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Thursday 3/8/12

10:00 PM Starz
Animal Kingdom (2010 AUS): Did you remember Animal Kingdom earning an Academy Award nomination last year? Nope, neither did I, but it’s true - actress Jacki Weaver got the nod for her supporting performance as Janine Cody, the wicked matriarch of an Aussie family who simply can’t stay out of trouble. There’s son Andrew, who’s an armed robber; son Darren, who’s apprenticing to become one; son Craig, who deals drugs; and daughter Julia, who’d rather take drugs than sell ‘em. Yup, just your typical Melbourne family - bet they like Foster’s Lager and ‘roo hunting, too. Look for Guy Pearce as one of the coppers trying to slap the cuffs on the Codys. Also airs 3/9 at 1:00 AM.

Friday 3/9/12

1:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Nanny (1965 GB): Bette Davis essayed one of her best late career roles in this suspenseful Hammer thriller. Davis plays the title character (if she has a "real" name, we don’t find out what it is), a child-minder employed by the Fanes (Wendy Craig and James Villiers) to care for ten-year-old Joey (William Dix). Joey has just returned from reform school after "serving time" for the death of his younger sister, drowned in the bathtub during what the authorities have assumed was some overly rough play, and everyone has him pegged as a troublemaker. But there are deeper, darker secrets hidden within the heart of The Nanny, and her relationship with Joey rapidly disintegrates. Directed by Seth Holt, this is one of Hammer’s best, and even compares favorably to Polanski’s Repulsion.

Saturday 3/10/12

1:54 AM Fox Movie Channel
Night Train to Paris (1964 GB): Yeah, I don’t know what’s up with the goofy air time, either, but that’s what the Fox website says. The channel has been seriously discombubalated since splitting off from FXM, but at least they continues to air interesting titles such as this one, a widescreen intriguer in which Leslie Nielsen plays a retired OSS agent escorting a beautiful woman (drop dead gorgeous former Bond girl Alizia Gur, who’s a terrible actress, but makes up for it in other respects) and a secret tape to a drop point in The City of Lights. It’s minor stuff, but at 65 minutes passes painlessly and isn’t the worst spy flick you’ve ever seen.

6:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Three Stooges Meet Hercules (1962 USA): Most of the other late-period Stooges features have seen some (admittedly minimal) airplay in recent years, but until now this one’s been AWOL for quite some time. Now it's back, and Stooges fans have something to watch while they wait breathlessly for The Farrelly Brothers’ big screen "re-imagining" to hit multiplexes across the nation next month. This time, the nyuk-nyukers travel back in time to ancient Greece, where they meet not only Herc (peplum veteran Samson Burke) but Ulysses and Achilles, too. Fans will love it; all others will probably prefer getting hit on the head with a hammer or getting their eyes poked out.

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