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7pm Turner Classic Movies
Buck and the Preacher (1972 USA): Director Sidney Poitier stars as Buck, an Old West trail guide working to protect newly-freed slaves whilst helping them homestead the land. He meets the Preacher (Harry Belafonte), a smooth-talking huckster with an eye on an Earthly reward: namely, the $500 being offered for Buck by a group of white folks eager to put a stop to his philanthropic civil rights activities. Don't worry, though; the two soon come to an understanding, and unite against the bounty-hunting racists. Buck and the Preacher stints a bit in the action department, but is amiable, rambling fun, and co-stars Ruby Dee, Cameron Mitchell (yeah, he's a bad guy), and Clarence Muse.

Saturday 09/19/09

6am Turner Classic Movies
Dick Tracy, Chapters 5 & 6 (1937 USA): The adventures of jut-jawed he-man Dick Tracy continue this week with chapters entitled Brother against Brother and Dangerous Waters.

9am Turner Classic Movies
Of Mice and Men (1939 USA): I recommended this John Steinbeck adaptation a few weeks back, and then promptly reacquainted myself with the film, which I hadn't seen in decades. I'm not going to repeat what I previously wrote, but I must add mention of a stand-out performance I'd forgotten about: that of Leigh Whipper as an African-American farmhand named Crooks. Whipper is a once-seen/never-forgotten actor, a wiry type who - at least on the rare occasions when he was given the opportunity - was cast in roles that far transcended the standard limitations imposed on black thespians in Golden Age Hollywood. How he did it, I don't know, but he dominates the screen here for a good ten minutes, and would later do the same in 1943's equally awesome The Ox-Bow Incident. He's reason enough to watch this memorable Lewis Milestone feature.

Sunday 09/20/09

7am IFC
Pyaar Ke Side Effects (2006 IND): An excellent, atypical Bollywood romantic comedy, the oddly-titled Pyaar Ke Side Effects features Rahul Bose and Mallika Sherawat as Sid and Trisha, a young couple teetering on the edge of marriage. Trisha is pushing hard; Sid is reluctant and does a runner, then regrets his decision, especially after he learns Trisha is again involved with former lover Vivek (Jas Arora). Saket Chaudhary's screenplay is quite daring for Bollywood, examining taboo topics such as co-habitation, and the film thankfully doesn't get bogged down in musical numbers.

9pm Sundance
Bloody Ties (2006 ROK): Sundance's new season of Asia Extreme continues with this solid-if-routine South Korean crime drama. Set during the financial crisis of 1998, the film stars Jeong-min Hwang as narco agent Do, assigned to break up the drug-smuggling ring of crime boss Jang Cheol (Do-gyung Lee). Do is assisted by street-level pusher Sang-do (Seung-beom Ryu), and though the two don't always see eye-to-eye, they make for an effective screen team when it comes to ass-kicking, dirty looks, and gunplay. Directed by Ho Choi, the film is a bit long at 117 minutes, but still provides decent value for admirers of the genre.

Monday 09/21/09

1am Turner Classic Movies
Bridge to the Sun (1961 FRA-USA): Based on a true story, Bridge to the Sun should be better than it is, but considering the tricky subject matter, perhaps we should just be grateful it got made at all. Carroll Baker (Baby Doll) takes the lead as Gwen Terasaki, an American woman married to a Japanese man (James Shigeta) during World War II. But he's not just any Japanese man: Terasaki was a diplomat assigned to the United States and deported back to Japan after the outbreak of war. Shunned in both countries (he was a committed peacenik, and she stood by her man), the couple lived in isolation and abject poverty whilst being spied upon by the Japanese secret police. An understandable flop in 1961, Bridge to the Sun has since acquired a more favorable critical reputation, and, though it tends to the melodramatic, is still well worth a look.

5:25pm Sundance
Man on Wire (2008 GB): Oscar's Best Documentary Feature of 2008 was also, arguably, the best film of any sort last year. It makes its television debut this evening, and though it won't play as well on the boob tube as it did on the big screen, it's still strongly recommended. The film recreates the astonishing tale of Philippe Petit, a puckish Frenchman renowned for his feats of daring. Petit was bound and determined to walk between the towers of the World Trade Center, but not on the ground: he intended to do it on a wire suspended 1,350 feet in the air! His audacity, bravery, foolishness, and humor will leave you gasping in admiration. If you missed this in cinemas, please don't miss it tonight.

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