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5:00 PM Sundance
Crude (2009 USA): The subject of a lawsuit by evil multinational Chevron, Crude is another feather in the cap for documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster). The film examines a class action lawsuit filed by Ecuador against Texaco (and, by extension, Chevron, which had purchased Texaco in 2001) for toxic dumping in the Amazon. It’s utterly compelling stuff, but Chevron naturally took offense and demanded Berlinger turn over his unused footage - all 600 hours of it - for their perusal. Unfortunately, federal judge Lewis Kaplan found in favor of the plaintiffs in 2010, but there’s also good news: a court in Ecuador ruled earlier this year that Chevron owed Ecuador a cool 8.6 billion dollars for the filth and contamination Texaco left behind. The case is, of course, still a long way from being settled.

Friday 7/8/11

12:45 PM Starz in Black
Life Is Hot in Cracktown (2009 USA): It got bad reviews, but Buddy "Combat Shock" Giovinazzo’s Life Is Hot in Cracktown is actually pretty darn good. It’s an ensemble piece about the effects of crack cocaine on a disparate group of Los Angelenos, and though it could certainly be considered an "exploitation" film, it’s a well acted, well-shot, and well written one. A surprisingly good cast, including Illeana Douglas, Lara Flynn Boyle, RZA, and Kerry Washington, is a definite plus.

5:05 PM Flix
La Dolce Vita (1960 ITA): It’s been too long since I last saw Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, so I’m pleased as punch that Flix is screening it this month. (Hopefully they’ll be showing it in its correct 2.35:1 aspect ratio - otherwise, what’s the point?) Marcello Mastroianni stars as Marcello Rubini, a gossip columnist who finds himself sashaying from party to party in high society Rome. Not too surprisingly, he also has an eye for the ladies, gets involved with both a woman of some means (Anouk Aimee) and a movie star (Anita Ekberg), and subsequently ditches suicidal fiancée Fanny (Magali Noel). Featuring a lush Nino Rota score, La Dolce Vita is a lengthy, dense, and still relevant examination of celebrity, reality, and the meaning of life, as well as one of Fellini’s greatest accomplishments.

Saturday 7/9/11

8:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Ace Drummond (1936 USA): Chapters 9 & 10 of the Ace Drummond serial, in which our hero visits the Mountain of Jade.

9:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Tarzan and the Slave Girl (1950 USA): More wimmin problems for the T-man. This time, Tarzan (Lex Barker) must do battle with the Lionians, another of those bizarre Caucasian tribes that seem to exist in abundance throughout the Dark Continent. Seems the Lionians are a dying breed, and their king (The Picture of Dorian Gray’s Hurd Hatfield) places an order for fresh female blood - including Jane (Vanessa Brown), who gets kidnapped along with a bunch of other dames by the tribe’s sex-starved soldiers. Lionians Need Women! A surprisingly decent supporting cast, including Robert Alda, Anthony Caruso, and Denise Darcel, offers distraction from the film’s shoddy production values.

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