New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

Wednesday 07/30/08

10:15 AM Turner Classic Movies
Kelly the Second (1936 USA): Embarrassing confession time: I have a serious crush on old time comedienne Patsy Kelly, so even if this Kelly vehicle were the worst film ever made I'd still be offering it a recommendation. Happily it's a bit better than terrible, and in addition to Patsy also features sassy blonde Pert Kelton, silent comedy veteran Charley Chase, and former boxer Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom, rendering Kelly the Second absolutely irresistible. As for the story, it's a broadly told tale of lunch counter manager Molly (Kelly) who finds herself training aspiring pugilist Cecil (Guinn ‘Big Boy' Williams). If you can overlook the ubiquitous, teeth-grinding hurdy-gurdy rendition of The Irish Washerwoman, you'll enjoy this film—though probably not as much as I will.

1:00 PM Fox Movie Channel
Thunder and Lightning (1977 USA): '70s superstar David Carradine features in this uninspired action flick, which makes its widescreen television debut this afternoon. He plays moonshiner Harley Thomas, a rum running Floridian who gets into trouble with his mob-connected rivals. There's a surfeit of two-fisted action, along with the requisite car chases and crashes — none of it filmed with much vigor by director Corey Allen. The film's tagline was 'it's 250 proof fun!', but the proof in THIS pudding packs considerably less punch than that.

7:00 PM Sundance
Man of the Year (2003 BRA): An auspicious debut for Brazilian filmmaker Jose Henrique Fonseca, Man of the Year features Murilo Benicio as Maiquel, an unemployed car salesman who becomes an unlikely local hero. Out drinking one night with his pals, Maiquel gets snookered into dying his hair blonde — and soon regrets it when one of the neighborhood toughs takes a dislike to his new 'do. Invited outside to exchange blows with the bully, Maiquel inadvertently kills him, and immediately wins plaudits from both the police and the local vigilante committee, who then induct him into their ranks. Caveat: Man of the Year is ostensibly a comedy, but its incorporation of over-the-top violence and grim social commentary may not leave more sensitive viewers laughing.

9:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
The Gene Krupa Story (1959 USA): Sal Mineo stars as percussionist extraordinaire Gene Krupa in this above average biopic. The dynamic Krupa was an explosive, powerful drummer whose hard knock life included a stint behind bars, and Mineo's performance is one of the highlights of his career, along with Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and the criminally unavailable on home video Who Killed Teddy Bear (1965). A fine supporting cast, including Bobby Troup, James Darren, Yvonne 'Batgirl' Craig, and an uncredited Gavin MacLeod, plus some terrific music, make this one required viewing.

Thursday 07/31/08

7:45 AM Turner Classic Movies
Atlantis, the Lost Continent (1961 USA): A day of rarely seen horror and science fiction flicks kicks off with George Pal's fantasy about life in Atlantis, the mythical continent that supposedly sank beneath the Atlantic Ocean (or in this rendering, the Mediterranean Sea) thanks to a volcanic eruption. Sal Ponti (not to be confused with Sal Mineo) stars as simple fisherman Demetrios, who rescues Princess Antillia (Joyce Taylor) from drowning and is rewarded for his troubles with enslavement in her kingdom. Partly thanks to an uninspiring lead performance from Ponti, this is not one of Pal's better efforts, though the climactic scenes are reasonably impressive and it's kinda fun to watch Edward Platt (in a toga!) as Azor the High Priest.

12:45 PM Turner Classic Movies
The Gorgon (1964 GB): Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee co-star in this retelling of the Medusa tale. Set in the mittel-Europa village of Vandorf, the film features Cushing and Lee as, respectively, a brain surgeon and a brilliant (if sceptical) Leipzig academic who together must solve the mystery of the stoned townsfolk. No, the residents of Vandorf haven't been inhaling wacky tobacky or sucking down schnapps — they've been victimized by Megaera, a Medusa-like creature whose hideous visage turns to granite anyone who has the misfortune to look her in the face. Though burdened with poor low budget special effects, this is still one of Hammer Films most satisfying efforts, well directed by Terence Fisher, and (in addition to the incomparable Cushing and Lee) blessed by the screen presence of Patrick Troughton and Barbara Shelley.

2:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
They Came From Beyond Space (1967 GB): There's not too much I can say in defence of They Came From Beyond Space, other than it's making its American widescreen television debut this afternoon. Robert Hutton stars as Curtis Temple, an ex-pat Yank scientist investigating a meteor shower that has brought an alien invasion to planet Earth — or more specifically, to Cornwall, England. This being a cheap Amicus production, however, there are NO aliens seen on screen, only human beings inhabited by invisible invaders From Beyond Space. This puts a definite crimp on the fun factor, and the film is a bit of a bore for all but the most ardent fans of fantastic British cinema. On the other hand, you DO get to see Michael Gough portray The Master of the Moon, so it's not entirely a lost cause.

Continued:       1       2       3