TiVoPlex
By John Seal
November 19, 2012
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Tuesday 11/20/12
4:40 AM Starz
Chasing Madoff (2010 USA-CAN): Chasing Amy this ain’t. Madoff, of course, is Bernie Madoff, the Ponzi scheme specialist who bilked thousands of Americans out of billions of dollars a few years ago, and is now spending time behind bars in a federal prison. But hey, it’s not all bad news...not only does he find prison life quite amenable (“it's much safer here than walking the streets of New York," he wrote to his daughter), now he even has his own movie! To be fair, though, this is as much a movie about the SEC’s unwillingness for many years to pursue a case against Bernie, and the dogged determination of a fraud investigator named Harry Markopolis, as it is about the king of the pyramid scheme. It’s not often that you can call a documentary taut and exciting, but that’s exactly what Chasing Madoff is. Also airs at 7:40 AM.
6:30 AM Fox Movie Channel
The Terrorists (1975 GB): Sean Connery plays a Scandinavian police officer negotiating his way through a tricky hostage situation in this odd but suspenseful thriller. Originally released as Ransom, the film follows the exploits of by-the-books copper Nils Tahlvik (Connery) after a plane is hijacked by international super-terrorist Ray Petrie (Ian McShane). Filmed on location in Norway and at Shepperton Studios, the film has the strange feel of a dubbed international co-production, but seems to have been shot in English by Finnish expat director Caspar Wrede. Previously seen on television in pan-and-scan, Fox now airs The Terrorists in its original aspect ratio.
Wednesday 11/21/12
3:00 AM Fox Movie Channel
Down to Earth (1932 USA): Will Rogers was a huge star in the 1930s, but this is one of his lesser known outings. The title, of course, reflects Rogers’ personality (or at least the public’s perception of it), and he’s cast here as Pike Peters, a wealthy Oklahoman living high on the hog until the Great Depression starts to catch up with him and his family. It’s a sequel to an earlier film I’ve never seen (1929’s They Had to See Paris) and is reminiscent of another "moneyed family fallen on hard times" comedy, Down to Their Last Yacht (1934).
11:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
Wise Blood (1979 USA): I'm not the biggest fan of this late-period John Huston flick, but I do like me some Flannery O'Connor. Adapted from O’Connor’s novel of the same name, Wise Blood stars Brad Dourif as Hazel Motes, a lad raised in the fire-and-brimstone American South by his fundamentalist grandfather (Huston). After returning from World War II duty, Hazel trades in his Army uniform for pastor's gear and becomes a traveling evangelist, eager to decry the cant and hypocrisy of his fellow man (and his kinfolk) via the newly established Church of Christ Without Christ. Grim, uncompromising, darkly comic, and laden with Southern Gothic imagery, Wise Blood is a hard slog at times and far from your average popcorn flick, but worth a look for Dourif's bravura performance, which, incidentally, I can't help but think informed that of Paul Dano in P.T. Anderson's There Will Be Blood. Watch Wise Blood tonight and let me know what you think.
Thursday 11/22/12
1:00 AM Sundance
Inspector Bellamy (2009 FRA): Gerard Depardieu - or as I prefer to think of him, Ol’ Potato Nose - headlines this enjoyable French police procedural. The man with the massive proboscis plays the title character, a copper whose work intrudes on his holiday when he and wife Francoise (Marie Bunel) find themselves being followed by a mysterious stranger. The stalker is Gentil (Jacques Gamblin), who has murdered a man named Leullet and...well, the less you know about the plot the better, really. The last film directed by Claude Chabrol before his death in 2010, Inspector Bellamy is unlikely to tax your brain cells too much, but is an enjoyable enough shaggy dog tale anchored by Depardieu’s unfeasibly large schnozzola.
7:35 AM Encore Dramatic Stories
Bridge of Time (1997 USA-CAN): Normally I wouldn’t lower myself quite this far, but it’s a pretty thin week in the TiVoPlex, so Bridge of Time gets a mention. Inspired by Lost Horizon, this made for TV movie stars Susan Dey as Madeleine Armstrong, an NGO worker who finds herself lined up to inherit the throne of a local guru after her plane crashes in a remote region of Africa. Foolishly believing her aid work is more important than her predetermined destiny, Madeleine leaves the secret city - only to regret her decision and come to terms with her future as a spiritual leader. Bridge of Time is as goofy as it sounds, but there’s precious little to enjoy here beyond a small role for Cicely Tyson and some decent photography. Director Jorge Montesi went on to direct some episodes of The Chris Isaak Show, which I guess is something he can be proud of.
Friday 11/23/12
11:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
The Tempest (1979 GB): Fans of bad boy director Derek Jarman will be thrilled at the opportunity to see his version of Shakespeare’s greatest play (well, in my humble opinion, at least) on TCM tonight. Bard traditionalists may wish to approach with caution, however, as this is (not unsurprisingly) a somewhat less than, ahem, straightforward take on the story. Shot at scenic Stoneleigh Abbey in Warwickshire, the film reimagines The Tempest as a homoerotic romp with punk overtones (primarily courtesy Toyah Wilcox, here cast as Miranda). The superb cast also includes Peter Bull, Heathcote Williams, and unforgettable 75-year-old American singer Elisabeth Welch, whose version of Stormy Weather brings the film to its unanticipated campy conclusion. Not to be missed (unless you’re a hidebound stick-in-the-mud), The Tempest is followed at 1:00 AM by Derek (2008), an excellent Tilda Swinton-narrated documentary tribute to Jarman’s work.
Sunday 11/25/12
1:00 AM Sundance
Shadows in the Palace (2007 ROK): If you enjoyed Tsui Hark’s Detective Dee and the Blue Flame, you may get similar mileage from this Korean mystery set during the Chosun period (that’s 1392 – 1897 for us ignorant westerners). Written and directed by Mi-Jung Kim, the film stars Jin-Rhie Park as Chun-Ryun, a nurse who suspects that a death reported as suicide was more likely a case of murder. A blend of frock flick, palace intrigue and mystery tropes, Shadows in the Palace is a bit low on thrills, but excellent writing and a fine (and predominantly female) cast will keep you watching and guessing.
6:30 AM Fox Movie Channel
License to Drive (1988 USA): You know I’m digging deep this week when I’m recommending Corey Haim films simply because they’re airing in widescreen. In License to Drive, Corey plays Les, a typical suburban teen desperate to get his driver’s license as soon as possible so he can drive himself to parties and get into alcohol-related accidents. Alas, even the written test is a struggle for poor Les, but is he downhearted? No, he is not, especially after aptly named dream queen Mercedes (Heather Graham) invites him out - as long as he can provide the transportation. Eh, who needs a license? As far as teen fodder goes, they come a lot worse than License to Drive, so it’s a passable time killer. Added bonus: the presence of "second Corey" Corey Feldman as Les’s buddy Dean.
9:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Feu Mathias Pascal (1926 FRA): Every now and then I discover another gaping hole in my film knowledge. Case in point: Feu Mathias Pascal, a film that I’ve never heard of, directed by Marcel L’Herbier, a filmmaker I’ve never heard of. From 1919 until 1975, the man directed over 50 films, and not only have I seen none of them, I hadn’t even heard of any of them, either. The more you learn, the less you know, I guess...or perhaps, the more you learn, the more you discover remains to be learned. Anyway, I have no idea if this is a good film or not, but I’m going to trust in the judgment of the TCM programmers and give this two thumbs up. Silent French cinema is hard to come by in the best of circumstances, and as far as I can tell Feu Mathias Pascal isn’t on DVD, so be sure to check it out.
Monday 11/26/12
Midnight Turner Classic Movies
L’Atalante (1934 FRA): Jean Vigo’s classic L’Atalante, on the other hand, has been a firm John Seal favorite ever since I first saw it on a double bill with Zero de Conduit back in the early ‘80s. Jean Daste and Dita Parlo star as Jean and Juliette, working-class lovebirds who make their home aboard a barge steaming between Le Havre and Paris. But they’re not alone: traveling with them are a cabin boy, half a dozen cats, and Jean’s elderly friend Jules (Michel Simon), whose surly presence makes Juliette a little uncomfortable. Squabbles and misunderstandings lead to separation, and it’s up to Jules to bring the couple back together. Produced in the dead of winter whilst the 29-year-old Vigo was dying of tuberculosis (he would succumb shortly after completing the film), L’Atalante is rightly regarded as one of the crown jewels of French cinema, and inspired Francois Truffaut to pick up a movie camera. It’s one of the most beautiful and moving films you’ll ever see.