TiVoPlex
TiVoPlex for February 16 2010 through February 22 2010
By John Seal
February 15, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Tuesday 2/16/10
1:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Emma (1932 USA): If ever there were an unlikely matinee idol, Marie Dressler was it. Blessed with a Michelin Man body and a face only a hatchet could love, Dressler encompassed no one's idea of beauty, yet her down to Earth persona was the number one box office draw during the early years of the Great Depression. Emma is one of her best films, and features Marie as the title character, a woman hired by wealthy widower Frederick Smith (Jean Hersholt) to care for his three motherless offspring. After the children have grown and left the nest, Frederick and Emma marry, but an ugly fight erupts after his unexpected death: should his working-class widow really be allowed to inherit the family fortune? Co-starring Myrna Loy and John Miljan, this Clarence Brown-helmed soap earned Dressler a well-deserved Best Actress Academy Award nomination.
7:45 PM Sundance
This is Not a Robbery (2008): Death panels, cuts in Medicare, the cancellation of Matlock—today's senior citizens face unprecedented stress, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised when they opt for a life of crime. This documentary takes a look at one such fun lovin' criminal, a Texan named J. L. ‘Red' Rountree, an oil baron who lost his millions and developed a taste for stick ‘em ups at the ripe old age of 86. Though caught several times between 1998 and 2003 (when he turned 92), Red got away with thousands until his luck finally ran out one day in Abilene, and he ended up doing a twelve-year stretch in a Federal pokey. Guess the guy really didn't like banks much. Also airs 2/17 at 1:15 AM.
Wednesday 2/17/10
12:10 PM Encore Action
Snake Eater (1989 USA): This low-budget Lorenzo Lamas actioner isn't much good, but who can resist a film called Snake Eater? I haven't seen it in quite some time, and I sure don't remember Lorenzo actually indulging in serpent during the film, but who knows...maybe he does throw a little snake on the barby. At any rate, I'll be tuning in this afternoon to refresh my memory and pick up on any culinary tips the film may offer.
9:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Saturday Night Fever (1977 USA): The film that nudged disco into the pop mainstream makes its widescreen television debut this evening. Sweathog John Travolta stars as Tony Manero, a leisure be-suited Brooklyn kid who escapes the boredom of his workaday life in a paint store by fleeing to the local discotheque and boogying up a storm. When Tony meets fellow dancer Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney), the ambitious lad sees the opportunity for advancement, and the couple enter a dance competition that may allow them to leave Brooklyn for the bright lights of Manhattan. Travolta's first big screen performance remains his best, and even the music—camp as it is—has aged surprisingly well. Either that, or I'm getting soft in my old age.
Thursday 2/18/10
1:35 AM HBO2
I Come in Peace (1990 USA): For those who enjoyed James Cameron's alien invasion opus Terminator or 1988's alien immigration drama Alien Nation, here's the Dolph Lungren semi-knockoff that followed both of them into theatres. Dolph plays bad boy Houston vice cop Caine, in pursuit of Talec, an alien drug dealer (Matthias Hues) come to Earth with a batch of super-heroin that keeps killing those who sample it—or have it sampled upon them. It's all done in the name of gathering a human brain enzyme that apparently is Acapulco Gold to the residents of points beyond the Milky Way, but Talec hasn't reckoned on the kick-ass awesomeosity of Caine. Oh yes, there will be blood.
7:15 AM Turner Classic Movies
Svengali (1931 USA): I was surprised to see I've never previously recommended Svengali in the TiVoPlex—until I realized I did give a shout-out to its cinematic doppelganger, 1931's The Mad Genius, back in 2008. Both films star John Barrymore and Marian Marsh and are thematically identical, with (in the case of this film) The Great Profile cast as the titular Rasputin type, a master manipulator who brainwashes young Trilby (Marsh) and convinces her she is a great opera singer. His motives are strictly of the ulterior variety, however, and when Trilby's old beau Billee (Bramwell Fletcher) gets wind of the plot, he follows the pair all the way to Egypt to win back the heart—and mind—of his best gal. Barrymore and Marsh are excellent, but the real reason to watch Svengali is Anton Grot's expressionistic art direction, which earned him an Oscar nom.
6:30 PM HBO
Reporter (2009 USA): I'm not a huge fan of New York Times' reporter Nicholas Kristof—the man has what I would consider a neo-liberal Manichean worldview—but give him credit for doggedness. Kristof has been covering Africa's wars for many years, and this HBO original documentary follows him to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire, and not to be confused with its smaller western neighbor, the Republic of the Congo) where a simmering decades-long civil war has caused a serious humanitarian crisis. Though a firm advocate for intervention, Kristof is trying to find the one ‘face' that can turn this crisis into front page news, and is willing to overlook those who don't quite fit the bill. The film confronts a nettlesome ethical dilemma: is a reporter's first duty to be a neutral observer, or is that reporter also morally obliged to intervene whenever he witnesses suffering? I don't pretend to know the answer. Also airs at 9:30 PM.
7:00 PM Sundance
Left Bank (2008 BEL): An above average horror flick from the Low Countries, Left Bank stars Eline Kuppens as Marie, a runner forced to drop out of a track meet after being diagnosed with a mysterious illness characterized by an iron deficiency. She meets cute with beefcake Bobby (Matthias Schoenaerts), and the couple move in together along Antwerp's apparently trendy Left Bank. But there's something very wrong with their flat, and when Marie's health deteriorates further, the relationship also begins to suffer. Lovely to look at and very well acted, this subtle thriller is a wonderful breath of fresh air in the torture porn saturated horror genre.
Friday 2/19/10
1:40 AM More Max
The Other (1972 USA): This austere psychological thriller about identical twins—one good, one evil—used to air all the time on commercial TV during the 1970s. I never exactly liked The Other, but I watched it many times in a vain attempt to figure out precisely what was going on. I haven't seen it since I was a teenager, so I'll be tuning in this morning to, once and for all, FIGURE OUT PRECISELY WHAT IS GOING ON. Maybe it shall remain an enigma, but just the sight of those creepy twins, still only children after the passage of almost forty years, should give me a good scare.
9:00 PM Sundance
Ghost Writer (1989 USA): Ordinarily, I wouldn't mention a film as lowly as Ghost Writer, but when presented with the opportunity to write back-to-back about films featuring identical twins, who am I to pass up such an opportunity? In this case, the twins are pro wrestlers David and Peter Paul (whose mounds are not featured here), who actually play second fiddle to the Landers sisters, Audrey and Judy, who are NOT identical twins, but look a lot alike regardless. Sister Audrey plays Angela, a writer ensconced at her aunt's beachfront manse whilst working on a book. Lo and behold, the ghost of previous resident Billie (sister Judy) shows up to give her the scoop on her previously mysterious death, but when word gets back to the man wot killed her he's none too pleased to learn the secret is out. This is not a good film, but besides the various brothers and sisters involved, you also get Tony Franciosa, George ‘Buck' Flower, Dick Miller, Joey Travolta, and a Van Patten (Nels). Bad as it is, Ghost Writer does offer value for money in the character actor department!
Saturday 2/20/10
5:00 PM HBO
Frost/Nixon (2008 USA): It wasn't one of my favorite films of 2008, but I'll grudgingly acknowledge Michael Sheen's excellent performance as unctuous television host David Frost. As much as I like Frank Langella, however, I just didn't believe him as Nixon. Where was Dan Hedaya? Written for the screen by Oscar winner Peter Morgan (The Queen) and directed by Opie, Frost/Nixon is an entertaining (if far from revelatory) drama, and airs again at 8:00 PM.
8:05 PM Showtime
The Baader-Meinhof Complex (2008 GER): This German film was supposed to make its American television debut back in November, but didn't. I'll stand by (and repeat!) what I wrote then: In and out of American art-houses in the blink of an eye, this controversial German feature makes its small screen debut this morning. Directed by Uli Edel (whose journey from Christiane F. to The Little Vampire is one of the most unlikely in film history), it's the story of The Red Army Faction, Germany's radical urban guerrilla movement of the early 1970s. Led by Ulrike Meinhof (Martina Gedeck) and Andreas Baader (Moritz Bleibtreu), the RAF bombed, kidnapped, and assassinated their way through the decade, striking fear into the shrivelled hearts of heartless capitalists and greedy oligarchs throughout the Bundesrepublik. Bruno Ganz co-stars as the policeman in charge of bringing an end to their reign of terror and Johanna Wokalek scores points as Baader moll Gudrun Ensslin. The Baader Meinhof Complex was accused by some critics of glamorizing "terrorists"; I disagree, but understand that Edel's comfort level with elements of exploitation cinema could lead to such a (mis) interpretation. Perhaps it's time to watch Christiane F. again... Also airs at 11:05 PM.
Sunday 2/21/10
11:30 AM Fox Movie Channel
Dangerous Crossing (1953 USA): This enjoyable if routine Fox thriller stars Jeanne Crain as a new bride whose honeymoon doesn't go quite as planned. She and hubby John are about to set sail on a luxury cruise, but before the ship even leaves harbor, John goes missing—and to make matters even more complicated, his name disappears from the passenger list! Is she crazy...or is some nefarious plot afoot? You've seen the story before in 1950's So Long at the Fair, so no points for originality, but Dangerous Crossing is still perfectly watchable. Just think of it as an extra long episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
10:30 PM Cinemax
Rogue (2007 AUS): According to the brief synopsis on IMDb, Rogue tells the story of "an American journalist on assignment in the Australian outback (who) encounters a man-eating crocodile". So we've established that Rogue is probably not a Sarah Palin biopic...or is it? I haven't seen it yet, but you can't go wrong with a killer crocodile movie—especially one featuring Avatar's Sam Worthington as a lout in a speedboat. Also airs 2/22 at 1:30 AM.
11:50 PM Starz
O'Horten (2007 NOR): The occasion of a railway worker's retirement is the focus of this episodic Norwegian comedy-drama from delightfully named director Bent Hamer. Bard Owe stars as O(dd) Horten, now 67 and regretfully confronting retirement: he has no friends, never partakes in any extracurricular activities, and must end his conjugal relationship with the nice lady at the end of the Oslo-Bergen run. If you're favorably inclined towards Scandinavian quirkiness, give O'Horten a look: if you find it twee and annoying, change the channel. Also airs 2/22 at 2:50 AM.
Monday 2/22/10
5:45 AM IFC
La Pointe Courte (1956 FRA): Point(e)s of interest: this is Agnes Varda's first film, it was edited by fellow auteur Alain Resnais, and it features only two ‘real' actors, including much-beloved thesp Philippe Noiret. I've never seen it, but it's considered to be a precursor of the New Wave. Also airs at 11:00 AM.