TiVoPlex
By John Seal
July 13, 2009
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Tuesday 07/14/09
11:00 AM Sundance
Bob le Flambeur (1955 FRA) A day of Jean-Pierre Melville classics kicks off with this terrific crime drama. Roger Duchesne (whose acting career was basically over by the mid ‘50s thanks to accusations of wartime collaboration with the Germans and a predilection for the bottle) stars as the title character, a gone to seed con desperate for One Last Big Job that will leave him fat and happy in his golden years. He plots a casino heist that he hopes will net him and his friends a cool 800 million francs, but as it oft the case, things go awry when Bob's plan is discovered - and he finds himself sucked into the maw of the gambling tables. Filmed beautifully by the great cinematographer Henri Decae, Bob le Flambeur is generally considered to be the film that kicked off what became known as the French "New Wave", but it's also a great caper flick with tremendous appeal for anyone willing to read subtitles. It's followed at 12:45 PM by Melville's Le Doulos (1962), a less well known but equally brilliant dissection of the rise and fall of a petty crook (Serge Reggiani). Bob le Flambeur airs again at 9:30 PM, whilst Le Doulos reappears 7/15 at 10:00 AM.
2:45 PM Sundance
Army of Shadows (1969 FRA): Here's another Melville movie, this one deserving more than a piggy-back mention with Bob le Flambeur. One of the finest films of the late 1960s, Army of Shadows didn't get an American theatrical release until 2006, and had never had a home video release in the United States until May 2007. In fact, until distributor Rialto Pictures dusted it off, the film had been nearly impossible to see anywhere since 1969, when it crashed and burned at the French box office and was summarily consigned to the vaults for the better part of four decades. Based on a wartime novel by Joseph Kessel - translated into English in 1944 for a long since out-of-print Cresset Press edition - the film details the activities of a resistance cell operating in Vichy France. Lino Ventura stars as Philippe Gerbier, an urbane maquis leader plotting against both the German occupiers and their collaborators in the Petain government. His co-conspirators include fast-thinking Mathilde (Simone Signoret), a callow youth known as "le Masque" (Claude Mann), bulky hard man "le Bison" (Christian Barbier), and handsome rake Felix (Jean-Pierre Cassel). When Felix is captured and tortured by the Germans, the cell's safety is compromised, and Mathilde masterminds an effort to rescue their comrade. The rescue mission fails, and the net begins to tighten around the remaining members, setting up a tragic finale that would still be considered anathema in most Hollywood features, and probably didn't help the film's box office performance in France either. It's brilliant if mordant stuff, and airs again 7/15 at 1:15 AM.
11:10 PM Encore Action
Truck Turner (1974 USA): The coolest man ever born, Isaac Hayes, stars in this rip-roaring black action feature from director Jonathan Kaplan. Hayes plays Mac Turner, a bounty hunter who completes a job, then finds himself targeted in turn by his victim's girlfriend. The plot particulars are irrelevant, but there's action aplenty, as well as a terrific supporting cast, including Yaphet Kotto, Nichelle Nichols, Sam Laws, Paul Harris, Dick Miller, and Scatman Crothers.
Wednesday 07/15/09
5:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
The Quare Fellow (1961 GB): Patrick McGoohan stars as prison guard Thomas Crimmin in this superb British drama, written and directed by unlikely Arthur Dreifuss, who would later helm such anti-masterpieces as Riot on Sunset Strip and The Love-Ins. Hey, I love both of those films to death, but neither of ‘em can hold a candle to this one, which is based on a Brendan Behan novel. Shot in and around a Dublin lock-up, the film follows Crimmin's evolution from wide-eyed idealist to staunch death penalty opponent. His change of heart is spurred on by an older, experienced fellow guard (Walter Macken) and the wife (Sylvia Sims) of a death row inmate. It's powerful and visceral stuff, shot through a bleak, damp prism by cinematographer Peter Hennessey.
7:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Johnny Got His Gun (1972 USA): Love it or hate it, you've never seen another film quite like Johnny Got His Gun. Written and directed by Hollywood Ten victim Dalton Trumbo, the film is told from the unique perspective of Joe, a horribly wounded World War I doughboy. Imprisoned in his hospital bed, a quadruple amputee who can no longer see, hear, or speak, Joe drifts in and out of nostalgic, pastoral reverie for what was and what might have been. This is quite simply one of the most horrifying films you will ever see, in turns stiflingly claustrophobic and deeply wrenching. If you're a heavy metal fan, you've seen excerpts of the film in Metallica's One video. It's followed at 9:00 PM by Overlord (1975), a well-regarded recreation of D-Day which I've never had the pleasure of seeing.
8:00 PM Sundance
Flight of the Red Balloon (2007 FRA): Remember that popular 1956 short subject, The Red Balloon? The one where the narrator stretches out the word "Balloon" the way Frank Black stretches out the word "Caribou" in the Pixies song of the same name? The one you probably saw in elementary school during recess one rainy day? Well, here's the sequel no one - well, at least not ME - was clamoring for. This time, it takes almost two hours to relate the tale of a young boy (Simon Iteanu) and his adventures with a plastic fantastic expandable bladder. It's not awful, and it does feature Juliette Binoche, but it's bizarre to see French cinema succumbing to some of the worst traits of American filmmaking. Also airs 7/16 at 12:30 AM.
11:00 PM Fox Movie Channel
The Touchables (1968 GB): Horribly obscure, or just horrible? Why not both! The Touchables is one of those overly arch, nudge nudge wink wink ‘60s films that tried to capture the buoyant mood of Summer of Love youth culture but ends up reducing it to a barren and depressing commodity. Directed by Robert Freeman - whose snapshots of The Beatles remain amongst the most iconic photographs of the era - the film features David Anthony (who??) as a rock star kidnapped by four nubile lasses who intend to have their way with him. The ONLY reasons to watch The Touchables are if you a) have an insatiable appetite for plotless '60s fashion shows masquerading as films, or b) you want to hear the terrific theme song by the (English) Nirvana. There's also a snippet of The Pink Floyd's Interstellar Overdrive used inexplicably as background music during a boat ride, but it's precious little consolation for sitting through this piece of ripe tripe.
Friday 07/17/09
3;05 AM Encore Western
Man From Del Rio (1956 USA): This decent low budget western stars Anthony Quinn as quick-drawing Mexican outlaw Dave Robles, who inherits the job of the lawman he guns down in the dusty town of Del Rio. Finding himself surprisingly apt at his new job, Dave soon finds himself at odds with some of the less law-abiding locals, and must also balance his new responsibilities with his blossoming relationship with beautiful Estella (Katy Jurado). The film ain't all that great, but with leads like Quinn and Jurado it's well a worth a look: indeed, I suspect this is probably the only American film of the period to feature two Mexican-born thespians in lead roles.
5:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Ma and Pa Kettle (1949 USA): Oh, how I used to love the adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle. Cantankerous and crusty Ma (Marjorie Main), always bossing poor old Pa around, and lazy but crafty Pa (Percy Kilbride), always trying to maintain his dignity beneath the shadow of his larger-than-life wife. The two of them were an unforgettable screen pair, and the four Ma and Pa Kettle features staples of broadcast TV for decades. They haven't been seen much of anywhere since the 1980s, however, making tonight's TCM Kettlethon a treat not to be missed. Yes, all four Kettle features air in chronological order, commencing with this episodic tale of Pa's seeming good fortune when he wins a new house for the couple and their 15 kids. You'll know within the first five minutes whether or not you're cut out to be a Kettlemaniac, but if you are, stay tuned at 6:30 PM for Ma and Pa Kettle go to Town (1950, and the town is New York), at 8:00 PM for Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm (1951, and the farm is laden with uranium), and at 9:30 PM for Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair (1952, and the fair is, uh, where they are at). The best thing about At the Fair? It features a non-Pokemon character called Geoduck!
Sunday 07/19/09
7:00 AM IFC
Blue Umbrella (2005 IND): This week's IFC Bollywood feature is a heart-warming family film about a blue umbrella that flies away across the rooftops of New Delhi, tempting a young boy to follow it on its airy adventures. Oh wait, no - Blue Umbrella is actually a heart-warming family film about Biniya (Shreya Sharma), a young girl who entertains tourists in her North Indian mountain home with the aforementioned parasol until it is stolen by jealous shopkeeper Nandu (Pankaj Kapur). It's a truly lovely little film, beautifully lensed by cinematographer Sachin Krishn, and proves again that there's a lot more to contemporary Indian cinema than large scale song and dance numbers.
Monday 07/20/09
8:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
12 to the Moon (1960 USA): It's Lunar Day on TCM, and amongst the treats is this low octane sci-fi adventure about a trip to planet Earth's favorite natural satellite. Ken Clark stars as John Anderson, American captain of an international manned expedition to see if the Moon really IS made of green cheese. He's accompanied by (amongst others) femme Japanese doctor Murata (Michi Kobi), Russian scientist Feodor Orloff (Tom Conway), and Spanish medico Luis Vargas (Anthony Dexter). International feuding soon breaks out on board, however, as the Russian and Israeli representative (Richard Weber) exchange harsh words, but once the good ship Lunar Eagle reaches its destination the crew are forced to unite in the face of something too terrible to describe in a family website. It's a pretty lousy film (director David Bradley would go on to helm the camp classic They Saved Hitler's Brain), but entertaining enough on a ho-hum, hokum level. Airing later today at 3:00 PM: 1962's Disney family comedy Moon Pilot, featuring Tom Tryon as an astronaut whose mission is interrupted by moon maiden Lyrae (Dany Saval from the excellent French anthology film Seven Deadly Sins). I've never seen it, but it's probably at least on a par with In Search of the Castaways or Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.
6:00 PM HBO
Prom Night in Mississippi (2008 CAN): This excellent Canadian documentary examines the integration of the high school prom in the Deep South town of Charleston, Mississippi. The town's most famous resident is actor Morgan Freeman, whose 1997 offer to fund an integrated prom eventually led the local school district to accept his offer in 2008. Though supported by the vast preponderance of students, the black and white ball drew substantial opposition from white parents, who went ahead and had their own Jim Crow prom anyway. And yes, you read that right: this all happened last year. Also airs at 9:00 PM.