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Saturday 12/19/09

2:35 AM More Max
The Wolf Man (1941 USA): I know this wouldn't be in the least bit out of the ordinary on TCM, but when a Cinemax channel plays the original Wolf Man we have to pat them on the head and offer a few words of praise. Lon Chaney Jr. delivered one of his best performances (not as easy as it sounds, considering he wasn't a good actor) as Larry Talbot, the poor schmuck who becomes infected by a wolf bite whilst on a trip back to his ancestral homeland (in this case Wales, not central Europe!). Amongst other treats (including gorgeous black and white photography by Joe Valentine), The Wolf Man features this immortal gem from the pen of screenwriter Curt Siodmak: "even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright." In my opinion, The Wolf Man was the last of the truly great Universal horrors, and I'm delighted that More Max decided it was a better programming choice than, say, An American Werewolf in Paris.

Sunday 12/20/09

12:30 AM Sundance
The Chaser (2008 ROK): A corrupt detective tries to put the cuffs on a serial killer in this gruesome thriller (and South Korean box office champ) from first-time director Hong-jin Na. Yun-seok Kim plays dirty copper Joong-ho, who makes a little extra on the side by running a prostitution ring. When two of Joong-ho's girls disappear before paying him his royalty (or whatever it is prostitutes pay their pimps), he takes a special interest in the case — and soon discovers they were both servicing the same client. Director Na tries to shoehorn some Christian symbolism into the proceedings, but it's an unlikely and uncomfortable fit, and the film is best appreciated when viewed as a simple, straightforward gore-fest.

5:05 AM Sundance
Lemon Tree (2008 ISR-GER): Israel may have calcified into a hard-right apartheid state, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of Israeli citizens willing to dissent. One such is director Eran Riklis, who penned this tale of a land dispute between Palestinian widow Salma (Hiam Abbass) and her Israeli neighbor Israel (Doron Tavary). She owns a lemon orchard which he wants to tear down and replace with a fence in the name of security. He also happens to be the Israeli Defense Minister, but our heroine is unimpressed with his credentials and decides to take the case all the way to the Israeli Supreme Court, whilst she also forges an unexpected friendship with Israel's wife Mira (Rona Lipaz-Michael). A small scale story with a big point to make, Lemon Tree also airs at 7:00 PM.

Monday 12/21/09

7:30 PM Sundance
Cavite (2005 PHI): Filipino film-making was once exemplified by the ubiquitous presence of Vic Diaz, who snarled his way through countless Roger Corman-produced action flicks shot in the archipelago, usually clad in a really ugly floral shirt and wielding a machete. The now-very ill Diaz is nowhere to be seen in Cavite, but fans of those low-budget Corman flicks might still enjoy this film. Produced, written, and directed by Ian Gamazon, Cavite stars - who else? - Ian Gamazon as Adam, the American-born son of Filipino parents on his way back to the islands to attend his father's funeral. Once there, he learns that his mother and sister have been kidnapped (presumably by Abu Sayyaf guerrillas), and that in order to save them he must follow a very precise series of demands. The perp seems just as interested in educating Adam in the ways, means and motives of Islamic revolution as in reclaiming the money his father apparently stole (or hid) from the insurgency. Though this originally aired on Sundance as part of its Asia Extreme series, this isn't a horror or exploitation film; it's a serious and exemplary political thriller about a man being forced to come to terms with his cultural and religious heritage. Shot verite style in and around some of the worst slums on Earth, Cavite offers rich rewards on many levels.

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