TiVoPlex
Tuesday, December 2, 2008 through Monday, December 8, 2008
By John Seal
December 1, 2008
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Tuesday 12/02/08
3:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
Skyscraper Souls (1932 USA): It's not quite as grandiose as the title suggests, but any film starring Warren William is worth watching at least once. This time William stars as Dave Dwight, a successful New York financier angling to purchase the hundred-story building housing his business, the Seacoast National Bank. The building towers over the newly opened Empire State Building, and Dave is determined to own the best view in Manhattan by fair means or foul. Of course, life isn't only about money, and he keeps spouse Ella (Hedda Hopper) at arm's length with a surfeit of shopping money in order to spend his off hours wooing office assistant Sarah (Verree Teasdale). There's also a romantic subplot involving office workers Maureen O'Sullivan and Norman Foster, as well as the late, great Anita Page making eyes at Jean Hersholt and his, ahem, ‘humanitarian award'.
9:00 PM IFC
Mad Dog Morgan (1976 AUS): This outback western features Dennis Hopper as Irish villain Daniel Morgan, a prospector evading the law in the deserts of New South Wales circa 1850. After his gold prospecting comes to naught, Morgan does the Dick Turpin stand and deliver routine and develops a Robin Hood-style folk hero reputation amongst the locals. Co-starring legendary Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil as sidekick Billy, this violent tale of corruption was directed by Philippe Mora, who later graced us with Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf. Caveat: Mad Dog Morgan still hasn't had a widescreen home video release in the US, and unfortunately, IFC's print is sourced from the same lousy pan and scan print utilized on Troma's DVD.
Wednesday 12/03/08
Midnight MGM HD
Mademoiselle(1966 FRA-GB): We welcome MGM HD to the TiVoPlex family of channels! Unfortunately, I won't be welcoming it into my HOME any time soon, as I don't have an HD compatible satellite dish. Instead, I'll be admiring some of their excellent programming choices from a respectful and envious distance, starting with this rarely aired Tony Richardson-helmed drama. Mademoiselle stars Jeanne Moreau as a repressed French schoolteacher who finds herself attracted to manly man amongst men Manou (peplum vet Ettore Manni), a lumberjack whose apparent goal in life is to sleep with every woman in town. He's also suspected by the locals of being an arsonist, whilst Mademoiselle herself possesses a malicious streak that manifests itself in cruelties large and small, so the two seem made for each other. There's not a lot of dialogue in the film, but Moreau's performance is quietly effective, whilst Manni exudes testosterone from every pore.
5:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Great Expectations (1946 GB): An intriguing quartet of Valerie Hobson vehicles air on TCM this evening, commencing with David Lean's magnificent adaptation of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. It's the memorable tale of orphan Pip (Anthony Wager and John Mills), whose childhood churchyard encounter with convict Magwitch (Finlay Currie) changes his life forever, indirectly leading him to the spooky home of spurned spinster Miss Havisham (Martita Hunt). Miss Havisham is looking for revenge against the male sex, who've left her slightly addled and ever so cobwebby, and her tool is stalking horse Estella (Hobson), who beguiles young Pip in order to disappoint him. Lean's film is arguably the apex of screen Dickens, featuring brilliant performances, luminous black and white photography by future director Guy Green, and a magnificent score by my extremely distant relative Walter Goehr. It's followed at 7:15 PM by The Rocking Horse Winner (1949), an eerie fantasy about a boy with the power to predict race results (Hobson plays his mother); at 9:00 PM by Drums (1938), in which Sabu portrays an Indian prince loyal to the British crown as well as local administrator Roger Livesey (Hobson plays his wife); and at 10:45 PM by The Small Voice (1948), in which our Val finds herself mixed up with on the run Yank criminal Howard Keel.
Thursday 12/04/08
4:30 AM Showtime 3
Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade (2007 USA): Here's the perfect double bill partner for last year's other video game documentary, The King of Kong. Chasing Ghosts salutes those who were about to rock their quarters into the slot back in the early 1980s, including Pac Man wunderkind Bill Mitchell, Berzerker gods Ron Bailey and Joel West, and scorekeeper extraordinaire Walter Day. If you ever wasted away an afternoon down at the local arcade, Chasing Ghosts will send a nostalgic shiver down your spine.
11:45 AM Flix
Alambrista! (1978 USA): Also released as The Illegal, Alambrista! (which actually translates as tightrope walker) relates the story of a Mexican man who emigrates to the U.S. in order to make a better life for his family south of the border. Domingo Ambriz delivers a flawless performance as Roberto, who hopes that Yankee dollars will enable him to provide for his wife and new child but quickly learns that he's just a tool in the hands of coyotes (one of whom is played by Ned Beatty) and employers alike. He meets a friendly American waitress (winsome Linda Gillen), gets taken to an evangelical church service, and eats LOTS of ham and eggs before he decides life was better back home. Directed by Robert M. Young (not the actor, but the helmer of the equally excellent Short Eyes) and featuring stunning cinematography by Tom Hurwitz, Alambrista! won the Golden Camera at Cannes in 1977, but quickly sank into oblivion thereafter. That's understandable considering it's a sympathetic take on one of America's favorite whipping boys, but the film comes highly recommended for those willing to overlook the protagonist's disdain for federal immigration laws. One to avoid for the Tom Tancredo crowd.
11:35 PM HBO Signature
Pretendiendo (2006 CHL): This Chilean take on the Ugly Betty meme features professional lingerie model Barbara Mori as Amanda, an architect whose beauty and full figure mark her as a constant target for bird-dogging male chauvinist pigs. Tired of the relentless come-ons, Amanda ups sticks from Santiago in favor of backwoods Valparaiso, where she disguises herself as plain-jane Helena. Hired at a new firm on the basis of her skills alone, Helena befriends colleague Marcelo (Marcelo Mazzarello), who proceeds to pour his heart out to his ugly duckling platonic gal pal. Will true love blossom on the drafting tables — or will things take a turn for the awkward when Marcelo discovers boring Helena is actually glamorous Amanda? Pretendiendo ultimately can't break out of the strictures of the rom-com genre, but is worth watching for the two leads, who both deliver excellent performances.
Friday 12/05/08
6:20 AM The Movie Channel
Ghost Image (2007 USA): I haven't seen this indie horror flick, which doesn't seem to have had anything in the way of either a theatrical or home video release. I'm primarily intrigued by the fact that Ghost Image was shot (and is airing) in 2.35:1 widescreen, as well as by the single (possibly planted) rave review given it on IMDb. The fact that lovely Stacey Dash is one of the leads is further enticement to watch this film, the précis of which sounds a bit like 2005's from beyond the grave thriller White Noise. Also airs at 9:20 AM.
3:10 PM Flix
Tim (1979 AUS): Mel Gibson does NOT go full retard in this obscure effort from the early days of his career, filmed shortly after the completion of Mad Max and sometime before he became a huge box office draw around the world. Mel plays the titular lad, a none-too-bright laborer constantly being taken advantage of by his workmates. Enter older woman Mary (Piper Laurie), who takes a shine to Tim and, besides helping him stand on his own two feet, decides to seduce him. So, no yuck factor at work here, then. Granted only a short-lived American theatrical release, Tim makes his widescreen television premiere tonight.
11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
All Night Long (1962 GB): Patrick McGoohan scores as a troublemaking jazz musician in this engaging drama from director Basil Dearden. McGoohan plays Johnny Cousins, a drummer trying to ingratiate himself with jazz greats Dave Brubeck, Charles Mingus, and Tubby Hayes (who appear here as themselves) whilst throwing a spanner into the works of the fledgling marriage of black bandleader Aurelius (Paul Harris) and white singer Delia (Marti Stevens). The film takes place over the course of a single night and mostly in a single location, but the excellent Paul Jarrico/Nel King screenplay has enough twists and turns to compensate for the claustrophobic set-up, and there's satisfying retribution delivered during the final reel.
Saturday 12/06/08
3:00 AM MGM HD
The White Bus (1967 GB): A very rare short film from director Lindsay Anderson, The White Bus relates the story of a young woman (Patricia Healey) who decides to return home to Manchester after deciding life in London is not for her. Once home, she takes a bus tour around town hosted by the Mayor (Dad's Army's Arthur Lowe) and then enjoys lunch in a local chippie. Written by Shelagh Delaney (A Taste of Honey) and featuring the first screen appearance of Anthony Hopkins, The White Bus is an elegant meditation on the lives of little people everywhere. On the Buses it ain't.
Sunday 12/07/08
8:00 PM The Movie Channel
Ju-on 2 (2003 JAP): Sundance's Asia Extreme season goes into repeats this month, so it's up to The Movie Channel to pick up the mantle and air Ju-on 2 — in widescreen, no less. Takashi Shimizu's Japanese-language sequel to the incredibly successful Ju-On (The Grudge) sees the return of Yuuko Daike as actress Kyoko Suzuki, who loses her unborn child in a car accident but finds herself mysteriously pregnant again after recovering and returning to work. Is her immaculate conception one of God's little miracles? Or could it be related to her latest project, a horror film that seems to be taking an inordinate toll on those associated with it? Be careful, now — you only get one guess.
Monday 12/08/08
5:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
A Feather In Her Hat (1935 USA): This convoluted Columbia programmer features Pauline Lord as London shopkeeper Clarissa Phipps, whose dalliance with gone to seed military man Randolph Courtney (Basil Rathbone) has led to complications later in life for her adopted son Richard (Louis Hayward). Seems Richard's real parents were members of the moneyed intelligentsia, and Clarissa is determined that he will rise above her low station in life and reclaim his rightful spot at the head of society's table. A soapy tearjerker perhaps most notable for the presence of newcomer David Niven amongst its supporting cast, A Feather in Her Hat makes its TCM debut this morning.
6:00 PM Sundance
In Prison My Whole Life (2007 GB): Okay, this is a tough one. As regular readers know, I'm an opponent of the death penalty and will almost always have something kind to say about a documentary dealing with the subject. One of my pet peeves about anti-death penalty advocates, however, has been their apparently limitless fascination for death row convict Mumia Abu-Jamal — who also happens to be the focus of this film. Abu-Jamal was convicted of killing a Philadelphia police officer in 1981, and a biased judge and some questionable prosecution witnesses soon drew the attention of activists. My objections arise not from the details of Abu-Jamal's case — there are definitely serious evidentiary questions about it, and the tampering of his trial judge is undeniable — but from the attention focussed on him at the expense of scores of less sexy defendants who aren't as well connected as Abu-Jamal. So how's the film? Overly broad, for one thing — we get doses of slavery and Hurricane Katrina, for example — and far too reliant on musicians and rappers as interview subjects. In fact, it's one of the least convincing films of its type, and isn't likely to win too many hearts and minds. Which makes this the non-recommendation recommendation of the week, I guess.