By John Seal
October 21-28, 2002
Push the cat off the sofa and pop open another diet soda. TiVoPlex is here to provide round-the-clock entertainment for the committed couch potato! All times PDT.
Monday 10/21/02
4:35am Encore Action
Remote Control (1993 ICE): I'm not convinced that this will actually turn out to be the Icelandic film originally titled, provocatively, Sodoma Reykjavik. It could turn out to be the dreadful Kevin Dillon comedy of the same name. It's less likely to be heartthrob William Haines 1930 title. Nevertheless, I'll be setting the timer to find out. Apparently, it's a comedy about a stolen remote control and Icelandic organized crime (who knew?). No Bjork sightings, but plenty of cast members with names ending in -jonnsen, -ericson, and -dottir.
9:40am Starz!
Time for Drunken Horses (2000 IRA): Moving across the globe to Iran, here's another of those lyrical and contemplative films from that hotbed of cinema. Seriously, there's no other national cinema that impresses me as much at present as Iran's. I haven't seen this or any of director Bahman Ghobadi's other films, but I'm looking forward to it. One should expect beautiful landscapes, heartbroken characters, and a bittersweet but uplifting finale. Also airs 10/22 at 12:40am.
Tuesday 10/22/02
4:15am Cinemax
Walking Tall (1973 USA): Walking Tall was a massive hit back in the '70s, and in retrospect it's easy to see why. The film was definitely ahead of the curve in its representation of an outraged Middle America, fed up to the gills with the apparent excesses of the '60s. Buford Pusser was Ronald Reagan with a big stick, ignoring the law when it was convenient and laying into the lowlifes and scum who were perverting American family values. It's not a pretty picture, but it is a heck of an entertaining movie that predates grittier urban dramas such as The Exterminator and Vigilante. Also airs at 7:15am.
8:15am The Movie Channel
The Revolutionary (1970 USA): It's too low-key to arouse much passion, but The Revolutionary is a reasonably interesting look at radical left-wing activity in the late '60s. Jon Voight mumbles his way through his role as a college student wrestling with his conscience (and getting expelled for listening to it). Robert Duvall is on hand as a more experienced organizer and Seymour Cassel is his usual fun self as Leonard, the token hippie. There are some very good moments, including a scene where Voight is caught painting anti-capitalist manifestos on a wall. There's also a wonderful pawnshop sequence that gets to the heart and soul of the film's thesis, but too much screen time is spent on Voight's struggling relationships with women. All in all, a period piece that will be of interest to anyone interested in the hard left aspects of political life in the turbulent Vietnam years. Also airs at 11:15am.
9:05pm Starz!
Guilty as Sin (1993 USA): Need your Larry Cohen fix, now that Phone Booth has been pulled from the release schedule? You might want to check out his phallocentric take on the "psychotic woman who appears sane but is really a twisted psycho killer" genre that was popular for a while (e.g., Fatal Attraction). Don Johnson is the wacko in this film, and if you ever wanted the opportunity to hate him and enjoy his work at the same time, here's your chance. Rebecca de Mornay is the next object of his murderous intent, even as she defends him in court on charges of murdering his wife! Also airs 10/23 at 12:05am.
Wednesday 10/23/02
4:30am Turner Classic Movies
The Phantom of Chinatown (1940 USA): A few weeks back, TCM aired the first three Mr. Wong films, the first with Bela Lugosi as the title character, the second and third with Boris Karloff in the same role. Here's the even more obscure fourth entry in this brief series, and it's worth watching for the novelty of seeing an Asian actor (Keye Luke) actually playing an Asian detective! Perhaps Poverty Row studio Monogram couldn't afford a white thespian.
7:00am Turner Classic Movies
The Case of the Curious Bride (1935 USA): Here's an opportunity to see the always-wonderful Warren William essaying the role of Perry Mason. For more information on William, Mason, and other cinema sleuths of the '30s and '40s, pay a visit to http://www.boxofficeprophets.com/trager/sleuths.asp.
9:15am Sundance
E-Dreams (2001 USA): Ah, the dot-com boom. It all seems so long ago, but there was a time when irrational exuberance ruled the land, and E-Dreams documents that period through the rise and fall of one of the New Economy's many IPO stars. More horrifying than the average horror film, it's truly hard to watch someone's hopes and dreams evaporate on film. Also airs 10/24 at 2:30am and 10/27 at 10:10pm.
Thursday 10/24/02
1:10am HBO 2
Heavenly Creatures (1994 NZ): Director Peter Jackson started making the transition from gruesome comedies to something more substantive with this outstanding film, based on a true murder case in 1950s New Zealand. The film still bears some of Jackson's cinematic trademarks but is a million miles away from Dead Alive, Bad Taste, and Meet the Feebles (all of which are great films in their own right). Kate Winslet is on hand as one of a pair of schoolgirls who live in a fantasy world that intrudes more and more into real life, and their obsession with Mario Lanza soon turns deadly. Also airs at 4:10am.
11:15 am HBO Signature
Othello (1965 GB): There have been plenty of film versions of this Shakespeare play, but this is probably the best of the bunch. The cast is simply outstanding, highlighted by Laurence Olivier as Othello, Maggie Smith as Desdemona, and Frank Finlay as Iago. Add in the cinematography of Geoffrey Unsworth and you have a winner.
5:00pm Turner Classic Movies
Audrey Rose (1977 USA): It's not a great movie, but this Exorcist knockoff is getting a rare wide-screen airing on TCM, so I'll recommend it. This is probably the film that convinced stage thesp Anthony Hopkins to start moving into the more lucrative world of film, and it's interesting to see him as a (relatively) young man. Any film featuring Marsha Mason and directed by Robert Wise is going to have something going for it, and if you overlook the incredibly unoriginal screenplay by Frank de Felitta, your expectations will be met.
9:00pm Turner Classic Movies
Village of the Damned (1960 GB): Now this is more like it! Not to be confused with the awful John Carpenter remake, this is the original version stars George Sanders in one of his last substantive roles. The story is simple but still chilling: Anyone who's ever thought about how different "kids these days" are will shudder at the sight of these alien youngsters who, quite literally, are the future! TCM will be airing a letterboxed print, so watch it after you've put the kiddies to bed; you wouldn't want them to get any ideas.
10:15pm Black Starz!
La Squale (2000 FRA): Featuring two of the most unpleasant teenage lead characters this side of a Larry Clark movie, La Squale is the story of disaffected French youth living in the projects. The film concentrates on their sex lives and criminal endeavors, and some of the footage is quite brutal and frank, though never as pornographic as Clark's work. Superbly acted, beautifully filmed, but not for all tastes by any means.
Friday 10/25/02
1:00am Turner Classic Movies
Children of the Damned (1964 GB): The sequel to Village of the Damned matches the intensity and fright factor of the first film, whilst taking it in a totally new direction. Having absorbed the fact that humans are rapidly developing and evolving worldwide, scientist Alan Badel is trying to learn how to control and take advantage of our brainy offspring. It's a bit like Day of the Dead without the gut-munching.
12:30pm Turner Classic Movies
Hero's Island (1962 USA): Sadly not the letterboxed print TCM aired a few years ago, I can still give a qualified recommendation to this film. It's an underappreciated gem that apparently was a labor of love for co-producers James Mason and Leslie Stevens (who also wrote and directed). The film details the scramble for survival in the newly-settled colony of Carolina during the 18th century. It raises interesting issues of ownership and propriety without sacrificing an exciting and realistic story. The cast is simply outstanding, particularly Warren Oates and (Harry) Dean Stanton in one of his earliest roles. Neville Brand is second billed but actually has quite a small role; future Andy Sidaris "star" Darby Hinton gets a bigger chunk of screen time as a settler's son.
11:00pm Turner Classic Movies
Kill, Baby...Kill! (1966 ITA): Another rare television airing of a Mario Bava horror classic. This one features a Eurotrash cast to die for, including Erika Blanc, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, and Piero Lulli. Hopefully they'll be showing the fully-restored version that's now available on DVD.
6:45pm IFC
Mute Witness (GER-GB-USA-RUS): This international co-production is an intelligent little thriller that takes place on the set of a low-budget slasher movie being filmed in Moscow. A real murder takes place, and the makeup artist - who happens to be mute - is the only witness. The film isn't bold enough to eschew all the genre conventions, but it's well written and has a cast that takes the story seriously. Also airs at 11:15pm.
Saturday 10/26/02
1:00pm Turner Classic Movies
Wild Wild Planet (1965 ITA): This is one of the undisputed camp classics of science fiction, right up there with Queen of Outer Space. The future, it turns out, will look very much like a mid-'60s Paris catwalk! There are some stunningly beautiful women wearing amazing clothes and mile-high bouffants in this "science crime fiction" tale of illicit medical experiments carried out on a space station. The story is nothing to write home about, but who cares when there's so much eye candy on screen? The bad guys - you'll know who they are because they wear black leather overcoats and sunglasses - are just an added treat in this retro delight.
3:00 IFC
The Company of Wolves (1984 GB): This fairytale of werewolves, grandmothers, and little girls was the breakthrough film for Neil Jordan. The film relies a little too much on the gruesome-but-effective special effects, which detract from the dream state that Jordan achieves for the bulk of the running time. Watch for former Lemon Kitten Danielle Dax in a small but appropriate role as the wolf girl.
3:35am Sundance
Friendly Persuasion: Iranian Cinema After the Revolution (2000 USA): If you're not sure whether or not to dip your toes into the vast sea of Iranian film, watch this documentary. Interviews with masters such as Kiarostami and Makhbalbhaf, not to mention a host of other folks I'm not familiar with, mark this as the definitive look at the world of moviemaking in a society torn between a desperate desire to modernize and a government determined to remain rooted in the past. Also airs at 12:15pm.
9:00pm Turner Classic Movies
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974 USA): Oh boy. I can remember watching a pan-and-scan copy of this film and thinking, "I bet this would look great in its correct aspect ratio" (I really do think like this). Well, here it is. Robert Shaw plays the ringleader of a gang who hijack a New York City subway train and hold the passengers for ransom. Walter Matthau is the tough Big Apple cop out to stop them. This film probably influenced Quentin Tarantino (though what hasn't?), as that most overrated of auteurs gave color-coded names to HIS gangsters in Reservoir Dogs, just as this film did 20 years earlier.
7:45pm IFC
Dead Alive (1992 NZ): Here's Peter Jackson's finest zombie epic, and that's saying a mouthful. Timothy Balme plays a young explorer who returns from the Indonesian jungles with a monkey that carries deadly bacteria that causes its victims to become gut-munching zombies. The film is awash in blood but also features plenty of Jackson's deadpan humor. My favorite scenes involve the vicar and the lawnmower. Watch and find out for yourself. Also airs at 11:15pm.
Sunday 10/27/02
6:45pm IFC
Cube (197 CAN): An existential science fiction film, Cube is a futuristic take on Sartre's No Exit. A group of people find themselves trapped in a series of interconnected rooms, some of which are booby-trapped, others of which provide clues to a possible escape. The film maintains one's interest even though it can't really supply a satisfactory conclusion (unlike, of course, Waiting for Godot). A much-mooted sequel finally came to light this year, though I haven't seen it.
7:30pm Turner Classic Movies
Top Banana (1954 USA): I've never seen it, but this curio stars Phil Silvers and is basically a filmed stage play. Apparently intended as a satire about television, Top Banana sounds like a one-of-a-kind experience, which is the kind of experience we like to have in the TiVoPlex.
9:00pm Turner Classic Movies
Nosferatu (1922 GER): No idea which of the many public domain copies of the great silent vampire film this will be, but hopefully TCM will be airing the nice print recently utilized for Kino's DVD. Worth seeing regardless just to get a look at the wondrous Max Schreck and his amazing facial features. I'd love to see Schreck in something else - he worked on almost 50 films all told - but I have no idea which, if any, of his works survive.
