TiVoPlex
TiVoPlex for Tuesday April 20 2010 through Monday April 26 2010
By John Seal
April 19, 2010
Friday 4/23/10
11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Hell’s Angels (1969 USA): There’s a bit of confusion and uncertainty here. The DirecTV program guide lists this as a broadcast of the 1930’s aerial classic of the same name, but the TCM online guide suggests otherwise, listing cast and crew for a biker flick entitled Hell’s Angels ‘69. However, it doesn’t list the film by its correct title, suggesting they could possibly be airing an Austrian film from 1969 also entitled, simply, Hell’s Angels. Considering that this is the TCM Underground, however, I’m inclined to believe that Hell’s Angels ’69 is the film we’re getting tonight, especially as it’s being followed at 12:45 AM by another motorcycle opus, 1970’s Rebel Rousers. Assuming that’s the case, our film is one of dozens of sickel sagas churned out during the late sixties and early seventies, and features Jeremy Slate and Tom Stern as brothers who pose as Angels in order to rob Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas! If that’s not enough to get you salivating (or urinating) on your leathers, the film also features Hell’s Angels president Sonny Barger in a supporting role—with the whole dang Oakland chapter behind him! If you’re a fan of the hog genre, you simply cannot miss this one—and do stay tuned for Rebel Rousers, which features Cameron Mitchell, Jack Nicholson, and Harry Dean Stanton in various stages of filth.
Saturday 4/24/10
7:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
Bowery Buckaroos (1947 USA): You’ve probably figured this out by now, but you can almost always divine the plot of a Bowery Boys film from its title. Yep, in this one the Boys head west for some cow-punching—and, naturally, get mixed up in trouble, this time of the homicidal variety. Along with the usual gang of idiots (the three Gorceys, Huntz Hall, et al), Bowery Buckaroos also co-stars Minerva Urecal and Iron Eyes Cody.
9:20 PM Sundance
Dorm (2006 THA): If you’re looking for an old-fashioned ghost story, may I suggest Dorm, a gentle tale of the supernatural from Thailand. Directed by Songyos Sugmakanan, the film tells the story of 13-year old schoolboy Ton (Charlie Trairat) who’s just starting a new school. Naturally, the new kid is the butt of considerable teasing, but soon befriends roommate Vichai (Siranath Jianthavorn). Who happens to be dead. A well-acted, low-key thriller that won’t set exactly set your pulse pounding, Dorm will appeal to admirers of subtle horrors such as The Others and The Innocents.
Sunday 4/25/10
11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
The Blue Angel (1930 GER): As it’s airing in the Sunday night import slot on TCM, I’m going to assume this is the original German-language version of The Blue Angel, and not the English version that was shot simultaneously. That’s good, of course, because though they’re both fine films, the Deutsch iteration is superior. Marlene Dietrich stars as night club entertainer Lola Lola, who fascinates teacher Immanuel Rath’s (Emil Jannings) students. Rath scolds them for attending her scandalous performances, but is immediately smitten when temptation gets the better of him and he witnesses her act for himself. Chucking in his comfortable career as an educator, Rath marries Lola—and soon becomes a bit player in both her life and her stage act. The film that made Dietrich a star, The Blue Angel was, somewhat surprisingly, the only German-language film directed by Josef von Sternberg.
Monday 4/26/10
8:45 PM Sundance
Sheitan (2006 FRA): French bad boy Vincent Cassel stars in this unsettling black comedy about a Christmas Eve party gone terribly wrong. He plays Joseph, a twisted caretaker who takes advantage of three Parisian idiots who stumble into his rundown rural hotel one December 24th. Sheitan bears marked similarities to the Belgian film Calvaire, which also suggests that urban-dwellers have a lot to fear from hicks in the sticks. If you're a fan of Deliverance or Straw Dogs, you'll probably also enjoy Sheitan.
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