TiVoPlex
By John Seal
March 28, 2011
Friday 4/1/11
1:50 AM Starz
The Cry of the Owl (2009 CAN-GB-GER): This low-key Patricia Highsmith adaptation succeeds primarily thanks to another dedicated performance by the great Paddy Considine. Paddy plays Robert, a recently divorced chap trying to fill the aching hole in his heart previously filled by his (ex) wife. He begins spying on neighbor Jenny (Julia Stiles), who invites him over for cookies after she takes note of him watching her while she does the dishes each night. Jenny is also on the rebound, you see — but she has a psycho (old) boyfriend (James Gilbert) who’s not quite ready to let her go. Uh-oh. Though rather predictable, The Cry of the Owl will likely please fans of the suspense genre, and offers good supporting turns by Caroline Dhavernas and Arnold Pinnock. Also airs at 4:50 AM.
3:45 PM Showtime
Triage (2009 IRE): I haven’t seen this Irish drama yet, but it includes something hugely attractive: a really meaty role for legendary octogenarian Christopher Lee, here playing a therapist caring for a shell-shocked war correspondent (Colin Farrell). Triage was directed by Danis Tanovic, whose 2001 drama No Man’s Land was quite excellent, so even folk who aren’t fans of Lee (if such folk exist, which I doubt) may want to give it a look. Also airs at 6:45 PM.
Saturday 4/2/11
2:00 AM Encore Love Stories
Bright Lights, Big City (1988 USA): I’d be loathe to identify this film as any kind of lost classic, but Bright Lights, Big City hasn’t aired on the small screen in a while, and it does have a great cast. Michael J. Fox stars as Jamie, a New York magazine fact-checker who earns a lot of money but snorts most of it up his nose. The film could also have been called Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die, as it examines a week in Jamie’s life when he skirts ever closer to the edge of the abyss via cocaine and booze. Fox delivers a decent performance and is ably supported by Kiefer Sutherland, John Houseman, Dianne Wiest, TiVoPlex fave William Hickey, and an uncredited Jason Robards.
7:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
Looking for Danger (1957 USA): The Bowery Boys crawl toward the finish line with Looking for Danger, the 46th of the series’ 48 films. In truth, the Bowery had all but disappeared at this point, as Sach (Huntz Hall) spends the film flashing back to his World War II days as a spy in North Africa. Yeah, right. Strangely, TCM lists Percy Helton amongst the cast, but his name doesn’t appear on IMDb. Not having seen this one in decades, I certainly don’t remember if he’s in Looking for Danger, but if he is, that’s a definite plus for an otherwise forgettable film.
11:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
Otley (1969 GB): Here’s another film I haven’t seen this the 1970s, but I remember Otley a little better than I do Looking for Danger. Why? Because it was on TV all the time (or at least so it seemed), and for some reason I watched it on multiple occasions. Written and directed by Dick Clement with help from his frequent partner in penmanship Ian La Frenais, Otley stars Tom Courtenay as the title character, a Portobello Road antiques dealer and petty thief being pursued by the police (for a murder he can’t remember committing) and by foreign agents (who have him confused with a British secret agent). I remember Otley being a fast-paced and fun spy spoof, and glancing at the supporting cast also provides cause for celebration: James Villiers, Romy Schneider, Leonard Rossiter, Alan Badel, and even a young Robin Askwith—soon to be the star of a series of saucy '70s sex comedies—are on hand. This also marks the film’s American widescreen television debut.
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