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10:00 PM Showtime 2
Talk Radio (1988 USA): I’m not the world’s biggest Oliver Stone fan – whilst JFK was a great film, it’s a great film on par with such propaganda classics as Triumph of the Will; The Doors was simply embarrassing – but Talk Radio is genuinely good. Eric Bogosian stars in this big screen adaptation of his own play as Barry Champlain, an airwaves gasbag with a lot of chutzpah and a bit of a death wish. A claustrophobic little picture in which most of the "action" takes place within the narrow confines of a broadcasting booth, Talk Radio is an impressive showcase for Bogosian, dubbed Most Promising Actor at the 1988 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards as a result of this performance. Since then, of course, Bogosian hasn’t done a great deal of film work, though his appearance in Jame’s Cox’s Wonderland is quite memorable.

Friday 7/12/13

7:00 PM The Movie Channel
Afterschool (2008 USA): Preppies were all the rage in the 1980s, but by the 21st century they were no better than the rest of us: spoiled, high-strung, and reliant on drugs in order to survive the stress and strain of everyday life, the bloom was most definitely off their rose. Antonio Campos’ Afterschool takes a look at the students attending one highly regarded New England boarding school, and delivers the verdict: preppies are out of their minds. Superbly acted by a no-star cast (including the very fine Ezra Miller) and directed with Kubrickian chill by Campos, Afterschool won the Special Jury Prize for Experimental Narrative at the Nashville Film Festival. Also airs at 10:00 PM.

9:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Mississippi Mermaid (1969 FRA): Based on Cornel Woolrich’s novel Waltz Into Darkness, Mississippi Mermaid continued Francois Truffaut’s brief late ‘60s flirtation with things noir. Set on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, the film stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as Louis, a tobacco plantation bigwig taking possession of mail-order bride Julie (Catherine Deneuve). Despite initial suspicions stemming from her lack of photographic similarity to the woman he’s been corresponding with, Louis decides Julie will pass muster as spousal material – at least, until she runs off with all his money. The chase is soon on from Nice to Antibes, with surprising and unexpected plot twists at odds with the source material. This very fine film is followed at 11:00 PM by 1972’s Such a Gorgeous Kid, a lesser known Truffaut which sees the director tackling material based on the writings of hardboiled specialist Henry Farrell.

Saturday 7/13/13

1:40 AM Starz
The Valet (2006 FRA-BEL): It’s not all Truffaut, Grey Poupon, and expensive wine in the world of French cinema - sometimes, the industry churns out stuff like The Valet. This slight farce won’t induce many belly laughs, but it will keep you smiling throughout its 80-minute running time. Gad Elmaleh stars as Francois, a parking attendant who stumbles into a paparrazi photo shoot involving a billionaire and his super-model girfriend. Oligarch Pierre (Daniel Auteuil), immediately aware of the marital peril posed by the snap, hires our hero to pose as the boyfriend of mistress Elena (Alice Taglioni). How long can he maintain the façade? Well, for about 80 minutes.Also airs 4:40 AM.

Monday 7/15/13

8:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
The Last Hunt (1956 USA): Here’s one of the darker American westerns of the 1950s. Directed by Richard Brooks, The Last Hunt stars Robert Taylor and Stewart Granger as business partners tracking and killing herds of buffalo across the open expanses of the Pacific Northwest. Taylor brings brooding menace to the role of Charlie Gilson, a borderline psychopath who, when he isn’t driving species to their extinction, enjoys killing Native Americans and stealing their women. Colleague Sandy McKenzie (Granger) has tired of his chum’s act and is eager to end the bloodshed, but of course there’s one last herd to exterminate before business can be concluded on an amicable basis. Costarring Russ Tamblyn, Debra Paget, and Lloyd Nolan, this is an exceptionally dark western, long unseen in its full widescreen glory but now available to all in 2.35:1 Cinemascope. Even if you’re not a huge western enthusiast, you’re advised to check this one out.

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