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Thursday 7/08/10

10:30 AM Starz
The Damned United (2009 GB): Michael Sheen is terrific as football manager Brian Clough (pronounced cluff in this biopic about a man 100% of Americans had never heard of before now. Clough was the outside-the-box soccer man who led Nottingham Forest to two consecutive European Cups in 1979 and 1980, and a British folk hero of the first order with statues and streets dedicated to his memory (he died in 2004). As for the film, it exudes working-class authenticity, and is as close to a Ken Loach film as a non-Ken Loach film can be, if you get my meaning. Also known as Ee Bah Gum, There’s Nowt as Queer as Lager Louts, The Damned United also airs at 1:30 PM.

Friday 7/09/10

9:00 PM IFC
Maximum Overdrive (1986 USA): The IFC Grindhouse continues to deliver the goodies - or, if you prefer, the '80s schlock - with yet another of the approximately 500 Stephen King adaptations produced during the Reagan Era. Based on King’s story Trucks (and actually directed by the man himself), Maximum Overdrive stars Emilio Estevez as ex-con Bill Robinson, who finds himself battling killer HGV’s after planet Earth passes through the tail of a comet. Because whenever you pass through the tail of a comet, machines come to life. You didn’t know? It’s a well-established phenomenon. Along for the fun are Pat Hingle as a convenience store manager and Lisa Simpson herself, Yeardley Smith, as a newlywed who screams a lot. The AC/DC songtrack is the final icing on this goofy but very fun thriller.

Saturday 7/10/10

5:05 AM Sundance
Le Doulos (1961 FRA): An absolutely terrific policier from director Jean-Pierre Melville, Le Doulos stars Serge Reggiani as Maurice, a recently released burglar who can’t seem to stay out of trouble. When Maurice discovers that old pal Gilbert (Rene Lefevre) has the proceeds of a robbery hanging around the house, he decides he needs the money more than his chum does, and murders him in order to get it. Then it’s off to the races with Silien (Jean-Paul Belmondo), who has the tools Maurice needs to pull off a big job…and also happens to be a finger man for the Paris gendarmes. Filled with great cinematography, a super score, and atmosphere to spare, Le Doulos is essential viewing for anyone who enjoys a good noir or police procedural. Also airs at 12:00 PM.

7:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
Lucky Losers (1950 USA): Bowery Boys feature number 18, Lucky Losers follows Slip and Sach’s adventures in the sleazy underworld of games of chance. After broker pal David Thurston (Selmer Jackson) is murdered, the boys find a clue connecting him to a gambling joint known as The High Hat Club, and learn to play cards in order to help solve the crime. Hillary Brooke, now on the downside of her brief ‘A’ list career, co-stars as one of the Club’s owners.

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