TiVoPlex
By John Seal
March 14, 2011
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Tuesday 3/15/11
5:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
So Big! (1932 USA): Who says two-fisted action specialist William Wellman couldn’t make women’s pictures? This adaptation of Edna Ferber’s novel, starring Barbara Stanwyck as an heiress fallen on bad times, proves otherwise. Babs is Selina Peake, a spoiled little rich girl whose father (Robert Warwick) has gambled away the family fortune. Upon his death, the now penniless Selina is sent to the countryside, where she becomes a schoolteacher, falls in love with a Dutch farmer named Purvis (Earle Fox), and makes a new life for herself growing asparagus. But produce can’t buy you love, and her fraught relationship with stockbroker son Dirk (Hardie Albright) threatens to break her heart. The film covers a vast amount of material in its brief 81-minute running time, but Stanwyck is up to the task and delivers a bravura performance. Watch out for Bette Davis in a small but significant role as a lady architect.
10:30 AM Showtime 3
Dead Air (2009 USA): An abrasive radio personality finds himself reporting on a zombie invasion in this Corbin Bernsen-helmed thriller, which sounds an awful lot like 2008’s Pontypool, but isn’t. Apparently the two films were shot simultaneously, with Pontypool crossing the finish line first by a nose, so I’ll reserve judgment about who ripped off whom. I haven’t seen Dead Air yet, but it’ll be fun to play compare and contrast with its Canadian cousin.
Wednesday 3/16/11
11:00 AM Fox Movie Channel
Harry and Tonto (1974 USA): Movies rarely get more charming than this one. Art Carney stars as Harry Coombes, a retired schoolteacher whose New York City apartment building is being torn down and replaced with a parking garage. Is Harry downhearted? Not at all, as he decides to take advantage of the moment and, with his beloved cat Tonto, go on an extended road trip and visit friends and family across the United States. Carney’s sublime performance earned him an Academy Award, whilst director Paul Mazursky’s screenplay was nominated but ultimately lost to Robert Towne’s Chinatown script. If you want a film the whole family can enjoy — including Junior and Grandma — Harry and Tonto will meet your needs.
4:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Italianamerican (1974 USA): Anyone who’s watched more than a few Martin Scorsese movies will be familiar with the director’s mother, Catherine, who made cameo appearances as authentic Italian mamas in such films as Goodfellas and Casino. This rarely seen 1974 documentary puts her and Scorsese’s father Charlie in the spotlight, and serves as the director’s loving tribute to his devoted parental units. Previously only available on VHS (paired with Scorsese’s brutal anti-Vietnam War parable The Big Shave), Italianamerican is one of the least violent and most delightful entries in the great man’s bloody, brooding filmography.
8:30 PM Turner Classic Movies
The Projectionist (1970 USA): I vaguely recall this obscure comedy mistakenly showing up on the IFC or Sundance schedule a few years ago, and being profoundly disappointed that it didn’t actually air. Now my disappointment is at an end, as the film is definitely appearing on TCM this evening — and in widescreen, no less! It’s a genuine oddity, and stars Chuck McCann as Chuck, a movie projectionist who loses himself in a fantasy world in which he imagines himself to be celluloid superhero Captain Flash. In real life, Chuck must contend with his unctuous boss, Rinaldi (Rodney Dangerfield), whilst Captain Flash must protect a beautiful girl (Ina Balin) from the villainous Bat (also Dangerfield). Though no classic, The Projectionist is a loving tribute to the B-movies of yesteryear, and will delight anyone who’s ever enjoyed a chapter play or second feature.
Thursday 3/17/11
3:00 PM Sundance
Keep Eye on Ball (2009 USA): Title of the week, hands down. Keep Eye on Ball is a documentary about Hashim Khan, a legendary Pakistani squash player who won the British Open (squash variety) seven consecutive times during the 1950s. His string of victories kick-started a national frenzy for the sport that persists to this day, and his children also became championship caliber players. Based on Khan’s biography of the same name, Keep Eye on Ball is the best squash documentary you’ll ever see, casting light on a sport most people have never heard of and on a sports dynasty that...well, most people have never heard of.
11:10 PM Encore Dramatic Stories
Croupier (1998 GB): Though technically not his first film, Clive Owen made a great first impression in this gritty crime drama helmed by Mike Hodges (1971’s Get Carter, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead). Owen — who coulda been a James Bond contenda, but lost the 007 sweeps to the equally worthy Daniel Craig — plays Jack Manfred, a would-be novelist in need of supplemental income to support his going nowhere fast writing career. He takes a job in a London casino as a croupier (the guy or gal who takes and pays out bets), but foolishly gets tangled up with a frequent customer (Alex Kingston) who inveigles him into helping her rob the joint. This is a solid if somewhat stodgy heist flick that wouldn’t be half as good without Owen.
Friday 3/18/11
1:45 AM Turner Classic Movies
R.P.M. (1970 USA): Do you ever drool in anticipation of seeing a film? I do. Oh sure, I drool when I’m asleep, too...but wide awake drooling is drool of a higher order. This is one of those films that send my salivary glands into overdrive. Unavailable on home video and absent from television for decades, R.P.M. stars Anthony Quinn as Paco Perez, a professor trying to get down with the kids on a strife-torn California college campus. Always one to sympathize with his students, Paco finds himself thrust into a position of authority when activists take over the campus and name him President. He finds their demands increasingly hard to comply with, however, raising the question: how much revolution is too much revolution? Ann-Margret co-stars as Paco’s grad student mistress (surely grounds for dismissal?), whilst Paul Winfield and Gary Lockwood agitate the masses. I haven’t seen this film in at least 30 years and its reputation isn’t the best, but gosh darn it, my keyboard is awash in slobber!
6:15 AM Turner Classic Movies
Roar of the Dragon (1932 USA): This rip-roaring RKO adventure stars Richard Dix (1923’s Ten Commandments) as a riverboat captain squaring off against Manchurian bandits and a bad guy (C. Henry Gordon) trying to steal his gal. Well-directed by Wesley Ruggles, Roar of the Dragon also includes Zasu Pitts, Dudley Digges, and flapper extraordinaire Arline Judge as Western tourists caught up in the conflict. And if you ever wanted to see Edward Everett Horton wielding a gat, look no further.
10:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Smarty (1934 USA): It must be Edward Everett Horton Day on TCM, because here’s another of the prissy comedian’s early efforts. I’ve never seen Smarty, but in addition to Horton it also features Joan Blondell and Warren William, two of the greatest actors of the pre-Code era. Best of all, they play a married couple, ensuring that the snappy banter meter will be bouncing between 10 and 11.
7:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Viva Maria! (1965 FRA-ITA): Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau co-star in this fluffy but enjoyable faux western directed by Louis Malle. It’s actually the story of two Marias, one a vaudeville performer (Bardot) the other the daughter of a revolutionary (Moreau), thrown together in unusual circumstances. The two inadvertently invent the strip-tease and then get mixed up in a revolution being led by George Hamilton. Yes, George Hamilton! It’s all completely ridiculous, but looks great in widescreen (thanks to Henri Decae), has a super score (thanks to Georges Delerue), and co-stars the magnificent Claudio Brook as stage magician The Great Rodolfo. (Interestingly but probably apropos of nothing, Brook and screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere were both frequent collaborators with Luis Bunuel.)
Saturday 3/19/11
7:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
Hold That Hypnotist (1956 USA): Bowery Boys series entry number 44 features Sach and Duke (Huntz Hall and Stanley Clements) doing their best to imitate The Search for Bridey Murphy. When Sach gets hypnotized, he regresses back to his past life as a tax collector — and his subconscious knowledge of the location of a long-lost treasure map naturally draws unwanted attention from the usual array of bad guys. Look for AIP regular Mel Welles in full pirate regalia as Blackbeard!
2:30 PM IFC
The Calm (1976 POL): Regular readers with an eye for detail will have noticed the recent absence of IFC from the TiVoPlex. That’s due to the channel’s recent decision to interrupt programming with commercials, a slippery slope down which Bravo slid many years ago. Yes, there was a time when Bravo was a good channel! Consequently, IFC is off the TiVoPlex radar...unless they offer something so tantalizing that even I’ll put up with the annoying sales pitches. Such is the case with The Calm, a forgotten Krzysztof Kieslowski feature shot for Polish television. The film stars Jerzy Stuhr as Antek Gralek, a young man newly released from prison and eager to start life afresh in the construction trade. Unfortunately, his employer is a corrupt son of a gun who takes advantage of his union workers, who, in turn, are more than willing to go on strike. Antek tries to mediate, but his efforts at compromise earn him naught but disdain from one side and a good beating from the other. If you tune in expecting something on a par with the director’s Three Colors trilogy, you’ll be disappointed — if you tune in expecting something a bit more Ken Loach-y, you’ll be well pleased. Even if someone tries to sell you a car after the second reel.
11:05 PM The Movie Channel
Pig Hunt (2008 USA): Let’s be honest...who can resist a movie about a giant killer boar? The one in Pig Hunt makes the oinkers in 1972’s Pigs pale in comparison. Shot in beautiful Boonville, California (with a brief sojourn in San Francisco’s Haight district), Pig Hunt is a cut above the usual giant killer animal fare. A very tasty cut, best served with apple sauce. Also airs 3/20 at 2:05 AM.
Monday 3/21/11
12:45 PM Encore Mystery
Games (1967 USA): Here’s a film that used to air on television all the time, but hasn’t been seen much since the '80s. Directed by Curtis Harrington (Night Tide), Games stars James Caan and Katharine Ross as Paul and Jennifer Montgomery, a bored couple looking to spice up their marriage. Enter door-to-door salesperson Lisa Schindler (Simone Signoret), an older woman willing to supply them with the spice they crave: some dangerous and arguably kinky "games" that will entertain and delight Paul and Jennifer. And that they do — until one such game leads to the death of a delivery boy. Whoops. Co-starring Don Stroud, Estelle Winwood, and Ian Wolfe, Games is a first-rate thriller that will appeal to fans of Antony Shaffer’s Sleuth. Too bad it’s (probably) airing in pan and scan; let’s hope a TCM broadcast is forthcoming at some point.
7:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
Caught (1949 USA): Robert Ryan plays a thinly disguised Howard Hughes in this excellent melodrama from French director Max Ophuls. Ryan is Smith Ohlrig (great name!), a multi-millionaire with an eye for beautiful model Leonora (Barbara Bel Geddes). Leonora is a nice girl, and she initially rebuffs him, but he wears her down and talks her into marriage. Big mistake: she soon discovers Smith prefers her as a trophy wife, and a pregnant one at that. Leonora leaves him and turns to Doctor Quinada (James Mason) for support, but Ohlrig is nothing if not persistent and is determined to get her back — no matter the cost. You can never go wrong with Ryan as a twitchy neurotic, and Bel Geddes isn’t bad either. Caught was a flop at the box office, which no doubt pleased Hughes no end.