TiVoPlex
By John Seal
November 23, 2009
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Tuesday 11/24/09
7:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
Cast a Dark Shadow (1955 GB): Dirk Bogarde and Margaret Lockwood make a terrific screen team in this above average suspenser from director Lewis Gilbert. Bogarde portrays Edward "Teddy" Bare, an inveterate sponger married to frumpy wealthy widow Monica (Mona Washbourne). When Monica pops her clogs unexpectedly, lawyer Phillip Mortimer (Robert Flemyng) suspects foul play but can prove nothing — though Teddy's hurried remarriage to another moneyed woman (Lockwood) certainly looks a little suspicious. Bogarde is at his unctuous best, whilst Lockwood's BAFTA-nominated turn as clear-eyed Frieda is on par with Ann Savage's performance as Vera, the woman who's seen it all, in PRC's low budget noir classic Detour (1945). Beautifully shot by Jack Asher (Horror of Dracula), Cast a Dark Shadow may not pack the same wallop as that Edgar Ulmer miracle, but it certainly looks better!
6:45 PM Turner Classic Movies
Federal Man (1950 USA): T-men work to take down dope smugglers in this low–budget indie directed by western specialist Robert E. Tansey. Former child star William Henry plays Agent Sherrin, sent from Washington to investigate the murder of fellow government man Palmer (William Edwards) and snitch Tony Solano (Carlo Schipa). He's assigned to work with friendly neighbourhood narco agent Charles Stuart (reliable "B" actor Robert Shayne), and is soon on the trail of the assassins in exotic and dangerous Tijuana. Also released as Narcotic Squad, and featuring Lyle Talbot and the recently deceased Pamela Blake in its solid if unspectacular supporting cast, Federal Man is a blunt instrument with a brutal message: kids, stay away from drugs! Drugs will kill you!
Wednesday 11/25/09
4:15 PM The Movie Channel
I Witness (2003 USA): A surprisingly decent corporate thriller, I Witness airs in widescreen this afternoon and evening on The Movie Channel. Jeff Daniels is excellent as Rhodes, a human rights activist trying to uncover the truth about a mining accident in Mexico that has left dozens of workers dead. He's opposed by a less than forthright diplomat (James Spader) and corrupt local law enforcement, but starts to make headway when good cop Castillo (ethnic everyman Clifton Collins Jr.) and corporate spokesperson Emily Thompson (Portia de Rossi) begin to see the light. There's nothing terribly new or daring about I Witness, but it's refreshing to see a low budget action film with a social conscience. Also airs at 7:15 PM.
5:00 PM HBO
The Jazz Baroness (2009 GB): I haven't seen this BBC documentary yet, but it sounds pretty interesting — even for those of us who aren't terribly interested in jazz. The film examines the life of Baroness Panonnica Rothschild de Koenigswarter, who left behind her comfortable life as one of the landed gentry and moved to New York in 1951 in search of the lost jazz chord, as personified by Thelonius Monk. Online synopses of The Jazz Baroness suggest she got a lot more than she bargained for! Also airs at 8:00 PM.
7:30 PM Sundance
White Night Wedding (2008 ICE): No Billy Idol or Dan White here, I'm afraid. Instead, White Night Wedding is an Icelandic comedy-drama based on a play by Anton Chekov. Hilmar Snaer Guonason stars as university prof Jon, a divorced older man planning to marry former student Thora (Laufey Eliasdottir). As the big day approaches, Jon begins to wonder if he's not about to make a huge mistake, and spends the night before in a welter of alcohol and self-incrimination. Though it's not as good as director Baltasar Kormakur's earlier rom-com 101 Reykjavik, White Night Wedding was a huge hit at home, captured seven Edda Awards, and was Iceland's official entry in 2008's Best Foreign Film Academy Award race. It airs again 11/30 at 9:20 PM.
Thursday 11/26/09
2:00 AM Showtime 3
The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008 GER): In and out of American art-houses in the blink of an eye, this controversial German feature makes its small screen debut this morning. Directed by Uli Edel (whose journey from Christiane F. to The Little Vampire is one of the most unlikely in film history), it's the story of The Red Army Faction, Germany's radical urban guerrilla movement of the early 1970s. Led by Ulrike Meinhof (Martina Gedeck) and Andreas Baader (Moritz Bleibtreu), the RAF bombed, kidnapped, and assassinated their way through the decade, striking fear into the shrivelled hearts of heartless capitalists and greedy oligarchs throughout the Bundesrepublik. Bruno Ganz co-stars as the policeman in charge of bringing an end to their reign of terror and Johanna Wokalek scores points as Baader moll Gudrun Ensslin. The Baader Meinhof Complex was accused by some critics of glamorizing "terrorists"; I disagree, but understand that Edel's comfort level with elements of exploitation cinema could lead to such a (mis) interpretation. Perhaps it's time to watch Christiane F. again...
Friday 11/27/09
3:30 AM IFC
Last Days (2005 USA): It's definitely not for everyone, but Gus Van Sant's anti-biographical depiction of the last days of a rock star – "Blake", a not-terribly-well-disguised stand-in for the late Kurt Cobain - is a strangely mesmerizing and eerie look at one man's appetite for self-destruction, and the willingness of all around him to overlook same. Michael Pitt is simply awesome as the lank-haired rocker, who wanders aimlessly around his rural mansion, occasionally picks up a guitar for some spirited noodling, and almost gets talked into buying an ad in the Yellow Pages by a very convincing salesman (Thaddeus Thomas). In the meantime, his band-mates, lovers, and assorted hangers-on enjoy the trappings of Blake's success whilst blithely ignoring the man himself. I run hot and cold on Van Sant - I found his prior film, Elephant, far too cold and clinical - but his shtick works very effectively in Last Days, even though he succumbs as always to the temptation to stick in a gratuitous gay sex scene. Also airs at 9:00 AM.
11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Psychomania (1973 GB): How many times did I watch Psychomania as a child? Too many times to tell. It seemed like this British horror film was on KTTV 11 at least once a month, and I never failed to miss it. Nicky Henson stars as Tom, the leader of a group of motorsickle enthusiasts known as The Living Dead, the second toughest gang of British bikers ever (the first, of course, being Hell's Grannies). The Living Dead enjoy long drives in the moonlight and cavorting with the Devil, who convinces them to kill themselves in exchange for an eternal afterlife of biking, boozing, and bonking. It's a really strange and oddly low-key film, featuring George Sanders (in his last screen role), Bill Pertwee, Beryl Reid, Robert Hardy, and a memorable post-psychedelic score by John Cameron. If you haven't seen Psychomania at least once, you haven't lived. Or died.
Saturday 11/28/09
5:00 PM HBO
The Wrestler (2008 USA): One of the best films of 2008 makes its television debut this evening. Mickey Rourke delivers a powerhouse performance as washed up wrestler Randy, who finds his efforts to transition back to civilian life and a regular day job at the local butcher's quite the challenge. On top of that, he's also trying to reconnect with estranged daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood), who has serious abandonment issues and doesn't exactly relish the prospect of getting to know Dad. Directed by Darren Aronofsky, The Wrestler features amazing and bloody recreations of squared circle action, but the focus always remains on Randy's personal struggles, rendering this one of the best character studies of recent vintage. Also airs at 8:00 PM.
7:00 PM Sundance
Hunger (2008 GB): Written and directed by Steve McQueen — NO, not the dead one, the alive one from London — Hunger is a biopic about IRA soldier Bobby Sands and the hunger strike he engaged in whilst being held in Belfast's notorious Maze prison in the early 1980s. Unfortunately, I missed Hunger during its theatrical run last year, but it received near universal plaudits from critics, not least for Michael Fassbender's performance as Sands. Judging from the consensus, it's gruelling but extremely worthwhile stuff.
Sunday 11/29/09
1:50 PM IFC
Evelyn (2002 GER-IRE-USA-GB-HOL): Pierce Brosnan stars in this rather soppy drama from director Bruce Beresford. Brosnan plays Desmond Doyle, an Irish everyman circa 1953 who loses custody of his children when his wife leaves him. Determined to get his kids back, Doyle does the impossible: he takes on the combined might of the Irish government and the Catholic Church, and litigates. This extremely old-fashioned film will bring a tear to your eye whilst it tugs at your calcified heart-strings, but Brosnan (who co-produced) is very good and admirers of the actor should overlook the film's extremely manipulative screenplay.
9:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Battle of the Sexes (1928 USA): One of the few comedies directed by cinema pioneer D. W. Griffith, Battle of the Sexes features Jean Hersholt as Bill Judson, the hapless target of gold-digging Jazz Age flapper Marie (Phyllis Haver). Judson, a middle-aged tycoon looking for kicks he can't find at home, leaves his wife and two kiddies in favor of the fun-loving Marie, but will he find true happiness, as well? Like most Griffith' features, there's a moral to be learned from this silent saga, though it's not as heavy-handed as Intolerance or Hearts of the World, and also reflects the more open attitudes of the Roaring ‘20s.
Monday 11/30/09
5:00 PM IFC
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (2005 GB): This acclaimed meta-movie about the filming of Laurence Sterne's "unfilmable" novel Tristram Shandy, which famously takes 600 plus pages to go exactly nowhere (or everywhere, depending upon your perspective), returns to IFC tonight. Coogan plays both himself and the title character of the film within a film, which also features Rob Brydon and Gillian Anderson in double roles as well as Jeremy Northam as the director of Tristram Shandy (the "fake" one, not the "real" one you're watching on IFC tonight). It's all rather post-modern and very, very cheeky in the understated British style, but I love it. Also airs at 10:30 PM.