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Thursday 10/11/12

2:45 PM Turner Classic Movies
Conspiracy (1939 USA): The coming storm looms large in this decent pre-war programmer from RKO. Allen Lane headlines as Steve Kendall, a maritime radio operator who jumps ship when he discovers his vessel is carrying elicit cargo: poison gas intended for an unnamed and unfriendly nation. Steve falls into the hands of the guerrillas struggling to topple the unnamed country’s fascistic government, but the secret police are close on his trail. Will they get their man - or will Steve, with an assist from beautiful revolutionary Nedra (Linda Hayes), make his escape? Look for Dwight Frye in a bit part as one of Kendall’s shipmates.

Friday 10/12/12

5:50 AM Encore Suspense
Stephen King’s Desperation (2006 USA): Desperation: the feeling you experience when you realize it’s time to watch yet another movie based on Stephen King’s back-of-the-napkin scribblings. Happily, this made-for-TV movie is far from the worst of its genre - it actually earned a couple of Emmy nominations! (Admittedly, they were for technical awards...but still.) As for the story, it revolves around a small town in Arizona, where local sheriff Collie (Ron Perlman, good as always) likes to arrest whichever strangers happen to pass through town. When motorcycle-riding scribe John Marinville (Tom Skerritt) motors into his jurisdiction, Collie hopes to add him to his collection. Marinville, unsurprisingly, has other ideas, but hasn’t reckoned on the sheriff’s Satanic support network. Even at over two hours in length, Desperation is a relatively engaging piece of King hokum, and Perlman seems to be enjoying himself.

3:30 PM Turner Classic Movies
Shining Victory (1941 USA): This solid Warners drama doesn’t have much of a reputation, but it’s worth a look. Directed by Irving Rapper, the film stars James Stephenson as Paul Venner, a Hungarian researcher working in Scotland to develop a cure for dementia praecox. Venner’s secretary, Miss Leeming (Barbara O’Neil), displays some characteristics of the condition herself, and the film takes an unanticipated final reel turn that viewers raised on routine Hollywood outcomes of the period will probably find a little surprising. Shining Victory is no forgotten classic, but it’s an unusual piece of work anchored by a solid performance from Stephenson, who died shortly after completing the film.

Saturday 10/13/12

6:30 AM Showtime
A Better Life (2011 USA): The plight of undocumented workers is examined with surprising subtlety by director Chris Weitz (yes, the American Pie guy) in this Oscar-nominated feature. Demian Bichir plays Carlos Galindo, a gardener of Mexican extraction earning a crust in the sweltering heat of Southern California. Carlos is also a single parent, and works feverishly to keep son Luis (Jose Julian) out of trouble whilst keeping his eyes open for ICE. When an opportunity to improve his lot in life arises, Carlos eagerly grasps it - but when his truck gets stolen, who ya gonna call? Certainly not the police, so it’s up to young Luis and his street connections to recover the vehicle and help Dad’s career. Bichir’s performance earned him a well-deserved nod from the Academy, but it’s a shame more people didn’t see A Batter Life in theaters. Hopefully that changes as the film enters its ancillary afterlife. Also airs at 9:30 AM.

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