New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

From the obscure to the obscurest to the merely overlooked or underappreciated; they all have a home in the TiVoPlex! All times Pacific.

Tuesday 11/6/12

6:15 AM HBO Signature
Lucia, Lucia (2003 MEX-ESP): This film was originally released as The Cannibal’s Daughter, but as it isn’t a horror film was re-titled for American consumption by US distributor Fox Searchlight. Directed by Antonio Serrano, Lucia, Lucia stars Cecilia Roth as the title character, a children’s writer whose husband goes missing at the airport just as they’re about to depart for a Brazilian vay-cay. Shortly thereafter, she receives a ransom call...but all is not as it seems, and she soon finds herself relying on her neighbors (Kuno Becker and Carlos Alvarez-Novoa) to help track down hubby. Though somewhat unfocused (a little magical realism tends to go a long way), Lucia, Lucia is worth watching for Roth’s excellent performance.

7:00 AM Sundance
The Necessities of Life (2008 CAN): This unique French-Canadian drama stars Natar Ungalaag as Tiivii, an Inuit battling one of the diseases gifted to his people by the white man: tubercolosis. Set in 1952, the film follows Tiivii’s travels from the remote interior to urbane Quebec City, where he is sequestered against his will in a sanitarium. As in Kurosawa’s Dersu Uzala, the transition is an unhappy one, but a supportive nurse (Eveline Gelinas) intervenes before it’s too late and helps Tiivii by introducing him to bilingual child patient Kaki (Paul-Andre Brasseur). Though that sounds like a recipe for sloppy sentiment, The Necessities of Life thankfully dodges the three-hanky bullet in favor of a more honest and delicate approach to human relationships. Also airs at 12:15 PM.

Wednesday 11/7/12

3:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Camp on Blood Island (1958 GB): I was shocked to discover this Hammer production still hasn’t seen a Region 1 DVD release. Could that be possible? After the Hammer Icons of Suspense and Icons of Adventure boxes, was there no room for an Icons of World War Two set? Be that as it may, this is a rather infamous Hammer effort, with Andre Morell headlining as a British officer leading a revolt in a POW camp deep in the Malayan jungle. The first dramatic feature to try to convey the depravity of Japanese prison camps, The Camp on Blood Island looks pretty tame now but was considered outrageous stuff 50-plus years ago. For those of you who haven’t already invested in the PAL disc released in Britain in 2010, this airing provides a rare opportunity to see the film in all its Magnascope glory.

2:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Chamber of Horrors (1966 USA): Bring on the horror horn and the fear flasher! No, Chamber of Horrors isn’t a William Castle production, but it does reflect the influence of the King of Ballyhoo. Patrick O’Neal stars as Jason Cravette, a madman with one hand and a collection of detachable weapons he can screw into his stump. The film, alas, is not as promising as this brief synopsis suggests, reflecting its origins as a TV pilot. A firm favorite of ‘70s late night television programming, Chamber of Horrors co-stars Wilfrid Hyde-White, Suzy Parker, Marie Windsor, and the disembodied voice of William “Cannon” Conrad. And watch out for the blink or you’ll miss him Tony Curtis cameo!

11:20 PM Starz
Footnote (2011 ISR): Written and directed by Joseph Cedar (who is not of Lebanon, but of New York City), Footnote is a charming and very droll Israeli feature about a difficult father-son relationship. Dad is Eliezer (Shlomo Bar Aba), a Talmudic scholar of some repute; son is Uriel (Lior Ashkenazi), a pop culture talking head who fancies himself an expert on Jewish lore. Eliezer resents his son’s popularity, which in his mind has come much too easily, and the final blow is delivered when he learns Uriel has been awarded a prize he believes should be his. Resentful and awkward looks ensue. A Best Foreign Language Film nominee at this year’s Oscars, Footnote also airs 11/8 at 2:20 AM.

Continued:       1       2       3