TiVoPlex
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 through Monday, February 16, 2009
By John Seal
February 9, 2009
9:50 PM Cinemax
Black Sheep (2006 NZ): Not to be confused with the Chris Farley/David Spade laugher (and I use that term advisedly) of the same name, this is actually a rather droll Antipodean horror comedy about zombie livestock. Taking a page or three from the Peter Jackson storybook, Black Sheep takes place in and around a sheep station, where genetic experiments have caused the normally lamblike quadrupeds to develop a taste for human flesh. Like Jackson's comedies Dead Alive and Braindead, Black Sheep is extremely gruesome, but maintains the deadpan sense of humor that seems to flow through all New Zealand comedies. It's good bloody fun, best described by Observer critic Philip French as "shear terror". Also airs 2/12 at 12:50 AM.
Thursday 02/12/09
Noon Turner Classic Movies
The Dam Busters (1955 GB): The archetypal British war movie, The Dam Busters recreates one of the most dangerous and heroic missions flown by the Royal Air Force during World War II. Desperate to cut the war short, Bomber Command planners cooked up an operation in which low-flying Lancaster bombers would launch newly designed bombs against dams in Germany's industrial heartland, the Ruhr Valley. The bombs would act like skipping stones and bounce across the water before destroying the dams; the water would then inundate low-lying factories throughout the region and, in theory, knock the Nazi's production capacity for a six. Michael Redgrave stars as the boffin who builds the bombs, Richard Todd essays the role of mission leader Guy Gibson, and a whole host of familiar faces — including a youthful Robert Shaw — pop up as crewmen. It's a rousing patriotic yarn filled with excitement and suspense, though be warned: the "n" word makes an appearance here, though not in the form you might expect.
10:15 PM Showtime 3
Tideland (2006 GB-USA): I'm no longer sure how much I can trust the DirecTV print and online programming guide: it keeps listing films airing in widescreen on Showtime, but they almost always show up in pan and scan. Here's a case in point: does this mark the widescreen television debut of Terry Gilliam's dark fantasy of underage sex and drug abuse, or are we being dealt another dose of the same old same old? It's not like this is one of Gilliam's essential flicks, but I'll be tuning in anyway just in case.
4:00 PM Sundance
Jack Taylor of Beverly Hills (2007 USA): Do you know Jack? I don't, but I guess I will after scoping out this documentary. Jack Taylor has been couturier to the (male) stars for decades, and has supplied attire to everyone from Cary Grant to Elvis. Still alive and active in his 90s, Taylor gets his due in this feature from filmmaker Cecile Leroy Beaulieu.
Friday 02/13/09
2:00 AM Sundance
Jam (2006 USA): If you were a kid in the 1960s and '70s, you no doubt spent some quality time enjoying roller derby on the goggle box — or even, perhaps, in person. This documentary takes us back to those wonderful days of yesteryear, where nothing was quite as entertaining as watching women in tight pants and padded shoulders skate around an oval whilst trying to knock each other over. I never, ever understood what the rules were, or even if there were any. Jam isn't only about nostalgia, though: it documents the effort of Rollermaniac Tim Patten, who almost singlehandedly revived the, ahem, "sport" by founding the Northern California-based American Roller Derby League in 1998. It's still going strong today. Visit their Web site at http://www.baycitybombers.com and sign up for the team!
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