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Friday 8/06/10

9:00 PM Sundance
Monster (2003 USA): Charlize Theron gives the performance of a lifetime in this outstanding biopic about serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Theron, who would later deliver one of the most embarrassing suck up to my agent and my lawyer thank you speeches of all time for this Oscar-winning turn, is breathtaking (not to mention unrecognizable) as Wuornos, a part-time prostitute who got tired of being beaten up by johns and decided to do something about it. Seven dead dudes later, Wuornos was arrested, sentenced to death, and subsequently executed in 2002. Directed by Patty Jenkins (who, sadly, hasn’t done much since), Monster also features outstanding performances from Christina Ricci as Aileen’s lover Selby and Bruce Dern as un-murdered male chum Thomas.

Saturday 8/07/10

9:00 PM Sundance
Tazza: The High Rollers (2006 KOR): As sad as I am about the Bowery Boys absence on Saturday mornings, it looks like we’re getting a new season of Asia Extreme on Sundance, albeit on Saturday rather than Sunday nights. Kicking things off is this South Korean thriller about gambling. I haven’t seen it yet, but reviews were generally positive, and co-star Hye-su Kim was excellent in 2005’s The Red Shoes. Of course, I’d be checking it out even if the reviews were bad and Kim was a worse actor than Joe Namath. That’s how I roll.

Sunday 8/08/10

8:30 AM Fox Movie Channel
Woman Obsessed (1959 USA): A decent (if overly ruminative) character study helmed by the under appreciated Henry Hathaway, Woman Obsessed stars Susan Hayward as Mary, a weary widow weepily trying to keep the family farm a going concern. She hires jack-of-all-trades beefcake Fred (Stephen Boyd) to help around the homestead, and sure enough, the two make doe eyes at each other and end up tying the knot. Fred, however, is the tightly wound sort and doesn’t get along too well with stepson Robbie (Dennis Holmes), and expresses his distress by punishing Mary in unspeakable fashion. Woman Obsessed is pretty standard fifties melodramatic fare, but Hayward was always good in this type of role, and the film makes a rare widescreen appearance tonight. Arthur Franz, fresh off 1958’s Monster on the Campus, plays unlucky hubby number one.

5:30 PM IFC
Slayground (1984 GB): Peter Coyote in a slasher flick?!? Well…sorta. Coyote plays Stone, a taciturn criminal who robs an armored car and kills an innocent passer-by whilst making his escape. Alas, this unfortunate accident causes said innocent’s father (Morons From Outer Space’s Mel Smith, oddly enough) to go completely around the bend. Dad hires a killer to track down and eliminate Stone…but Stone is a resourceful sort, and the killer ends up killing a bunch of other innocent people who get in the way. Two wrongs do make a right, apparently, or director Terry Bedford and writer Trevor Preston were convinced they were making a heavy, heavy monster statement with their film. Regardless, this completely bizarre feature was shot in New York and England: specifically, in my original home town of Southport (20 miles north of my birthplace, Liverpool) and Blackpool.

8:45 PM Showtime Extreme
Transsiberian (2008 USA): Not sure I’m buying this, but the program guide indicates this will be a letterboxed airing of Transsiberian. If that’s the case, it’s a must-see, but if not, it’s still a good thriller about mysterious goings on aboard a train in the middle of nowhere. Woody Harrelson, Ben Kingsley, and Emily Mortimer headline.

Monday 8/09/10

8:00 PM Starz
Capitalism: A Love Story (2009 USA): Michael Moore’s most recent screed is perhaps his best yet. Setting his sights on the crony capitalism that has all but destroyed the economic bedrock of the United States, the film continues a welcome Moore trend: there are fewer pranks then in the past, though chuckles are duly provoked by those that remain (the crime scene tape is a classic). As in most Michael Moore features, the focus tends to wander, but Capitalism: A Love Story is still a powerful broadside. Also airs at 11:00 PM.

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