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Sunday 11/02/08

9:00 AM IFC
'Bama Girl (2008 USA): This fascinating documentary takes a look at the annual homecoming rites at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where a student body election determines who will be the belle of the ball. Until 2005, the process had been a tightly controlled insider game, with anointed (and always white) favorites heavily promoted by "The Machine", a shadowy group of fraternities and sororities. Tradition, however, didn't sit well with African-American student Jessica Thomas, who with some help from her sorority sisters decided to run an independent candidacy, relying on a get out the vote effort aimed at student groups who traditionally had not been involved in the homecoming process. It's all a little reminiscent of the American democratic process in general, which makes it perfect Election Eve viewing.

7:45 PM Turner Classic Movies
The Year of Living Dangerously (1982 AUS): Remember when Mel Gibson was a serious actor? I know it's hard to think back that far, but once upon a time he really did appear in his share of quality motion pictures. In truth, Gibson has always been a decent actor, albeit one with a narrow range — and this is one of his best efforts. A period piece from enigmatic Aussie director Peter Weir, The Year of Living Dangerously features our Mel as Guy Hamilton, a newsman covering the probably-CIA sponsored unrest threatening to bring down the Indonesian government of leftist President Sukarno circa 1965. Callow young Hamilton is convinced he's on the trail of a big story that will be a real feather in his professional cap, but thanks to the ministrations of local shutterbug Billy Kwan (Linda Hunt) realizes he's in deep — and better get out as quickly as possible. Hunt's performance won her an Academy Award, but Gibson is also top notch as the overconfident cub reporter, as is Sigourney Weaver as diplomatic love interest Jill Bryant.

9:00 PM Sundance
Princess Aurora (2005 ROK): A cartoon character named Princess Aurora makes ominous repeat appearances in this quirky serial killer thriller directed by Korean actress Eun-jin Bang. Stickers bearing the Princess' likeness appear at the scene of each crime, and it's up to Inspector Oh Seong-ho (Mun Seong-geun) to track down the perp, who is revealed early on as a woman, the quietly tense Jeong Sun-jeong (Eom Jeong-hwa). To complicate matters, Oh is on the verge of changing jobs (he's studying to be a pastor) and has also previously been embroiled in a relationship with Jeong. It all leads up to a showdown in a Seoul garbage dump, where secrets are dutifully revealed and some funny business with a forklift takes place. You might say there's some sticker shock.

Monday 11/03/08

1:00 AM Sundance
Live-In Maid (2004 ARG): The Argentinian financial meltdown of 2001 serves as the backdrop for this gentle comedy-drama about two women from opposite ends of the economic spectrum. Live-In Maid stars The Official Story's Norma Aleandro as Beba Pujol, a well-off divorcee whose creature comforts include the 24-hour presence of housekeeper Dora (Norma Argentina). When the markets crash and her money suddenly disappears, Beba must let Dora go, and the social levelling reveals layers of calcified prejudice and resentment, as well as mutual respect, loyalty, and love. This well-acted, evenly paced character study won the Special Jury Prize at Sundance 2005.

Noon Showtime Extreme
Escape to Athena (1979 GB): This bloated World War II actioner makes its widescreen television debut this afternoon. It's top-lined by James Bond himself, Roger Moore, as Otto Hecht, the commandant of a German prison camp in Greece. Hecht is a man of wealth and taste and not particularly taken with Nazi ideology, so when some of his prisoners attempt to liberate both themselves and some local art treasures, he decides to give them a helping hand. Will our crew of escapees — including David Niven, Claudia Cardinale, Richard Roundtree, and Sonny Bono (!) — safely deliver the priceless artefacts into the loving care of Greek resistance leader Telly Savalas? Or will SS Major Volkmann (Anthony Valentine) put the kibosh on their plans? Look for an uncredited William Holden smoking a cigarette. Also airs at 10:15 PM.

6:00 PM Sundance
Primary (1961 USA): Poor Hubert Humphrey. First he lost to John F. Kennedy. Then he lost to Richard Nixon. And finally, Jimmy Carter called him "Hubert Horatio Hornblower" at the 1980 Democratic National Convention. And that was AFTER he was dead — surely the final indignity. This film examines Humphrey's first presidential run, focusing specifically on the April 1960 Democratic primary in Wisconsin, which threatened to derail JFK's candidacy on the familiar shoals of inexperience and religious prejudice. The 1960 campaign marked the birth of the modern era of politics as mass media personality cult, and unfortunately for Humphrey, he couldn't hold a candle to the youthful, handsome, and wealthy Jack Kennedy. As a film, Primary looks ugly and amateurish —but as a document of how the modern political campaign evolved, it's priceless.

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