TiVoPlex
By John Seal
November 7, 2006
From the obscure to the obscurest to the merely overlooked or underappreciated; they all have a home in the TiVoPlex! All times Pacific.
Tuesday 11/07/06
6:45 PM Turner Classic Movies
Stagecoach (1939 USA): The film that cemented John Wayne's status as an ‘A' list star (the blessings of which are admittedly questionable), Stagecoach remains one of the greatest westerns ever made. Directed by John Ford, the film traces the journey of a stage and its occupants across the wastelands of the Old West, where they're threatened in equal measure by Geronimo's marauding Apaches and their own personal weaknesses. Along for the ride are an alcoholic doctor (Thomas Mitchell), a lady of ill repute (Claire Trevor), an inveterate gambler (John Carradine), a meek salesman (Donald Meek, of course), as well as the scaredy cat driver (Andy Devine) and our Hero, the Ringo Kid (Wayne). This motley group, forced together by circumstance, must somehow settle their differences and fend off wave after wave of cheesed off Native Americans. Who will survive? If you can overlook the old fashioned notions about lazy Mexicans and savage Indians, Stagecoach remains one of the most exciting of Ford's oaters and one of Wayne's better efforts, too — and the Monument Valley never looked better.
Wednesday 11/08/06
7:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953 USA): A trio of Roy Rowland-helmed features commences this morning with one of my all time favorite films. Based on a story written by Theodor Geisel — that's Dr. Seuss to you — The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T is a musical fantasy about a small boy (Lassie's Tommy Rettig) condemned to torturous piano lessons with wicked instructor Dr. Terwilliger (the marvellously acerbic Hans Conried) at the behest of his loving but harried (and oh so single) mother (Mary Healy). When the lad is sent to Terwilliger's academy to prepare for his recital, he finds that the teacher has designs on mom, and turns to sad sack plumber Mr. Zabladowski (Peter Lind Hayes) to set things to rights. What follows is one of the most colorful and unusual films ever made, a blend of cotton candy sweetness, social and sexual anxiety, and pure fear unlike anything you've seen before. Reflecting the most surreal aspects of Geisel's imagination, this is essential family viewing. It's followed at 9:15 AM by the much more restrained Van Johnson vehicle Slander, with Van the Man playing an entertainer hounded by a gossip magazine, and at 10:45 AM by a very rare (and unfortunately pan and scan) airing of Rowland's 1964 proto-spaghetti western, Gunfighters of Casa Grande, featuring Alex Nicol as a gun-slinging cattle rancher.
9:30 AM Sundance
Dad Savage (1998 GB): Here's one to watch for the cast alone. Patrick Stewart stars as the titular Dad, an East Anglian florist who also has a hand in running the local crime syndicate. Dad doesn't trust banks, and on the recommendation of son Sav (The Illusionist's Jake Woods), hires minders Bob and Vic to keep an eye on his cash pile. When the minders get greedy and decide they want their share of the loot, Sav ends up dead and Dad ends up mad. Cue the arrival of Bob's sister Chris (Helen McCrory, Cherie Blair in The Queen), who desperately tries to pull their chestnuts out of the fire before Dad gets to them first. Also featuring Kevin McKidd as a loose-lipped goon, Dad Savage is pretty run of the mill story-wise, but the first-rate cast and Gavin Finney's outstanding cinematography make this one a reasonable option for fans of indie cinema.
6:00 PM IFC
My Son the Fanatic (1997 GB): Now more timely than ever, Hanif Kureishi's take on religious fundamentalism in the industrialized West returns to television after a lengthy absence. The great Om Puri stars as Pervez, an Asian taxi driver plying his trade on the mean streets of Bradford. Pervez is as assimilated as a dark-skinned man can be in modern Britain: he hooks up businessmen with prostitutes, listens to jazz, and enjoys his Scotch. When son Farid (Syriana's Akbar Kurtha) abandons his studies and starts exhibiting signs of religious piety, Pervez is forced to reassess his own place in society — and whether or not his compassion and tolerance are driving a wedge between his family and himself. Co-starring Rachel Griffiths and Stellan Skarsgard, My Son the Fanatic is a worthy companion piece to Kureishi's terrific 1984 feature My Beautiful Launderette, and remains one of the few films to attempt an honest examination of religious reformation in secular society.
11:10 PM Encore Dramatic Stories
Breezy (1973 USA): William Holden and Kay Lenz star as lovers in this unlikely May-December romance from — of all people — director Clint Eastwood! Lenz plays hippie chick Breezy, who escapes an over amorous paramour by hiding from him on the property of cranky old Frank Harmon (Holden), a businessman cut from the same cloth as most contemporary Eastwood characters. The two slowly begin to fall for each other, raising the inevitable question: can a hippie and a straight find true love, or is it just a one-night stand? Marred by a somewhat cloying conclusion, Breezy is nevertheless considerably better than you might think, especially if you can overlook Lenz's penchant for sunny optimism and new age glad-handing.
Thursday 11/09/06
7:00 PM Sundance
Mysterious Skin (2004 USA): In equal parts harrowing and touching, Gregg Araki's Mysterious Skin was one of 2004's unheralded triumphs. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Neil, a young man who suffered child abuse at the hands of his Little League coach when he was eight-years-old and now earns a living as a male prostitute. His friends include Brian, whose paranoia about alien abduction also stems from his Little League experiences, and Avalyn, whose own fears dovetail disturbingly with Brian's. Released with an NC-17 rating, Mysterious Skin doesn't actually show a great deal, but is extremely suggestive and sometimes disturbing, so watch it after the children and Grandma are all safely tucked in bed. But do watch it — it's a terrific film.
Friday 11/10/06
12:35 AM Turner Classic Movies
Outrage (1950 USA): With the Production Code still strongly influencing studio output, maverick director Ida Lupino spent much of the 1950s struggling to bring some honesty to the American screen. Only the third feature film helmed by Lupino, a young actress of well-deserved acclaim, Outrage attempted to broach the subject of rape at a time when just about everyone in the country would have much preferred not to discuss it. The film was poorly received at the box office and — in light of all that has followed — now seems a bit dated, but it was a landmark production at the time and is of more than simply historical interest today. Mala Powers stars as Ann Walton, a woman trying to come to terms with the emotional fallout of sexual violence, and though she over emotes some, she generally does a creditable job. Also on hand are Robert Clarke as Mala's clueless boyfriend, Tod Andrews as a helpful minister with some problems of his own, and Tristram Coffin as a judge. Outrage looks pretty tame in 2006, but in 1950 this was controversial stuff, and the first American film to directly confront the issue of rape.
2:35 PM Starz Edge
Low In Europe (2004 GER): I'm a big fan of Duluth band Low, so even though I haven't seen this rockumentary detailing their exploits in Germany and the UK, I'm giving it a strong recommendation this week. If you're also a fan, are intrigued by the unlikely confluence of the words 'Mormon' and 'rock and roll', or simply want to find out what snorecore is all about, be sure to take a look.
Saturday 11/11/06
4:30 PM Showtime
Home Front (2006 USA): With Iraq war casualties on the rise once again, this Showtime original documentary couldn't come at a more appropriate time. Detailing the daily struggles of blind, brain-damaged Army Ranger Sergeant Jeremy Feldbusch, director Richard Hankin's poignant, non-polemical portrait of a man who has given so much for so little — and who still supports the war that maimed him — will offer food for thought for those on both sides of the argument. Also airs at 7:30 PM and throughout the month.
Sunday 11/12/06
12:20 AM Starz Edge
Wolf Creek (2005 AUS): One of a number of 'torture horror' flicks to intrude into the cultural zeitgeist in the wake of Abu Ghraib, waterboarding, and the success of the Saw franchise, Wolf Creek is an unexceptional Aussie variant on the theme, but makes its widescreen television debut this morning, earning itself a brief mention in the TiVoPlex. This time a group of six teenagers are hiking in the outback, where they run into a crazed bush denizen who proceeds to slaughter them in extremely gruesome fashion. And no, the bush denizen isn't a kangaroo.
5:30 PM Turner Classic Movies
Iron Giant (1999 USA): This animated classic (which naturally tanked at the box office) makes its TCM debut this evening. Directed by former Simpsons guy Brad Bird — since responsible for Pixar's The Incredibles — Iron Giant is the retro-futurist tale of Hogarth Hughes, a pre-pubescent lad who one day stumbles across a giant robot in the empty forests of Maine and determines to become his friend. The film is a sublime blend of nostalgia, comedy, and pathos, with a conclusion that will have all but the sternest viewers dabbing their eyes. Loosely — VERY loosely — based on a story by poet Ted Hughes, Iron Giant remains the best American animated feature of the last ten years, and is perfect family viewing for a Sunday night.
Monday 11/13/06
3:00 AM Encore Mystery
Who Slew Auntie Roo? (1972 GB): Shelley Winters added another psychotic character to her resume in this shot-in-Britain Curtis Harrington thriller. Winters plays Rosie, an American widow whose outwardly happy disposition conceals a frenzied beast beneath. Auntie Roo is also childless — her own daughter shuffled off her mortal coil in earlier, unexplained circumstances — and she ingratiates herself with the local children before — well, let's just say the film updates the Hansel and Gretel meme. Mark Lester plays one of the youngsters, and by some strange twist of fate, well-respected thespians Ralph Richardson, Lionel Jeffries, and Hugh Griffith were also snared by AIP's canny casting director, Sally Nicholl. It's not a terribly good film, but if you enjoy watching Winters chew the scenery — not to mention the children — you won't want to miss it.
6:00 PM Sundance
Our Brand Is Crisis (2005 USA): Not content with screwing up our own electoral processes, American political consultants now export their bilious product abroad. That's the subject of this documentary, which explores how the firm of Greenberg Carville Shrum (as in former Clintonista James Carville) inveigled their way into the Bolivian presidential election of 2003. Hired by the campaign of neo-liberal establishment favorite and 'free trade' advocate Goni Sanchez de Lozada, GCS imported Yanqui style sloganeering, polling, and focus grouping to this impoverished South American nation, dressing up Sanchez's open market ideology with a veneer of populism and open-mindedness completely at odds with the man's imperious nature. Sure enough, Sanchez edged Evo Morales in the race (Morales, of course, came back to win the next election) and proceeded to run the country into the ground before fleeing for exile in the United States. No truth to the rumor that he's now a K Street lobbyist.
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