TiVoPlex
By John Seal
December 14, 2009
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Tuesday 12/15/09
12:45 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Younger Generation (1929 USA): ‘Cause we're The Younger Generation, and we've got something to say! And with the advent of the talking picture, they really could say something, though this particular film is actually one of those odd silent/sound hybrids. Despite its title, which suggests The Younger Generation might be one of those early musicals about flappers and gigolos living it up in the Roaring ‘20s, this is actually a sharply drawn, surprisingly downbeat tale of life in the tenements of New York City. Ricardo Cortez (who despite his exotic screen name was actually a nice Jewish boy named Jacob Krantz) stars as Morris Goldfish, a second-generation immigrant looking to shake off the old world strictures of his parents (Jean Hersholt and Rosa Rosanova) and make something of himself in gentile society. Success eventually takes the family all the way to Park Avenue - but the Goldfish's soon learn that money isn't everything, and wish they were back on the East Side. Another excellent early effort from director Frank Capra, The Younger Generation was based on a play by Fannie Hurst, an extremely popular writer of the early 20th century who also penned Back Street and Imitation of Life.
9:00 PM IFC
Alien Visitor (1997 AUS-ITA): Despite its title, which sounds like it should be attached to a straight-to-video cheapie, this is actually a very well made, thought-provoking science fiction film. Directed by Rolf de Heer, also responsible for the infamous Bad Boy Bubby as well as the gorgeous Aboriginal drama Ten Canoes, Alien Visitor plays like a distaff Man Who Fell to Earth, with a female space traveler (Ulli Birve) showing up naked and unannounced in the middle of the Australian desert. She's found and clothed by a surveyor (Syd Brisbane), whose reward is an hour long lecture about humanity's responsibility for the environmental degradation of Planet Earth. If you can put up with the lumbering dialogue (much of it apparently improvised), Alien Visitor (originally entitled Epsilon) offers rich visual rewards. It simply looks stunning in widescreen, and airs again on 12/16 at 1:30 AM.
Wednesday 12/16/09
5:00 PM HBO
Every F'ing Day of My Life (2009 USA): Originally released with the slightly less exciting moniker One Minute to Nine, Every F'ing Day of My Life is an utterly compelling documentary about "justifiable homicide". The film focuses on Oregonian housewife Wendy Maldonado and her troubled relationship with abusive hubby Aaron. After putting up with mental, emotional, and physical abuse for years, Wendy ended up hitting Aaron over the head with a hammer, a crime which earned her a ten-year stretch in the big house. I'm not at all comfortable with the concept of "justifiable homicide" (that's why I put the words in quotes), but if ever there was a poster child for it, it's Wendy Maldonado. Also airs at 8:00 PM.
5:20 PM Encore Action
The Hitman (1991 USA): You know it must be the week before Christmas when I'm reduced to recommending bad Chuck Norris movies. Is that an oxymoron? Naw, Lone Wolf McQuade is actually a pretty decent picture. As for The Hitman, it features the future President of the Republic of Texas as a Seattle lawman out for extralegal revenge against the criminal scum befouling the streets of his fair city. Oh, and his old partner (Michael Parks) also happens to be in cahoots with the gangsters, which undoubtedly makes revenge even sweeter for the Chuckster.
Thursday 12/17/09
8:35 AM Encore Action
Supercarrier (1988 USA): You know it must be the week before Christmas when I'm reduced to recommending bad made for TV movies about naval vessels. To be honest, there's really no good reason to watch this film, unless you happen to be a naval enthusiast eager to catch glimpses of the USS John F. Kennedy in action. Doesn't the Navy have better things to do with its ships than lease them to Hollywood producers?
3:15 PM IFC
Sweetie (1989 AUS): Jane Campion's quirky feature about a troubled Aussie family returns to the tube tonight after an extended leave of absence. Genevieve Lemon plays the title character, a 20-something woman with mental-health issues and an overpowering personality that leaves her little sister Kay (Karen Colston) scrambling for the love, affection, and attention of their parents (Dorothy Barry and Michael Lake). To make matters even more contentious, the forceful Sweetie decides to move in with Kay and her live-in boyfriend Louis (Tom Lycos) — and brings her own boyfriend (Andre Pataczek) with her. Though the film features some hilarious moments, it's also disturbingly blunt about the nature of Sweetie's mental illness, rendering it tough going for folks anticipating straightforward comedy-drama. Others will appreciate its blend of honesty and dark humor.
5:00 PM Sundance
Saturn in Opposition (2007 ITA-FRA-TUR): Friendship, death, and gay marriage are amongst the topics explored by this worthy drama from Turkish-born director Ferzan Ozpetek. It's the character-driven tale of gay couple Lorenzo and Davide (Luca Argentero and Pierfrancesco Favino) and their circle of friends, which include exes, straight couples, and a young drug addict. Things take a turn for the worse when Lorenzo suffers a cerebral hemorrhage, triggering the reappearance of his estranged father (Luigi Diberti) and some very awkward hospital corridor conversations. Though hardly groundbreaking stuff (especially by American standards), Saturn in Opposition is a beautifully acted and well-detailed drama that never gets boring. Also airs 12/18 at 1:40 AM.
Friday 12/18/09
11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Darktown Strutters (1975 USA): A film of legendary — nay, near mythical — proportions, Darktown Strutters makes what I suspect is its world television premiere this evening in the TCM Underground. I've never had the privilege of seeing it, but it was the penultimate directorial effort of William Witney, an action specialist who spent years toiling in the oft barren fields of the Hollywood chapter-play. Is it as racist as its detractors suggest? Or is it an early example of blaxploitation satire? Roger Ebert described it as "the first black motorcycle gang rock sci fi musical." Perhaps it's all three! Darktown Strutters is followed at 12:45 AM on Saturday morning by the equally legendary (but quite definitely terrible) disco musical Thank God It's Friday, in which Donna Summer portrays a singer looking for the big break that will elevate her to stardom.
Saturday 12/19/09
2:35 AM More Max
The Wolf Man (1941 USA): I know this wouldn't be in the least bit out of the ordinary on TCM, but when a Cinemax channel plays the original Wolf Man we have to pat them on the head and offer a few words of praise. Lon Chaney Jr. delivered one of his best performances (not as easy as it sounds, considering he wasn't a good actor) as Larry Talbot, the poor schmuck who becomes infected by a wolf bite whilst on a trip back to his ancestral homeland (in this case Wales, not central Europe!). Amongst other treats (including gorgeous black and white photography by Joe Valentine), The Wolf Man features this immortal gem from the pen of screenwriter Curt Siodmak: "even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright." In my opinion, The Wolf Man was the last of the truly great Universal horrors, and I'm delighted that More Max decided it was a better programming choice than, say, An American Werewolf in Paris.
Sunday 12/20/09
12:30 AM Sundance
The Chaser (2008 ROK): A corrupt detective tries to put the cuffs on a serial killer in this gruesome thriller (and South Korean box office champ) from first-time director Hong-jin Na. Yun-seok Kim plays dirty copper Joong-ho, who makes a little extra on the side by running a prostitution ring. When two of Joong-ho's girls disappear before paying him his royalty (or whatever it is prostitutes pay their pimps), he takes a special interest in the case — and soon discovers they were both servicing the same client. Director Na tries to shoehorn some Christian symbolism into the proceedings, but it's an unlikely and uncomfortable fit, and the film is best appreciated when viewed as a simple, straightforward gore-fest.
5:05 AM Sundance
Lemon Tree (2008 ISR-GER): Israel may have calcified into a hard-right apartheid state, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of Israeli citizens willing to dissent. One such is director Eran Riklis, who penned this tale of a land dispute between Palestinian widow Salma (Hiam Abbass) and her Israeli neighbor Israel (Doron Tavary). She owns a lemon orchard which he wants to tear down and replace with a fence in the name of security. He also happens to be the Israeli Defense Minister, but our heroine is unimpressed with his credentials and decides to take the case all the way to the Israeli Supreme Court, whilst she also forges an unexpected friendship with Israel's wife Mira (Rona Lipaz-Michael). A small scale story with a big point to make, Lemon Tree also airs at 7:00 PM.
Monday 12/21/09
7:30 PM Sundance
Cavite (2005 PHI): Filipino film-making was once exemplified by the ubiquitous presence of Vic Diaz, who snarled his way through countless Roger Corman-produced action flicks shot in the archipelago, usually clad in a really ugly floral shirt and wielding a machete. The now-very ill Diaz is nowhere to be seen in Cavite, but fans of those low-budget Corman flicks might still enjoy this film. Produced, written, and directed by Ian Gamazon, Cavite stars - who else? - Ian Gamazon as Adam, the American-born son of Filipino parents on his way back to the islands to attend his father's funeral. Once there, he learns that his mother and sister have been kidnapped (presumably by Abu Sayyaf guerrillas), and that in order to save them he must follow a very precise series of demands. The perp seems just as interested in educating Adam in the ways, means and motives of Islamic revolution as in reclaiming the money his father apparently stole (or hid) from the insurgency. Though this originally aired on Sundance as part of its Asia Extreme series, this isn't a horror or exploitation film; it's a serious and exemplary political thriller about a man being forced to come to terms with his cultural and religious heritage. Shot verite style in and around some of the worst slums on Earth, Cavite offers rich rewards on many levels.