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Saturday 9/22/12

9:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Mark of the Gorilla (1951 USA): The fifth of the ever threadbare Jungle Jim series, Mark of the Gorilla has two things that separate it from the pack: Nazis and beyond risible ape suits. In fact, the ape suits are being worn by actors playing characters masquerading as apes, perhaps making Mark of the Gorilla the very first post-modern second feature. As for the Nazis, they’re trying to scare off the locals, who are living near a secret stash of gold stolen during the war. Did I mention the Nazis are played by actors in ape suits? It’s up to who else but Jungle Jim (Johnny Weissmuller) to protect the natives and prevent Onslow Stevens and company from getting their damn, dirty fake paws on the treasure.

10:45 PM Turner Classic Movies
Where It’s At (1969 USA): The title alone should be enough to tip you off to this film’s flailing efforts to be in with the In-crowd. It might have passed muster ten years earlier (maybe even five), but Garson Kanin’s screenplay is strictly for the squares, man. Give Kanin his due: his work with Frank Tashlin on 1956’s The Girl Can’t Help It resulted in one of the funniest and sharpest social satires of the ‘50s, a film that didn’t quite “get” rock and roll, but nonetheless brilliantly highlighted its influence on American culture. At any rate, Where It’s At is worthwhile primarily for its solid cast, including David Janssen, Rosemary Forsyth, Brenda Vaccaro, and the absurdly proportioned Edy Williams. Set in Las Vegas, it’s fairly standard-issue Generation Gap stuff, with casino operator Janssen squaring off against his upstart college-age son (Robert Drivas, a few years away from his best performance in Larry Cohen’s God Told Me To). The film does manage to score some extra hipness points via an appearance by counter-culture comedy troupe The Committee, but the film is really aimed at an adult audience, and will be a disappointment for those in search of psychedelic thrills.

Sunday 9/23/12

11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Story of Women (1989 FRA): Isabelle Huppert stars as Marie Latour, a French woman compelled to earn the family crust when her husband returns from the war in no fit state to work. She discovers that abortions are in high demand by local women who’ve been raped by Nazi occupiers (cue Todd Akin’s comments on how Nazi sperm doesn’t work when inserted into unwilling non-German lady parts) and takes up the trade. Eventually, she turns her underground abortions into a successful (if thoroughly illegal) business, and is able to move the family into much pleasanter surroundings. But how does all this make her feel? Ah, there’s the mystery, as Marie never reveals her innermost thoughts, not even when faced with the death penalty. Directed by Claude Chabrol and based on the life of the real Marie Latour, this is a moving (if somewhat opaque) drama well worth your attention.

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