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Thursday 11/27/08

3:30 AM Fox Movie Channel
Planet of the Apes (1968 USA): And so it begins. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of one of 20th Century Fox's biggest cash cows, Fox Movie Channel is airing all their Planet of the Apes films (with the notable exception of Tim Burton's abortive 2001 remake) over the next few days. Up first, of course, is the one that started it all, Franklin Schaffner's brilliantly realized 1968 adaptation of Pierre Boulle's dystopian novel. Starring Charlton Heston as astronaut Taylor, the survivor of a 40th century spaceship crash, the film imagines life on a strange planet populated by intelligent, talking apes who treat human beings as an exploitable underclass. The film was a huge success and spawned a series of sequels, as well as a television series and a plethora of toys, lunch boxes, and other pop culture ephemera. Strangely, FMC follows this with the five made for TV movies that post-dated the theatrical series: at 6:00 AM by Back to the Planet of the Apes; at 8:00 AM by The Forgotten City of the Planet of the Apes; at 10:00 AM by Treachery and Greed on the Planet of the Apes; at 12:30 PM by Life, Liberty, and Pursuit on the Planet of the Apes; and at 5:45 PM by Farewell to the Planet of the Apes. These "films" were actually feature length TV movies re-edited from episodes of the 1974 television series. They're then followed by the REAL sequels, beginning at 7:30 PM by Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), in which horribly scarred human survivors of a nuclear holocaust (including Victor Buono) try to reassert their authority over their simian overlords; at 9:30 PM by Escape From the Planet of the Apes (1971), wherein apes Cornelius and Zira (Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter) are sent back in time to love beads and bell bottoms-era Los Angeles; at 11:30 PM by my personal favorite, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), in which issues of slavery and race come directly to the surface; and (on 11/28) at 1:15 AM by series finale Battle for the Planet of the Apes, which features a somewhat anti-climactic throw-down between damn dirty apes and humans, as well as an inter-ape struggle involving troublemaking gorilla Aldo (Claude Akins). These films haven't aired in their correct aspect ratio for years, though they have cropped up from time to time on AMC in expurgated format. This is a great opportunity to view the Ape canon in a single sitting, and the films remain in 24 hour rotation throughout November 28th, 29th, and 30th.

8:00 PM Sundance
The Mother (2003 GB): The Mother ended atop my best of show list in 2004, but hardly anyone else saw it. That's an understandable fate for any small-scale British film, but doubly so considering the subject matter of this one: the sex life of the senior citizen. Anne Reid plays May, a new widow getting on in years who happens to have the hots for handyman Darren (future Bond Daniel Craig), who also happens to be engaged in an affair with May's daughter-in-law, Paula (Cathryn Bradshaw). Directed by Roger Michell and written by Hanif Kureishi (My Beautiful Laundrette), this is a brutally honest exploration of the damage done to a family suffused with dysfunctional relationships, where no one seems willing or able to tell the truth and everyone ends up extremely unhappy. This isn't an easy film to watch, and it's certainly a hard one to like, but The Mother goes places few other films have dared go, and for that it's to be both commended and strongly recommended.

Friday 11/28/08

11:45 AM Starz in Black
The Girl, The Gold Watch, and Dynamite (1981 USA): The sequel to the popular movie-of-the-week The Girl, The Gold Watch, and Everything, TGTGWAD features Philip MacHale as Kirby Winter, the owner of a very special timepiece that can freeze time. Kirby is about to wed gal pal Bonnie (Lee Purcell), but when a crisis involving the family farm arises, romance must take a backseat to the watch's magical powers. An enjoyable but rarely seen piece of fluff, this film also features appearances from a whole host of familiar faces from big and small screen alike, including Larry Linville, Jerry Mathers, Zohra Lampert, Jack Elam, Tom Poston, Morgan Fairchild, and Gene Barry, plus football star Lyle Alzado and singer songwriter Richie Havens (whose presence can offer the only possible explanation for the appearance of this film on Starz in Black).

Saturday 11/29/08

1:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Beat Street (1984 USA): Rae Dawn Chong stars in this hip hop "classic", which makes its widescreen television debut this morning on TCM. Chong plays Tracy Carlson, a privileged New York college student who tries to help some street kids bring rap music and culture into the mainstream. There's rhyming, break-dancing, and graffiti aplenty, but unlike most other ‘80s films about hip hop, Beat Street is a serious attempt at drama. It's definitely a step above Breakin' or Tougher than Leather, but remains a million miles from the gritty neo-realism of Boyz N the Hood.

1:30 AM IFC
Hell (1961 JAP): Long only available as an un-subtitled bootleg tape, Hell (Jigoku) finally received an official stateside home video release in late 2006. It's the story of a college student (Shigeru Amachi) whose complicity in a hit and run accident is consuming him with guilt. His feelings aren't ameliorated by the lectures provided by his girlfriend's father, a theology professor who specializes in all things Luciferian. The first half of the film sets the stage; the second takes the viewer on an incredible journey into an impressionistic underworld of tortured souls and eternal suffering. This was the part of the film we were all watching those blurry boots for; now that the entire film appears in widescreen and has been rendered intelligible, it's even more powerful.

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