TiVoPlex
By John Seal
May 23, 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 05/24/05
1:15am Showtime
Washington Heights (2002 USA): It's the end of the month, and as usual, the TiVoPlex cupboard is looking a little bare. I'd probably overlook this indie drama in flusher times, but it's airing wide-screen this morning on Showtime, earning it a tempered but reasonably enthusiastic recommendation. It's the familiar if well-told tale of an ambitious grocer's son looking to escape his beleaguered big city neighborhood, only to find unanticipated circumstances holding him back from fulfilling his dreams. Earnestly told but predictable, Washington Heights benefits from the presence of the great Tomas Milian as the grocer whose workplace accident forces his aspiring comic-artist son (Manny Perez) to put down the pen and ink and pick up the fruit and veg. Though there's nothing particularly original here, the film's cast is game and director and Heights resident Alfredo de Villa's location footage provides the film with some much-needed ambiance. Also airs at 4am.
7am Sundance
Held Hostage in Colombia (2003): There's a war on in Colombia: a war that pits the 40-year-old insurgency of the left-wing FARC revolutionary movement against the American-supported government of Alvaro Uribe and the right-wing paramilitaries that tacitly bolster his administration. The country also happens to be awash in cocaine, a valuable commodity used to fund the violent activities of both sides whilst the United States pours vast sums of money into a never-ending and generally ineffectual "war on drug". American "advisors" are on the ground and American planes are spraying the coca fields with defoliants, but no matter how many acres are taken out of circulation, cocaine remains cheap and plentiful. This remarkable documentary takes a look at what happened after a Pentagon-owned Cessna was shot down over remote and rugged terrain early in 2003, its three surviving crewmembers (Marc Gonsalves, Tom Howes, and Keith Stansell, described by the rebels as CIA agents and by the US government as civilian contractors) captured and held by FARC guerrillas. Though it bears similarities to 2003's The Kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt, Held Hostage in Colombia is ultimately the better of the two films, as it cannot avoid placing the captured Americans' plight squarely in the context of the Colombian political struggle. It's unclear at this time whether the three contractors are still alive, but Colombia is as far from peace today as at any time in the last decade.
7pm Fox Movie Channel
The House on 92nd Street (1945 USA): In a couple of years the enemy would have been spies working on behalf of Soviet Russia, but in Henry Hathaway's House on 92nd Street, Axis agents are still attempting to infiltrate America's nuclear program on behalf of Nazi Germany. Loyal German-American Bill Dietrich (William Eythe) is serving as a double agent for the FBI, trying to get the goods on devious Signe Hasso and smarmy Leo G. Carroll before they send vital information back to their paymasters in Berlin. Shot with the full cooperation of the FBI and utilizing real FBI agents and facilities, this unique Fox docudrama took home the Oscar for Best Original Story at the 1946 Academy Awards. Look for E. G. Marshall and Vincent Gardenia in uncredited roles as, respectively, a morgue attendant and an FBI trainee.
Wednesday 05/25/05
3am Fox Movie Channel
Pinky (1949 USA): One of the first Hollywood films to directly confront racial prejudice, Pinky stars Jeanne Crain as a light-skinned African-American woman trying to pass in a white world. Directed by social-problem specialist Elia Kazan, the film was co-written by Philip Dunne and Dudley Nichols, neither of whom were known for politically-conscious writing, though Nichols was an Academy Award-winner for 1935's IRA drama The Informer. It's an extremely moving film, made memorable by the screen relationship established between Crain and Ethel Waters, playing the grandmother who raises Pinky and then becomes an uncomfortable memory the youngster prefers to leave behind. The film also features the best role Nina Mae McKinney ever had - a great shame, and a tribute to a long career that should have been but never was - and the film was beautifully shot by Joseph MacDonald. Pinky does have its flaws: its timid Anglo-centric screenplay is maddeningly uneven at times, and it wasn't particularly brave of Fox to perpetuate racial discrimination by casting a white actress in the role of the title character, but in the context of late 1940s Hollywood, this was a progressive and timely production. Over 50 years later, Pinky remains a powerful emotional ride for the audience, and confronts an issue that still proves nettlesome within both the African-American community and American society in general.
Thursday 05/26/05
5pm Turner Classic Movies
Ahi Esta el Detalle (1940 MEX): The final week of TCM's tribute to Mexican cinema brings us further rarities that have never seen the light of day on Anglo-American television before (I suspect, but can't prove, that many of these have probably been long-time favorites on Spanish language channels in areas with large Hispanic populations). First up this evening is Ahi Esta el Detalle (That's the Point), a comedy about a fast-talking hustler (Cantinflas) mistaken for a murderer. This was the film that made Cantinflas a megastar at home and a recognized name around the world; in a rare fit of professional generosity, Chaplin famously crowned him "the world's greatest comedian". By the time Mexico's favorite peladito appeared in his first English-language feature, 1956's Around the World in 80 Days, he was already past his prime. Here's an opportunity to see him at the height of his powers. It's followed at 6:45pm by Calabacitas Tiernas (1949), a musical-comedy featuring Cantinflas' comic rival Tin Tan; at 8:45pm by 1953's Dos Tipos de Cuidado (directed by Ismael Rodriguez, who went on to shoot the Mexican scenes for the American monster flick The Beast of Hollow Mountain); at 11pm by the musical melodrama Ansiedad (1953); and at 1:15am by an American film shot in Mexico and featuring a largely Mexican cast (including Ricardo Montalban), Sombrero (1953).
6pm Showtime
Battleground: 21 Days on the Empire's Edge (2004 USA): Produced by the colorfully-named Guerrilla News Network, this film made its screen debut at the 2004 Chicago International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Hugo Award for Best Documentary. Somewhat surprisingly, Battleground is no polemic, as director Stephen Marshall wisely kept his focus on the day-to-day personal stories of the immediate post-war period of the occupation. Including interview footage of American troops and Iraqi civilians alike, this is a valuable document of one period of this tragically ill-advised Anglo-American adventure. Also airs at 9pm, on 5/28 at 8am and 11am, and on Showtime 2 on 5/27 at 6pm.
Friday 05/27/05
9:15pm Showtime 2
Absolute Power (1997 USA): A shaggy-dog tale from director Clint Eastwood and screenwriter William Goldman, Absolute Power is being aired wide-screen on Showtime 2 this evening. This time, Clint plays an on-the-job burglar who witnesses a murder that just happens to involve the (*gasp*) President of the United States (Gene Hackman)! Shot at the height of the vast right-wing conspiracy's effort to derail the Clinton presidency with Travelgate, Staingate, and more, Absolute Power will appease those who accuse Hollywood of liberal bias whilst providing the rest of us with some crackerjack (if far-fetched) entertainment. Amongst the quality supporting cast are E. G. Marshall (now worthy of mention in the credits), Eastwood-in-waiting Scott Glenn, Judy Davis, and Laura Linney.
10pm The Movie Channel
American Heart (1992 USA): Seems like I'm recommending another overlooked Jeff Bridges vehicle every week, and here's another one. American Heart features Bridges as an ex-con trying to toe the straight-and-narrow, only to have his troublesome 14-year-old son (future substance abuser Edward Furlong) make life difficult for him. This shot-in-Seattle drama feels like it should have been produced in the character-driven 1970s; it avoids formulaic plotting, and relies on the suitably mournful and gravely tones of singer Tom Waits to underscore the film's bleak outlook. Also airs on 5/28 at 1am.
Saturday 05/28/05
9am Encore
Thunderball (1965 GB): This is it, at least for a month and probably longer; after this, Encore reverts exclusively to pan-and-scan prints of the Bond canon. It's a shame they didn't air all of them wide-screen - I'm particularly baffled at the absence of From Russia With Love - but it's been a nice ride for the last two months, and at least they're going out on a high note. Bond film number four features our hero facing off with SPECTRE, who this time have stolen a couple of nuclear devices and are holding the world ransom for ONE MILLION DOLLARS! Er, sorry; that should read $100 million worth of uncut diamonds. In addition to the usual supporting cast, Thunderball features a super-villain in the shape of Adolfo Celi and a couple of super shapes in the forms of Claudine Auger and Lucianna Paluzzi. Also airs at noon.
9:10am Starz!
The Accidental Spy (2001 HK): Hong Kong star Jackie Chan insists on working in both his native land and the US, so in between his American-made hits Shanghai Noon and Rush Hour 2, he returned home to make this action vehicle about a bored salesman on the lookout for adventure. He finds it when he foils a bank heist, discovers his parents were both master spies, trails mysterious master criminal Mr. Zen to Istanbul, and ends up joining the search for a dangerous super-virus! The ludicrous plot is, of course, the skeletal window frame around which the robust action sequences are draped, and though Chan is showing signs of his age (48 when he made this picture), he still delivers the goods. Unfortunately, Starz! is probably airing a dubbed print of this film, but Chan fans will still enjoy the results. Also airs at 12:10pm.
Sunday 05/29/05
9pm Turner Classic Movies
Tell It to the Marines (1926 USA): Remembered today primarily for his larger-than-life characterizations as the deformed Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925), star Lon Chaney was much more than a man with a massive make-up kit. In truth, he was probably the finest dramatic silent film actor ever. That's a bold statement to make, but one I'll stand by, especially in light of the evidence provided by Tell It to the Marines, Chaney's finest non-horror film. He plays Marine Corps trainer Sergeant O'Hara, who's been saddled with a soft new recruit (William Haines) and must whip him into shape. That sounds like a pretty dull and fairly worn premise, but Chaney is brilliant as the alternately tough-as-nails and warm-hearted O'Hara, conveying depths of intellect and emotion that Rudolph Valentino could only dream about. Thanks to his work on this film, Lon gained the admiration of the Marines, including Corps commander General Smedley Butler, who later penned the searing anti-war broadside, War is a Racket. Tell It to the Marines is an exciting and moving film that I heartily recommend to those who think they don�t like silent movies; give this one a try!
Monday 05/30/05
9am Sundance
The Staircase (2004 FRA): In case you missed this excellent documentary series about the murder trial of author Michael Peterson when it premiered last month, Sundance is airing all eight episodes consecutively this morning. Essential viewing for true crime buffs.
6pm IFC
The King is Alive (2000 DEN): Perhaps the most unusual of the films produced according to the rules of the Dogme Manifesto - and that's saying quite a bit, of course! - The King is Alive tells the story of a group of tourists stranded in the desert when their bus breaks down. What would YOU do if you were in the middle of nowhere, short on food, and extremely hot? Why, stage an impromptu version of King Lear, of course! Amongst the cast are Janet McTeer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bruce "Senator Kelly" Davison, and (in one of his last roles) Brion James, so if you were previously scared away from Dogme films by the subtitles, you've run out of excuses. Superbly shot on video by Jens Schlosser and well-directed by Kristian Levring, this is wonderful fun for arthouse mavens. Also airs at 10pm.
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