TiVoPlex
By John Seal
August 29, 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 08/30/05
8am Sundance
Screaming Men (2003 FIN-DEN): Oh, those crazy Finns. When they're not chatting on their cell phones or munching on fresh luumutortut, their men folk apparently enjoy letting it all hang out Arthur Janov-style as part of Mieskuoro Huutajat, an all-male choir that tours the world performing outré versions of their host nation's national anthems. This wacky documentary takes a look at the group's Dadaesque political commentary, which has entertained, puzzled, and enraged folks from Iceland to Japan. Perhaps predictably, this Finnish-Danish co-production was partly funded by Zentropa, the company founded by cinema gadfly and TiVoPlex fave Lars Von Trier.
10:15pm Turner Classic Movies
Theater of Blood (1973 GB): I know I've recommended this more than once in the past, but having recently returned from a week in London which included a trip to see the National Theater's reasonably successful stage adaptation of the film, it seems like the appropriate time to give it another plug. Featuring one of Vincent Price's finest performances, the film tells the tragic tale of Edward Lionheart, a past-his-prime Shakespearean actor who carries out a unique scheme for revenge after a panel of newspaper critics deny him the prestigious Critic's Circle Award in favor of arch-rival thespian William Woodstock. Gleefully incorporating gruesome death scenes from half-a-dozen of Shakespeare's best works - including Richard III, Merchant of Venice, and King Lear - Theater of Blood features a who's who of British character actors, including Jack Hawkins, Harry Andrews, Arthur Lowe, Eric Sykes, Ian Hendry, Dennis Price, and Robert Morley. Also of note is a delightfully wicked turn from Diana Rigg and Michael Lewis' suitably over-ornate score. Also airs 8/31 at 1:15am.
Thursday 09/01/05
1am Encore Dramatic Stories
Marat/Sade (1967 GB): Perhaps the perfect double bill partner for Screaming Men (or, for that matter, Theater of Blood), Marat/Sade - or to be precise, The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade - is a grueling two-hour examination of life in a French insane asylum during the Napoleonic era. Adapted by director Peter Brook from Peter Weiss' stage play, this stark feature is unrelenting in its portrayal of a group of mental patients re-enacting the aforementioned murder under the aegis of de Sade for the delight of an audience of aristocratic time-wasters. Produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company, the film features much of the play's original cast, including Patrick Magee, Freddie Jones, Glenda Jackson, and Ian Richardson. It's far from easy viewing, but it's also utterly captivating and one of the most unique features ever made; if Federico Fellini and Ingmar Bergman had ever worked together, the result might look a bit like Marat/Sade.
6am Starz! In Black
Dancehall Queen (1997 JAM): Jamaica has never been a cinematic hotbed, but when they do produce something, it's generally worth a look. Dancehall Queen may not be in the same league as The Harder They Come, or for that matter 1978's Rockers, but it ending up outstripping both at the JA box office and is an interesting comedy/drama that fans of foreign film will want to investigate. It stars Audrey Reid as Marcia, a street vendor trying to eke out a living on the mean streets of Kingston by selling soda pop outside a local dancehall. When the opportunity arises to make a more lucrative wage on the dance floor, Marcia acquires a new personality and is soon cutting a rug for big cash. Co-directors Rick Elgood (responsible for Alyssa Milano's Teen Steam video) and Don Letts (The Punk Rock Movie) are definitely a cinematic odd couple, but the film's rough-hewn look lends it authenticity and effectively captures the atmosphere of working-class island culture. One caveat: you might want to have a Caribbean friend standing by to watch this with you, as Starz!' print doesn't feature subtitles for the patois-impaired.
3:30pm Turner Classic Movies
Signpost to Murder (1964 USA): I was going to write that this thriller deserves a better reputation, but on reflection realized that it currently has no reputation at all, good or bad. Having steadfastly avoided home video and only intermittently been seen on cable, Signpost to Murder is a well-made low-budget gem that you'll want to catch this afternoon in its correct 2.35:1 aspect ratio. It features Stuart Whitman as a convicted murderer who escapes from the local loony bin and hides out in the home of Joanne Woodward, a despairing woman whose husband has just done a runner. Also along for the brief 70-minute ride are Edward Mulhare, Alan Napier, and Murray Matheson, and the screenplay was penned by Sally Benson, who auspiciously began her career by writing Shadow of a Doubt for Alfred Hitchcock. This film isn't quite in that league, but it's an under-the-radar delight for suspense fans.
Friday 09/02/05
4:45am Turner Classic Movies
Sinner Take All (1936 USA): There's more murder mystery fun to be had with this very rare MGM second feature from director Errol Taggart, an unheralded colleague of the great Tod Browning who had previously edited classic Browning silents such as London After Midnight, The Unknown, and The Blackbird, as well as serving as the second-unit director for 1932's Freaks. It's a shame Sinner Takes All dates from 1936, as its Old Dark House setting could have benefited from some pre-Code ambience, but it's still an enjoyable melodrama about a rich family whose members are one by one falling victim to a relentless killer. The first rate cast includes Bruce Cabot, Joseph Calleia, and George Zucco.
9:40am Starz! Edge
Wolves of Wall Street (2002 USA): I haven't seen this David DeCoteau lycanthropy epic, but regular readers know I can't resist a great title, and this is one of the best. Apparently the film involves werewolves in business suits tearing their way through the ranks of Manhattan's business elite. The cast features Louise Lasser and Eric Roberts, so who knows; this might almost be watchable. But considering DeCoteau's track record, I doubt it.
Saturday 09/03/05
6pm Sundance
Greendale (2003 USA): Rock stars really shouldn't write screenplays, and they definitely shouldn't direct them, but Neil Young went right ahead anyway and adapted his CD of the same name for the screen, not to mention turning this multi-pronged media beast into a book and a podcast, too. The result is certainly unusual: the film is a grainy 8-millimeter exposition on American politics (this coming from a Canadian who openly admires Ronald Reagan) featuring a cast that lip syncs to Young's Crazy Horse-backed soundtrack. I can't say I found it very enjoyable, but Young fans will no doubt be impressed, and it's certainly an out-of-left-field tribute to the delights of amateur filmmaking.
9:05pm Showtime Extreme
Purgatory (1989 RSA): Fans of bad action movies will want to make time for this women-in-prison thriller featuring a rather tired-looking Tanya Roberts as an unjustly incarcerated Peace Corps worker. This is a strictly paint-by-numbers affair which seems to willfully avoid adding any new ingredients to the well-established WiP recipe, but it's a home video refugee and hasn't been on the small screen in many moons, thus qualifying it for a TiVoPlex shout-out. Shot in South Africa and set in a corruption-riddled (and fictional) black African republic, this is one of those late-period pro-apartheid movies that try to sugarcoat the system's inequities beneath a veneer of racial harmony whilst providing us with a Really Evil White Guy warden to hiss at.
Sunday 09/04/05
5pm Turner Classic Movies
The Edge of the World (1937 GB): TCM kicks off this month's tribute to the work of renowned British director Michael Powell with his paean to the rustic locals inhabiting the remote and appropriately-named Scottish island of Foula. Outsiders are overfishing the waters and stealing the woolen trade, and the islanders are increasingly unable to resist the mainland's inexorable and intrusive encroachments. Bearing superficial similarities to Robert Flaherty's docudrama Man of Aran (1934), The Edge of the World stars Niall MacGinnis and Eric Berry as sheepherding pals who engage in a treacherous cliffside footrace that will decide the fate of the island's population: will they stay, or will they vacate the premises? Beautifully shot on location by Monty Berman, Skeets Kelly, and Ernest Palmer, this is a lethargic contemplation on the clash of civilizations that co-stars Finlay Currie as MacGinnis' father.
6pm Sundance
Janis (1974 CAN): I'm no fan of the caterwauling Texan Janis Joplin - I'll stick to Big Maybelle, thank you very much - but I'm recommending this rarely-seen Canadian documentary anyway. Aging hippies will definitely want to take a look at this tribute to the Port Arthur woman who turned a meager talent and a big smile into a meteoric but brief career that ended with (what else?) a drug overdose. The film features outtakes from Woodstock (which are probably now available on DVD, though I can't confirm that), as well as more intriguing clips of Janis at her high school reunion, on the Dick Cavett show, and performing at festivals around the world.
Monday 09/05/05
6pm Sundance
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart (2002 USA): Sundance has a host of rockumentaries on offer this month, and here's the best of this week's batch, a fascinating look at the working methods of the "alt.country" band Wilco. One of the few groups to enjoy both critical acclaim and mainstream appeal, Wilco were filmed by director Sam Jones, who captured the outfit at the cusp of their crossover breakthrough during the recording of their seminal Yankee Hotel Foxtrot LP. The film also details the band's internal wrangling, as leader Jeff Tweedy dismissed keyboard player Jay Bennett whilst the film was in production, eventually replacing him with guitar virtuoso Nels Cline. If you're familiar with Wilco, this is essential viewing; and if you aren't, it's time to make the acquaintance of this enigmatic, intelligent, and tuneful outfit.
9pm Turner Classic Movies
Le Corbeau (1943 FRA): Fans of the original versions of Diabolique and Wages of Fear should be excited by this opportunity to see one of director Henri-Georges Clouzot's earliest films. It stakes out familiar psychological ground, with the mysterious title character (The Raven) sending threatening letters to various bigwigs in a provincial French town. As the townsfolk try to determine the identity of their poison-pen pal, they begin to turn on each other as sordid rumors begin to circulate, all based, of course, on the contents of the libelous letters. Starring Ginette "the most murdered actress in France" Leclerc, this film was actually produced with the help of a German company. As a result, Clouzot was temporarily blacklisted after the war, but the film can hardly be viewed as a collaborationist piece of art, though in the immediate post-war period it was apparently considered unpatriotic. Clouzot may not have been a patriot, but he certainly qualified as a misanthrope, and Le Corbeau fits neatly into his filmography of deceit, deception, and death.
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