TiVoPlex
By John Seal
January 26, 2005
From the obscure to the obscurest to the merely overlooked or underappreciated; they all have a home in the TiVoPlex! All times Pacific.
Tuesday 01/25/05
8:00 AM The Movie Channel
F*I*S*T* (1978 USA): Dreadful title aside, this is one of Sly Stallone's better non-Rocky movies. It's the story of Johnny Kovak, a common 1930s laborer who, over the course of three decades, rises through the ranks to become the powerful leader of the fictional Federation of Interstate Truckers Union. Very loosely based on the rise and fall of Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa, F*I*S*T* was co-written by Stallone and schlockmeister Joe Eszterhas, and the result is surprisingly good. Stallone will never be mistaken for Laurence Olivier, but he's reasonably effective as the ham-handed but noble Kovacs, and the film also features good performances from a restrained Rod Steiger as Corruption Committee chairman Senator Andrew Madison, Peter Boyle as dishonored union official Max Graham, and David Huffman as Kovacs fellow labor organizer Abe Belkin. The film sags after a rip roaring first half and ultimately is a tad overlong at 145 minutes, but it will keep your attention and looks great thanks to Laszlo Kovacs cinematography. TMC is broadcasting a beautiful widescreen print, which also airs at 11:00 AM, 1/26 at 1:30 AM and 4:30 AM, and 1/28 at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM.
9:15 AM Turner Classic Movies
Saboteur (1942 USA): One of the best Alfred Hitchcock films most folks haven't seen, Saboteur stars Robert Cummings as an armaments worker falsely accused of setting fire to his aircraft factory on behalf of the Third Reich. The real villain, however, is shifty-eyed Norman Lloyd, who ends up wrestling with Cummings atop the Statue of Liberty in one of Hitchcock's most impressive set pieces. Before Saboteur reaches its thrilling finale, the two protagonists engage in a cross-country cat-and-mouse chase that takes them from the remote California ranch of co-conspirator Otto Kruger to a well-heeled Manhattan soirée. Priscilla Lane is the attractive but rather dull love interest, and the film also features Ian Wolfe, Hans Conreid, and Milton Kibbee.
Wednesday 01/26/05
7:00 PM Sundance
Die, Mommie, Die! (2003 USA) : Decidedly not for all tastes, Die Mommie Die is an arch black comedy featuring drag queen Charles Busch as Angela Arden, a fading torch singer and unhappily married woman engaged in a torrid fling with young tennis stud Tony Parker (Jason Priestley). When hubby Philip Baker Hall won't give her the divorce she wants, can murder be far behind? For those who like a little camp in their lives, this is good if insubstantial fare featuring Natasha Lyonne (as the Ardens' daughter) and SNL alum Nora Dunn. Also airs 1/29 at 9:30 PM.
10:05 PM Encore
Guncrazy (1992 USA): A sterling cast and a reasonably well-written script lift this tale of teenagers on the run from the law into above-average territory. James LeGros (also memorable in Drugstore Cowboy) plays a paroled convict trying to get his life in order. Drew Barrymore is a confused teen who loves guns, and Warhol alum Joe Dalessandro is the scumbag who abuses her. When Drew and James hook up (shortly after she's offed Joe!) complications ensue. Guncrazy is predictable but entertaining, doesn't pander to its audience, and is a damn sight better than Natural Born Killers. Also airs 1/27 at 1:05 AM.
Thursday 01/27/05
3:15 AM The Movie Channel
Roller Boogie (1979 USA): Out of print on video and an established Ebay collector's item for many years, Roller Boogie recently got the luxury DVD treatment courtesy MGM. That widescreen print makes its television debut this morning, bringing tears of joy to the eyes of yours truly and fellow BOP scribe Chris Hyde. The film features Linda Blair as Terry, a teenage roller skate fanatic from upscale Bel Air who'd rather hang out at Venice Beach skating, listening to top 40, and ogling boys than practice for her Juilliard entrance exam. Of course, this being a Hollywood film, there's a wicked real estate developer threatening to tear down Jammers, the local roller rink, and it's up to spunky Terry to save it by winning the local roller disco championship with the help of handsome Bobby (Jim Bray, a hopelessly bad actor but a real life skate champ at the time). This astonishing piece of cinema effluvia was directed by Mark L. Lester, whose next film was the action classic Class of 1984, and features scream queen Beverly Garland as Linda's mom. Also airs at 6:15 AM, 11:45 AM, and 2:45 PM, and 1/30 at 5:45 AM and 8:45 AM.
5:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Kelly's Heroes (1970 USA): Here's a film that developed a rabid cult following during the 1970s when it aired almost monthly on local TV stations nationwide. It's a military comedy set during the waning days of World War II and stars Clint Eastwood and Telly Savalas as the commanders of an American tank squadron out to steal $16,000,000 worth of German gold. David Russell's Three Kings and recent events in Iraq have since transpired to sap the comedic value from this set-up, but in 1970, Americans were (in part thanks to popular TV series Hogan's Heroes) apparently in the mood for comedy SS officers, and the cynicism and suspicion bred by the Vietnam War made World War II-era irreverence acceptable fare. But is Kelly's Heroes any good? Well, it's not as good as the fan-boys of the day thought it was, but it has its moments and features a decent supporting cast, including Carroll O'Connor, Harry Dean Stanton, Donald Sutherland (as a hippie tank commander, of all things), and Gavin MacLeod.
Saturday 01/29/05
1:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Blow-Up (1966 GB): Finally returning to the small screen in its correct aspect ratio, Blow-Up is one of the great puzzle pieces of cinema, a film you probably won't understand even after multiple viewings (assuming there is something to understand), but one that succeeds nonetheless as a unique piece of psychedelic existentialism. David Hemmings stars as Thomas, a hip young photographer whose camera never sleeps, ultimately leading him to a tantalizing and unsolvable mystery in the local park. Directed with an unerring eye for detail by Michaelangelo Antonioni, this was the film maker's last work until 1970, when his bizarre failure Zabriskie Point ended with a literal blowup of consumer detritus. Featuring a brief appearance by The Yardbirds - minus Eric Clapton, plus Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck - and featuring a groovy score by Herbie Hancock, Blow-Up is irresistibly confounding.
8:30 AM Encore Mystery
Gacy (2003 USA): There's always room at the Seal household for a decent serial killer biopic, and Gacy is certainly better than other recent attempts to get into the minds of mass murderers like Ed Gein, Ted Bundy, and Jeffrey Dahmer. For those unfamiliar with this sordid tale, John Wayne Gacy was a model Illinois businessman with a dark secret: in between contracting jobs and stints as the beloved Pogo the Clown, he murdered transient young men and buried their bodies in his basement. Whilst Gacy (the film) is a rather ordinary if reasonably accurate screen recreation, it does feature one impressive trump card: Mark Holton's performance as the title character. Holton is best known for playing the spoiled and fractious Francis in 1985's Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, but his work here—subtle, brooding, and very disturbing—is a revelation. This is one film where a single performance compensates for pedestrian writing and a not terribly inspired supporting cast. Also airs at 8:30 PM.
8:45 AM Showtime
The Shawshank Redemption (1994 USA): Until last week, I hadn't seen The Shawshank Redemption since its original release. My impression at the time was that the film was a disappointment, but I've now revised my opinion: this is a very good—not great, but above average—film deeply marred by one of the most unbelievable Hollywood happy endings ever. I've never read the source material, so I'm unsure whether the fault lies with screenwriter-director Frank Darabont or with novelist Stephen King—but whoever's responsible should be ashamed of cooking up the film's final minute of narrative, which clumsily negates so much of the good work that precedes it. Having said that, let's revert to a review of the positives, starting with the enigmatic performance of Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne, the emotionless banker imprisoned for the murder of his wife. He's ably matched by Morgan Freeman (America's finest living actor, according to Clint, and who am I to argue), outstanding as fellow con Red, and James Whitmore, whose deeply moving performance as Brooks, a lifer who has some trouble readjusting to the outside after 50 years in stir, provides the film with its most effective scenes. The Shawshank Redemption also features beautiful cinematography by the great Roger Deakins, superb period detail courtesy production designer Terence Marsh, and two remarkable performances from character actors William Sadler and Bob Gunton as corrupt prison officials. My advise: when you see Morgan Freeman strolling through the flowers in the final reel, turn the TV off and avoid disappointment. Showtime is airing this film both pan and scan and widescreen, but you'll want to be sure to catch it letterboxed. It also airs in that format at 11:45 AM, 7:00 PM, and 10:00 PM.
Sunday 01/30/05
5:00 PM Flix
Foxy Brown (1974 USA): This black action film is often spoken of in the same hushed, reverential tones as Coffy, the Pam Grier revenge flick that preceded it in 1973. Personally I think Coffy is the better of the two pictures, but Flix is airing a marvellous letterboxed print of this Quentin Tarantino favorite, and I recommend you get reacquainted with Pam's Foxy persona. She's a woman out for vengeance after her brother (the wonderful Antonio Fargas) squeals on her undercover cop boyfriend, leading to his death at the hands of the local white dope dealers, including the bizarre looking but effective Kathryn Loder. Foxy Brown is filled with gratuitous nudity, gratuitous violence, and gratuitous racial epithets, so gird yourselves and lock up the children.
11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Sing and Like It (1934 USA): I haven't seen this RKO oddity, but with a cast that includes ZaSu Pitts, Pert Kelton, Nat Pendleton, Edward Everett Horton, and John Qualen, you can't go far wrong. From what I can gather, Pendleton plays a gangster who tries to turn gal pal Kelton into a professional singer. Sounds like The Girl Can't Help It twenty years too soon. At the very least the film, shot by the estimable Nicholas Musuraca, should look good.
Monday 01/31/05
8:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
Charley Varrick (1973 USA): Walter Matthau plays the title character in this satisfying Don Siegel-helmed crime drama. He plays a dishevelled bank robber who pulls a heist at a small Nevada bank, only to discover some of the loot belongs to the Mob. (Matthau's role was originally written for Clint Eastwood, but Clint, apparently more comfortable with his Dirty Harry Callahan persona, declined the part because he thought it lionized criminal behavior.) Gritty location work, a consistently engaging Dean Riesner-Howard Rodman screenplay, and fine support from Joe Don Baker and Norman Fell make this one of Siegel's best action flicks.
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