TiVoPlex
TiVoPlex
By John Seal
July 24, 2007
Sunday 07/29/07
4:30 AM IFC
Incident At Loch Ness (2005 GER): Very few filmmakers can maintain a consistent level of excellence over the course of a long career, but German director Werner Herzog is one of the exceptions to the rule. Though it could well be argued that he reached his creative peak early - there are few films that can match the power and grandeur of 1972's Aguirre, the Wrath of God, for example - he continues to challenge and entertain discriminating audiences with his unique and puckish fare, and with this year's Rescue Dawn, he's still clearly close to the top of his game. Of late, however, he's generally worked in the documentary genre, crafting features such as My Best Fiend, Grizzly Man, and Little Dieter Learns to Fly as tributes to some of the obsessed types who clearly both fascinate and befuddle Herzog. This cod-mockumentary about the making of a documentary film about the legendary Nessie falls somewhere between tall tale and wicked self satire, as the director himself stars as himself, a filmmaker making a film about the Loch Ness monster whilst ANOTHER filmmaker (Zak Penn) makes a film about Herzog making a film about the Loch Ness monster. It's not as complicated as it sounds, and also airs at 9:30 AM and 2:30 PM.
11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
My Life As A Dog (1985): A Swedish coming of age drama, My Life As A Dog features Anton Glanzelius as an 11-year-old rapscallion sent to live with rural relatives by his ailing mother. You might anticipate that he gets up to all sorts of trouble whilst away from Mum's loving gaze, and you'd be at least partly right, as the lad discovers sex, death, and the pleasures of running around on all fours whilst barking madly. As far as this worn-out genre goes, My Life As A Dog is a pretty good example of the style, and features an impressive and completely guileless performance from young master Glanzelius.
Monday 07/30/07
2:20 AM Starz
The Heart of the Game (2005 USA): This documentary about a successful girls' high school basketball program had a terrific trailer — it must have been good, because even though I hate basketball, it sold me on the film — but it went nowhere at the box office. The Heart of the Game finally makes its television debut this morning, and for those of you who enjoyed Hoop Dreams, it makes a satisfying (if much shorter) companion piece to that epic. The film tells the parallel tales of high school senior and single mom Darnellia Russell and part time coach and full-time law professor Bill Resler, who led Seattle's Roosevelt High School to a state championship game whilst beating the odds and surmounting all the obstacles tossed in their way. This inspirational and completely riveting feature also airs at 5:20 AM.
3:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Secret Place (1958 GB: A lively piece of New Wave British cinema, The Secret Place stars Belinda Lee as an amoral young woman who betrays her gentleman friend in favor of a get rich quick scheme involving some stolen diamonds. The debut feature from director Clive Donner (The Nude Bomb), this is a little known crime drama with some great footage of a London making the transition from post-war rubble to swinging '60s glitter. It's followed at 4:30 AM by The Square Peg (1958), a routine Norman Wisdom comedy about a hapless council worker (Norman) who, after conscription, helps the war effort by imitating a Nazi general.
6:00 PM IFC
Darshan, the Embrace (2005 FRA): If you enjoyed Jan Kounen's mystical revisionist western Renegade (recommended here a few weeks back), you might want to take a look at this documentary about a 50-year-old Indian woman who hugs people — lots and lots of people. Kounen's film examines the life of Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, who estimates that she has hugged a mind-boggling 25 million human beings in her half century on Earth. She makes Maharishi Mahesh Yogi look like the piker he is. Also airs at 10:00 PM.
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