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If you enjoy camp, if you like action movies, or if you’re simply a Vanity fan trying to relive the big ‘80s, you’ll get your kicks here. If you’re like me, however, this film is all about the supporting cast, in this case personified by the amazing performance of Julius Carry as bad guy Sho’ Nuff, whose beyond over-the-top emoting raises the roof every time he’s on-screen. Why Carry hasn’t had more work is beyond me; the guy can play a villain with the best of them. You simply have to see this film, if only to witness Carry’s brain-bursting, vein-popping turn. He’s that good. Sadly, this appears to be a pan-and-scan screening. What’s up with that, TCM?

3:00 AM Encore Action
Little Nikita (1988 USA): This is a weird one. Shot at the butt-end of the Cold War, Little Nikita stars Sidney Poitier as Roy Parmenter, an FBI agent with a very special assignment: tracking down a Soviet sleeper cell (Richard Jenkins and Caroline Kava) with the assistance of the sleeper cell’s own child (River Phoenix)! It’s entirely implausible and kinda creepy: didn’t we hate on the commies for turning children against their parents?!? Regardless, you’ll want to tune in to admire the awesomeness of River’s world-renowned quiff.

11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Kurotokage (1962 JAP) OR Kuro tokage (1968 JAP): Confusion abounds, as the TCM website lists this as the 1962 film (which was directed by Umetsugu Inoue) but also lists the cast and crew of the 1968 version (which was directed by Kinji Fukusaku). Both films are known in English as Black Lizard, but my money’s on this being the ’68 version, which had a US theatrical release and was once available on VHS, too. If that’s the case, it’s a colorful widescreen caper flick about a jewel thief (Akihiro Miwa) out to snag a valuable diamond, and features playwright Yukio Mishima as either ‘a taxidermic Japanese human specimen’ (Wikipedia) or ‘Human statue’ (IMDb) - the choice is yours!

Monday 4/15/13

1:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Accursed (1958 GB): Released in its native Britain as The Traitor, this film stars Donald Wolfit as a retired Army officer who finds himself ferreting out some nasty wartime secrets. During his annual post-World War II reunion bash, Colonel Price (Wolfit) meets Professor Toller (Carl Jaffe), a German Jew who’s concerned about the mysterious deaths of many of his former resistance comrades. As Price learns more, he comes to a disturbing conclusion: Toller’s cell had a Nazi mole, and that mole is still hard at work eliminating resistance veterans a decade after the war ended. Co-starring Anton Diffring and Christopher Lee, The Accursed mayn’t be anything particularly special, but is an enjoyable enough way to spend an hour and a half.

5:00 PM Encore
The Dead Pool (1988 USA): Last week we had The Gauntlet, this week we get The Dead Pool, the fifth (and so far final) Dirty Harry flick. Clint reprises the role, of course, and this time is out to put the kibosh on a contest in which participants try to murder celebrities in order to win valuable prizes (or something). His female foil this time out is Patricia Clarkson, here cast as a dogged television reporter hot on the heels of the big story – which only gets bigger when Harry discovers he’s on the celebrity hit list. In some ways, this is the most enjoyable of the Dirty Harry pics, as the nasty right-wing edge of the early films is mostly gone. Look for the members of Guns ‘n Roses during a funeral scene! Also airs at 8:00 PM.

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