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Thursday 4/26/12

8:10 AM Starz in Black
Life, Above All (2010 SAF): The travails of a poor South African family in the age of AIDS are examined in this sensitive drama directed by Oliver Schmitz. Khamotso Manyaka headlines as Chanda, a wise beyond her years 12-year-old struggling to get by on less than nothing with mother Lillian (Lerato Mvelase) and worthless step-dad Jonah (Aubrey Poolo). Lillian is ill with an unnamed disease, and the neighbors are neither happy nor sympathetic about it - in fact, they do their best to drive the beknighted family out of town. It’s up to young Chanda to reach a rapprochement with them, and the results are mixed, to say the least. Though a tad too predictable, Life Above All is a gripping, beautifully shot film with a remarkable performance by the youngster.

11:30 PM Turner Classic Movies
The Double Man (1967 GB): It’s Yul Brynner day on TCM and amongst the usual suspects is this obscure espionage thriller, which makes its widescreen television debut this evening. Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner (Patton, Papillon), The Double Man features Brynner as Dan Slater, a CIA agent diverted to the Alps when his son is reported dead in a skiing accident. Convinced the accident was anything but, Dan begins making inquiries, whilst East German intelligence schemes to kidnap him and replace him with doppelganger Kalmar (also Brynner, in case you’re wondering). The closer Dan gets to the truth, the more dangerous the game becomes - especially after beautiful witness Gina (Britt Ekland) gets involved. Co-starring Anton Diffring as a baddie, The Double Man is followed at 1:30 AM on 4/27 by Flight From Ashiya (1964 USA), a rather unexceptional adventure story that maintains a place in my heart due to its serving as inspiration for a classic piece of psychedelia.

Friday 4/27/12

9:00 PM Sundance
Cortex (2008 FRA): You know, I could have sworn I wrote about this film on an earlier occasion, but I can’t find the evidence to prove it. As this is a film about a man suffering from Alzheimer’s, that somehow seems appropriate. The man in question is Charles Boyer (not portrayed by the late Charles Boyer, but by Micmac’s Andre Dussollier), an ailing detective who gets his second wind amidst a series of mysterious deaths in his nursing home. It’s an unusual set up for a thriller, and a good one. Now if only I could remember the name of that nice man who plays the main character in this film. And where did I leave the remote?

Saturday 4/28/12

9:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Perils of Pauline(1933 USA): Here’s something a bit odd: TCM is airing Chapters 2, 3, and 4 of this serial, but Chapter 1 is AWOL. It didn’t air on a previous Saturday, either, so I’m not sure what’s up, as the episode definitely still exists (and has, in fact, previously been released on VHS). Anyhoo, I’ll still be tuning in for this Universal chapter play, which features Evelyn Knapp as the titular heroine and John Davidson as her deadly enemy, Dr. Bashan.

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