TiVoPlex
By John Seal
April 4, 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 04/05/05
1am Sundance
The Staircase, Chapters 1 &2 (2004 FRA): This massive multipart documentary will be aired on Sundance in its entirety throughout the month of April. Originally made for French television, it’s a lengthy look at a North Carolina murder trial, and was directed by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, whose superb Murder on a Sunday Afternoon took home the Best Documentary (Feature) prize at the 2002 Academy Awards. Lestrade was granted full access by the defendant, Michael Peterson, on trial for the murder of his wife Kathleen, and the series predictably skews in his favor. What is it about guys named Peterson? Also airs at 8pm, on 4/7 at 5pm, on 4/8 at 7pm, and on 4/10 at 11am. Chapters 3 & 4 premier on Monday 4/11 at 6pm.
4:15am Turner Classic Movies
Fog Over Frisco (1934 USA): Fog Over Frisco features Bette Davis as a society gal whose dalliance with hoodlums gets her mixed up with murder, mayhem, and a kidnapping scheme. Directed by the great William Dieterle, the film is a fast-paced and action-packed melodrama with copious (if predictable) plot twists, first-rate cinematography by Tony Gaudio, and a fine performance by Lyle Talbot as Davis’ slick but crooked paramour. Also on hand are William Demarest as a scoop-happy newshound and Alan Hale Sr. as a sympathetic cop.
6:30am HBO
Heir to an Execution (2004 USA): The historical record currently indicates that Julius Rosenberg probably gave the Soviet Union information regarding America’s nuclear weapons, and that loyal wife Ethel was a bargaining chip used by brother David Greenglass to avoid prosecution. That's about as much background as one needs to appreciate and enjoy this deeply personal and very moving film about the aftereffects of the Rosenberg executions, and the worn-out did they/didn't they arguments are of only peripheral importance. Filled with fascinating interviews with the Rosenberg's children and a surprising number of elderly compatriots as well as some timely and frightening 1950s footage of anti-Communist hysteria, Heir to an Execution is an emotional attempt by director Ivy Meeropol (granddaughter of the convicted "spies") to come to terms with a dark chapter in her family history. Strongly recommended. Also airs at 9:30am.
Wednesday 04/06/05
11:45am IFC
Shadow Magic (2000 CHI-USA-TAI): This look at the development of cinema in turn-of-the-20th century China isn’t particularly well regarded, but it does provide an interesting, though highly fictionalized, peek at the art form’s evolution and its effect on a culture understandably resistant to European innovations. The innovator comes in the shape of Englishman Raymond Wallace (Jared Harris), who brings a projector to 1902 China, develops a rabid following for his “shadow magic”, and eventually wins an audience with the suitably impressed Dowager Empress. Though it looks wonderful, the film lags during its rather conventional dramatic sequences, which inevitably lead to a budding romance between co-leads Yu Xia (who plays Wallace’s Chinese sponsor) and beautiful Yufei Xing. Also airs 4/7 at 7am.
10:15pm The Movie Channel
Coming Home (1978 USA): Jane Fonda is not my favorite actress. This is not because of her politics, her marriage to Ted Turner, or that bizarre mullet she wore in 1971’s Klute. No, it’s her acting I object to, and for me she will remain forever in the shadow of father Henry, not to mention brother Peter (You will, however, find no defense of Bridget Fonda within a hundred miles of this column). It’s the old Julia Roberts/Eric Roberts paradigm, where the “pretty” half of the equation gets cut the slack and the “troublesome” half gets a career in B movies. Regardless, you might want to make time for Coming Home, a Fonda vehicle that makes its wide-screen American television debut this evening. The film netted Hanoi Jane her second Best Actress Academy Award for her performance as Sally, a candy-striper who falls for a wounded war vet (Jon Voight, also an Oscar winner) whilst her cuckolded hubby (Bruce Dern) is defending his nation (*cough*) in Vietnam. Coming Home’s greatest strength, however, is its screenplay, which completed the Oscar hat-trick by providing Waldo Salt, Nancy Dowd, and Robert Jones with statuary for their mantelpieces. Haskell Wexler’s photography is flawless as always, and solid supporting performances from Robert Ginty, Charles Cyphers, and Robert Carradine provide the icing on this Hal Ashby-helmed cake. Also airs 4/19 at 8:35pm and 11:35pm.
Thursday 04/07/05
3:30am Showtime 2
Charge of the Model Ts (1979 USA): Don’t expect much from this week’s speculative pick, but with a title like Charge of the Model Ts, I couldn’t let it pass unacknowledged. The ridiculous premise involves a World War I German plot to make trouble on the Texas/Mexico border with a secret weapon on wheels. The film was produced, written, and directed by Jim McCullough, whose next film was the delightfully titled Mountaintop Motel Massacre, and features comedians Arte Johnson, Louis Nye, and Herb Edelman, as well as the daughter of Alvin and the Chipmunks, Carol Bagdasarian. Cult-movie fans will also note with pleasure the presence of Larry Buchanan regular Bill Thurman, as well as that of talented veteran low-budget cinematographer Dean Cundey behind the camera.
Friday 04/08/05
3am Turner Classic Movies
Gold Dust Gertie (1931 USA): If you happened across the madcap comedy Crazy House (1943) on the late, lamented Trio Channel last year, you’re already acquainted with the comedy team of Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson. A pair of even rarer Olsen and Johnson comedies air this morning, and come strongly recommended for those who enjoy the zany duo’s anarchic brand of humor. First up is this Lloyd Bacon-helmed laugher about our heroes, here playing bathing-suit salesmen, who have both married and divorced the same woman (Winnie Lightner), though not at the same time, naturally. Grasping gold-digger Gertie is eager for alimony and she also happens to have married Ole and Chic’s current boss, leading to further complications. This absurd premise is enlivened by dollops of pre-Code sauciness and will appeal to the vaudeville team’s fans, most of whom probably reside in retirement homes at this point. It’s followed at 4:15am by Fifty Million Frenchmen (also 1931), with the lads raising Hell in Paris. Look for Bela Lugosi, on the cusp of stardom, as a magician who gives the boys the evil eye.
11:30am IFC
Lagaan (2001 IND-GB): I’ve recommended this film before, but it’s now appearing on US television for the first time in its correct 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Americans may laugh at the concept of a four-hour-long film about the sport of cricket, but a test match at Lords actually takes much longer and isn’t nearly as entertaining as this comparatively brief Bollywood spectacular. Basically a critique of the British Empire - and a defense of a secular and multicultural India, a concept still threatened today by India’s main opposition party, the BJP - the film is a true spectacular, breathtaking to look at, and features numerous songs, some of which are quite excellent. The story is straightforward enough for a child to follow - my pre-teen son sat through the last three hours of it, even with subtitles - but has enough rewards for older viewers to keep them on the edge of their seat. Watch it; you won’t be disappointed.
Saturday 04/09/05
12:30am Turner Classic Movies
Gildersleeve’s Bad Day (1943 USA): More obscure comedies are on tap today, this time in the voluptuous form of Harold Peary, the voice of egocentric radio character Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve. Gildersleeve came to prominence on the popular Fibber McGee and Molly program, which aired from 1935 through 1959, and Peary got his own spin-off show in 1941. It wasn’t long before Hollywood beckoned, resulting in a brief series of enjoyable low-budget bill-fillers, including Gildersleeve’s Bad Day, which finds our hero enmeshed in a bribery scandal and entangled with cantankerous Jane Darwell. It’s followed at 1:45am by Gildersleeve’s Ghost (1944), a wild supernatural sci-fi comedy which manages to work an invisible woman, a mad scientist, and a gorilla on the loose into its compact 64-minute story. The legendary Charlie Gemora, who donned his monkey suit in more than two dozen Hollywood films, plays the ape.
3am Cinemax
Conan the Barbarian (1982 USA): It’s sequel, 1984’s Conan the Destroyer, has been a cable staple over the last few years, but it’s been a while since that film’s progenitor has graced the airwaves. It’s finally back this morning, as the mighty mountain of man-meat (Ahnuld Schwarzinator) returns to the small screen to slay villains and pitch woo to damsels in distress. Responsible for starting a wave of terrible sword-and-sorcery fantasies, Conan the Barbarian is actually pretty good - especially when judged by the standards of the genre - and was written and directed by John Milius, who still had a shred of pre-Red Dawn credibility at this point in his career. Max Von Sydow, James Earl Jones, and William Smith round out the professional cast, and though Cinemax is regrettably airing a pan-and-scan print, you’ll enjoy it anyway. Also airs at 6am.
9am Encore
Diamonds Are Forever (1971 GB): The parade of wide-screen Bond features continues with Diamonds Are Forever, the penultimate Connery Bond adventure. In an odd casting decision, the film also features Charles Gray as supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld; odd, because in 1967’s You Only Live Twice, Gray played an MI5 operative killed by Blofeld’s henchmen! This film is one of the weaker Connery outings: the story is relatively mundane, Jill St. John is less than thrilling as Bond girl Tiffany Case, Shirley Bassey’s theme song isn’t terribly inspired, and Sean himself is clearly ready to move on and hang up the toupee. All the same, Bond completists and aspect ratio junkies will want to give it a look. Also airs at Noon.
5pm Sundance
Dogville (2004 DEN): Here’s a hard sell. Personally I love Dogville, but I have a predilection for all things Lars Von Trier, so that shouldn’t be surprising. Joe Six Pack, on the other hand, is probably going to find his latest epic puzzling, maddening and anti-American. Von Trier’s decision to eschew realism and shoot entirely on a single set with chalk outlines and stage props will also have many viewers reaching for the remote long before Dogville’s three-hour running time is up. Certainly those who bought into the Dogme manifesto will feel betrayed by the director’s retreat into the patently artificial. So do I still recommend this film, which is making its American television debut this evening? Absolutely. The acting is superb, with Paul Bettany, Harriet Andersson, and Nicole Kidman all delivering the goods in a claustrophobic twist on Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, and - thanks to brilliant DoP Anthony Dod Mantle, and within the limitations of its context - the film looks magnificent. Does that mean you’ll like it? Probably not, but anyone interested in the possibilities of cinema has got to see this film. And at the very least you will have an opinion about Dogville, one way or the other.
Sunday 04/10/05
9:15pm Turner Classic Movies
Something New (1920): One of the earliest extant examples of product placement, the charming Something New promotes the then-cutting-edge Maxwell automobile. After watching the film, you’ll ask yourself the simple question: could that spunky little car really take as much abuse as it gets in this brief silent adventure film? And if it could, where can I buy one? Hairy Mexican banditos try to impinge upon the purity of heroine Nell Shipman, who gets rescued by a Man and his Maxwell. They then proceed to bounce over rocks for 40 minutes as they get away. The car goes up hills, down hills, over rocks, over more rocks, and then over some more rocks. Put bluntly, this film rocks.
Monday 04/11/05
5pm Sundance
Unfinished Symphony: Democracy and Dissent (2001 USA): If you want to see Senator John Kerry throw away his Vietnam War-era medals, you’ll have to squint really hard, because though the erstwhile liberal does appear as a protestor in this fascinating documentary, you won’t actually see him do the nasty to his Purple Hearts. Unfinished Symphony captures the heated atmosphere of Boston’s 1971 Memorial Day Weekend, when demonstrating war veterans took to the streets and tried to peacefully educate Bostonians about the ugly realities of America’s Far Eastern adventure. A masterful blend of imagery and music, Unfinished Symphony was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at 2001’s Sundance Film Festival, and was directed by Bestor Cram, a Vietnam vet who took part in the protests memorialized in his film.
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