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Friday 9/2/11

12:20 AM Starz
Mooz-lum (2010 USA): Though it bears evidence of being someone’s first film - its script is too earnest by half, for one thing - Mooz-lum is nonetheless worth a look for folks interested in Islam and the African-American experience. Written and directed by Qasim Basir, the film stars Evan Ross as a young Muslim trying to forge his own path and escape the shadow of his overbearing father (Roger Guenveur Smith). The situations are a bit too predictable, but the leads (as well as co-star Danny Glover) are excellent, and the film’s heart is resolutely in the right place. Also airs at 3:20 AM.

Saturday 9/3/11

3:20 AM Showtime Action
Tobruk (1967 USA): With North Africa in the news on a daily basis, could there be a better time to reacquaint ourselves with this ever so slightly above average WWII actioner? The fortress of Tobruk was a constant prize in the see-saw desert battles of 1941 and '42, and this Arthur Hiller feature offers a heavily fictionalized but enjoyable recreation of the conflict. Rock Hudson stars as Major Craig, a Canadian army officer leading a ragtag band of commandos on a mission to blow up a critical fuel dump. Also along for the fun are George Peppard, Nigel Green, and Norman Rossington. If you enjoyed The Dirty Dozen, Dirty Heroes, or even Inglourious Bastards (which stole this film’s Jewish commando sub-plot), you’ll be reasonably well satisfied with Tobruk.

8:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Zorro Rides Again (1937 USA): After taking a break during TCM’s Summer Under the Stars celebration, the serial resumes with Chapters 4 & 5, in which our masked hero confronts sky pirates. I think that’s the politically correct term for
"hijackers."

9:00 Turner Classic Movies
Tarzan’s Hidden Jungle (1955 USA): Tarzan’s run at RKO concluded with this series entry, which also marked the first time Gordon Scott trod the boards as the Jungle Lord. Scott was neither as good an actor nor as physically agile as Lex Barker, but he certainly looked the part during his six film tenure in the tree-house. This is definitely one of the least interesting Tarzan flicks, however - a strictly back-lot bound effort burdened by a very tired plot device involving big game hunters masquerading as photographers. Completists, of course, won’t care, and a decent supporting cast (Peter Van Eyck, Vera Miles, Jack Elam, and Rex Ingram) offers value for everyone else.

12:00 PM HBO
Catfish (2010 USA): Ever pretended to be someone you weren’t online? This riveting documentary tells the story of Yaniv Schulman, a handsome if somewhat gullible young New Yorker who fell hook, line, and sinker for a line dealt him by a lonely woman in Michigan. That’s just Catfish’s set-up, though: there’s a great deal more to this surprisingly warm-hearted and open-minded film. One of the nicer surprises of 2010, Catfish also airs at 3:00 PM.

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