TiVoPlex
By John Seal
June 29, 2004
From the obscure to the obscurest to the merely overlooked or underappreciated; they all have a home in the TiVoPlex! All times Pacific.
Tuesday 06/29/04
3:30am HBO
Living Dolls: The Making of a Child Beauty Queen (2001 USA): Some people are disturbed by film violence. Others are deeply disgusted by big-screen sex. Few films, however, have made me squirm in my seat as much as this HBO original documentary about the deeply-twisted world of child beauty pageants. Following the fortunes of Swan, an aptly-named five-year-old with an unfeasibly large bouffant, and her ex-Marine Corps stage mom Robyn, Living Dolls offers unspoken commentary on the state of the family and on gender roles in American society. For those adults who live vicariously through the successes (or, more to the point, the failures) of their offspring, this film may serve as a wakeup call. But probably not. Also airs at 6:30am.
5am HBO Signature
Mildred Pierce (1945 USA): My favorite James M. Cain novel - and that’s saying a lot, as I highly rate both The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity - was adapted brilliantly for the screen by Ranald McDougall and the uncredited William Faulkner. I consider this Joan Crawford’s greatest performance, but the hard work had already been done by Cain, who created a character of tremendous depth and suffering in Mildred Pierce, a woman making her own way in a man’s world. Pitted against a greedy and manipulative daughter (Ann Blyth) and weak-kneed lovers (Zachary Scott, Bruce Bennett), Mildred’s successful restaurant business soon becomes the takeover target of her malicious offspring. Crawford, whose real-life, pre-fame stints as a waitress no doubt advised her performance here, deservedly won the Best Actress Academy Award for this film, which garnered an additional five nominations.
Wednesday 06/30/04
3am Cinemax
And Along Came a Spider (2002 IRA): Hey, two cable networks can play at the creepy documentary game! Cinemax swings for the fences with this riveting look at serial killer Saeed Hanaei, a man who emulated Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, and tried "to clean up the place a bit" by murdering female sex workers in his home town of Mashhad, Iran. Taking the fundamentalist tenets of monotheistic religion to its logical conclusion, Hanaei murdered 16 prostitutes (in his words) “for the sake of God, and for the protection of my religion because they were prostitutes and (were) corrupting other people.” The film brutally contrasts the mild-mannered murderer with graphic pictures of his murder victims, and includes a disturbing interview with Hanaei’s son, who proudly announces his willingness to take up where Pop left off now that the old man’s behind bars. Also airs at 6am.
5pm Turner Classic Movies
Phase IV (1973 USA): TCM’s schedule doesn’t bother to list a synopsis for this unusual thriller, nor do they indicate whether or not this is a wide-screen print. Regardless, sci-fi fans and killer-insect mavens will want to take a look at Phase IV, which involves an alien intelligence taking control of a colony of ants in Arizona and using them to achieve their unstated but no doubt nefarious goals. It might have made more sense for the extraterrestrial invaders to harness a more communicative species, but never mind. Whilst not quite as creepy as William Castle’s cockroach conquest epic Bug (where, indeed, the roaches do manage to chat after a fashion with their human archenemies), the film is well written by Mayo Simon, features a memorable credits sequence by director Saul Bass, and was shot by the talented and well-traveled (but unfortunately named) cinematographer Dick Bush. Nigel Davenport and Lynne Frederick (Mrs. Peter Sellers) star as scientists trying to figure out what’s going on, but the real stars are the ants. Unfortunately, there’s no American Humane Society disclaimer during the end credits, nor is an insect wrangler cited, so I fear some of our Formicidaen friends may have died for their art.
Thursday 07/01/04
6:20am Black Starz!
Sia, the Dream of the Python (2001 BRK-FRA): This languidly-paced West African film about a young woman destined to be sacrificed to a python god takes on Shakespearean overtones in its tale of power politics, religion, and superstition. Fatoumata Diawara is fine as Sia, the young woman with a date with death at the hands of her drought-stricken tribe, but the real star is Ibrahim Baba Cisse as the crafty and manipulative Mamadi. Some viewers may not have the patience to make it to the end, but this is a powerful and rewarding film, and another excellent collaborative effort from Francophone Africa.
12:45pm Sundance
Caesar’s Park (2000 USA): A wonderful small-scale documentary about the daily goings-on in a working-class Milwaukee neighborhood, Caesar’s Park was directed by American Movie producer Sarah Price, whose earlier film also dissected the lives of a subset of working-class Wisconsinites, albeit a very different one than the one profiled here. Price lived for a year in the area whilst working on American Movie, and after meeting the locals, decided they were worthy subjects for a separate feature. Caesar’s Park is an affectionate and respectful tribute to Price’s new neighbors, who include a grumpy and foul-mouthed Polish war widow, a dreadful self-taught musician, a golfing nut, and a mentally-handicapped amateur photographer.
Friday 07/02/04
1pm Fox Movie Channel
The Lieutenant Wore Skirts (1956 USA): Calling all Tom Ewell fans: here’s the lesser of his two Frank Tashlin comedies. Bearing in mind that the other is the near-perfect The Girl Can’t Help It (also 1956), that shouldn’t be considered overly-harsh criticism. Nonetheless, The Lieutenant Wore Skirts - a decidedly male chauvinist pig rumination on sexual equality in This Man’s Air Force - is minor stuff, but Ewell makes it fun anyway. He plays a USAF veteran given medical retirement whilst wife Sheree North continues to serve as a WAC. A man stranded on base while his wife is helping out Uncle Sam? Unthinkable, so Ewell takes extreme measures to convince his wife to leave the service and get back in the kitchen. If you can overcome the fervid and overt sexism of it all you’ll love it, and Ewell is great as usual. A solid supporting cast - including Edward Platt, Rita Moreno, and Les Tremayne - and lush CinemaScope cinematography make this a guilty pleasure for the ages. Also airs 7/3 at 3am.
11:15am Showtime 3
Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002 USA): If you’ve ever spent more than a few minutes listening to your local oldies radio station, you’ve no doubt heard many of the musicians profiled in this film. Whether you’ve actually heard OF them, or know their names, is less likely, or at least it was until this entertaining documentary came out two summers ago. Known collectively as The Funk Brothers, the uncredited house band that provided musical backup for all the famous Motown acts of the 1960s and early 1970s, finally are getting the recognition they deserve, thanks in part to this film. The music’s great, of course, and the stories the surviving band-members tell are alternately piquant and hilarious, especially when Marvin Gaye’s preference for wacky tobacky is the subject. It would have been nice if the film featured more historic footage - in relies almost exclusively on contemporary interviews - and the reinterpretations of Motown classics are erratic at times, but those are minor quibbles. Anyone interested in the history of 20th-century popular music needs to see this film. Also airs 7/4 on Showtown at 5pm and 8pm.
Saturday 07/03/04
1am Turner Classic Movies
The Iron Crown (1941 ITA): The Iron Crown is a wonderful fantasy film that carries on the great traditions of Italian pepla such as Cabiria. There are hints that the filmmakers had seen Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but The Iron Crown also anticipates - and establishes the blueprint for - films as disparate as Shrek, The Princess Bride, and many of the renewed pepla cycle of the '60s. The film is also echoed by Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast, though it is certainly a lighter-hearted affair. Wrestler Primo Carnera is on hand as a loyal strong man, adding interest for fans of the Squared Circle. Skillfully blending comedy, romance, and action, this is not to be missed.
12:30pm IFC
Purple Noon (1960 FRA): This superb Rene Clement adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley features the immaculately-coiffed Alain Delon (to paraphrase singer-songwriter Jyoti Mishra, I wish I had his hair) as Tom Ripley, the young man hired to sniff out playboy and ne’er-do-well Philippe Greenleaf (Maurice Ronet). Superb Henri Decae cinematography, a top-notch score by Nino Rota, and sexy love interest Marie Laforet add up to an essential film-going experience that will please cineastes and mystery fans alike.
Sunday 07/04/04
11am Black Starz!
Rockers (1978 JAM): The second-best reggae film ever (1972’s incomparable The Harder They Come will long remain the champion), Rockers also takes place in the Trenchtown ghetto of Kingston, where young Horsemouth (Leroy Wallace), an aspiring drummer, sells records from the back of his motorbike, only to have his wheels stolen one day. Somewhat reminiscent of the Chinese film Beijing Bicycle (1999), the film follows Horsemouth’s efforts to regain his transportation, with the action set to a stunning selection of Jamaican music. Reggae had just passed its creative peak in 1978, but the rot had yet to fully set in, and the contributions of Gregory Isaacs, Jacob Miller, Burning Spear, and others are more than adequate. Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer also make cameo appearances. Don’t be a Ras Clot - settle down with I and I on the sofa, nosh on some Ital food, and enjoy. Also airs 7/5 at 1am.
9pm Turner Classic Movies
The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926 GER): This astonishing animated film still looks positively avant garde almost 80 years after its initial release. Utilizing silhouetted paper cut-outs, wax, sand, and advanced camera techniques to tell an Arabian Nights tale about Achmed, Aladdin, and an evil wizard, Lotte Reiniger’s groundbreaking work remains a landmark motion picture. Produced independently by Reiniger, a 27-year-old Berliner, Prince Achmed was the first feature-length animated film and utilized a remarkable 300,000 camera shots to showcase the astonishing interplay between light, shadow, and its delicately filigreed cut-outs. One of the few feature-length films that can truly claim to be unlike any other.
Monday 07/05/04
4am Turner Classic Movies
War of the Planets (1965 ITA): It’s not even close to being the best spaghetti science-fiction film ever made - far from it, in fact - but Antonio Margheriti’s War of the Planets is another refugee from TNT’s 100% Weird only now making a belated first appearance on commercial-free cable. Starring American expat Tony Russel - who got his screen start as a bartender in Elvis’ King Creole - as the commander of Earth’s space forces, War of the Planets is a very low-budget story of alien invaders attacking our solar system from their base on Mars. The aliens, ever mindful of the filmmakers' need to keep costs down, are represented by dry ice and flashing green lights. The great Franco Nero co-stars and there’s a suitably spacey Angelo Francesco Lavagnino score.
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