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11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
The Sadist (1963 USA): In the long, cold night prior to the advent of sell-through home video, this rarely seen film was considered a schlock classic at best, but it's actually an extremely good (and surprisingly gritty) thriller from writer-director James Landis. The film earned its reputation thanks to the presence of the infamous Arch Hall Jr., a not terribly good actor who appeared in a series of films produced by his father. Though Dad wasn't directly involved in the production of The Sadist, Arch Jr. managed to land the plum lead role of psychotic drifter Charlie Tibbs—and thank goodness he did, because no one else could have given the character such a round, full-bodied performance. The extremely simple plot involves three teachers (Richard Alden, Helen Hovey, and Don Russell) driving to a Los Angeles Dodgers game (‘now batting, Ron Fairly'), and their misadventures at a remote service station after their car breaks down. It's here they cross paths with Tibbs and his loopy girlfriend Judy (Marilyn Manning), who, unbeknownst to the educators, are in the midst of a Starkweather style cross-country killing spree. The psychotic pair indulge in mind games with their elders, and the film takes some unexpected twists and turns before reaching its more predictable conclusion. This was the first American film lensed by the great cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, who worked his way up to the top of the ‘A' list ladder within a decade. Sadly, his success was not mirrored by either Landis, who ended his feature film career two years later with Rat Fink, or the cast, who (with the exception of Alden) returned to anonymity shortly thereafter. The Sadist is followed at 12:45 AM by Hall's less successful but equally enjoyable Wild Guitar, which stars the would-be hunk as an up and coming rock and roller—and if you enjoy his tunes, they're now available on an eponymous CD from Norton Records.

Saturday 11/25/06

11:10 PM Showtime Edge
Axe(2006 USA): Aw, who am I kidding. The title tells you everything you need to know about this one, and it doesn't even have Heidi Fleiss in it.

Sunday 11/26/06

11:30 AM HBO 2
The Journalist and the Jihadi: The Murder of Daniel Pearl (2006 USA): Though obviously hagiographical in intent, The Journalist and the Jihadi also doubles as a well-made documentary about Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter murdered in Pakistan by British-born Omar Sheikh in apparent retribution for American crimes against Islam. The film's title is a little dishonest: we learn a lot about Pearl and his family (who, to their everlasting credit, started an interfaith NGO in response to his murder) and precious little about Sheikh, whose family either weren't invited to comment or chose not to. We do learn that Sheikh is a well-educated arm wrestling and chess enthusiast, but his possible connections with Pakistan's ISI (Inter Services Intelligence) and Britain's MI6 are not explored in depth. Nonetheless, this is a decent (if culturally biased) film. Also airs at 2:30 PM.

9:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Master of the House (1925 DEN): This extremely obscure Carl-Theodor Dreyer silent returns to TCM this evening. It's a drawing room comedy with a social conscience and stars Astrid Holm as the wife of a determinedly unsatisfied businessman (Johannes Meyer) who constantly complains about the failings of his family and the household help. To the rescue comes the family maid (Mathilde Nielsen), who hatches a plot with Holm's mother to teach their lord and master a badly-needed lesson in humility. About as far from The Passion of Joan of Arc as Dreyer ever got, Master of the House remains one of his most accessible and enjoyable films.

Monday 11/27/06

9:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Thin Man (1934 USA): Based on Dashiell Hammett's comic detective novel of the same name, The Thin Man affirmed William Powell's position as a matinee idol and made Myrna Loy a star. It also spawned a long running series of sequels, the last of which appeared in 1947. Powell and Loy play Nick and Nora Charles, a wisecracking odd couple who dabble in amateur sleuthing. In their initial outing, the pair are hired by concerned daughter Dorothy (Maureen O'Sullivan) to locate her missing father, Professor Wynant (Edward Ellis). Nick isn't terribly interested in taking the assignment, but when the bad-tempered Wynant's mistress (Natalie Moorhead) turns up suspiciously dead, the chase is on, and it's up to the Charles and their faithful pooch Asta to unravel the mystery. The second of 14 fruitful collaborations between Powell and Loy, The Thin Man remains a potent blend of mystery and screwball comedy.

6:00 PM Sundance
Writer of O (2004 FRA): A scandalous bestseller back in the 1950s (and the source of some personal embarrassment which I won't detail for yours truly in the early 1980s), The Story of O was a novel of sadomasochistic erotica penned by a young Frenchwoman pseudonymously named Pauline Reage. In reality, she was a Gallimard editor named Dominique Aury, and only revealed her secret in 1994 at the age of 87. This film blends documentary and fictional footage to cast light on the creation of this novel, written by the lovelorn Aury whilst she still lived with her parents in a Paris garret. No doubt she smoked countless Gauloise and knocked back gallons of red wine whilst whipping her book into shape. Watch the film and learn the painful truth.

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