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Thursday 12/23/10

8:45 AM Flix
Duet for One (1986 USA): I can’t say I really like this film, but it’s got a great cast and some interesting crew attached to it, so I’ll give it a quick mention. Directed by Soviet cineaste and frequent Andrey Tarkovskiy collaborator Andrey Konchalovskiy and shot by legendary DoP Alex Thomson, Duet for One stars Julie Andrews as Stephanie Anderson, a world-class violinist stricken with multiple sclerosis. A rare "quality" feature produced by Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, Cannon kings of '80s schlock, the film is pretty sappy and completely predictable, yet benefits still from a stellar supporting cast, including Alan Bates as Stephanie’s husband, Max von Sydow as her doctor, Rupert Everett as her protégé, and Liam Neeson as her lover. Make sure you have a dry hanky handy for the proceedings.

8:35 PM Sundance
Accomplices (2009 FRA): If Un Prophete got you in the mood for grim French crime dramas, here’s another one. Set in Paris, the film features Gilbert Melki and Emmanuelle Devos as Herve and Karine, detectives investigating the circumstances surrounding the dumping of a body in the Seine. The clues lead them to male hustler Vincent (Cyril Descours) and his seedy clients and colleagues, including wild child Rebecca (Nina Meurisse), a free spirit who thinks male prostitutes are the bee’s knees. Zut alors! The result is a more than serviceable police procedural; thought it pales in comparision to Un Prophete, it’s still well worth your while.

Saturday 12/25/10

2:15 AM Cinemax
Psycho III (1986 USA): Does any movie say "Season’s Greetings" quite like Psycho III? Okay, I was hoping that TCM would air Silent Night, Deadly Night III: Better Watch Out!, or Sundance would spring Salo: The 120 Days of Sodom on us, but this is the seediest thing on offer this Christmas Day. Directed by star Anthony Perkins, Psycho III re-imagines Norman Bates as a somewhat sympathetic character — the deranged murderer you could bring home to mother. Alas, Norman is still getting mash notes from Mom compelling him to do wicked things, and the arrival of a lapsed nun (Diana Scarwid) and a grungy drifter (Jeff Fahey) can mean naught but trouble. Won’t Santa be surprised when he comes down the chimney and finds you hanging out at the Bates Motel?

11:00 AM Showtime 3
The Messenger (2009 USA): For once Showtime 3 doesn’t lie! I’ve become so accustomed to the channel incorrectly listing titles as airing in widescreen that I now automatically assume everything is really airing in pan and scan. Imagine my surprise, then, when during a recent fit of channel surfing I discovered that The Messenger is actually appearing in its correct aspect ratio! Well done, Showtime 3! As for the film, it’s further proof that Woody Harrelson has finally figured out this acting thing, and is worth a look for hemp enthusiasts and drama aficionados alike.

3:20 PM Encore
Valley Girl (1983 USA): Nicolas Cage plays a punk rocker who falls in love with a Val (Deborah Foreman) in this reasonably amusing '80s teen comedy. So desperate were we for cinematic representations of punk in 1983 that those of us of the spiky-haired persuasion actually looked warmly upon Cage’s performance at the time. The film hasn’t aged very well, however, and looks pretty dopey now. On the plus side, it does feature power poppers The Plimsouls — but we would have preferred Black Randy and the Metrosquad. Also airs at 6:20 PM.

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