TiVoPlex
TiVoPlex for July 13 2010 through July 19 2010
By John Seal
July 12, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Tuesday 7/13/10
10:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Smile (1975 USA): This marvelous comedy/drama stars Bruce Dern and Barbara "Agent 99" Feldon as beauty pageant organizers desperate to put on a good show regardless of the turmoil in their private lives. Feldon’s marriage is on the rocks, and Dern’s son is an amateur pornographer whose hobby has the potential to damage his father’s All-American reputation. Filmed in Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite American small town, Santa Rosa, California, and directed by the erratic but talented Michael Ritchie, Smile is a perceptive and very funny look at the mores of middle America circa 1975. Look for an 18-year-old Melanie Griffith in a supporting role.
Wednesday 7/14/10
2:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Convoy (1978 USA): It’s singalong time in the TiVoPlex!
Coz we got a great big convoy rockin' thru the night
Yeah we got a great big convoy aint she a beautiful sight
Come on and join our convoy aint nothin' gonna get in our way
We gonna roll this truckin' convoy across the USA
Convoy
Has a good movie ever been adapted from a popular song—especially one featuring the word ‘truckin’ in it? I can’t think of any, and Convoy is certainly no exception. Perhaps the most embarrassing entry in director Sam Peckinpah’s filmography, it’s basically a heavily padded two-hour version of the C. W. McCall tune, which somehow managed to convey its message in a mere two minutes. Kris Kristoffersson stars as Rubber Duck, Ernest Borgnine plays wet blanket lawman Cottonmouth Wallace, Ali Macgraw is bland love interest Melissa, and Burt Young is perfectly cast as Pigpen (the trucker, not the Grateful Dead dude). The good news? Convoy is a little better than its cousin Breaker! Breaker!, and is making its widescreen television debut this morning, allowing you to enjoy those sweeping highway vistas in all their 2.35:1 glory.
6:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
Gun Crazy (1950 USA): Joseph H. Lewis’ legendary film noir returns to the small screen this evening. John Dall, fresh off his appearance in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope, stars as Bart Tare, a firearms-mad army vet who falls for sharp-shooting carny gal Annie (Welsh actress Peggy Cummins). The two soon tie the knot, but Annie isn’t happy with her standard of living and convinces Bart that they can supplement their income with the occasional stick-up. The couple soon learn, however, that crime does not pay, and are pursued to the ends of the Earth (or at least the nearby mountains) by Deputy Sheriff Boston (Harry Lewis). In all honesty, I don’t think Gun Crazy quite lives up to its reputation—the story is just a tad too routine—but it’s a visually impressive feature, thanks primarily to cinematographer Russell Harlan. Claustrophobia never felt so good!
9:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Cry of the Hunted (1953 USA): Here’s a far more obscure feature from Mr. Lewis, and one I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing before. It’s a crime drama about a fugitive (Vittorio Gassmann, during his brief American sojourn and equally brief marriage to Shelley Winters) on the run from justice (Barry Sullivan) in the bayous of Louisiana. Produced, surprisingly, by MGM, the film also features Polly Bergen and William Conrad. At the very least, it’ll provide interesting contrast with Gun Crazy.
11:25 PM HBO Signature
Carne Tremula (1997 ESP): I’m not a big Pedro Almodovar fan by any means, but this film—titled in English, Live Flesh—doesn’t get much exposure on American television, so I’ll give it a mention. Javier Bardem stars as a basketball-playing paraplegic whose wife (Francesca Neri) is now having a fling with the man (Liberto Rabal) whose gun crippled Javier in the first place. It’s kinda like a weird blend of Inside Moves, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and Murderball. If that sounds like something you’d enjoy, don’t miss it—especially as HBO Signature tends to show its Spanish-language features in their correct aspect ratios.
Thursday 7/15/10
7:35 AM The Movie Channel
Made in Jamaica (2006 FRA): With apologies to Arthur Conley and Otis Redding, do you like good music (yeah yeah)? Sweet reggae music (yeah yeah)? If your answer to either question is yes, this reggae-mentary should be number one on your hit parade this week. Made in Jamaica wisely doesn’t attempt to do too much—the history of Jamaican music deserves much more than a single two-hour film—but instead concentrates on live performances by artists old and not so old in and around the capital city of Kingston. Amongst the highlights (for me at least) are Gregory Isaacs and Bunny Wailer, whilst the younger generation are represented by Capleton and Elephant Man. Also on hand: the great Beres Hammond, Toots and the Maytals, and Sly and Robbie. Not a ras clot in the bunch! Also airs at 10:35 AM and on 7/16 at 1:00 AM and 4:00 AM.
5:00 PM Showtime
Bigger, Stronger, Faster* (2008 USA): This outstanding documentary takes a look at the overcompetitive nature of American society, as seen through the eyes of the ripped and buffed athletes who ‘enhance’ their performance with a helping hand from modern chemistry. The film focuses on the Bell Brothers, a trio of siblings who have all been on the juice at one time or another. There’s director Chris, who’s hung up his hypodermic in favor of a movie camera; former pro-wrestler Mike (aka Mad Dog), who’s still hoping to make a comeback with a little help from the clear and the cream; and Mike (aka Smelly), who’s promised the little woman he’ll go cold turkey as soon as he successfully lifts that 700 pound dumbbell over his head. Which is worse—using drugs to gain an edge, or being a 97-pound weakling? Tune in to learn the painful truth. Also airs at 8:00 PM.
5:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Better Off Dead (1985 USA): A night of eighties teen angst flicks kicks off with Better Off Dead, a decent if unspectacular John Cusack vehicle making its widescreen television debut this evening. Cusack (only 19 at the time) stars as Lane Meyer, a poor schlep who loses best girl Beth (Amanda Wyss) to king of the ski slopes Ron (Aaron Dozier). Distraught Lane decides to do himself in—but finds suicide is not only not painless, it’s also not as easy as it appears at first blush. Luckily, love reappears in the shape of French exchange student Monique Junot ( a not very convincing Diane Franklin). Co-starring David Ogden Stiers and Kim Darby as Mom and Dad Meyer and Vincent Schiavelli as a teacher, Better Off Dead will primarily appeal to Cusack junkies and Reagan Era nostalgists. It’s followed at 7:00 PM by the superior John Hughes flick Sixteen Candles (1984), in which peak period Molly Ringwald plays a high schooler suffering through a traumatic sweet sixteenth; and at 10:00 PM by the stone-cold classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), for which no comment is necessary.
Friday 7/16/10
1:30 AM Starz
Black Dynamite (2009 USA): Last year’s funniest—and perhaps most profane—comedy makes its small screen debut in the wee, wee hours of this morning. Written and directed by Scott Sanders, this parodic love letter to the black action films of the 1970s manages to bring fresh life to a genre previously explored by such comedies as I’m Gonna Git You Sucka (1988). Michael Jai White stars as Black Dynamite, a hypermasculine chap who’s determined to stick it to those who’ve been flooding the streets with heroin, prostitutes, and really, really bad malt liquor that can rob a brother of his, shall we say, tumescence. Shot on film stock that looks like it’s been soaking in vinegar for the last thirty years and featuring a funktastic score courtesy Adrian Younge, Black Dynamite co-stars Arsenio Hall (excellent as gangster Tasty Freeze), Tommy Davidson, and former Lounge Lizard Richard Edson. Also airs at 4:30 AM.
7:15 AM Turner Classic Movies
Cry Wolf (1947 USA): I’m a little surprised I haven’t written about this one in the past, but there’s only so much space in any given column and only so much room on any given DVD recorder. Cry Wolf stars Barbara Stanwyck as Sandra, a mysterious woman who drops by the estate of moneyed Mark Caldwell (Errol Flynn) in search of the inheritance supposedly left to her by Caldwell’s nephew James (Richard Basehart). Whilst the search for a will gets underway, Sandra is invited to stay, befriending James’ younger sister Julie (Geraldine Brooks) in the process—and learning that something rather strange seems to be going on in that locked wing of the Caldwell estate. Cry Wolf doesn’t always work—the writing is not terribly good, the plot machinations far from entirely believable—but the excellent cast makes up for a lot. Also on hand: perennial smoothie Jerome Cowan as Errol’s glad-handing politician brother Charles.
Saturday 7/17/10
7:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
Triple Trouble (1950 USA): The Bowery Boys get stitched up by gangsters in Triple Trouble, the nineteenth film in the series. After Slip, Sach, Whitey and the rest witness a robbery, they’re arrested on suspicion—and Slip and Sach end up doing time in the Big House, where they hope to track down the parties responsible for the crime. Look for former matinee idol Lyle Talbot in an uncredited bit part as a prison guard.
Sunday 7/18/10
12:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
Outpost in Morocco (1951 USA): Sorry for relying so heavily on TCM for material this week, but sometimes they’re the only game in town. We’ll conclude this salute to our favorite channel with brief acknowledgment of this rather ordinary adventure flick, which at the very least is worth a look for a surprisingly good cast and location photography. Independently produced but released by United Artists, Outpost in Morocco stars George Raft as Paul Gerard, a French Foreign Legion captain escorting beautiful and exotic Emir’s daughter Cara (dark and dangerous Marie Windsor) back to Dad’s mountain redoubt. As a side benefit, Gerard is hoping to learn about the Emir’s (Eduard Franz) secret plans—but rebellion is brewing amongst the local tribes, and he soon has his hands full keeping the natives under control. Co-starring John Litel and Akim Tamiroff, the film was partly shot on location in Morocco, which certainly improves its verisimilitude.
Monday 7/19/10
9:00 PM IFC
After Dark, My Sweet (1991 USA): A neo-noir based on a novel by the great Jim Thompson (and if you haven’t checked out Michael Winterbottom’s recent adaptation of Thompson’s greatest work, The Killer Inside Me, make hence forthwith to your nearest arthouse), After Dark My Sweet stars Jason Patric as a boxer with problems. Kevin ‘Kid’ Collins has just done a runner from the loony bin, and is now shacking up with widow Fay Anderson (Rachel Ward), who’s taken him in not so much out of generosity as out of neediness. Fay wants a drinking companion, a warm body, and an assistant for Uncle Bud (Bruce Dern), a former cop who’s cooked up a hare-brained scheme to kidnap the child of a moneyed local family. Nope, things don’t work out too well for all concerned. Directed by James Foley (Glengarry Glen Ross), After Dark My Sweet appears on television tonight for the first time in its correct aspect ratio.