TiVoPlex
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 through Monday, February 16, 2009
By John Seal
February 9, 2009
5:00 PM Flix
The Last Seduction (1994 USA): Ahh, Flix. When they say a movie will be airing in widescreen, it airs in widescreen. Here's one of my favorite neo-noirs in its original aspect ratio — admittedly only a measly 1.85:1, but that's better than 1.33:1, right? Sexy Linda Fiorentino stars as Bridget Gregory, an ambitious type who steals husband Clay's (Bill Pullman) ill-gotten gains and runs away to upstate New York to start a new life for herself. She seems to make a clean break of things — but Clay wants his money back, and hires crack PI Harlan (Bill Nunn) to track her down. There are twists and turns aplenty in this excellent John Dahl film, and Fiorentino is magnificent as the delicious schemer who always seems one step ahead of the dumb men in her life.
Saturday 02/14/09
5:30 PM Showtime
There Will Be Blood (2007 USA): P. T. Anderson's epic tale of the California oil industry makes its television debut, supposedly in widescreen, tonight. It's ostensibly based on Upton Sinclair's mediocre novel Oil, but draws more heavily from Jules Tygiel's superb non-fiction business history The Great Los Angeles Swindle. The first 30 minutes of There Will Be Blood are as perfect as the first 30 minutes of Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket: in other words, as good as film can get. The balance of the film is also very, very good, but can't quite match the first act. Daniel Day-Lewis' performance as magnate Daniel Plainview struck some as overblown; I think it's about right, especially when he delivers the now famous "I drink your milkshake" with conviction and subtlety. I'm less convinced by Paul Dano's turn as the Sunday Brothers, but overall, this is a terrific film from all perspectives. Also of note: Jonny Greenwood's sparse but memorable score, and Robert Elswit's superb, sun-parched cinematography. Also airs at 8:30 PM and throughout the month.
Sunday 02/15/09
8:30 PM Turner Classic Movies
Darling (1965 GB): I don't remember the first time I saw Darling, but I'm pretty sure it was the first time I felt the early stirrings of sexual attraction. I couldn't take my eyes off star Julie Christie, and the fascination continues: an autographed photo of Jules resides in my office to this day. In John Schlesinger's Darling, the divine Miss C portrays Diana Scott, a fashion model willing to sleep her way to the top of the catwalk (assuming that catwalks have a top). Amongst her victims are flamingly heterosexual TV journo Robert Gold (oh so butch Dirk Bogarde), agency head Miles Brand (Laurence Harvey), and wealthy nobleman Cesare (Jose Luis de Villalonga). It's destined to end in jet-set tears, and indeed Darling Diana eventually learns that she's a shallow nobody living a hollow life. Christie took home the Best Actress Academy Award for her performance, and the film also nabbed the top prizes for costume design and screenplay.
Monday 02/16/09
1:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Pretty Baby (1976 FRA): I'd completely forgotten that this controversial Louis Malle film had earned an Oscar nom for Best Score. Twelve-year-old Brooke Shields made a name for herself here portraying New Orleans child prostitute Violet, a thesis that made grown men and women reach for their smelling salts, collapse on a divan, and then issue thunderous denouncements regarding the filth churned out by Hollywood these days. Chances are if Malle were alive today, he would be unemployable, as many of his films dealt with underage sexuality. Controversy aside, Pretty Baby is actually a pretty good film, and features fine performances from Susan Sarandon, Keith Carradine, Gerrit Graham, and Antonio Fargas. If the idea that a young woman could be sold into white slavery in 1917 is too much for you to bear, however, you'll want to give it a miss.
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