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Wednesday 06/04/08

1:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
Castle of Fu Manchu (1969 BRD-GB): I got all worked up a few years back when a handful of Spanish bad boy Jesus Franco's films showed up on IFC. Now Senor Franco makes his TCM debut. Castle of Fu Manchu was the last of a series of low budget Sax Rohmer adaptations brought to the screen by British-born producer Harry Alan Towers, STILL in the business today at the age of 87. The film features Christopher Lee as the nefarious Oriental master criminal, making trouble as usual for Inspector Nayland-Smith of the Yard (Richard Greene), this time in the form of a plot to alter the planet's climate. Though Castle suffers from an overreliance on recycled footage, it looks great in widescreen and features an excellent supporting cast, including Tsai Chin, Burt Kwouk, Maria Perschy, Herbert Fux, and Franco himself as a Turkish police official.

6:35 AM Showtime Extreme
Champion (2002 ROK): Everyone loves the underdog, especially when they're getting the crap pounded out of them in the boxing ring. Here's a South Korean take on the Rocky meme, the true story of pugilist Deuk-Gu Kim (Oh-Sung Yoo), who overcame the odds and became a hero in his native land before succumbing to head injuries in a 1982 title bout. Every single boxing movie cliche is here in full effect, so your enjoyment of Champion will hinge on your feelings about the genre.

5:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Too Bad She's Bad (1955 ITA): Sophia Loren stars as a petty thief who gets in too deep in this amusing romantic comedy from director Alessandro Blasetti (The Iron Crown). She plays Lina, the youngest member of a family of miscreants headed by patriarch Vittorio (filmmaker Vittorio de Sica). Lina meets cute with cab driver Paolo (Marcello Mastroianni), and the two begin to fall in love--even whilst Lina is planning to steal Paolo's vehicle. The film helped make stars of both Loren and Mastroianni, who also share screen time in the De Sica-helmed comedy anthology Yesterday, Today, & Tomorrow, which follows at 6:30 PM.

10:30 PM Sundance
C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005 CAN): The first French-Canadian film I've ever recommended in the 'Plex, C.R.A.Z.Y. is an enjoyable coming of age comedy about Zac (Emile Vallee and Marc-Andre Grondin, in a split role), the beloved fourth son of Montreal's Beaulieu clan. Zac is the apple of Dad Gervais' (Michel Cote) eye--but no amount of father-son bonding seems capable of weening young Zac from dolls and cross-dressing, and father and son both become concerned about his, ahem, 'orientation'. Set during the 1960s and '70s, the film features a predictably enjoyable selection of pop songs (including Patsy Cline's Crazy), and though its take on the subject is not particularly daring its heart is definitely in the right place. Also airs 6/7 at 9:15 PM.

Thursday 06/05/08

2:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
C'era una Volta (1967 ITA): More Sophia Loren rarities arrive this morning in the wee hours, most notably this feature about a peasant girl who captures the eye of the heir to the Spanish throne. Young Prince Rodrigo (Omar Sharif) is under orders to choose a bride from a group of seven well-heeled young ladies-- but he falls for lowly peasant girl Isabella (Loren) instead, setting the stage for fireworks with the Queen Mum (Dolores del Rio). Released in the US as More Than a Miracle, the film is a pleasant blend of romance, comedy, and outright fantasy, and though it suffers a bit from clumsy dubbing still makes for reasonable family viewing. Well, as long as you can overlook the urine drinking scene! It's followed at 4:15 AM by Ghosts Italian Style (1968), in which Sophia and Vittorio Gassmann play a married couple who take up residence in a (purportedly) haunted house.

5:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Toll of the Sea (1922 USA): The beautiful Anna May Wong stars in this obscure silent picture --which, even more amazingly, was shot in gorgeous, otherworldly two strip Technicolor! The then 16-year-old Wong plays Lotus Flower, a Chinese girl who falls in love with a shipwrecked American lad (Kenneth Harlan). Naturally, such an interracial affair can never be consummated, leading to inevitable tragedy. Penned by the great Frances Marion, Toll of the Sea is recommended for any admirer of Wong, and for anyone interested in the development of color cinematography.

6:00 PM IFC
The Howling (1981 USA): Joe Dante's tribute to the werewolf films of yore is no classic--in fact, I don't even consider it one of his better efforts--but any film featuring Slim Pickens, John Carradine, Dick Miller, Patrick Macnee, Kevin McCarthy, and Forry Ackerman is going to get a mention in the TiVoPlex by default. The not terribly engaging Dee Wallace is the star of the story, however, and plays TV journalist Karen White, who's trying to get the scoop on a big serial killer story that will help boost her ratings. After a too-close-for-comfort encounter with her quarry, Karen decides to take a break at The Colony, a restful retreat that will provide valuable navel-gazing time and allow her to recharge her batteries. But more seems to be going on at The Colony than first meets the eye, and Karen soon learns the lycanthropic truth about its inhabitants. I still prefer Creighton Chaney and Oliver Reed--not to mention An American Werewolf in London--but The Howling does feature some pretty cool Rob Bottin transformation effects. Also airs at 11:15 PM.

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