TiVoPlex
By John Seal
October 6, 2009
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Tuesday 10/06/09
2:45am Encore Dramatic Stories
Genocide (1981 USA): 1982's Academy Award-winner for Best Documentary, Genocide may be an odd programming choice for Encore Dramatic Stories, but is worthwhile viewing nonetheless. This was the first major American doc about the Holocaust and, though it suffers in comparison to Claude Lanzmann's magisterial (if exhausting) Shoah, remains a gut-wrenching and powerful experience. Perhaps Liz Taylor and Orson Welles weren't the best choices to narrate, but that's a minor quibble indeed.
9:30pm Sundance
Intacto (2002 ESP): This quite splendid and very unusual Spanish thriller features Leonardo Sparaglia as Tomas, a criminal whose getaway is spoiled by a plane crash that leaves him the sole survivor. Whilst recovering from his injuries and counting the days until he's fit enough to move into a jail cell, he's visited by Federico (Eusebio Poncela), a broker of sorts who deals in the most elusive commodity of them all: luck. Federico believes he can leverage Tomas' good luck into a fortune and, after helping him escape from hospital, introduces him to an underground gambling game that can be both extremely lucrative and extremely dangerous. Amongst the other players is the white-suited Holocaust survivor Samuel (Max Von Sydow, commanding as always), who likes to play Russian roulette, and undercover police detective Sara (Monica Lopez), who's trying to play the game in order to get Tomas back in custody. It all adds up to a very satisfying and assured first feature for director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later). Intacto had some pan-and-scan play dates a couple of years ago, but IFC is airing it in wide-screen, which is by far the best way to appreciate this intricately-plotted puzzle piece.
Wednesday 10/07/09
10:45pm Encore
Dead and Breakfast (2004 USA): Guilty pleasure alert! This is a pretty minor horror film about a group of annoying young people encountering deadly force in the great unwashed reaches of rural Texas. Besides this incredibly original set-up, what's to like? Well, in addition to that wonderfully punny title - hard to believe it hadn't been used before! - there are zombies, David Carradine as a creepy innkeeper, and such groan-inducing dialogue as "I can't kill anyone. I'm a vegan!". It's never going to make you forget Night of the Living Dead, but it'll do as a Shocktober time killer. Also airs 10/8 at 1:45am.
Thursday 10/08/09
1:30pm HBO Signature
El Rey de la Montaña (2004 ESP): Ready for another nerve-tingling Spanish thriller? El Rey de la Montana features TiVoPlex Star-of-the-Week Leonardo Sparaglia as Quim, a guy whose overactive libido gets him into all sorts of trouble during a road trip. On his way to make nice with his girlfriend after a recent bust-up, Quim meets Bea (Maria Valverde) at a gas station, and after an extremely brief courting period, retires with her to the lav for a knee-trembler. Whilst his pants are around his ankles Quim's wallet is stolen, and after resuming the journey his car is shot at and disabled by a sniper. Lost in the forest primeval, our randy hero must somehow outrun an invisible foe and wonder whether or not he can really trust Bea, who's made a mysterious reappearance amidst the woods. Featuring sterling cinematography by Jose David Montero, El Rey de la Montaña is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your tree-stump.
6:45pm Turner Classic Movies
Hallelujah, I'm a Bum (1933 USA): Titles rarely get better than this one, and thankfully the film itself is a doozy, too. A bizarre, fanciful musical directed by the great Lewis Milestone, Hallelujah, I'm a Bum stars Al Jolson as Bumper, a hobo who saves the life of suicidal June (Madge Evans) after she jumps into the river. June is the gal pal of befuddled New York City Mayor Hastings (the Wizard of Oz himself, Frank Morgan), who frequently lends Bumper ("The Mayor of Central Park") and his street brethren a helping hand when the chips are down. Featuring songs by Rodgers and Hart and co-starring silent comedian Harry Langdon as a Communist rabble-rouser, this is essential viewing for both admirers of pre-Code cinema and fans of Thirties musicals.
Friday 10/09/09
12:30am Turner Classic Movies
Black Moon (1934 USA): Not to be confused with the Louis Malle feature of the same name, this Black Moon is a very rare horror film directed by Roy William Neill (Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man). Fay Wray stars as Gail Hamilton, a young woman whose parents were sacrificed in a voodoo ceremony when she was a child. Now married and with children of her own, Gail feels compelled to return to the island where the horror unfolded, and once there, is adopted by the islanders as a goddess, a development which does her family life no good at all. Produced at Columbia and co-starring Clarence Muse and Madame Sul-te-wan, Black Moon has never had an official home video release and hasn't aired on TCM since the channel's earliest days, so don't you dare miss it this morning. It's followed at 1:45am by 1944's The Missing Juror, an equally obscure noir from director Budd Boetticher.
3:15pm Turner Classic Movies
Killers of Kilimanjaro (1959 GB): Robert Taylor tries to construct an East African railway in this so-so Richard Thorpe-helmed period adventure. Set in the 1880s, the film features Taylor as gung-ho engineer Robert Adamson, a determined all-American type who isn't going to let a little jungle get in the way of his master plan. Whilst in transit to the Dark Continent, Adamson meets young lovely Jane (Anne Aubrey), and agrees to help her find her father and fiancé, who have gone missing in treacherous territory. Are the warriors of the Warush tribe responsible...or are Arab slavers to blame for their disappearance? The story isn't terribly exciting and Taylor is dull, but there's handsome wide-screen cinematography from Ted Moore and a solid supporting cast, including Donald Pleasence, Grégoire Aslan, Allan Cuthbertson, and Anthony Newley.
9pm IFC
Motel Hell (1980 USA): If it has nothing else of merit, Motel Hell can at least lay claim to one of the great taglines of cinema history: "It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent fritters!" This gruesome parody of slasher films features former cowboy star Rory Calhoun as the aforementioned agronomist, whose crop consists of kidnapped passers-by who later end up in the food chain. Director Kevin Connor - fresh off his series of kiddie-oriented Amicus features - adapted well to the genre, and all but the most hardened gorehounds will be squirming in their seats by the time Motel Hell reaches its pulse-pounding conclusion. Wolfman Jack co-stars as Reverend Billy, who, regrettably, is no relation to the current anti-globalization performance artist of the same name.
10:30pm Sundance
Ca$h (2008 FRA): For those of you who enjoy caper flicks, here's one you probably haven't seen yet. Directed by Eric Besnard, it features reliable Jean Reno as Maxime, an international criminal mastermind who gets double-crossed by crafty conman Cash (Jean Dujardin). Counterfeiting and stolen diamonds are involved, and there are triple- and even quadruple-crosses aplenty, so be prepared to pay attention to the overly-convoluted plot. Look for Ciarán Hinds in a small but important role as an international cop.
Saturday 10/10/09
6am Turner Classic Movies
Dick Tracy, Chapters 11 & 12 (1937 USA): More thrills, spills, and cliff-hanging chills are on offer in this week's episodes, Harbor Pursuit and The Trail of the Spider.
Sunday 10/11/09
12:10am Starz! Comedy
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008 GB): How could I overlook the television premiere last week of Mike Leigh's most recent feature? Sorry, Mike; I still love ya, babe! Happy Go Lucky features Sally Hawkins as perennially-upbeat primary-school teacher Poppy, a hippie-ish sort who faces life with naught but smiles and laughter. Her demeanor doesn't always do her any favors, however, especially when she begins to take driving lessons with perennial grouch Scott (Eddie Marsan), who also seems to be a bit of a fascist and a stalker to boot. As in most Leigh films, there's both humor and drama, though the emphasis this time tends to be on the former. Marsan is superb, Alexis Zegerman scores points as Poppy's long-suffering roommate Zoe, and there are some absolutely hilarious bits involving flamenco lessons. En-Ra-Ha!
9pm Sundance
Divergence (2005 HK): Aaron Kwok stars as a copper trying to keep his mind on his job in this workmanlike-but-watchable police procedural from director Benny Chan. Kwok plays Suen Siu Yan, an officer once famous for appearing on television but now back in the daily grind of unglamorous police work. Charged with escorting a crooked businessman from Canada to Hong Kong, Suen finds life exciting once again when his prisoner (Patrick Chow) is murdered at the airport, leading to all sorts of twists, turns, and run-ins with gangsters and pop singers. There's solid acting, good action sequences, and a propulsive score to distract you from Divergence's somewhat ludicrous plot.
Monday 10/12/09
10:30am Turner Classic Movies
8 1/2 (1963 ITA): It's been quite a while since I last saw this autobiographical Federico Fellini classic, so I'm most pleased to report its reappearance on TCM this morning. Marcello Mastroianni stars as Guido Anselmi, a renowned director on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Guido is currently recovering from the success of his last film - and the expectations inspired by that success - but can't seem to escape from his colleagues, his wife (Anouk Aimée), or his bit on the side (Sandra Milo). It's an enigmatic fantasia filled with flashbacks and sequences of profound beauty; in other words, exactly what you'd expect from a Fellini film. You may not understand it all at first, but stick with it and rewards will follow, and for best results, watch it a second time!
6pm Sundance
Audience of One (2007 USA): Richard Gazowsky is a Pentecostal minister living in that least Pentecostal of cities, San Francisco. He's also a fledgling film producer working on a science-fiction epic he describes as a cross between Star Wars and The Ten Commandments. This riveting documentary takes a look at Gazowsky's efforts to get his project off the ground for a five-day shoot in Italy. The man is utterly dedicated and completely ingenuous, which renders the proceedings painful at times: no matter your religious inclinations, you'll experience a twinge of regret whilst watching his dreams slowly go down the pan.