TiVoPlex
By John Seal
May 7, 2012
8:15 AM Turner Classic Movies
Ace of Aces (1933 USA): A pacifist does a full 180 at the behest of his hero-hungry girlfriend in this excellent anti-war drama helmed by J. Walter Ruben. Richard Dix stars as Rocky Thorne, an artist opposed to the War to End All Wars - until gal pal Nancy (Elizabeth Allan) shames him into signing up. Once in the Army, Rocky decides to take up flying and becomes the Air Corps’ "ace of aces," shooting down over two dozen Kraut aircraft and loving every minute of it. The film brilliantly depicts the dehumanizing effects of war and violence, but don’t worry - it’s still a Hollywood movie, and there’s a happy ending of sorts to keep the romantically inclined on board.
Friday 5/11/12
3:15 PM Showtime 2
Ondine (2009 IRE): Writer-director Neil Jordan dips his toe into the vast waters of Celtic folklore in this enjoyable shaggy dog tale. Colin Farrell headlines as Syracuse, a magnificently mulleted Irish fisherman who finds something surprising in his net one day: a selkie! What’s a selkie, you ask? It’s a bit like a mermaid, but without the fishy bits. In other words, it’s a fully formed woman named Ondine (Alicja Bachelda), who wishes to remain Syracuse’s little secret but eventually comes out of her shell when introduced to our handsome hero’s crippled daughter (Alison Barry). Much cuteness ensues, but it’s all well handled by Jordan, who manages to keep the mawkishness to a minimum. Farrell’s hairdo is distracting but Bachelda delivers the otherworldly goods as his catch o’ the day, whilst Ondine looks great thanks to Christoper Doyle’s stunning cinematography (which hopefully can be appreciated in its original aspect ratio this afternoon).
10:30 PM Showtime
Ghosts of Goldfield (2007 USA): This is a pretty terrible direct-to-video horror cheapie, but it’s here because I can’t overlook the presence of the one and only Rowdy Roddy Piper, here cast as a hotel manager with spooky sideburns. Piper is truly the finest thespian professional wrestling has yet given us, his work leaving that of Hulk Hogan, John Cena, and others in the dust. Well, maybe not The Rock’s work. The Rock’s pretty good, too. Regardless, Ghosts of Goldfield also features some guy who was in Twilight a few years later - which is why it finally got a DVD release after sitting in the can for a while. Also airs 5/12 at 1:30 AM.
Saturday 5/12/12
9:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Perils of Pauline (1933 USA): The seventh, eighth, and ninth chapters of Universal’s Perils of Pauline serial air this morning. Chapter nine, entitled The Mummy Walks, sounds particularly promising!
Sunday 5/13/12
11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Autumn Sonata (1978 SWE): Here’s something cineastes dreamed about for years before it actually happened: a film in which Swedish director Ingmar Bergman got to direct unrelated Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman! This was Ingrid’s last film, and she ended her career on a high note as Charlotte Andergast, a renowned pianist whose fame has come at a price: she’s been estranged from her children, including daughter Eva (Liv Ullman). Now living in Norway with clergyman husband Viktor (Halvar Bjork), Eva invites Mom for an autumn holiday - and the result is a series of suitably (Ingmar) Bergmanesque long, gloomy, and illuminating conversations between the two women as they come to terms with their awkward relationship. A Golden Globe Best Foreign Film winner, Autumn Sonata is followed at 1:00 AM by the rarely seen made-for-Swedish television Ingmar doc Bergman Island (2006). Unfortunately, this is the heavily cut US version, but it’s better than nothing.
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