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Saturday 09/27/08

12:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Giant Claw (1957 USA): Perhaps the most memorable creature feature of the 1950s takes to the air this morning on TCM Underground. Jeff Morrow stars as Mitch MacAfee, a pilot who spies a huge UFO during a routine flight and dutifully alerts the authorities. His warnings are initially laughed off as the ramblings of a fool, but soon enough the truth is revealed: the object has actually brought a massive creature composed of dangerous anti-matter to Planet Earth. And this is no ordinary massive creature: it's a flying chicken that appears to be a puppet with strings attached! This once seen, never forgotten classic hasn't had a nationwide airing since the halcyon days of TNT's 100% Weird, so be sure not to miss it. Satisfaction guaranteed!

Sunday 09/28/08

5:00 AM IFC
Black Cat (1968 JAP): This superior Japanese horror flick still hasn't made its way to domestic DVD, so unless you're PAL enabled you'll want to record it tonight. Originally entitled Kuroneko, the film was the second genre effort of director Kaneto Shindo, whose 1964 effort Onibaba had already set the bar pretty high. Set during medieval times, the story begins with the rape of a mother and daughter by roving samurai, who set their house afire in order to destroy the evidence of their crimes. The women are subsequently saved by the titular black cat, which (don't ask how) resurrects them as bloodsucking demons who seduce unsuspecting soldiers, drain them of life, and dump their bodies in the local woods. The Mikado despatches one of his finest men to investigate the disappearances — but his samurai also happens to be a blood relative of the women, setting up a final act tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. Beautifully lensed in black and white, Black Cat is an unheralded classic of supernatural cinema, and should be considered essential viewing for anyone who appreciates Japanese film or simply enjoys a good scare.

9:00 PM Sundance
Re-Cycle (2006 THA): Season 3 of Sundance's Asia Extreme series continues with this noteworthy effort from Thailand's Pang brothers, Oxide and Danny. The film stars Angelica Lee as Tsui Ting-Yin, a successful writer looking to broaden her horizons by switching from romance novels to thrillers. Her latest effort has her stymied, however, and her writer's block won't give ground until she crosses over from reality to the dark world of imagination, which unsurprisingly looks nothing like Ingmar Bergman's. She befriends a young girl and an elderly man and the trio try to avoid the ghastly ghoulies inhabiting her brain — and though Re-Cycle's plot is thin and frequently derivative, it features eye-popping visuals that will appeal to admirers of such films as MirrorMask, Pan's Labyrinth, and The Cell.

9:30 PM IFC
Nightmare on Elm Street (1984 USA): Better late than never, I guess. The first and best of the Freddy Kruger films finally shows up in widescreen this evening. It remains one of the more disturbing films of its time and puts even the good sequels to shame. Also airs 9/29 at 1:30 AM.

Monday 09/29/08

3:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Pirates of Blood River (1962 GB): Hoist the skull and crossbones, me hearties — it's pirate day on TCM, commencing with this enjoyable Hammer production featuring Christopher Lee as LaRoche, an eye-patched villain intent on unearthing the treasures he believes are hidden near a Huguenot village somewhere in the New World. LaRoche enlists randy young Jonathan Standish (Kerwin Mathews) to his cause, figuring the boy wants to get his own back on puritanical father Jason (Andrew Keir), who has banished the lad for cavorting with a local maiden. When the treasure proves elusive, however, LaRoche opts for the No More Mr. Nice Guy routine — and Jonathan must decide where his true loyalties lie. Long available only in pan and scan format, Pirates of Blood River finally got a DVD release in its original aspect ratio this summer, and now makes its widescreen television debut, revealing every penny-pinching inch of Hammer's admittedly mediocre production values. It's followed at 4:45 AM by Morgan the Pirate (1961), an Italian made swashbuckler starring Steve Reeves as the titular scourge of the seas; at 6:30 AM by The Boy and the Pirates (1960), a wholly inadequate adventure from director Bert I. Gordon; and at 9:30 AM by Pirates of Tripoli (1955), a Sam Katzman-produced effort with an intriguing cast, including Paul Henreid, Mel Welles, and John Miljan.

6:00 PM HBO
Taxi to the Dark Side (2007 USA): For once, the Academy didn't chicken out. This was 2008's Academy Award winner for Best Documentary, giving well deserved recognition to director Alex Gibney, whose 2005 effort Enron: The Smartest Guys In the Room was robbed of a gong by the wonderful, charming, and somewhat slight March of the Penguins. Taxi to the Dark Side chillingly and calmly details the horrors of the torture regime we now live in and silently condone, and should have you writing your congressman or marching on Washington as soon as the credit crawl is over. If not sooner. Also airs at 9:00 PM.

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