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Friday 06/13/08

1:30 AM Showtime
Dear Francis (2006 USA): Depressing doc alert! Dear Francis examines conditions in the South African kingdom of Swaziland, where an estimated 40% of the population are HIV positive thanks in part to social and sexual mores that contribute to the spread of the virus. The film also takes a look at the efforts of do-gooder American college students Lance and Kelly, who have come to Africa with big dreams of helping the less fortunate. Adopting the third person persona of 'Francis', Lance and Kelly encourage local children to write letters expressing their fears and concerns, and discover that education about abstinence and safe sex may not be enough to stem the epidemic. The film heart-wrenchingly portrays both the hardscrabble lives of Swazi natives and the callow foolishness of innocents abroad, and airs again at 4:30 AM.

11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Machine Gun McCain (1968 ITA): This made-in-Italy gangster flick made very few waves in America, though its Ennio Morricone soundtrack was widely bootlegged here for years. Machine Gun McCain stars John Cassavetes as Hank McCain, a mobster newly freed from prison after serving a 12-year sentence for armed robbery. Hank hasn't learned his lesson, however, and soon hooks up with bad girl Irene (Britt Ekland) to launch a daring raid on a Las Vegas casino. Alas, the casino happens to be the property of the Mafia, whose made men are soon on Hank and Irene's trail just in time for a bloody finale. Co-starring frequent Cassavetes collaborators Peter Falk and Gena Rowlands, Machine Gun McCain does feature that excellent Morricone score, but unfortunately airs tonight in pan and scan.

Saturday 06/14/08

7:00 PM Cinemax
Blades of Glory (2007 USA): Not the usual sort of thing I recommend in the TiVoPlex, Blades of Glory gets a quick mention because a)it's genuinely funny, b)Jon Heder and Will Ferrell are a great screen team, and c)it eschews the homophobic humor that only a few years ago would have been the hallmark of a film about male ice skaters. That alone elevates it above the usual run of the mill Hollywood fodder. Also airs at 10:00 PM and throughout the month.

9:00 PM Sundance
Tropical Malady (2004 THA): This magical-realist feature came under fire from Thai censors upon its release, primarily because of its gay-friendly theme. Considering director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's previous effort had been a comedy about transvestism entitled The Adventures of Iron Pussy (which I really must see at some point), they shouldn't have been too surprised. The film, which posits a love triangle between a soldier, a country boy, and a troublesome inhabitant of the spirit world, inspired catcalls and walkouts when it played at Cannes in 2005, but is in my opinion a heady and worthwhile blend of myth-making and narrative experimentation. Your mileage will most assuredly vary.

Sunday 06/15/08

5:00 AM IFC
Yotsuya Kaidan, Parts 1 & 2 (1949 JAP): One of the first films completed in post-war Japan, Yotsuya Kaidan is one of many screen adaptations of the popular 19th century play of the same name. Ostensibly a ghost story, the film portrays the murder of a woman (Ugetsu's Kinuyo Tanaka) by her husband (Ken Uehara, best known to Americans for his appearances in Mothra and Atragon), who proceeds to believe himself haunted by her vengeful spirit. It's closer to Repusion than Kwaidan, however, and has precious few thrills for fans of the supernatural. Neither film is available on home video, however, rendering them essential material for your hard drive.

11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Chichi Ariki (1942 JAP): An incredible week for Asian and Asian-themed films concludes with this extremely rare feature about the daily struggles of a Japanese schoolteacher. Directed by Yasujiro Ozu, whose later films Tokyo Story and Floating Weeds would expand on the melancholy tones of Chichi Ariki, the film features future Tora-San star Chishu Ryu as Horikawa, a poverty stricken widower trying to make ends meet whilst raising his son in rural Japan. Unable to earn a decent living, Horikawa is forced to leave his son for a more lucrative position in Tokyo, which will pay the bills but leave an aching chasm in his heart. This is a classic Ozu theme, and though it's somewhat clumsily and lazily shot, still a worthwhile addition to your video library.

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