TiVoPlex
By John Seal
May 1, 2007
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Tuesday 05/01/07
5:20 AM The Movie Channel
Near Dark (1987 USA): A revisionist vampire epic from director Kathryn Bigelow, Near Dark makes its widescreen television debut this morning. Adrian Pasdar stars as Caleb, a Southwestern youngster whose boring existence takes a turn for the sanguinary when he meets frolicsome Mae (Jenny Wright) outside the local Piggly-Wiggly. Caleb thinks he's found his one true love, but after Mae puts the bite on him and bundles him into the family Winnebago, circumstances take decidedly spooky turn. Seems the lovely lass is the main sales representative of a clan of traveling bloodsuckers, and now that Caleb's been press-ganged into service, the pressure's on him to sprout some fangs and start slinking around late at night in search of fresh blood. Part road movie, part western, part existential drama, and part good old-fashioned fright flick, Near Dark co-stars genre veteran Lance Henriksen as vampire patriarch Jesse, as well as Bill Paxton, Tim Thomerson, and James LeGros. It re-airs at 8:20 AM.
8:45 PM Flix
Smithereens (1982 USA): Three years before her box office breakthrough with the wonderful Desperately Seeking Susan, Susan Seidelman helmed this cruder but just as enjoyable look at the Manhattan punk scene. Featuring Susan Berman as Jersey scenester Wren, who's torn between the twin temptations of homeless artist Paul (Brad Rijn) and hip and happening band front man Eric (Richard Hell), the film is a pungent reminder of the New York that no longer exists — a New York of high crime, cheap heroin, and blank generation kids searching for kicks in Alphabet City. The first American indie feature ever accepted by the Cannes Film Festival, Smithereens has been described as a downbeat variant on 1982's Starstruck, and that's an apt description, though for my money the music in Seidelman's film is far superior (or far noisier, take your pick). Look for John Waters' alumna Cookie Mueller in an amusing film within a film sequence. Also airs 5/4 at 7:00 PM.
Wednesday 05/02/07
5:05 AM Starz Edge
Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack! (2001 JAP): It's not as good as 1968's kaiju rally Destroy All Monsters, but Japan's Toho Studios had the right idea when producing the film designed to ring down the curtain — at least temporarily — on the most recent Godzilla film cycle. This time out, Big G returns to his roots as the villain of the piece, squaring off against the trio of Mothra, Ghidorah, and Barugon, who apparently didn't get that all important 'naming rights' clause in his contract. There's some guff about Godzilla's roots, as wise old sage Isayama (Eisei Amamoto) informs the government that Godzilla is not only a nuclear-freak, but also a repository for doomed souls, but the climactic monster showdown — which breaks new ground in terms of damage done, both to monsters and humans, and gives Godzilla's atomic breath renewed pep — is why you're going to tune in.
7:00 AM Starz Edge
Mirrormask (2005 GB): If you enjoyed Pan's Labyrinth, you may want to take a look at this offbeat British fantasy picture about a 15-year-old girl's dalliances in an alternate reality. Stephanie Leonidas plays Helena, whose circus performer parents have left her feeling rootless and at sea. When the stability of home life is further shaken by her mother's life-threatening illness, Stephanie finds herself descending into a distorted mirror image of her own existence, and on the lookout for the only thing that can assure mum pulls through surgery intact: the titular item, a mirror encrusted bauble that bears an ironic resemblance to a death mask. The story is nowhere near as engaging as Pan's Labyrinth, but the fantasy sequences are truly stunning and worth the price of admission alone. Based on a screenplay by fantasy writer Neil Gaiman, Mirrormask airs this morning in widescreen and again at 2:45 PM.
12:40 PM Starz Edge
Memory of A Killer (2003 BEL): A police procedural set in the rustic Belgian city of Antwerp, Memory of A Killer stars Jan Decleir as Angelo Ledda, a hit man with a difference: he's in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, and he knows it. Sent on a final job, Angelo balks at the assignment and finds himself pursued by both sides of the law — even as his mind begins to betray him on the backstreets of the ancient port town. The winner of the Audience Award at the 2003 Flanders International Film Festival, Memory of A Killer is a first-rate policier keynoted by a superb performance by Decleir, who brings a world weary puissance to his role worthy of a Jean Gabin or Lino Ventura.
Thursday 05/03/07
9:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
Young Ideas (1943 USA): No, this film didn't provide Paul Weller with inspiration for the song This Is the Modern World. It's actually a tepid romantic comedy primarily of interest thanks to the presence of director Jules Dassin behind the camera. Dassin, probably the only Golden Age director still with us today at the age of 95, got his start helming 'B' pictures for MGM, but soon won promotion to crime classics such as Brute Force, Thieves' Highway, and Night and the City. In Young Ideas, the last of Dassin's second features, wonderful Mary Astor plays novelist Josephine Evans, a flighty sort who disappears on the eve of an important promotional tour for her latest tome. Desperate to get his prize author back on track, publicist Adam Trent (Allen Joslyn) begs Josephine's children (Susan Peters and Elliott Reid) to find their mother. Complications ensue when they learn she has run off and married Digby College Professor Michael Kingsley (avuncular Herbert Marshall), a tweedy stuffed shirt who has sworn no wife of his will ever work for a living. Will Josephine obey the whims of her man — or will she return to the publishing rat race? Look for George Dolenz, father of future Monkee Mickey, as ethnic comedy relief Pepe.
5:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Gideon of Scotland Yard (1958 GB): Released in Britain as Gideon's Day, this very obscure John Ford feature was drastically re-cut for American theatres, hurriedly dumped on the television market, and largely forgotten for many years since. TCM resurrects it tonight, and it's well worth a look, especially for fans of Ford. Jack Hawkins stars as the titular inspector, whose busy day includes healthy doses of rape, robbery, and murder, as well as some predictable but enjoyable domestic drama regarding the provenance of a fish dinner. Though far from Ford's best, Gideon of Scotland Yard still offers rewards, including a fine screenplay by the great T. E. B. Clarke (Passport to Pimlico, Sons and Lovers), Hawkins' flinty performance as the resolute flatfoot, and a terrific supporting cast, including Cyril Cusack, James Hayter, Anna Lee, Anna Massey, Miles Malleson, and a young Billie Whitelaw.
Friday 05/04/07
11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Born Losers (1967 USA): Tom Laughlin created everyone's favorite chip-on-his-shoulder Native American vengeance seeker, Billy Jack, in this reactionary proto-Dirty Harry crime drama from AIP. Vietnam vet Billy is minding his own business in a small California beachside burg when a gang of hairy dirtbags (The Born Losers) ride into town looking for beer, chicks, and kicks. Led by the loathsome Danny (Jeremy Slate), the gang takes an immediate disliking to Billy, who also isn't all that popular with the town's Anglo ruling elite. Set upon by both sides, Billy finds himself in cahoots with go-go cutie Vicky (Elizabeth James), a feisty young woman who rides her own hog whilst wearing little more than a bikini but has little but disdain for the Neanderthal leather-bound clods in the Losers. That makes her all the more attractive to Danny, who is determined to win her over — but not via the hearts and flowers route. Maddeningly overlong at a robust 113 minutes, Born Losers is still a very entertaining picture, and even the most liberal (or libertarian) of viewers will get a kick out of Billy's passive-aggressive approach to vigilantism. This marks the film's widescreen television premiere — and as the film is still only available on DVD in pan and scan, is essential viewing.
Saturday 05/05/07
5:00 AM IFC
Hara-Kiri (1963 JAP): Samurai Saturday breaks out of repeat mode with this little known Masaki Kobayashi (Samurai Rebellion) epic about unemployed ronin in 17th century Japan. Out of work thanks to an inconvenient outbreak of peace, love, and understanding, warrior for hire Hanshiro (Tetsuya Nakadai) is determined to do the only honorable thing — commit ritual suicide (Seppuku, the original Japanese title for the film). Before he can disembowel himself, however, Hanshiro learns some important facts about the death of his son-in-law — and the thirst for revenge soon trumps the desire to stick a sword in his gut and slice upwards. Featuring another of composer Toru Takemitsu's amazing minimalist scores, Hara-Kiri went on to win the Special Jury Prize at Cannes 1963.
Monday 05/07/07
12:45 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Return of A Man Called Horse (1976 USA): A Man Called Horse was a surprising counterculture hit in 1970, its tale of a British aristocrat dropping out of high society in favor of living in harmony with his little brown Native American brothers clearly resonating with the hippy multitudes. It's surprising that it took the producers six years to pony up for a sequel, but perhaps they were waiting to make sure star Richard Harris would be available to saddle up for another turn as Lord John Morgan, the great white saviour of the Yellow Hand tribe. Partly shot in Mexico, The Return of A Man Called Horse benefits from the presence of the great Claudio Brook as the nefarious Chemin de Fer, but takes a nosedive when dear old Gale Sondergaard pops up as sage soothsayer Elk Woman — and for those so inclined (paging Alberto Gonzalez, John Yoo, and Alan Dershowitz), director Irvin Kershner (The Empire Strikes Back) works in another squirm-inducing physical torture ritual. Pass the nipple hooks, please.
5:30 AM Starz Edge
The Child (2005 BEL-FRA): It's Low Countries Week on Starz Edge! Written and directed by Belgium's Dardennes brothers, The Child (L'Enfant) is a bittersweet social realist drama about a good-for-nothing couple of sponging petty thieves who find themselves pregnant and penniless. After popping her bun out of the oven, mother Sonia (Deborah Francois) takes a shine to the little nipper, but father Bruno (Brotherhood of the Wolf's Jeremie Renier) is less enthused, and ends up selling his first born for cigarette money. Needless to say, Sonia reacts poorly to his canny deal-making, setting in motion the film's central question: can Bruno redeem himself, or is he really the most selfish little prick on the planet? If you thought the thematically similar Tsotsi took a far too wholesome approach to child-raising, you'll find plenty to like in this razor sharp tragedy, which also explores such weighty topics as free will and predetermination.
6:00 PM Sundance
Sir! No Sir! (2005 USA): Vietnam War protestors weren't all hippies, druggies, and far left no-goodnicks — many of them were troops on active duty who had figured out the war was a lie they were no longer prepared to die for. That's the message of this decidedly impartial documentary, which examines the anti-war movement within the Army — a movement that compelled the Joint Chiefs of Staff to rely more and more on aerial power and less and less on unreliable grunts in the field who had taken up opium and fragging as hobbies. Featuring interviews with more than a dozen Vietnam vets, Sir! No Sir! is a reminder that the courage of one's convictions can be as powerful a force as courage on the field of battle.