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Saturday 11/15/08

10:30 PM Turner Classic Movies
Glory Alley (1952 USA): Ralph Meeker was basically Aldo Ray with acting chops. Perhaps that's a little unfair to Ray — who was a decent character actor who simply drank too much — but Meeker generally offered better, more nuanced performances. In this Raoul Walsh-helmed drama, he portrays champeen boxer Socks Barbarossa, who develops cold feet on the eve of the big fight and disappoints would-be father-in-law Judge Evans (Kurt Kaszner) by hanging up his gloves. He tries to redeem himself by joining the Army and taking a combat tour in war-torn Korea, but the Judge isn't mollified until Socks' tale of childhood trauma soothes the savage legal eagle's breast and wins him the hand of sweetheart Angela (Leslie Caron). It's not a great film, but I really like Meeker, and Louis Armstrong puts in a memorable cameo appearance.

Sunday 11/16/08

9:00 PM Sundance
Dirty Carnival (2006 ROK): This hardboiled South Korean crime drama features In-sung Zo as Byung-du, a low level gangster trying to take care of his ailing mother on his meagre foot soldier's pay packet. Determined to ingratiate himself in the eyes of big boss Sang-chul (Yoon-jae Moon), Byung-du offers to take on the tricky task of eliminating a corrupt D.A. in exchange for an appropriately generous reward. At the same time, filmmaking buddy Min-ho (Min-nam Koong) is hoping to get some inside footage of the Mob, complicating matters considerably, but providing Byung-du with the opportunity to re-unite with old high school flame Hyeon-ju (Lee Bo-yeong). This is an above average genre pic on a par with the best Johnny To features, and comes highly recommended.

11:00 PM The Movie Channel
Farewell, My Lovely (1975 USA): A late in the day moment of glory for the great Robert Mitchum, Farewell, My Lovely stars the doe-eyed bad boy as Raymond Chandler anti-hero Philip Marlowe. The same story had been filmed in 1944 as Murder My Sweet, with Dick Powell as Marlowe, but this is the truer adaptation if not the better film. Marlowe is searching for Velma (Charlotte Rampling), the gone to ground gal pal of mob goon Moose Malloy (Jack O'Halloran, subbing effectively for Mike Mazurki), but there are plenty of obstacles in his way, including suspicious police detective Nulty (John Ireland). The film nicely recaptures the seediness of back alley Los Angeles circa 1940 and Mitchum is perfect for the role of Marlowe. Also airs on 11/17 at 2:00 AM.

Monday 11/17/08

11:00 AM Sundance
Genesis (2004): A French documentary about the evolution of life on planet Earth, Genesis tends to be a bit New Age-y in style, but still makes worthwhile viewing, especially for youngsters. Directed by the team who gave us the remarkable insect-eye's view feature Microcosmos in 1998, Genesis attempts to explain the birth of the universe and the development of life via the narration of West African griot Sotigui Kouyaté. Though the mystical musings of Kouyaté occasionally grate, the film does a decent job of summarizing this complex chain of events, and ultimately supports evolution and the Big Bang Theory without once mentioning the oxymoronic "Intelligent Design".

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