TiVoPlex
TiVoPlex for Tuesday, January 13, 2009 through Monday, January 19, 2009
By John Seal
January 12, 2009
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Tuesday 01/13/09
7:00 PM Sundance
13 Tzameti (2005 FRA-GEO): A good gambling film effectively blends character study with mounting intrigue and tension as the protagonist we've learned to care about gets in deeper and deeper. George Babluani (brother of Georgian director Gela Babluani) stars as Sebastien, an immigrant contractor hired to do some work on the house of drug addict Godon (Philippe Pason). After the morphine maniac comes to an untimely but not entirely unexpected end, Sebastien finds himself out of pocket - and decides to help himself to some of his erstwhile employer's belongings to make up for the lost income. Amongst the goodies are a rail ticket and an invitation to a Paris hotel room where apparent riches await, and our callow hero is unable to resist the siren call of either. If you liked the terrific Spanish thriller Intacto, you'll definitely enjoy this black and white neo-noir, now mooted for an English-language remake (helmed by director Babluani) in the near future. Also airs 1/18 at midnight.
Wednesday 01/14/09
3:00 AM MGM HD
Fearless Frank (1967 USA): A fascinating misfire that should be approached with considerable caution, Fearless Frank features a young Jon Voight in his first big screen role. He plays the titular character, a country bumpkin not a million miles afield from Midnight Cowboy's Joe Buck, who comes to the big city, gets himself killed by gangsters, and is reborn as the titular super hero. Directed by Philip Kaufman, who would go on to far better things, Fearless Frank is an extremely unfunny and overly arch satire that even co-star Severn Darden can't rescue, though cameos by "word jazz" poet Ken Nordine and author Nelson Algren are mildly diverting. However, attention must still be paid, as the film is unavailable on home video and will be getting an extremely rare widescreen airing on MGM HD this morning.
11:00 AM HBO Signature
La Punta del Diablo (2006 ARG-URU-VEN): I know absolutely nothing about this film except its title is "Devil's Point" in English, which sounds promising, and that it's the first Uruguayan film I've ever mentioned in six plus years of TiVoPlex, which is a huge plus. An online translation of the film's Spanish language synopsis reads, "a surgeon who knows he is short time to live and decides to travel in order to isolate their affections and their occupations" manages to make it sound mundane of plot but exotic of syntax. Naturally, I plan on punta-ing my remote at HBO Signature this morning to find out the truth about La Punta del Diablo.
Thursday 01/15/09
4:40 AM MGM HD
Odyssey of the Pacific (1980 FRA-CAN): Better known (if at all) as The Emperor of Peru, this is a strange little film from surrealist director and novelist Fernando Arrabal, whose other efforts include Fando and Lis, I Will Walk Like a Crazy Horse, and Tree of Guernica. It features Mickey Rooney, of all people, as a retired railway engineer who meets some children who help him put an old steam locomotive back into service. It's a kids' movie shot in English with some very odd touches, and is surely one of the strangest items in Rooney's voluminous filmography. There's a very rare (and now quite expensive) Canadian VHS of Emperor of Peru; if you don't own a copy, this is likely to be your only viewing option for the foreseeable future.
2:15 PM Sundance
Comrade in Dreams (2006 GER): Four folks enamored with the power of cinema speak to the camera in this quirky documentary from German filmmaker (and former projectionist) Uli Gauke. Though scattered across the globe — one is in North Korea, one in Wisconsin, one in Burkina Faso, and another in India — these folks have dedicated their lives to helping other people view films, and have gone the extra mile to provide such access. If you've ever wanted to watch a movie as part of a travelling tent show, it's time to move to India! For those bored with the sameness of the multiplex, this is an eye-opening trip to some extremely unusual venues.
9:00 PM Showtime 3
Farewell, My Lovely (1975 USA): This above average Raymond Chandler adaptation makes its widescreen television debut tonight. Robert Mitchum stars as private dick Philip Marlowe, a hardboiled womanizer who walks the mean streets of World War II-era Los Angeles in search of mysteries to solve and bottles of rye whiskey to empty. In this outing, Marlowe is hired by plug ugly Moose Malloy (former pugilist Jack O'Halloran) to find his lady love, who's disappeared whilst Moose spent seven years in the Big House. If you're at all familiar with Chandler in general or this story in particular, you know that there's nothing straightforward after that, and as with its 1944 predecessor (Edward Dmytryk's Murder My Sweet) it's easy to get lost in the details. My suggestion: sit back and relax, soak up the impressive period ambiance conjured up by art director Angelo Graham, and enjoy another quality Mitchum performance. A superior supporting cast, including John Ireland, Charlotte Rampling, Anthony Zerbe, Sylvia Miles, Harry Dean Stanton, Joe Spinell, noir writer Jim Thompson, and Sly Stallone provide added value.
11:00 PM Fox Movie Channel
Terror on the 40th Floor (1974 USA): Believe it or don't: this NBC movie of the week about a high-rise engulfed in flames actually played on the network two months before The Towering Inferno opened in theatres. Sadly, that doesn't make Terror on the 40th Floor the Inferno's better, or even its equal, as all the usual caveats regarding TV movies apply: lousy score (sorry, Vic Mizzy), cheapo production values, and an uninspired cast (though John Forsythe and Joseph Campanella do their best). Set during a Christmas Eve office party, this inferno is all wet.
Friday 01/16/09
7:00 PM Sundance
King of Ping Pong(2005 SWE): Think of ping pong, and you probably think of speed: the speed of the players, who always seem to move in a strange, coiled, swaying dance; and the speed of the ping pong ball, which flies back and forth at impressive velocity. Think King of Ping Pong, however, and you'll have to imagine a deliberately paced Swedish comedy-drama about an overweight table tennis coach. The coach is Rille (Jerry Johannson), who works at a local youth center and has long lived in the shadow of his athletic brother and father. Trouble soon arrives, however, when estranged Pa (Georgi Staykov) returns home to reclaim Ma (Ann-Sofie Nurmi) from boyfriend Vag-Gunnar (Frederik Nilsson). The film stumbles a bit as it takes on a heavier tone in the third act, but it's quite amiable and droll in a deeply Scandinavian way.
10:30 PM IFC
Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures (1976 BRA): Coffin Joe returns with further hallucinogenic (and existential) horrors in this typically bizarre series entry, which makes its American television premiere tonight. It's as illogical and bizarre as the Coffin Joe films that preceded it, but remains resolutely unavailable on home video, so fans definitely don't want to miss it. Just for a laugh, though, tell your porn-addicted younger brother to check out Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures — and then watch his jaw drop!
11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Terror of Tiny Town (1938 USA): For those of us who can only record one program at a time, here's the ultimate brain-bender: when you must choose either Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures or The Terror of Tiny Town, but not both, how on earth do you make a decision? I'm not sure how I'm going to make up my mind, but in case you're not familiar with THIS film, here's the low-down: it was the first (and so far last) all-midget western, and features an all-star cast of little people, including Billy Curtis and a heaping helping of other future Munchkins. There's not much to the plot — a rustler starts a feud between two neighboring ranching families — but you're tuning in for the Shetland ponies and the singing penguin rather than the brilliant writing, right? I guess I'll just flip a coin come Friday night.
Saturday 01/17/09
5:00 AM Fox Movie Channel
Change of Heart (1934 USA): Screen team Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, who appeared together in 12 films beginning with Frank Borzage's Seventh Heaven in 1927, bookended their coupling with this minor but still enjoyable Fox production. They play Catherine and Chris, who — along with pals Mack and Madge (James Dunn and Ginger Rogers) take their brand spanking new West Coast college degrees to New York City in search of work. Naturally, their dreams soon run aground on the treacherous shoals of the Great Depression: Catherine's writing career becomes a job mending clothes, and future lawyer Chris becomes desperately ill. It's soapy stuff for sure, but all four leads — especially Rogers — are excellent. Look for little Shirley Temple in a tiny, tiny role aboard a plane, and an uncredited James Gleason, seen selling hot dogs on Coney Island.
7:00 PM HBO
Be Kind Rewind (2008 USA): I'm the only person I know who loves this movie, so take the following with a large grain of salt. One of my ten favorite films of 2008, Be Kind Rewind takes place in an alternate universe Hoboken: one where it's still possible to find a video rental shop that, y'know, rents videos. It's here that shop employee Mike (Mos Def) must contend with trouble-making pal Jerry (Jack Black), who — in the least credible manner imaginable — manages to demagnetize every single tape in the building. This all happens whilst owner Elroy (Danny Glover) is away, so in an effort to pull the wool over the eyes of their INCREDIBLY gullible customers' eyes (including those of Mia Farrow), Mike and Jerry decide to "re-create" the movies in what they dub "Sweded" versions. You have to completely suspend your disbelief to buy the premise, and a tolerance for whimsy is helpful. If you enjoyed director Michel Gondry's Science of Sleep, however, you'll probably get some mileage out of Be Kind Rewind, which also airs at 10:00 PM and throughout the month.
Sunday 01/18/09
11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Le Million (1931 FRA): It's a musical. In French. From 1931. That doesn't sound terribly promising, but I remember Le Million as being vastly entertaining. I haven't seen it since catching it on a double bill at the late, lamented UC Theatre in downtown Berkeley, but I can still hum one of the songs from this film a quarter century after the fact! Director Rene Clair also made the equally fine A Nous La Liberte in 1931 before moving on to wartime Hollywood success with And Then There Were None and I Married a Witch.
Monday 01/19/09
3:45 AM IFC
Mon Oncle Antoine (1971 CAN): A fine French-Canadian coming of age drama, Mon Oncle Antoine takes place in Quebec circa the 1940s. Directed by Claude Jutra, the film tells the story of 15-year-old Benoit (Jacques Gagnon) and his family, who run a general store and funeral parlor. Benoit is your typical breast-obsessed lad, but one who is also innocent to the ways of the world, including the realities of adult relationships and the undertaking business. Set during a chilly Christmas season, Mon Oncle Antoine is considered one of the greatest Canadian films ever made. I'm not sure I'd go that far, but it IS better than many of the tax break cheapies produced north of the border over the last few decades. Also airs at 8:40 AM and 1:35 PM.
7:00 PM Sundance
The Unforeseen (2007 USA): Most of the eco-documentaries that air on Sundance are informative, earnest, serious — and not terribly interesting cinematically. This one's different. Directed by Laura Dunn, The Unforeseen is a visually impressive look at what careless development has wrought upon one community near Austin, Texas. It's the tragic story of an aquifer transformed from a crystal clear swimming spot into a grungy lake, and its all beautifully lensed by Dallas-born Lee Daniel, who also shot the excellent Roky Erickson doc You're Gonna Miss Me in 2005, as well as that ten-minute Barack Obama puff piece shown at the Democratic National Convention.