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Friday 9/28/12

Midnight Starz
Hearts and Minds (1974 USA): My earliest Oscar memory is of Sacheen Littlefeather. My SECOND earliest memory is the acceptance speech of Hearts and Minds producer-director Peter Davis, who, I seem to recall, was wearing a really hideous tuxedo and bow-tie combination when he laid claim to the Oscar for Best Documentary at the 1975 Academy Awards. Davis, whose film was one of the first American films to tell the ugly truth about the Vietnam War, laid into American foreign policy with a zeal that would only be topped by Vanessa Redgrave's Zionism is racism speech a couple of years later. Must-see TV it was, as is his film, which remains a red-hot burst of righteous indignation that urgently needs to be seen again as our war in Afghanistan drags on. The United States eagerly continues to maim and kill civilians around the world; we still haven't quite figured out the hearts and minds bit. Also airs at 3:00 AM.

Sunday 9/30/12

1:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Looking Glass War (1970 GB): Based on a John Le Carre novel, this suspenser stars Christopher Jones as Fred Leiser, a young Pole hired by British Intelligence (as personified by Ralph Richardson) to scope out a nefarious Soviet plot to station deadly missiles close to the West German border. In exchange, Leiser will be allowed to live in the UK with girlfriend Susan (Susan George), but naturally the mission is not all it seems, and things get complicated PDQ. Typically Le Carrean in its low-key approach, The Looking Glass War rewards close viewing but isn’t recommended for those who prefer their spy movies with gadgets, guns, and gals.

6:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935 USA): Charlie Chan got hounded from Fox Movie Channel some years ago, but the Asian detective still gets a look-in at TCM from time to time. This is a particularly enjoyable series entry, with our hero (Warner Oland) investigating the theft of some valuable Egyptian antiquities and stumbling across a murder in the process. If you’re offended by actors in yellow-face you’ll definitely want to miss it; likewise, if Stepin Fetchit’s shenanigans repulse you, stay well away. If, however, you can put up with Charlie Chan In Egypt’s crude ethnic stereotypes you’ll enjoy it tremendously.

Monday10/1/12

5:30 AM HBO Signature
Greetings From the Devil (2011 COL-MEX-USA): From Colombia’s Orozco brothers (director Juan Felipe, screenwriter Carlos Estaban) comes this solid crime thriller about a former FARC fighter who’s trying to turn over a new leaf in exchange for government amnesty. Edgar Ramirez plays once upon a time guerrilla Angel, whose determination to settle down is sorely tested when his daughter is kidnapped by someone he badly wronged in his previous life. The ransom, however, isn’t money - it’s the cold, dead bodies of Angel’s former comrades-in-arms, and he has 72 hours to deliver them. Uh oh! Surprisingly short on ultra-violence, Greetings From the Devil nevertheless provides a compelling story and a fine performance from Ramirez.

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