TiVoPlex
TiVoPlex for the week of April 9th 2013 through April 15th 2013
By John Seal
April 8, 2013
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Tuesday 4/9/13
3:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Revolt of the Slaves (1961 ITA): The slaves are revolting? Give ‘em a bath! Sorry, I had to get that tired old play on words out of the way quickly. This is actually one of the more enticing offerings in this week’s ‘Plex, a peplum “classic” that’s been unseen on television for many years and is airing this morning in widescreen. Rhonda Fleming headlines as Fabiola, a Roman woman of noble birth who falls in love with family slave Vibio (Lang Jeffries) shortly after he’s given a good whipping for insubordination. Kinky! Fleming and Jeffries were an item in real life and married shortly after Revolt of the Slaves wrapped, but it was not to last – they divorced two short years later. The film’s interesting supporting cast includes Fernando Rey and Serge Gainsbourg, the latter as a venal centurion who comes to a sticky end.
7:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Three (1969 GB): Confession time: I’ve seen this film but cannot remember a blessed thing about it. This is a little surprising, as Three features TiVoPlex fave Charlotte Rampling as Marty, an English hitchhiker who establishes an odd relationship with two Yanks (Sam Waterston and Robie Porter) who give her a ride through the French countryside one summer. Based on a story by Irwin Shaw, this was the only film directed to date by Downhill Racer screenwriter James Salter, and features lovely English pop star Gillian Hills in a supporting role. Wish I could remember something about it, but at least I’m getting a second opportunity to scope it out.
Thursday 4/11/13
12:30 AM Starz In Black
Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property (2003 USA): Black History Month has come and gone again, but in case you missed this excellent documentary in February, here’s an encore screening. Directed by Charles Burnett, the film offers a succinct (57-minute) but dense multi-interpretative examination of Nat Turner’s impact on U.S. history. If you’re interested in a real-life Revolt of the Slaves, look no further.
4:05 AM Starz Citation
L’Enfant (2005 BEL-FRA): You know the routine with the Dardennes brothers: if you’re keen on Francophone neo-realism, you’ll love L’Enfant; if you’re disinclined to watch films featuring absolutely no music (not even of the diagetic variety!), you can safely give it a miss. I’m definitely in the former camp, and this is a particularly good example of the Dardennes’ work, with Jeremie Renier and Deborah Francois excellent as Bruno and Sonia, a struggling couple getting by on graft, theft, and child benefit allowance. In spite of their flaws, Bruno and Sonia are surprisingly likeable – well, as likable as characters in a Dardennes film can be – and the film is never boring.
11:30 PM HBO Signature
Elephant (2003 USA): I’ll be honest: this isn’t my favorite Gus Van Sant joint. The cast appear to have been dosed with downers and even at 81 minutes in length, Elephant is slow (perhaps that’s why it’s called Elephant, though I doubt it.) That said, the film does offer intriguing (if opaque) commentary on America’s love affair with guns. Set in a suburban high school, this was Van Sant’s response to the Columbine massacre, and features a no-star cast of amateurs (except for Timothy “That’s My Bush” Bottoms as an alcoholic parent). It’s no one’s idea of a good time, but masochists may appreciate the film’s ability to bring back their own horrible high school memories.
Friday 4/12/13
1:00 AM Fox Movie Channel
Man In the Middle (1964 GB-USA): Directed by Guy Hamilton and penned by mildly angry young man Keith Waterhouse (Billy Liar, A Kind of Loving), Man In the Middle stars Robert Mitchum as Barney Adams, a military lawyer defending a fellow officer charged with murdering a British soldier. The difficulty: there’s no question that defendant Winston (Keenan Wynn) did the deed. It’s up to Adams to discover why Lieutenant Winston did what he did, and to offer him the best possible defense before the anticipated guilty verdict and death penalty. Set and partly shot in India, this is a solid drama with a super supporting cast, including Barry Sullivan, Trevor Howard, Sam Wanamaker, Alexander Knox, and Glenn Beck. No, not that Glenn Beck, silly - the Canadian one. Also airs at 8:30 AM.
2:15 AM Turner Classic Movies
Most Dangerous Man Alive (1961 USA): I prefer to think of this film as Boringest Sci-Fi Movie Dead On Arrival. Of course, that’s not going to stop me from recommending it, but seriously – this is one thrill-free ride. Ron Randell headlines (are you still awake?) as Eddie Candell (rhymes with Randell!), an escaped con who wanders into a nuclear testing site and gets a super duper dose of radioactivity for his troubles. Does it kill him? Of course not, it mutates him, allowing his body to metabolize steel! That’s not good news for either law enforcement or hoodlum rivals, and it’s up to brilliant scientist Meeker (Tudor Owens) to stop Candell before he becomes strong enough to conquer the world or make a car out of his forearm, or something. Morris Ankrum, naturally, is also involved. The last film directed by Allan Dwan (it’s a long way from Doug Fairbanks movies to Ron Randell ones), Most Dangerous Man Alive is no Beast of Yucca Flats, which is kind of a shame because at least that movie is completely aware of its own ineptitude. (Can a movie be “aware”? I posit that any movie starring Tor Johnson must, indeed, be sentient of its awfulness.) The TCM website indicates this is a widescreen airing, but IMDb suggests the film was shot in Academy Ratio – in Mexico City, no less.
10:35 AM Showtime 3
Limelight (2011 USA): If you’re in the mood for a documentary with a side order of sleaze, check out Limelight. Taking its title from a long-gone New York City nightclub, the film tells the story of Peter Gatien, a one-eyed impresario who picked up where Studio 54 left off and provided Big Apple residents with a place to go dancing whilst out of their minds on various illegal substances. It’s hugely entertaining, despite the presence of Moby, Jay-Z, and the late Ed Koch.
Saturday 4/13/13
12:15 PM HBO 2
American Winter (2013 USA): If you’re in need of a come-down after Limelight, here’s the perfect curative: a thoroughly depressing look at regular folks trying to survive the fallout from 2007-8’s never-ending financial crisis. Focusing on eight families in Portland, Oregon, this HBO original doc makes its television debut this evening after playing a few dates on the festival circuit. It’ll definitely harsh your mellow, man.
Sunday 4/14/13
1:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Last Dragon (1987 USA): Here’s Motown mastermind Berry Gordy’s ill-advised martial arts epic, a bizarre concoction of flying fists, music, and romance that could only have been brought to the screen by a directorial hack like Michael Schultz, whom I still cannot forgive for the travesty that was and is Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band (1978 USA).
If you enjoy camp, if you like action movies, or if you’re simply a Vanity fan trying to relive the big ‘80s, you’ll get your kicks here. If you’re like me, however, this film is all about the supporting cast, in this case personified by the amazing performance of Julius Carry as bad guy Sho’ Nuff, whose beyond over-the-top emoting raises the roof every time he’s on-screen. Why Carry hasn’t had more work is beyond me; the guy can play a villain with the best of them. You simply have to see this film, if only to witness Carry’s brain-bursting, vein-popping turn. He’s that good. Sadly, this appears to be a pan-and-scan screening. What’s up with that, TCM?
3:00 AM Encore Action
Little Nikita (1988 USA): This is a weird one. Shot at the butt-end of the Cold War, Little Nikita stars Sidney Poitier as Roy Parmenter, an FBI agent with a very special assignment: tracking down a Soviet sleeper cell (Richard Jenkins and Caroline Kava) with the assistance of the sleeper cell’s own child (River Phoenix)! It’s entirely implausible and kinda creepy: didn’t we hate on the commies for turning children against their parents?!? Regardless, you’ll want to tune in to admire the awesomeness of River’s world-renowned quiff.
11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Kurotokage (1962 JAP) OR Kuro tokage (1968 JAP): Confusion abounds, as the TCM website lists this as the 1962 film (which was directed by Umetsugu Inoue) but also lists the cast and crew of the 1968 version (which was directed by Kinji Fukusaku). Both films are known in English as Black Lizard, but my money’s on this being the ’68 version, which had a US theatrical release and was once available on VHS, too. If that’s the case, it’s a colorful widescreen caper flick about a jewel thief (Akihiro Miwa) out to snag a valuable diamond, and features playwright Yukio Mishima as either ‘a taxidermic Japanese human specimen’ (Wikipedia) or ‘Human statue’ (IMDb) - the choice is yours!
Monday 4/15/13
1:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Accursed (1958 GB): Released in its native Britain as The Traitor, this film stars Donald Wolfit as a retired Army officer who finds himself ferreting out some nasty wartime secrets. During his annual post-World War II reunion bash, Colonel Price (Wolfit) meets Professor Toller (Carl Jaffe), a German Jew who’s concerned about the mysterious deaths of many of his former resistance comrades. As Price learns more, he comes to a disturbing conclusion: Toller’s cell had a Nazi mole, and that mole is still hard at work eliminating resistance veterans a decade after the war ended. Co-starring Anton Diffring and Christopher Lee, The Accursed mayn’t be anything particularly special, but is an enjoyable enough way to spend an hour and a half.
5:00 PM Encore
The Dead Pool (1988 USA): Last week we had The Gauntlet, this week we get The Dead Pool, the fifth (and so far final) Dirty Harry flick. Clint reprises the role, of course, and this time is out to put the kibosh on a contest in which participants try to murder celebrities in order to win valuable prizes (or something). His female foil this time out is Patricia Clarkson, here cast as a dogged television reporter hot on the heels of the big story – which only gets bigger when Harry discovers he’s on the celebrity hit list. In some ways, this is the most enjoyable of the Dirty Harry pics, as the nasty right-wing edge of the early films is mostly gone. Look for the members of Guns ‘n Roses during a funeral scene! Also airs at 8:00 PM.