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2:35 PM IFC
A Flash of Green (1984 USA): A drama with an eco-twist, A Flash of Green makes its widescreen television debut this evening. Based on a novel by John D. MacDonald and directed by Victor Nunez (Ulee’s Gold), the film stars granite-jawed Ed Harris as Jimmy Wing, a Florida newspaper reporter who gets a tip that local developer Elmo Bliss (Richard Jordan) rather fancies the idea of asphalting a nearby nature preserve. Jimmy passes the news along to tree-hugger Kat Hubble (Blair Brown), but when Bliss tries to grease Jimmy’s palm to keep the story under wraps the journo finds the temptation hard to resist. He could use the money to care for his dying wife…what WILL Jimmy do? Long unavailable on home video, this American Playhouse production was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance ‘85.

Friday 10/15/10

6:30 AM Sundance
Father of My Children (2009 FRA): A quintessentially French relationship drama and character study, Father of My Children features the delightfully monickered Louis-Do de Lencquesaing as free-spirited film producer Gregoire. Gregoire’s the kind of guy who takes his job seriously - he’s not inclined to produce any old schlock and is more interested in art than money. And therein lies the problem: Gregoire is deep in debt funding an improbable project helmed by enfant terrible director Arthur (Igor Hansen-Løve). Based on the tragic story of real-life producer Humbert Balsan, whose relationship with Danish bad boy Lars von Trier drove him to suicide, this evenly paced but never boring feature won the Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize at Cannes 2009.

5:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
The Mummy (1959 GB): TCM’s salute to Hammer Horror continues this evening with a full set of the studio’s mummy movies, starting with the film that revived the evil Egyptian after his post-Universal (re)entombment. The Mummy stars a completely unrecognizable Christopher Lee as Kharis, guardian of Princess Ananka, whose rest has been disturbed by the usual band of careless British explorers. When the Brits take her back to London for exhibition, Kharis, naturally, must continue to protect her, and he’s soon ripping apart the sitting rooms and bodices of Victorian England. Co-starring Peter Cushing as the son of the silly fool who desecrated the tomb and Yvonne Furneaux as the Princess, this Mummy isn’t in quite the same class as Universal’s, but is still essential viewing for horror fans. It’s followed at 6:45 PM by 1964’s Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb, a deadly dull sequel featuring neither Cushing nor Lee; at 8:15 PM by The Mummy’s Shroud (1967), a somewhat more lurid affair with Andre Morell as an archaeologist; and at 10:00 PM by Hammer’s final contribution to the genre, 1971’s enjoyable Blood From the Mummy’s Tomb, in which Andrew Keir essays the sensible scientist role whilst Valerie Leon shuffles around as lady mummy Queen Tera.

9:00 PM Starz
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009 USA): I missed this Werner Herzog crime drama last year, even though it got great reviews and had a pretty long art-house run. Not sure why that happened - I’m a huge Herzog fan - but perhaps the film’s cumbersome "movie-of-the-week" style title cooled my ardor. Either that or the presence of Nic Cage put me off. Regardless, I’ll be playing catch-up tonight: come for the Herzog, stay for the Brad Dourif! Also airs 10/16 at midnight.

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