TiVoPlex
By John Seal
December 6, 2010
9:20 PM Sundance
Johnny Mad-Dog (2008 FRA-LIB): Another TiVoPlex first: a film from Liberia! And as an extra added bonus, it’s pretty damn good, too. Directed by Frenchman Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, Johnny Mad-Dog takes place in an unnamed, war-torn African country where child soldiers are kidnapped, brainwashed, and sent to the front lines. The film relates the shocking and bloody experiences of one such "soldier" (Christophe Minie), and pulls absolutely no punches: there’s neither redemption nor a happy ending, only relentless, unforgiving horror. It’s extremely powerful stuff and not recommended for Grandma.
Friday 12/10/10
9:45 AM IFC
Invincible (2001 GB-GER-IRE-USA): It’s no Aguirre The Wrath of God, but Invincible still has enough Werner Herzog flourishes to be worthy of your attention. Tim Roth is the (relatively) big name no doubt attached to assuage the film’s international financiers, but the real star is gentle giant Jouko Ahola, a Finnish strongman cast as Jewish blacksmith Zische Breinbart. Breinbart’s feats of strength are spotted one day in 1932 by a traveling German theatrical agent who convinces the simple-minded craftsman to relocate from rural Poland to Berlin, where his skills will be put to use by the popular clairvoyant Hanussen. Hanussen’s theater is a wildly popular nightspot where the Nazi elite rub shoulders with the bourgeoisie and where everyone solemnly soaks up the astrological hokum supplied by the eponymous snake-oil salesman, played here with grim-visaged determination by the aforementioned Roth. In real life, Hanussen was truly a favorite of Hitler, who always had a fair amount of time for (non-Christian, pagan) mysticism, and was either unaware of - or chose to overlook - Hanussen’s Jewish roots. Whilst Roth is a true pro, Ahola - by no means a good actor - brings pride, strength, and a sense of ethics to his role and is certainly a better thespian than fellow man-mountain Andre the Giant. There are deeply affecting moments throughout the film, as Zische discovers his might is being used to further Nazi ideology, and whilst the film ends on an overwrought note, the first 90 minutes-plus are quietly and consistently effective. Herzog may no longer be amongst the greatest of active directors, but films like Invincible and Bad Lieutenant Port of Call: New Orleans prove there’s still a fair amount of gas left in the tank.
6:30 PM Turner Classic Movies
Scrooge (1970 GB): Shortly after moving from Britain to the United States, my family and I were introduced to the subtle pleasures of the drive-in movie experience. Scrooge was the first film I saw at the drive-in, and it scared the living egg-nog out of yours truly, then a deeply impressionable eight-year-old. I spent most of the film’s final reel cowering in the back seat, and yes, I do believe tears were shed. I haven’t checked out Scrooge since — the fear of irreversible psychological damage has been overwhelming — but I think I’m ready. Just don’t be surprised if you hear screams echoing across Northern California this evening.
11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
The Wonder World of K. Gordon Murray (2010 USA): Yowza! If you grew up watching a lot of television in the 1970s, chances are the name "K. Gordon Murray" will conjure up happy memories of many wasted hours spent in front of the boob tube. If your local Million Dollar Movie or Movies ‘til Dawn was airing a Mexican horror movie, or a Mexican ANY kind of movie, chances are the print was courtesy Mr. Murray, who imported, dubbed, and re-cut dozens of such films for Yankee consumption throughout the 1960s. I haven’t seen this brand new documentary yet, but with interview footage of Herschel Gordon Lewis, William Grefe, David Friedman, and Nostradamus himself, German Robles, this is undoubtedly must-see material. It’s followed at 12:45 AM by one of Murray’s most beloved imports, 1959’s Santa Claus, a jawdropping South of the Border production in which Jolly Old Saint Nick does battle with the Devil, and at 2:15 AM by the more benign but no less bizarre A Visit to Santa (1963), in which the fat man’s workshop is revealed to be a particularly threadbare operation employing what appear to be child laborers.
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