TiVoPlex
By John Seal
January 10, 2011
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Tuesday 1/11/11
8:30 AM Flix
Hello Again (1987 USA): After taking a two-week holiday hiatus, it seems fitting to kick off TiVoPlex 2011 with Hello Again. It’s a shame the film isn’t better than it is, but we’ll compromise for the sake of synchronicity! Shelley Long stars as Lucy Chadman, a bored, rich housewife who chokes to death at the dinner table. End of story, right? Well…not quite. Enter goofy sister Zelda (Judith Ivey), proprietor of an occult bookstore and dedicated practitioner of all things ooky and altogether spooky, including the resurrection of the dead. Soon enough, Lucy is back in the land of the living, but there’s a catch: she must find true love within 30 days or once again return to the grave, and all this in the pre-eHarmony era! Hello Again was director Frank Perry's penultimate film, but sadly displays little of the intelligence or attention to character one normally associates with his work. Corbin Bernsen, however, is reasonably amusing as Lucy’s widower, a plastic surgeon who has since remarried, and therefore isn’t available to supply the "true love" Lucy needs.
5:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Laurel and Hardy marathon: This is actually part of TCM’s month-long salute to Hal Roach Studios, which began last week with a 24-hour Our Gang marathon. Now it’s Stan and Ollie’s turn, and the day includes an impressive 40 short subjects and three features from the still much-beloved comedy duo. Best of all, 16 of the shorts have never been aired on TCM before, making this a very special occasion indeed. Amongst the days highlights are classics such as Towed in a Hole (1932, Stan and Ollie go fishing) at 11:00 PM, The Music Box (1932, Stan and Ollie move a piano) at 1:30 AM, and Hog Wild (1930, Stan and Ollie install a wireless antenna) at 7:00 AM. Don’t take any chances, though: if you’ve got enough room on your hard drive, record the lot. You won’t regret it.
Wednesday 1/12/11
8:15 AM Flix
Viva Max (1970 USA): Peter Ustinov headlines this moderately amusing, if badly dated, Jerry Paris-helmed comedy. Ustinov plays General Maximilian Rodrigues De Santos, a Mexican army officer who tries to impress his girlfriend by invading the United States and reoccupying the Alamo. Naturally, this doesn’t sit too well with the gringos, who send the Texas National Guard under the command of General Billy Joe Hallson (Jonathan Winters, squinting and gurning his way through another role) to return the landmark to its rightful owners. Culturally insensitive hilarity ensues. A fine supporting cast, including Keenan Wynn, Harry Morgan, Alice Ghostley, John Astin, and Kenneth Mars, renders the film tolerable. Bizarre footnote: the film is based on a novel written by Jim Lehrer—the same Jim Lehrer featured on PBS’s MacNeil-Lehrer Report.
9:10 AM Sundance
Amreeka (2009 USA): I approached this family drama with low expectations, but ended up loving it. The story of a Palestinian mother (the marvelous Nisreen Faour) who moves herself and her teenage son (Melkar Muallem) to suburban Illinois to escape the dangers of intifada and occupation, Amreeka is a wry, touching, and insightful look at the immigrant experience. Though the film can’t avoid politics entirely, that’s not the focus here, so even if you’re not favorably inclined towards the Palestinian cause you’ll still enjoy the film immensely. In addition to the leads, kudos to supporting cast members Hiam Abbass and Joseph Ziegler (playing, respectively, mom’s sister and mom’s love interest), and to writer-director Cherien Dabis’ wonderful screenplay. One of the nicest surprises of 2009.
8:30 PM Showtime Extreme
Hannibal (2001 USA): Not certain this a widescreen debut, but I’m thinking it is. Or might be. Or even if it isn’t, you can’t go wrong with Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, right? As far as sequels go, this is definitely amongst the elite, with our fava-bean favoring anti-hero returning to the States after a ten-year European sojourn to bring happiness and light to the life of FBI Agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster). Mmm, mmm, good.
11:45 PM Encore Love Stories
Lorna’s Silence (2008 BEL): The Dardenne Brothers return with another slice of Belgian working-class life. Lorna’s Silence stars Alban Ukaj and doe-eyed Arta Dobroshi as Sokol and Lorna, Albanian immigrants trying to gain permanent residence status—and better jobs—in their adopted (low) country. Lorna plans to marry junkie Claudy (In Bruges’ Jeremie Renier) on a temporary basis, naturalize, and then leave him for Russian gangster Andrei (Anton Yakovlev), who will in turn acquire legal residence status through her. This is all being orchestrated by Italian con artist Fabio (Fabrizio Rongione, previously seen in the Dardenne’s Rosetta), and Lorna believes she will ultimately be able to marry her true love, Sokol, and live happily ever after. When murder, smuggling, and drugs are involved, however, you can be sure things will go seriously awry. If you’re a fan of the Dardennes, Ken Loach, or good old-fashioned Italian neo-realism, you’ll definitely want to give Lorna’s Silence a look.
Thursday 1/13/11
4:00 AM Encore Dramatic Stories
Sometimes a Great Notion (1971 USA): I’ve never seen this big-screen adaptation of Ken Kesey’s novel of the same name, but I’ve always been intrigued by its enigmatic and mellifluous title — plus it stars Paul Newman, Henry Fonda, Lee Remick, and Richard Jaeckel. It’s not on DVD and you’ll have to pay silly money for a VHS copy, so save yourself the trouble and join me in discovering Sometimes a Great Notion this morning. Shame it’ll probably air in pan and scan, but beggars can’t be choosers.
9:00 AM Flix
Villa Rides (1968 USA): A bewigged Yul Brynner plays the legendary Mexican revolutionary in this decent oater, which, considering the talent involved, probably should have been better. Nonetheless, it’s worth a look, as Villa takes his show on the road with the assistance of a Yankee gunrunner played by Robert Mitchum. The film is decidedly apolitical and ultimately a routine shoot ‘em up, but with a screenplay by Robert Towne and Sam Peckinpah and a supporting cast including Herbert Lom, Frank Woolf, Fernando Rey, and even Charles Bronson, won’t completely disappoint.
3:15 PM Encore
Pacific Heights (1990 USA): Here’s a guilty pleasure if there ever was one. Pacific Heights stars the eternally annoying Melanie Griffith and the generally decent Matthew Modine as Patty and Drake, a couple who have just refurbished a posh San Francisco Victorian. The building work is a success, but they have poor luck with tenants: after odd duck Carter Hayes (Michael Keaton) moves in, all sorts of bizarre stuff starts going down, including roach infestations and after-hours power-tool parties. Their desperate attempts to evict him come to naught, proving once again that tenant’s rights are the bane of landlords in liberal Baghdad by the Bay. So why do I like Pacific Heights? Well, I always enjoy watching movies shot in the City, there’s an earthquake at the end of the film, and Tracey Walter makes a brief appearance as the exterminator called in to cope with the roaches. Can’t go wrong with Tracey Walter. Also airs at 6:15 PM.
Friday 1/14/11
2:15 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Bobo (1967 USA): It’s Peter Sellers' turn to get the spotlight treatment on TCM, and whilst The Bobo is not one of the actor’s best films, it is a pretty rare one, especially if you don’t have a region-free DVD player. This time out, the shape-shifting Sellers plays Juan Bautista, a second-rate matador presented with a challenge by a Barcelona bullfighting impresario: successfully bed local beauty Olimpia Segura (Sellers’ spouse Britt Ekland), and be granted the opportunity to do battle in the local arena. The film is as slight as my precis suggests, but a decent supporting cast, including Hattie Jacques, Ferdy Mayne, Adolfo Celi, Rosanno Brazzi, and Marne Maitland, helps matters.
6:15 AM Sundance
In a Day (2006 GB): Former cult actor Evan Richards (Altered States, Down and Out in Beverly Hills) wrote and directed this pleasant if talky character study. Shot in London, In a Day stars Lorraine Pilkington as Ashley, a sandwich maker by trade who meets cute with aspiring musician Michael (Finlay Robertson) over a roll of paper towels. The vulnerable Ashley takes Michael up on his offer to spend a day on the town together, and the film details their episodic adventures before coming full circle and bringing closure to their rendezvous in the paper products aisle. Though nothing special, it’s a nice, cozy way to spend 81 minutes. Also airs at 10:30 AM.
2:00 PM IFC
The Heroic Trio (1992 HK): Martial arts fans will love this Hong Kong fantasy classic about three women who kick ass, and do so with aplomb. Directed by the great Johnnie To, the film stars Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui, and Michelle Yeoh as the titular trio, three extremely liberated gals who take on the baby-snatching Master (Yee Kwan Yan), an evil sorcerer with plans to make himself boss of the world. The film’s plot is incredibly threadbare, but it matters not at all: The Heroic Trio is tremendous fun, the leads both beautiful and deadly, and the wire-work impressive.
8:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
The Crooked Way (1949 USA): Poor old John Payne. It must have been hard working in Golden Age Hollywood with that last name, so close to that of a genuine A-list star. Of course, Payne came by his nom de screen honestly, whereas his counterpart was born Marion Morrison — so chances are JP believed he had every right to use his birth-name, damn the consequences. And, indeed, he managed to parlay his talents into a reasonably solid if unspectacular 30 year career, including the male lead in holiday favorite Miracle on 34th Street. Still, one wonders if he could have gone further with a different moniker — which brings us to The Crooked Way, a film made only two years after the aforementioned Christmas classic but already a step down from A to B-list for Payne. Directed by Robert Florey for indie La Brea Productions, the film stars Payne as Eddie Rice, a veteran suffering from amnesia. Unfortunately, Eddie’s forgotten that, prior to his war service, he’d been the wise guy responsible for sending gangster Vince Alexander (Sonny Tufts) up the river — and Vince is still eager for revenge. Co-starring Rhys Williams as a friendly cop, The Crooked Way is a better than average pseudo-noir featuring superb cinematography by genre specialist John Alton.
Saturday 1/15/11
1:15 AM Showtime 2
Louie Bluie (1985 USA): This Terry Zwigoff-helmed documentary examines the life and times of Howard "Louie Bluie" Armstrong (not to be confused with Louis Armstrong), an African-American fiddle player who entertained generations of Chicagoans from the 1930s through the 1970s. Zwigoff tracked Armstrong down in the early '80s, after he had relocated to Detroit, and records his observations herein (Armstrong would live until 2003, when he was well into his 90s). It’s a loosely structured salute to a genre-defying musician who was also an artist and amateur philosopher, and will be best appreciated by admirers of films such as American Splendor and Zwigoff’s own Crumb.
1:15 AM Turner Classic Movies
Tokaido Yotsuya Kaidan (1959 JAP): Back in 2008, IFC aired a black and white 1949 screen adaptation of Yotsuya Kaidan, a hugely popular Japanese play of the 19th century. Now TCM brings us this version from ten years later, and it’s a doozy. Though the story is the same — ghost of samurai’s wife returns to wreak vengeance upon those who done her wrong — it’s now told in widescreen and in color, and looks spectacular. Directed by Nobuo Nakagawa, also responsible for the infamous Jigoku (Hell), this is a contemplative and haunting tale of the supernatural.
7:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
Jail Busters (1955 USA): After taking a few weeks off for the holidays, the Bowery Boys are back. This time, newshound Chuck (David Gorcey) gets beaten up for filing a report on prison corruption, so Slip, Sach, and Butch get themselves arrested in order to go behind bars and get the real scoop on their ol’ pal’s behalf. Bowery Boys semi-regulars Emil Sitka, Henry Kulka, and Lyle Talbot all show up in series entry number 39.
7:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Missing (1982 USA): Costa-Gavras was perhaps losing the plot a bit by the time he got around to making this semi-fictional account of an American journalist who goes missing in a South American banana republic. Part of the problem probably stemmed from his decision to make films within the studio system, causing him to soften his political messages, Missing being Exhibit A, as he chose not to out Chile as the military dictatorship in question. It's probably also likely that his artistic abilities were in natural decline; it would be hard indeed to top, or even match, such incendiary masterpieces as Z or State of Siege. When all's said and done, though, this is still a damned good film, with a compelling story and a fine cast, including Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek as the lost journo's questing father and wife (On the minus side, the Vangelis soundtrack hasn't aged particularly well). If you're the sort who instinctively places their trust in the United States government, you probably won't want to check it out, but those of a more cynical and/or conspiratorial persuasion may want to give it a look.
Sunday 1/16/11
5:45 PM IFC
Game of Death (1978 HK): Five years after his death, Bruce Lee managed to star in this action flick. How? Well, he’d begun work on Game of Death shortly before his untimely demise, and the producers couldn’t bring themselves to throw away all that great Lee footage. Director Robert Clouse (Enter the Dragon) padded it with shots of a Lee-lookalike (shades of Ed Wood, Bela Lugosi, and Plan 9 from Outer Space), and this is the deeply unsatisfying result. Game of Death is, however, worth checking out, if only to see (the real) Bruce Lee do battle with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Here’s hoping IFC will be airing it in widescreen.
9:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Dekigokoro (1933 JAP): I’ve never seen this early Yasujiro Ozu film, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it. I don’t expect Dekigokoro to be quite as entertaining as Game of Death, but it will probably be a bit more…artistic. And quieter, too…it’s a silent.