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Friday 5/24/13

2:05 AM HBO
Gray Lady Down (1978 USA): Charlton Heston plays Paul Blanchard, the he-man captain of a US Navy submarine stranded on the lip of an underwater trench in the Atlantic Ocean, in this testosterone drenched adventure tale from director David Greene. To make matters worse, Blanchard’s life, and the lives of his crew, rest in the hands of coke-sniffing Stacy Keach, who's been assigned to rescue the sub before it implodes, tips over the edge, or runs out of oxygen. Can Keach get the job done — or will rescue arrive in the shape of David Carradine and Ned Beatty, whose experimental mini-sub Snark seems well suited for the task? A box office dud, Gray Lady Down will appeal to fans of Heston, whose career was still at its peak in 1978, and admirers of manly nautical hardware. Also airs at 5:05 AM.

9:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Esther Waters (1948 GB): Dirk Bogarde stars as a wicked Victorian servant in this long forgotten British bodice-ripper. Dirk plays William Latch, a footman who ‘ruins the reputation’ of inexperienced and innocent maid Esther (Kathleen Ryan) in the 1870s. After years spent in a Lambeth workhouse, our soiled heroine runs into William again, now no longer a servant but a smartly dressed bookie looking to make amends for his previous sins by making an honest woman of her. The film is too long and its story paper-thin, but is worth a look for Bogarde’s performance (this was his first leading role) and a typically solid British supporting cast, including Cyril Cusack and Fay Compton.

Saturday 5/25/13

6:00 PM The Movie Channel
Phantoms (1998): Here’s an odd one: a Dean Koontz sci-fi adaptation headlined by Peter O’Toole! O’Toole plays Doctor Timothy Flyte, a former academic now earning a living editing a tabloid newspaper. Flyte’s expertise in the history of epidemics is required when the entire population of a small Colorado town suddenly disappears, but he butts heads with local sheriff Bryce Hammond (Ben Affleck, in one of his patented dreadful performances) before revealing the truth about the dreaded Ancient Enemy responsible for the catastrophe. This is a bad film, but O’Toole does his best, as do Rose McGowan and Liev Schreiber in supporting roles. Also airs at 9:00 PM.

Sunday 5/26/13

3:30 PM Showtime 2
Last Days Here (2011 USA): There’s nothing quite so entertaining as a heavy metal rockumentary: be it Some Kind of Monster, Anvil, or This Is Spinal Tap, they’re always entertaining and engaging. Such is also the case with Last Days Here, which focuses on Bobby Liebling, lead singer of third-rate Virginia metal band Pentagram, who’ve been treading the boards since 1971. Liebling has been living hard and fast for decades, and the film follows his adventures across the years as he ingests vast quantities of illegal substances while the band cycle through several dozen band members. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll definitely bang your head.

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