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11:00 PM The Movie Channel
Long Weekend (2008 AUS): Remember those ‘70s Chiffon Margarine commercials featuring the immortal line, "it’s not nice to fool Mother Nature?" For some reason, that was the first thing I thought of when I watched Long Weekend. Yeah, it’s true, I’m a little odd. As for the film, it stars Jim Cavaziel as Peter, an unhappy husband on a camping trip with equally grumpy spouse Carla (Claudia Carvan). Peter’s bought a truckload of expensive camping equipment with which to win back his woman’s heart, but Carla remains unimpressed - and to make matters worse, once they make camp and start killing wildlife the local eco-system decides to get its revenge. An inferior remake of a 1978 thriller of the same name, Long Weekend is still worth a look thanks to decent performances by Cazaviel and Carvan and some excellent widescreen cinematography. Also airs 5/26 at 2:00 AM.

Saturday 5/26/12

9:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Dick Tracy (1937 USA): The first three chapters of this superior Republic serial, featuring Ralph Byrd as the wrist-radio equipped private eye, air this morning. Beware The Spider!

10:15 PM Sundance
Voice (2005 ROK): This film aired more than once as part of Sundance’s Asia Extreme, a series sadly now off the schedule thanks to the channel’s decision to constantly air old episodes of Freaks and Geeks. Thanks, Sundance. Happily, there’s still the occasional opportunity to shoehorn a motion picture into the schedule, and Voice is tonight’s lucky winner. The fourth entry in the very popular Korean horror series Whispering Corridors, Voice tells the tale of talented Young-eon (Ok-bin Kim), a singing schoolgirl turned into a ghost by an errant piece of supernatural sheet music. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but from little acorns grow mighty oaks, and the film develops an impressive tale of mystery and intrigue that relies a lot less on blood and guts than your average Asian horror flick.

Sunday 5/27/12

1:40 AM Fox Movie Channel
Tonight We Raid Calais (1943 USA): They were going to call it Tonight We Dine In Hell, but for some reason changed the title at the last minute. This wartime morale booster stars John Sutton as Geoffrey Carter, a Royal Marine Commando sent on a one-man mission to reconnoiter a German ammo dump in northern France. Carter makes contact with a local farming couple (Lee J. Cobb and Beulah Bondi - neither entirely convincing as French citizens) eager to assist him, but their recalcitrant daughter (Paris native Annabella) objects on the grounds that it was the Brits who lost the battle for France. Yeah, right - I suppose Napoleon conquered the Russians, too! Ultimately, of course, she falls for the dashing Englishman, who promptly gets captured by the Germans in the course of fulfilling his assignment. Written by Waldo Salt and directed by German emigre John Brahm, the film also features Blanche Yurka and Howard Da Silva in supporting roles.

8:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
First to Fight (1967 USA): Remember a few weeks ago, when I suggested that Picture Mommy Dead aired on ‘70s television more than any other film? Well, I may have been wrong: this one showed up an awful lot, too. First to Fight stars handsome young Chad Everett as Jack Connell, a Medal of Honor winner who returns home after a grueling battle on Guadalcanal only to discover that he can’t stand the boredom of training new recruits stateside. Directed by Christian "The Thing" Nyby, First to Fight also features a terrific supporting cast, including Claude Akins, Gene Hackman, Dean Jagger, and Bobby Troup. This screening also marks the film’s letterboxed television debut.

Monday 5/28/12

11:00 PM Sundance
Before the Fall (2008 ESP): It’s an end-of-the-world thriller, Spanish style! Directed by F. Javier Gutierrez (now currently working on an English-language remake of The Monkey’s Paw), Before the Fall looks at the last three days of life on Earth through the eyes of an Andalusian family, waiting for the unavoidable asteroid collision that will put an end to the human race. As you might expect, this is not your typical Hollywood apocalyptic fantasy, with more attention paid to character development and less to bad CGI, but it doesn’t entirely eschew genre strictures - look out for the serial killer on the loose. Thankfully, neither Bruce Willis nor Will Smith show up to save the day.

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