk and talks the talk, a streetwise girl who needs Narvel in her life. Swindell is a real find and is easily one of the brightest spots of the movie.

My objection to "Master Gardener" is that I wish it did not feature a violent solution that felt like a pale echo of "Taxi Driver" and "Light Sleeper" only not as brutal - just a few punches and kicks and (*SPOILER*) no one dies. I wish Schrader went somewhere else with regards to Maya (one sequence has them driving presumably a long distance from their lost jobs when, in fact, they are not that far from Haverhill's gardens). They need each other and I wish the film spent more time on them and their developing relationship. Still, despite such faint recycling of past Schrader violent climactic conflicts, "Master Gardener" is efficient in prose and a tight narrative structure, sometimes quite poetic (we hear Narvel's thoughts as he writes in his diary, another Travis Bickle staple). The ending is a doozy. 

Hate the dial-up modem's white noise

 BLACKBERRY (2023)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Other than knowing it had something to do with the history of the forgotten phone called the Blackberry, I had no idea what I was walking in to when I watched "Blackberry." As a documentary subject, it might have been fascinating enough yet it is actually a docudrama. The biggest surprise is that I was elated once it was over and wished it kept going. A Canadian film production using some top-drawer talent we don't see enough of, "Blackberry" is so acidically funny, so absolutely in lockstep with the construction and imagination of a phone that changed our society, if ever so briefly until improvements were made, that you almost feel you are a fly in the wall. 

Set during 1996, we meet a crew of tech nerds inside a ramshackle of an office space - everything looks messy and disorganized. A toilet plunger sits on a desktop computer (remember those? That is what I still use to type reviews on, um, the desktop computer of course) and all of these young nerds play video games, clogging the one phone line with an Internet signal (Internet Explorer, or is it Netscape?), and they always have movie night. The movie in question is everyone's favorite - a VHS tape of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) is the CEO of RIM (Research in Motion) and he has developed a brand of smartphones that includes both the Internet and email capabilities with a built-in keyboard (he deplores white noise from dial-up modems). His partner in crime is a red-bandana-wearing Douglas Fregin (winningly played by the film's director Matt Johnson) who is stoked by the invention yet wants to speak for Mike - he looks like one of Kevin Smith's slackers only he is an actual bundle of energy. Their first meeting with Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton), a hot-tempered bolt of lightning who seems to have emerged from Wall Street, doesn't go well but Jim does see potential with having a "computer in your phone." Jim eventually is allowed to oversee and promote what was initially called the "Pocket Link" and just as soon as there is a meteoric rise in success and sales (President Obama initially boasted about the Blackberry), there is also a precipitous fall. The now commonplace iPhone starts to emerge as a phone that is far more utilitarian, including having a touch screen keyboard rather than actual keys! It is the death knell for Blackberry and I seem to remember this sharp decline rather well. 

"Blackberry" is hysterical from the start as it shows these young men who are creative and imaginative yet can't hold a business meeting. Douglas is up front and often too bewildered, opting to run the company smoothly rather than aggressively (he wants to be co-CEO). Mike Lazaridis is his equal in that department, yet there is a stunning development during the course of their creation where he becomes all about business - Mike completely forgoes movie night for his crew of engineers! Jim is the man of the hour, able to talk good business sense and cut through all the red tape to get results. With this invention soaring, he becomes greedy, practically avoids his co-CEO responsibilities and thinks he can buy a couple of sports teams. When the SEC starts calling, Jim ignores them thinking that money talks no matter what - little does he know. 

"Blackberry" has a modest budget and looks like it was shot with S-VHS cameras or hi-8 camcorders but that doesn't detract from the film's relentless pacing and the anxiety from its characters. Jim is pure hyperbole, an action figure come to life with fumes coming from his ears who sees no limits. Mike has anxiety written all over his face, never finding common ground with anyone except for himself. He is not on an ego trip but the movie suggests he could become like Jim. Finally, Matt Johnson is the soul of the movie, a guy who likes to have fun and sees it all seeping from the company's original model. His final moment with Mike when he is let go is one of heartbreak. To add a touch of extra mileage, a supporting cast that includes Michael Ironside and Saul Rubinek sizzles the proceedings. "Blackberry" is acidic in temperament and, by the end, has heartbreak written all over it and plenty of laughs too. It is akin to "Wolf of Wall Street" as an out-of-control toybox with all its real-world business lessons. At the end of the day, Mike's sole concern is the white noise emanating from the new line of blackberrys. This is the one mainstream product line of recent times where progress was not its middle name.