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Saturday 12/15/07

12:45am Turner Classic Movies
The Legend of Billie Jean (1985 USA): TCM had originally scheduled Derek Jarman's Jubilee (1978) in this time slot, but something's changed and we get this long-forgotten action flick in its stead. As much as I would have loved to acknowledge what would have been Jubilee's American television premiere, it's widely available on DVD as part of The Criterion Collection, so I can't admit to too much disappointment at its being replaced by a film that's been unavailable on home video for donkeys' years. The Legend of Billie Jean stars Helen Slater, fresh off her portrayal of Supergirl in the 1984 film of the same name, as Billie Jean Davy, a Corpus Christi, Texas teen who hits the road with her brother Binx (unrelated Christian Slater in his first big-screen role) after the two find themselves on the wrong side of the law after an unfortunate incident with a gun. Along for the ride are pals Ophelia (Martha Gehman) and Putter (a pre-Lisa Simpson Yeardley Smith), and the fearsome foursome are soon winning big-time respect from teens nationwide whilst driving their parents round the bend. It's sorta like Vanishing Point, only with worse hair, or Thelma and Louise with a guy.

Sunday 12/16/07

2:30am Cinemax
The Lodger (1944 USA): It's no more accurate than any of the dozens of other Jack the Ripper flicks churned out over the years, but The Lodger doesn't pretend to be more than it is: a solidly-made B feature. Director John Brahm manages to achieve a suitably murky atmosphere whilst featuring arguably the finest cinematic Jack in the shape of Laird Cregar, who also worked with Brahm on the equally memorable Hangover Square the following year. Expertly shot on the Fox backlot, this film doesn't aspire to be historically correct, like the dreadful From Hell (2001), instead concentrating on the mythic angles of the eternally fascinating Ripper story.

6:30am Sundance
Zero Degrees of Separation (2005 CAN): The life of a Palestinian in Israel can't be any easy one. Now imagine being a gay Palestinian in Israel. Now imagine being a gay or lesbian Palestinian in Israel in a long-term relationship with an Israeli Jew. That's the set-up for this eye-opening documentary, which examines the ethnic, religious, political, and sexual fault lines running beneath the Jewish State. Written and directed by Israeli filmmaker Elle Flanders, Zero Degrees of Separation is an angry film that doesn't hide its sympathy for the Palestinian cause, so ardent Zionists will want to give this one a miss.

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