TiVoPlex
By John Seal
March 5, 2012
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Tuesday 3/6/12
2:30 PM Turner Classic Movies
Harold Teen (1934 USA): This forgotten Warners musical comedy is almost as obscure as the comic strip on which it was based. The strip, however, must have been quite popular in the 1920s and ‘30s, as there’d already been a silent film adaptation produced by First National in 1928. I’ve never seen that version (which apparently does still exist), but fans of weird old musicals will probably find much to enjoy in this iteration, which stars terribly tall, super slim vaudevillian Hal Le Roy as the title character, a hapless cub reporter whose complicated relationship with high school sweetheart Lillums Lovewell (Rochelle Hudson) gets him into all sorts of trouble. He also gets to dance with the "woo-woo" man himself, Hugh Herbert, in one particularly wacky scene, and Guy Kibbee huffs and puffs adequately as Lillums’ devoted daddy.
6:00 PM Encore
The Crimson Petal and the White (2011 GB-CAN): Here’s something interesting, and a little confusing, too. Originally intended to be a theatrical release, The Crimson Petal and the White ended up being a four-part made-for-television miniseries. What’s odd is that Encore is screening the series in two parts, and it’s not clear to me if we’re getting the whole thing or a bowdlerized version. As for the "film," it’s the impressively mounted tale of Sugar (Romola Garai), a prostitute in 1870s London who finds herself extricated from the gutter by soap factory accountant and aspiring novelist William Rackham (Chris O’Dowd). As you’d expect from a British television period piece, it’s quality frock flick stuff, and features a fabulous supporting cast, including Shirley Henderson, Richard E. Grant, and Gillian Anderson (yes, that Gillian Anderson). Part two airs at 6:00 PM on Wednesday 3/7.
Wednesday 3/7/12
1:30 AM Showtime 2
Evasive Action (1998 USA): Do you ever wish there were more low-budget knock-offs of Con Air? If so, mark your calendar for Evasive Action, an incredibly derivative thriller in which a prison full of miscreants are transported across California to a new high security lock-up. They plan to escape en route, but wrongly convicted inmate Luke Sinclair (Dorian Harewood) is determined to put paid to their scheme. Also starring Roy Scheider as a mafia bigwig and Clint Howard as a psychotic killer, Evasive Action may not be particularly original, but features enough goofy thrills to satisfy your average action movie maven.
6:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Death in Small Doses (1957 USA): Not to be confused with the 1995 TV movie of the same name, this Death in Small Doses stars Peter Graves as Tom Kayler, a G-man investigating one of the great scandals of our time: truck drivers who get hopped up on bennies in order to stay awake! Nowadays, of course, meth is as all-American as Chevrolet and apple pie - by golly, Air Force pilots even gobble it before they drop freedom bombs - but back in the '50s it was a big no-no. Going undercover and getting himself hired by a trucking firm, Tom soon discovers that his colleagues - including speed freak Mink Reynolds (Chuck Connors) - are dropping uppers left and right. Can Tom put a halt to the practice, and most importantly, can he cut off the source of the supply (Robert B. Williams)? If you’re tired of cinematic admonitions to stay off the grass or away from the horse, Death in Small Doses provides a welcome alternative. Mala Powers and Merry Anders provide love interest for all and sundry.
Thursday 3/8/12
10:00 PM Starz
Animal Kingdom (2010 AUS): Did you remember Animal Kingdom earning an Academy Award nomination last year? Nope, neither did I, but it’s true - actress Jacki Weaver got the nod for her supporting performance as Janine Cody, the wicked matriarch of an Aussie family who simply can’t stay out of trouble. There’s son Andrew, who’s an armed robber; son Darren, who’s apprenticing to become one; son Craig, who deals drugs; and daughter Julia, who’d rather take drugs than sell ‘em. Yup, just your typical Melbourne family - bet they like Foster’s Lager and ‘roo hunting, too. Look for Guy Pearce as one of the coppers trying to slap the cuffs on the Codys. Also airs 3/9 at 1:00 AM.
Friday 3/9/12
1:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Nanny (1965 GB): Bette Davis essayed one of her best late career roles in this suspenseful Hammer thriller. Davis plays the title character (if she has a "real" name, we don’t find out what it is), a child-minder employed by the Fanes (Wendy Craig and James Villiers) to care for ten-year-old Joey (William Dix). Joey has just returned from reform school after "serving time" for the death of his younger sister, drowned in the bathtub during what the authorities have assumed was some overly rough play, and everyone has him pegged as a troublemaker. But there are deeper, darker secrets hidden within the heart of The Nanny, and her relationship with Joey rapidly disintegrates. Directed by Seth Holt, this is one of Hammer’s best, and even compares favorably to Polanski’s Repulsion.
Saturday 3/10/12
1:54 AM Fox Movie Channel
Night Train to Paris (1964 GB): Yeah, I don’t know what’s up with the goofy air time, either, but that’s what the Fox website says. The channel has been seriously discombubalated since splitting off from FXM, but at least they continues to air interesting titles such as this one, a widescreen intriguer in which Leslie Nielsen plays a retired OSS agent escorting a beautiful woman (drop dead gorgeous former Bond girl Alizia Gur, who’s a terrible actress, but makes up for it in other respects) and a secret tape to a drop point in The City of Lights. It’s minor stuff, but at 65 minutes passes painlessly and isn’t the worst spy flick you’ve ever seen.
6:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Three Stooges Meet Hercules (1962 USA): Most of the other late-period Stooges features have seen some (admittedly minimal) airplay in recent years, but until now this one’s been AWOL for quite some time. Now it's back, and Stooges fans have something to watch while they wait breathlessly for The Farrelly Brothers’ big screen "re-imagining" to hit multiplexes across the nation next month. This time, the nyuk-nyukers travel back in time to ancient Greece, where they meet not only Herc (peplum veteran Samson Burke) but Ulysses and Achilles, too. Fans will love it; all others will probably prefer getting hit on the head with a hammer or getting their eyes poked out.
9:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Killer Leopard (1954 USA): Bomba (Johnny Sheffield) helps lovely Linda Winters (Beverly Garland) search the cardboard jungle for lost husband Fred (Donald Murphy) in this completely, thoroughly average Allied Artists (previously Monogram) second feature. Their efforts are stymied by the titular beastie, and poor old Smoki Whitfield wanders around saying bwana a lot.
Sunday 3/11/12
10:30 AM The Movie Channel
Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986 USA): I always get this title confused with Scenes From the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills, but this is by far the better of the two films and also the one that hasn’t been seen on premium channels in quite some time. Nick Nolte is terrific as Jerry Baskin, an itinerant who disrupts a wealthy family when he tries to drown himself in their swimming pool. Good liberals that they are, Dave and Barbara Whiteman (Richard Dreyfuss and Bette Midler) extend a helping hand to Jerry, who takes full advantage of their generosity and even introduces over-privileged host Dave to sleeping rough. It’s a terrific film filled with great performances and blessed with an insightful and intelligent screenplay penned by director Paul Mazursky - and watch for Little Richard as the Whiteman’s next door neighbor. Not that you’d be likely to miss him.
Monday 3/12/12
1:25 AM More Max
Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969 USA): Robert Redford plays a sheriff tracking down a Native American fugitive in this solid chase drama directed by pinko Abraham Polonsky. Set during the early 20th century, the film features Redford as Chris Cooper, a lawman pursuing the titular American Indian (little Bobby Blake) who’s killed the father of lady love Lola (The Graduate’s Katharine Ross). Cooper rounds up a posse, and it’s off to the races as Willie Boy and Lola try to disappear amidst the arid landscape of the Mojave Desert. Polonsky’s dialogue is a bit clunky, but Blake is excellent, whilst a fine supporting cast of familiar faces - including John Vernon and Barry Sullivan - provides additional viewing incentives.
5:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
A Kind of Loving (1962 GB): Angry Young Man drama, thy name is A Kind of Loving. Based on a novel by AYM pioneer Keith Waterhouse, the film stars Alan Bates as Vic Brown, a young working-class man with aspirations of white collar employment. He’s embroiled in a fling with typing pool girl Ingrid (June Ritchie), and the result - an unwanted but all too predictable pregnancy - leads to ructions with Ingrid’s mum (Thora Hird), who forces them to marry, after which Vic’s job plans take a back seat. The first film directed by John Schlesinger, A Kind of Loving won the Golden Bear at 1962’s Berlin International Film Festival. It’s great, gritty stuff keynoted by a superb Bates performance.