Box Office Prophets: TiVoPlex for the week of January 20-26, 2004

TiVoPlex

By John Seal

January 20-26, 2004

Lose weight the Oompa Loompa way!

From the obscure to the obscurest to the merely overlooked or underappreciated; they all have a home in the TiVoPlex! All times PDT.

Tuesday 01/20/04

5:05am The Movie Channel
Burn, Witch, Burn! (1962 GB): This effective black-and-white horror film (released in Britain as Night of the Eagle) stars Peter Wyngarde as a skeptical professor who has trouble believing that his successful career is less the result of his own efforts and more the result of the spells cast by his wife (Janet Blair), a member of the local underground witches coven. Based on Fritz Leiber’s novel Conjure Wife and adapted for the screen by Richard Matheson and Twilight Zone veteran Charles Beaumont, this is an excellent and generally low-key fright flick, dependent primarily on eerie atmosphere for the bulk of its chills. Also airs at 8:05am and 4:30pm, 1/21 at 4:15am, and 1/23 at noon.

5pm Encore Mysteries
True Confessions (1981 USA): Featuring two of America’s greatest actors at the height of their powers, True Confessions almost qualifies as a lost classic. Written by the husband-and-wife team of Joan Didion and the recently-deceased John Gregory Dunne (the duo also responsible for 1971’s Panic in Needle Park), the film is set in the late 1940s and features Robert De Niro and Robert Duvall as estranged brothers drawn back together by the murder of a prostitute. Directed by the underutilized Ulu Grosbard, the film also features Burgess Meredith, Cyril Cusack, and (in one of his first screen appearances) Dan Hedaya. A fine Georges Delerue score is the final enticement on offer, but the real draw remains the opportunity to see De Niro and Duvall face off for the first (and so far, last) time since 1974’s The Godfather, Part II.

8pm Sundance
The Believer (2001 USA): I was highly skeptical of this film’s premise on its initial release, but after watching it recently I came away a believer myself, if not in Henry Bean’s screenplay, then certainly in the power of Ryan Gosling’s performance. Gosling plays Danny Balint, an angry young Nazi who’s hiding a dangerous secret: he’s actually Jewish, and was once a dedicated Yeshiva student. Loosely based on the true story of a young Jewish man who joined the Ku Klux Klan in the 1960s - and committed suicide when the New York Times blew his cover - The Believer is a fascinating look at faith, fear, and self-loathing, amongst other big philosophical issues. Theresa Russell co-stars as a hard right fundraiser who takes Danny under her wing, and A.D. Miles (Bamboozled) appears as a newspaper reporter who knows Balint’s secret. One of the better American indie films of recent years, The Believer won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2001. Also airs 1/25 at 10pm.

Wednesday 1/21/04

6:20am Black Starz!
Don’t Play Us Cheap (1973 USA): This one comes with my highest recommendation. It’s Melvin Van Peebles’ follow-up to the wildly-overrated Sweet Sweetback’s Baad Asssss Song (1971 USA), and while it shares some of that film’s anarchic amateur-hour qualities, it’s a far better film overall. Esther Rolle (an alumna of television’s Good Times) stars with a cast of unknowns (indeed, the woeful IMDb entry for this film lacks all but four names) in a folk tale about the devil - resplendent, naturally, in 1970s’ pimp attire - dropping in on a neighborhood house party and causing trouble. This is an essential experience for adventuresome cineastes.

5pm Flix
Parents (1989 USA): This odd black comedy certainly isn’t for everyone, but cult-film fans should make time for it. Directed by Robert Altman buddy Bob Balaban (most recently seen as the uptight theater manager in 2003’s A Mighty Wind), the film stars Randy Quaid and Mary Beth Hurt as an unusual suburban couple whose son (Bryan Madorsky, in his only film appearance) suspects they may be slapping some longpig on the backyard grill. Set in a 1950s dreamworld not too many miles from that of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet (and featuring a score by Lynch’s favorite composer, Angelo Badalamenti), this is an overlooked gem for those who enjoyed 1999’s Donner Pass epic Ravenous or Trey Parker’s Cannibal!: The Musical. Also airs 1/25 at 8:05pm.

Thursday 1/22/04

1am The Movie Channel
Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971 GB): Last week we recommended 2002’s Bloody Sunday. Today we offer you an additional Sunday as well as an opportunity to see John Schlesinger’s long-unseen (on television) drama about the machinations surrounding an uneasy English love triangle. No sex, please, we’re British! The participants are played by Peter Finch, Glenda Jackson (brilliant as always), and , erm, Mr. One Night in Bangkok himself, Murray Head, who’s actually a lot better than you’d expect. Thoroughlly controversial on its initial release, Sunday Bloody Sunday cleaned up at 1972’s BAFTAs, won four nominations at the Academy Awards, and is essential viewing for serious film fans and those who appreciate a screenplay that doesn’t pander to the lowest common denominator. Watch for a very young Daniel Day-Lewis in an uncredited appearance as a teenage tearaway.

4:05am More Max
The White Dawn (1974 USA): A fascinating and long-forgotten film about cultural imperialism and racism, The White Dawn stars Warren Oates, Timothy Bottoms, and Louis Gossett Jr. as three turn-of-the-20th century whalers stranded in an Inuit village after a shipwreck. Initially welcomed by the villagers, the troublesome trio soon introduce their hosts to the corrupting influences of money, drink, and unnatural sex. Directed by Philip Kaufman (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Right Stuff), this is another lost ‘70s film that deserves another look, not least for Oates’ outstanding performance. Shot by Michael Chapman, better known for his work with Martin Scorsese on films like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, the film may suffer on the small screen in pan-and-scan format.

5pm IFC
Lost in La Mancha (2002 GB): The story of Terry Gilliam’s benighted production of Don Quixote makes its television premiere this evening. One of the best movies ever made about the art of filmmaking, Lost in La Mancha is a fascinating look at the obsessive and high-strung director who remains one of the few true artists of world cinema. Cursed by a chain of unfortunate events that would be declared prepostorous if not impossible were they to appear in a fictional film, Don Quixote’s struggles are thoroughly and painfully documented, as Gilliam contends with an unwell lead actor (Jean Rochefort), unbelievably bad (and unseasonal) weather, and the vicissitudes of financiers and money men. We can only hope that one day he’ll be able to bring his vision to the screen, because what little footage he did get truly looks remarkable. Also airs 1/23 at 5am and 11:30am.

Friday 1/23/04

5pm IFC
Gallipoli (1981 AUS): I’d forgotten how good Peter Weir’s World War I epic was until I revisited it earlier this month. I hadn’t seen it since its initial release and had avoided it of late due to the presence of Hollywood ham Mel Gibson. Lo and behold, IFC is airing a stunning wide-screen print of this magnificent wartime tale of Outback buddies swept up by patriotic fervor and deposited into the midst of deadly trench warfare on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. And surprise, surprise, Gibson is fine, and so young as to be almost unrecognizable. Mark Lee is the REAL star of the film, though, and good old Bill Kerr (the soda tycoon in 1985’s The Coca Cola Kid) is also on hand as Lee’s uncle and sprinting coach. Magnificently shot by Russell Boyd (whose talents were recently on display in Weir’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World), Gallipoli is full of fine performances, stunning scenery, and the kind of period detail Australian cinema seems to excel in. The only slight knock on the film is the presence of Jean-Michel Jarre’s somewhat otherworldy electronic music from his Oxygene LP, which seems jarringly out of character with the film’s dusty ambience. Nonetheless, this is strongly recommended. Also airs 1/24 at 2:30pm.

Saturday 1/24/04

1:10am Encore Love Stories
B. Monkey (1999 GB): Hmm, interesting programing choice for the Love Stories channel. Those tuning in for another breathless Lifetime channel-style romantic fantasy may be in for a bit of a shock. Directed by Michael Radford (1984, Il Postino) and co-starring Rupert Everett, Ian Hart and Jonathan Rhys-Myers, this is an easily overlooked film that bombed at the box office and was savaged by the critics. It’s an oddly paced British romantic mystery starring the strangely alluring Asia Argento (xXx) and Jared Harris as, respectively, a thief and a teacher who fall in love, only to have the thief’s old compatriots complicate matters when she tries to go straight. Considering the general response upon its initial release, I can’t guarantee that B. Monkey will provide complete satisfaction, but I think most open-minded viewers will be pleasantly surprised. Or maybe I’m just nuts.

5pm Turner Classic Movies
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971 USA): Roald Dahl may have hated it, but I’ve loved this film since it first came out and can watch it over and over again. Probably a bit too familiar to qualify for a mention in TiVoPlex, I’m making an exception for Willy Wonka simply because it’s one of my favorite films ever. Gene Wilder is perfect in the title role, and who can forget dear old Gunter Meisner as Mr. Slugworth, a decade before his appearance as a pedophilic Nazi in Agustin Villaronga’s In a Glass Cage? And dare I say it: I had a bit of a crush on Violet Beauregarde all those years ago. She’s still my favorite of the children, though Mike Teevee remains close to my heart for obvious reasons.

Sunday 1/25/04

1am Showtime
The Beast Within (1982 USA): Cult movie alert! Produced by MGM to cash in on the spate of werewolf movies then filling the cinemas (amongst them Joe Dante’s The Howling, which spawned several sequels, two of which were directed by Beast Within director Philippe Mora), this is a relatively entertaining spin on the genre starring Ronny Cox as the bloodthirsty manbeast. Cox is always good - his work in Deliverance (1972 USA) and Bound for Glory (1976 USA) are of particular note - and he does his best with Tom Holland’s screenplay. The film also features familiar faces L. Q. Jones and Luke Askew, as well as some decent special-effects work and a nice Les Baxter score. It’s not going to make you forget American Werewolf in London, but it’s a decent way to waste 90 minutes, and it hasn’t shown up on cable in years. Also airs at 4am.

9pm Turner Classic Movies
Conquering Power (1921 USA): TCM’s Silent Sunday night brings us this very rare Rudolph Valentino flick and stars the great heartthrob as a penniless orphan who falls in love with his cousin (Alice Terry), only to have the romance thwarted by a wicked and greedy uncle (Ralph Lewis). Masterfully directed by the great Rex Ingram (husband of Ms. Terry and director of Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and The Prisoner of Zenda), this is a top notch example of early ‘20s filmmaking. One caveat: previous airings of this film have derived from a fairly worn print from the Metro library. There’s no indication that the film has undergone restoration since its last airing a few years back, but it’s worth your time regardless.

Monday 1/26/04

5:10am HBO Signature
Big Shot’s Funeral (2001 CHI): I recommended this one sight unseen a few weeks back. Having now watched it I can report that the film is surprisingly good. The film stars Donald Sutherland as a picky American director (probably modeled after Robert Altman) filming a costume epic on location in China. When producer Paul Mazursky shows up to convince Sutherland to pick up the pace or be fired, the auteur refuses to compromise and is replaced by a wet-behind-the-ears studio lackey. The film then spins off on a remarkable tangent about commercialism, as the despondent Sutherland sinks into a coma and has his anticipated funeral sponsored by a wide range of advertisers, including Ho Ho mineral water and the Outback Steakhouse (!). Chinese audiences were drawn to this by the presence of You Ge in the lead role as Yo Yo, a freelance cinematographer who organizes the funeral ceremonies with the unctuous Da Ying, but Western audiences will appreciate Sutherland’s work here, as he eschews his penchant for phoned-in work and is clearly having a lot of fun. The more you know about Chinese culture and society, the more you’ll enjoy the film - which pokes fun at highbrow directors Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige - but I liked it, and I’m no Chris Hyde.

6pm Sundance
An Injury to One (2003 USA): Ah, the Wobblies. Back in the early days of the 20th century, nothing struck terror into the hollow hearts of oligarchs and capitalists than did the Industrial Workers of the World, the radical labor union founded in 1905 by Big Bill Haywood (amongst others). You can learn all about them, and join them if you wish, at www.iww.org. This film tells the story of the lynching of an IWW organizer in Butte, Montana, in 1917, and the consequent environmental destruction of that town by rapacious corporate interests. A terrific and jolting short documentary, An Injury to One will stir your inner union organizer to action. And California readers: boycott Safeway and the other supermarkets that have locked out their workers! Workers of the world unite; you have nothing to lose but your chain stores!