TiVoPlex
By John Seal
March 25, 2013
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Tuesday 3/26/13
5:30 AM Starz Citation
Offside (2006 IRA): One generally doesn't associate comedy with Iranian cinema, but here's a light-hearted look at gender segregation that will generate a few chuckles and smiles of recognition from Anglophone audiences. Directed by Jafar Panahi, whose beautifully made 1995 feature The White Balloon offered a brilliant and subtle criticism of the Islamic Republic's attitude towards women, Offside tackles the big issue: why can't women be allowed to attend sporting events with men? (Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinajad, who is stereotyped as a hidebound reactionary in western circles, briefly desegregated stadiums in 2006 before his superiors on the Expediency Council overturned his decision.) The film focuses on a group of cross-dressing girls who try to sneak into Iran's World Cup qualifying match against Bahrain. Though disguised in baggy clothing and daubed in patriotic war-paint, the lasses are soon lassoed by the authorities, who corral them within the bowels of the stadium in order to prevent vice and promote virtue. Filmed during the actual match (though the game itself is never seen), Offside is an improvisational gem, and as long as you don't anticipate Adam Sandler-style goofiness or Rowan Atkinson-esque pratfalls, you'll enjoy it.
11:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Battle Taxi (1955 USA): It’s Sterling Hayden day on TCM, and being a huge Hayden fan, I couldn’t be happier. Well, I suppose I could, but I’m easily satisfied. Amongst the offerings today is this rip-roaring tale of helicopter jockeys during the Korean War – the first war in which whirlybirds played a major role. Sterling plays Russ Edwards, an Army Captain trying to convince the young pups under his command to follow orders and stay safe in the course of rescuing endangered GIs. It’s routine stuff bolstered by lots of stock footage, but makes for enjoyable viewing thanks to the presence of such familiar faces as Arthur Franz and Marshall Thompson. Director Herbert L. Strock, of course, went on to helm such memorable features as How to Make a Monster and The Crawling Hand. It’s followed at 12:30 PM by 5 Steps to Danger (1957), an uncredited "reimagining" of The 39 Steps in which Hayden and Ruth Roman essay roles similar to those of Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll in the earlier (and superior) film.
Wednesday 3/27/13
1:30 AM HBO Signature
Greetings From the Devil (2011 COL-MEX-USA): From Colombia’s Orozco brothers (director Juan Felipe, screenwriter Carlos Estaban) comes this solid crime thriller about a former FARC fighter who’s trying to turn over a new leaf in exchange for government amnesty. Edgar Ramirez plays once upon a time guerrilla Angel, whose determination to settle down is sorely tested when his daughter is kidnapped by someone he badly wronged in his previous life. The ransom, however, isn’t money - it’s the cold, dead bodies of Angel’s former comrades-in-arms, and he has 72 hours to deliver them. Uh oh! Surprisingly short on ultra-violence, Greetings From the Devil nevertheless provides a compelling story and a fine performance from Ramirez.
11:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
Pursuit of the Graf Spee (1957 GB): Tales of British wartime heroism were as mother's milk to most boys growing up in 1960s England, including this one. One such story was that of the Royal Navy's efforts to destroy the German pocket battleship Graf Spee on the River Plate in Uruguay, and that feat is re-enacted in this first-rate flag-waver from The Rank Organisation. (Incidentally, my wife and I spent much of our youth in rep houses, and she always chuckled when the Rank name and logo appeared on screen. It's no laughing matter, dear!) Directed by The Archers, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (two names not usually associated with genre filmmaking), the film recreates the events of December 1939 and stars Anthony Quayle as Commodore Henry Harwood, commander of the South American Cruiser Squadron. His naval units dogged the footsteps of the Graf Spee, which had been playing havoc with merchantmen throughout the South Atlantic, and successfully battled the German vessel to a draw, forcing her to retreat to neutral waters where she was eventually scuttled. Pursuit of the Graf Spee (originally released as Battle of the River Plate in Britain) also features a who's who of British actors both above and below deck, including Christopher Lee, John le Mesurier, Bernard Lee, Patrick Macnee, Peter Finch (as Captain Langsdorff, the Graf Spee's commanding officer), Roger Delgado, and Anthony Newley, amongst many others. The film's realism is enhanced by the use of real naval vessels, rendering this the next best thing to Noel Coward's The Cruel Sea in the Royal Navy movie sweepstakes.
3:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Campbell’s Kingdom (1957 GB): For some reason, there are quite a few ‘50s British films set in Canada. I always assumed these features existed primarily to shoehorn visiting American stars into British films, but that’s not the case with this one. Instead, we get the extremely English Dirk Bogarde headlining as Bruce Campbell, a man who’s inherited vast tracts of Rocky Mountain land from his late grandfather. After moving to the Canadian west to survey his domain, Campbell discovers he has a nemesis: developer Owen Morgan (Stanley Baker), who hopes to build a massive dam that will flood Campbell’s Kingdom. Shot on location and in color, this is a pretty decent effort from director Ralph Thomas, despite some fairly poor attempts at Canadian accents by (amongst others) James Robertson Justice, Sid James, and Michael Craig.
Thursday 3/28/13
Midnight Fox Movie Channel
Spaceflight IC-1 (1965 GB): I know I should be excited about the appearance of this low-budget British sci-fi film...but I just can't work up much enthusiasm. Let's try anyway: it features a seven-year-old Mark Lester! It's only 68 minutes long! It was written by the same guy who wrote The Day Mars Invaded Earth! Did I mention Mark Lester is in it?
Friday 3/29/13
3:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
State Penitentiary (1950 USA): SAVAGE REALISM FILMED BEHIND PRISON WALLS! screamed the ads, but the result is a bit of a letdown in comparison to such florid promotional language. How could it not be when your lead character – a wrongly convicted industrialist named Roger Manners – is played by Warner Baxter? What, Reginald Denny wasn’t available? Oh, I know Baxter was no milquetoast, but really…does the Warden let him practice his golf game in the prison yard? Anyhoo, Manners shouldn’t be behind bars, yadda yadda, and must decide whether or not to participate in the Big Prison Break being plotted by fellow inmate Tony Gavin (Richard Benedict). Things play out fairly predictably and production values aren’t high, but can you really go wrong with a film featuring a character named Jailbreak Jimmy? Yeah, I’d keep an eye on that guy, Warden.
5:15 PM Starz Citation
The Raid: Redemption (2011 INO-USA): Remember Merentau, that Indonesian thriller I recommended a year or two back? Here’s the follow up from Welsh-born director Gareth Evans, who seems to have settled down in the world’s fourth most populous country and established himself as the local go-to guy for action films. Westerners won’t recognize any of the actors in The Raid, but they will be impressed by the film’s over the top action sequences – involving an ongoing battle between a besieged police squad and heavily armed gangsters in Jakarta – as almost the equal of Hollywood’s best. It’s good, bloody fun, and was successful enough to spawn a sequel scheduled for release later this year.
5:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Socrates (1971 ITA-ESP-FRA): I’m in completely unfamiliar territory here, but this is the sort of film that really gets my juices flowing. It’s Roberto Rossellini’s made-for-TV depiction of the Greek philosopher’s last days, and stars Jean Sylvere as the great man. I’ve never seen it (heck, it’s probably never been on American television before) and wouldn’t recognize Sylvere if he were right in front of me (though I note, approvingly, that his filmography includes something entitled Inside a Girls’ Dormitory). That said, what could be better? This is why I invented the TiVoPlex! Socrates is followed at 7:15 PM by Rossellini’s equally obscure biopic Blaise Pascal (1972), an examination of the life of the French polymath.
Saturday 3/30/13
10:00 PM Cinemax
Cleanskin (2012 GB): Wish I could report this thriller is better than it is, but I’d be lying. That said, it’s still of some interest for some cracking action sequences in which star Sean Bean puts boot to ass and the always welcome sight of Charlotte Rampling as Bean’s spy agency boss. The film also features a bit of a surprise ending, too, though how much of a surprise it actually is may depend on your political point of view.