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Thursday 06/28/07

10;00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Girls In Chains (1943 USA): Any film entitled Girls In Chains is bound to get a recommendation in the TiVoPlex - but alas, this luridly titled feature isn't quite the camp classic you might hope for, instead being an ultra-cheap Edgar Ulmer melodrama from the legendary Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC). Addison Randall (who?) stars as Johnny Moon, a particularly unpleasant mobster who has his hand in the public till and runs the local reform school on behalf of the thoroughly bent city fathers. Life's grand for Johnny - until his do-gooder of a sister in law, Helen (Arline Judge), starts offering assistance to the wayward women housed at the reformatory and uncovers corruption behind bars. Made for a mere $20,000 and shot in only 5 days, Girls In Chains was a box office hit, anticipating by several decades the commercial success of the women-in-prison genre. Without this film, there would have been no Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS!

Friday 06/29/07

5:00 PM Fox Movie Channel
The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989 USA): This drama was a surprising hit when it came out, but has since sunk back into relative - and undeserved - obscurity. The film stars real life brothers Jeff and Beau Bridges as professional musicians Jack and Frank Baker, who've eked out a small but satisfactory living on the chicken in a basket circuit for many years. With their act wearing thin, the boys decide to inject some new blood into the proceedings, and hire aspiring torch singer Susie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer) to give them a lift. The ploy works, and once again the duo-turned-trio are a hit - but when Jack and Susie start making eyes at each other, their fling provokes a family schism that threatens to put an end to the enterprise. Written and directed by Steve Kloves - now best known for penning the big screen Harry Potter adaptations - The Fabulous Baker Boys was nominated for four Academy Awards but won none. It's making its widescreen television debut this evening, and airs again at 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM.

9:00 PM IFC
Sleepaway Camp (1983 USA): Way back in 2005, the comedy sequels to this teen slasher flick got a few airings in widescreen on the Flix Channel. Now the original finally returns to the small screen after a prolonged absence. Produced at the height of the genre's success, Sleepaway Camp tells the decidedly unfunny tale of Angela, a disgruntled first time camper who is subjected to teasing and ridicule at the hands of her fellow outdoor enthusiasts. When her tormenters begin to drop dead one by one via a series of ghastly set piece murders, suspicions center on the seemingly harmless Angela - or could her protective cousin Ricky be responsible? Surprisingly bereft of nudity and not exactly generous with the gore, Sleepaway Camp is a comparatively sedate example of the style buoyed by Felissa Rose's surprisingly effective, first time performance as 13-year-old Angela. All in all, it's not the worst way to spend a Friday night, especially if you dislike teenagers.

Saturday 06/30/07

9:00 AM Sundance
Charley Varrick (1973 USA): Walter Matthau plays the title character in this very satisfying Don Siegel-helmed crime drama. Charley's a disheveled bank robber who, with the aid of wife Sybil (Felicia Farr) and pal Harman (Andrew Robinson), pull a heist at a small Nevada bank - only to discover some of the loot actually ‘belongs' to the Mob. (Matthau's role was originally written for Clint Eastwood, but Clint, apparently more comfortable with his Dirty Harry Callahan persona, declined the part because he thought it lionized criminal behavior.) With a ruthless Mafia hit-man (Joe Don Baker) on their trail, our anti-heroes are determined to outfox him and make a clean getaway - but naturally, things don't go as planned. Gritty location work, a consistently engaging Dean Riesner-Howard Rodman screenplay, and fine support from William Schallert and Norman Fell make this one of Siegel's best action flicks.

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