TiVoPlex
TiVoPlex for February 16 2010 through February 22 2010
By John Seal
February 15, 2010
7:15 AM Turner Classic Movies
Svengali (1931 USA): I was surprised to see I've never previously recommended Svengali in the TiVoPlex—until I realized I did give a shout-out to its cinematic doppelganger, 1931's The Mad Genius, back in 2008. Both films star John Barrymore and Marian Marsh and are thematically identical, with (in the case of this film) The Great Profile cast as the titular Rasputin type, a master manipulator who brainwashes young Trilby (Marsh) and convinces her she is a great opera singer. His motives are strictly of the ulterior variety, however, and when Trilby's old beau Billee (Bramwell Fletcher) gets wind of the plot, he follows the pair all the way to Egypt to win back the heart—and mind—of his best gal. Barrymore and Marsh are excellent, but the real reason to watch Svengali is Anton Grot's expressionistic art direction, which earned him an Oscar nom.
6:30 PM HBO
Reporter (2009 USA): I'm not a huge fan of New York Times' reporter Nicholas Kristof—the man has what I would consider a neo-liberal Manichean worldview—but give him credit for doggedness. Kristof has been covering Africa's wars for many years, and this HBO original documentary follows him to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire, and not to be confused with its smaller western neighbor, the Republic of the Congo) where a simmering decades-long civil war has caused a serious humanitarian crisis. Though a firm advocate for intervention, Kristof is trying to find the one ‘face' that can turn this crisis into front page news, and is willing to overlook those who don't quite fit the bill. The film confronts a nettlesome ethical dilemma: is a reporter's first duty to be a neutral observer, or is that reporter also morally obliged to intervene whenever he witnesses suffering? I don't pretend to know the answer. Also airs at 9:30 PM.
7:00 PM Sundance
Left Bank (2008 BEL): An above average horror flick from the Low Countries, Left Bank stars Eline Kuppens as Marie, a runner forced to drop out of a track meet after being diagnosed with a mysterious illness characterized by an iron deficiency. She meets cute with beefcake Bobby (Matthias Schoenaerts), and the couple move in together along Antwerp's apparently trendy Left Bank. But there's something very wrong with their flat, and when Marie's health deteriorates further, the relationship also begins to suffer. Lovely to look at and very well acted, this subtle thriller is a wonderful breath of fresh air in the torture porn saturated horror genre.
Friday 2/19/10
1:40 AM More Max
The Other (1972 USA): This austere psychological thriller about identical twins—one good, one evil—used to air all the time on commercial TV during the 1970s. I never exactly liked The Other, but I watched it many times in a vain attempt to figure out precisely what was going on. I haven't seen it since I was a teenager, so I'll be tuning in this morning to, once and for all, FIGURE OUT PRECISELY WHAT IS GOING ON. Maybe it shall remain an enigma, but just the sight of those creepy twins, still only children after the passage of almost forty years, should give me a good scare.
9:00 PM Sundance
Ghost Writer (1989 USA): Ordinarily, I wouldn't mention a film as lowly as Ghost Writer, but when presented with the opportunity to write back-to-back about films featuring identical twins, who am I to pass up such an opportunity? In this case, the twins are pro wrestlers David and Peter Paul (whose mounds are not featured here), who actually play second fiddle to the Landers sisters, Audrey and Judy, who are NOT identical twins, but look a lot alike regardless. Sister Audrey plays Angela, a writer ensconced at her aunt's beachfront manse whilst working on a book. Lo and behold, the ghost of previous resident Billie (sister Judy) shows up to give her the scoop on her previously mysterious death, but when word gets back to the man wot killed her he's none too pleased to learn the secret is out. This is not a good film, but besides the various brothers and sisters involved, you also get Tony Franciosa, George ‘Buck' Flower, Dick Miller, Joey Travolta, and a Van Patten (Nels). Bad as it is, Ghost Writer does offer value for money in the character actor department!
Continued:
1
2
3
Print this column
