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

Friday 4/19/13

1:00 AM Fox Movie Channel
The Laughing Policeman (1973 USA): This terrific police procedural stars Walter Matthau in best rumpled form as Jake Martin, a San Francisco cop on the trail of a killer responsible for the shooting deaths of a busload of Muni passengers. Isn't having to ride Muni punishment enough? Based on the popular cerebral police novels of Swedes Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, this gritty little film co-stars Bruce Dern, Louis Gossett Jr., and Anthony Zerbe as Matthau's colleagues, and, erm, Cathy Lee Crosby.

Saturday 4/20/13

6:50 PM Encore
Ghostbusters (1986 USA): Here’s another example of the recent premium channel trend of airing "series" films back-to-back. Will the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man be appearing in widescreen this evening? Tune in to find out. Followed at 8:30 PM by Ghostbusters II (1989), Ghostbusters also airs at 9:50 PM. How much longer will we have to wait for Ghostbusters III?

Sunday 4/21/13

1:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Devil’s Own (1966 GB): It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this Nigel Kneale-penned Hammer horror flick – so long, in fact, that I’d forgotten Joan Fontaine was the film’s lead, not Joan Crawford (speaking of whom, when are we going to get a widescreen airing of Trog on TCM? C’mon, guys). Originally released as The Witches, the film stars Fontaine (who’ll turn 96 this October) as Gwen Mayfield, a school teacher who relocates from Africa to England only to discover that the supernatural curse she hoped to escape has followed her home. The film is not terribly scary (apparently, Fontaine has always considered it a mystery, not a thriller), but if you’re a Hammer completist, here it is in its original aspect ratio.

7:00 PM Encore Action
Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects (1988 USA): Chuck Bronson fans will be drooling at the opportunity to scope this ultraviolent action pic in which ol’ stoneface plays an L.A. cop trying to break up a teen prostitution ring. A staple on cable channels back in the day, Kinjite (which supposedly takes its title from a Japanese word used to describe touchy subjects) hasn’t been seen on TV in quite some time. Former Elvis Presley and Quincy Jones paramour Peggy Lipton co-stars as Bronson’s wife. I guess Jill Ireland was otherwise engaged.

8:45 PM Encore Suspense
Tales From the Darkside: The Movie (1990 USA): Here’s another one time cable staple returning to the airwaves after an extended absence. An anthology based on the popular television series of the same name, Tales From the Darkside collects three short shriek shows within an over-arching fourth story. None of the stories are particularly clever – this is a film that favors splatter over suspense – but you can’t complain about the cast, which includes Deborah Harry, Rae Dawn Chong, Christian Slater, James Remar, Julianne Moore, and TiVoPlex favorite William Hickey.

Monday 4/22/13

6:40 AM Fox Movie Channel
Sea Wife (1957 GB): This florid World War II melodrama stars Joan Collins as a woman with a secret – she’s actually a nun. To make matters worse, Joan’s character is stranded on a lifeboat with three men after the merchant ship they’ve been aboard is sunk by a Japanese torpedo. To make matters worse worse, one of the men (Afro-Caribbean actor Cy Grant) is aware of her secret, whilst the other two – including racist bigot Basil Sydney and RAF officer Richard Burton – remain blissfully unaware of her marriage to Christ. Despite some ridiculous plot developments, Sea Wife is worth a look for Ted Scaife’s outstanding widescreen color cinematography.

Continued:       1       2       3