From the obscure to the obscurest to the merely overlooked or underappreciated; they all have a home in the TiVoPlex! All times PDT.
2:40am Cinemax
After Hours (1985 USA): Martin Scorsese’s least-seen and least-appreciated film (perhaps excluding 1967’s terrific Who’s That Knocking at My Door?) is another tribute to New York City, this time conveyed through the innocent eyes of a lonely computer programmer played by Griffin Dunne. Dunne, who remains an underutilized comic actor to this day, meets Rosanna Arquette in a coffee shop, determines to date her, and then gets sucked into a maelstrom of hilarious misfortune as he stumbles around the streets of an eerily deserted Lower Manhattan. The cast is full of familiar and welcome faces, including Dick Miller, Linda Fiorentino, Victor Argo, and Cheech and Chong, and the film also features Teri Garr’s finest hour as a retro diner waitress who has trust issues with men. Crying out for a DVD restoration job, After Hours is tremendous fun that also manages to be ever-so-slightly unsettling. Also airs at 5:40am.
2:30pm Sundance
Les Visiteurs (1993 FRA): Exhibit number 5,283 in the “if it ain’t broke, don’t remake it” case is this time travel comedy reimagined (in English) in 2001 as Just Visiting. That film was a massive flop, but the original Les Visiteurs was a huge box office success in its native France. Always reliable Jean Reno stars as a medieval knight transported to the 20th century with his trusty servant (co-writer Christian Clavier), where, predictably, they have trouble adapting to the pace and technologies of modern life. It’s no work of art - director Jean-Marie Poire is probably best known to western audiences for writing the kinky and lowbrow Christopher Lee vehicle Dracula and Son (1973 FRA) - but it’s a pleasant diversion, with Reno elevating the film well above its station. Also airs 12/7 at 4am.
6:30pm IFC
Samurai I (1954 JAP): Part one of a Toho trilogy (the other two air at 8:15pm and 10:15pm tonight) stars Toshiro Mifune as a warrior whose love life gets confusing after he returns from the battlefield. Samurai I (originally titled Miyamoto Musashi) was one of the first post-war Japanese films to make an impression on Western moviegoers, and was directed by long-time auteur Hiroshi Inagaki, best known for later films like Chushingura (1962 JAP), Samurai Banners (1969 JAP), and Incident at Blood Pass (1970 JAP). Shot in ugly Eastmancolor, these films don’t look as good as other Mifune films of the period, but they’re worth a look for genre fans, especially the first one, which has the most action of the three. Samurai I also airs 12/03 at 12:15am, with Samurai II re-airing at 3am.
9am Fox Movies
The Alligator People (1959 USA): Holy cow! Here’s an unlikely candidate for CinemaScope. Yes, Roy Del Ruth’s alligatorial allegory of medical science run amok is airing in wide-screen. Beverly Garland, obviously despondent at the cancellation of her TV series Decoy, stars as the wife of Richard Crane, who disappears on their honeymoon only to resurface as the titular people - er, person. With Lon Chaney, Jr. and TiVoPlex favorite George Macready along for the ride, this is a surprisingly good (and certainly enjoyable) example of ‘50s science-fiction silliness. And you’ve got to see the alligator suit to believe it. The film airs throughout the month, but this looks to be one of only two showings in its correct aspect ratio; the other is 12/04 at 5:01am.
3:01pm Fox Movies
Panic in Needle Park (1971 USA): My favorite junkie movie also makes a wide-screen appearance today thanks to the good folks at Fox. I’m not sure what the film’s original aspect ratio was, but the out-of-print laserdisc featured a pan-and-scan print and we’re still waiting for DVD, so this is your best opportunity to see Al Pacino and Kitty Winn struggle through the heartbreak of addiction and withdrawal. Filmed during the heart of a New York City winter, this is a bleak but never boring look at two dropouts with huge monkeys on their respective backs. Sympathetically directed by Jerry Schatzberg, the two leads offer a pair of outstanding performances, ably supported by the likes of Alan Vint, Paul Sorvino, and Raul Julia. If you’re not too busy trying to score some China White in Alphabet City, you’ll want to make some time for Panic in Needle Park. Also airs 12/7 at 8:01am.
6am More Max
Sister Helen (2002 USA): If you’ve fantasized about meeting a nun who swears like a trouper, look no further. Sister Helen was a Benedictine nun who ran a halfway house in the South Bronx for men struggling with substance abuse. This documentary follows the sister’s efforts over the course of roughly 18 months, and details the struggles and sacrifices made by a woman who devoted her life to drug addicts and alcoholics after tragically losing her husband and two sons in the 1980s. Helen is seen cajoling, coddling, and occasionally haranguing her charges, most of whom seem to adore and fear the feisty Irishwoman. The film takes an unexpected turn in the final reel, but finishes on a redemptive and hopeful note that would be considered unbelievable or manipulative in a fictional film. This is a very remarkable documentary about a very gutsy woman who made a difference in the lives of men who could easily have been forgotten by an unforgiving and judgmental society.
11:15am Showtime Extreme
Bruce Lee: His Last Days, His Last Nights (1976 HK): IMDb lists a mind-boggling 46 films which include the words “Bruce Lee” in their title. Considering how few films the former Green Hornet sidekick actually made, that’s an amazing figure. In this Shaw Brothers biopic, Danny Lee plays Bruce and his lover is played by his real-life paramour, Betty Ting Pei, who goosed her relationship with Lee into a brief mid-‘70s film career. How’s the film, you ask? To be honest, not very good, but it’s an ultra rarity, long unavailable on home video and unseen on cable in a decade or more. If you’re a Bruce worshipper or a martial arts fan, you’ll definitely want to catch this...with appropriately low expectations. At least they didn’t cast Bruce Li or Bruce Le to play the lead part. Also airs at 7pm.
6pm Sundance
Rififi (1954 FRA): Jules Dassin’s classic caper flick reappears on Sundance, and with any luck they’ll be airing the dazzling transfer also available on the Criterion DVD. Jean Servais, Carl Mohner, Robert Manuel, and Dassin himself play a gang of jewel thieves about to pull off the perfect heist, until, of course, things start to slowly go wrong. This film single-handedly kick-started an entire genre, setting the template for heist scenes in films like Dassin’s own semi-remake, Topkapi (1964 USA); Bryan Forbes’ Deadfall (1968 GB); and many, many more. Beautifully shot in Paris by Philippe Agostini, Rififi is proof positive that SOMETHING good came out of the Hollywood blacklist, because without it, Dassin would never have relocated to Europe, and never made this film.
6pm Starz!
About Schmidt (2002 USA): Alexander Payne’s comedy/drama about the bittersweet life of a cranky old guy (Jack Nicholson) after the death of his annoying wife (June Squibb) was one of the best films of 2002 and is deservedly getting a full schedule of airings this month on Starz!. It makes its premiere this evening, so if you missed it in theaters, tune in tonight. Nicholson delivers one of the finest performances of his career, reining in his tendency to gnaw at the scenery and delivering a tender and nuanced performance, whilst Kathy Bates equals his efforts (as well as going full frontal!) as the mother of Jack’s future son-in-law (a rather cartoonish Dermot Mulroney). This is an intelligent and moving film from Payne (Election, Citizen Ruth) who continues to look like one of the major American directors of the early 21st century. Also airs at 9pm, 12/7 at 1am, 4am, 11:30am, and 2:30pm, and throughout the month.
5pm IFC
The Terminator (1984 USA): I may quibble somewhat with this film’s over-inflated reputation - dear IMDb voters, is this REALLY one of the 250 greatest films of all time? - but there’s no denying the impact and influence of James Cameron’s hyperactive action film about a bleak future and a man-machine with a big gun. Normally I would let this one slide by, but with IFC airing it, there’s a more than even chance that this will be aired in its correct aspect ratio, so I’m having a date with Governor Gropenator tonight. Keep your hands to yourself, big boy, otherwise I’ll be back...with a can of mace. Also airs at 7pm and 9pm.
9pm Turner Classic Movies
Der Golem (1915 GER): Paul Wegener’s silent classic about the mythical clay giant who rescues endangered Jews is one of the seminal works of fantasy and horror cinema. Wegener himself plays the Golem, an imposing and occasionally fearsome creature activated by the placing of a sacred scroll in his mouth. Vastly influential on the Universal horrors, especially Frankenstein and The Mummy, the film is also a masterpiece of German expressionism and is essential viewing for fans of silent and fantastic cinema.
9:15am IFC
Fever Pitch (1997 GB): Few films capture the bitter love affair we have with our sports teams as effectively as Fever Pitch, the first Nick Hornby screen adaptation, and, sadly, also mooted as a remake candidate for Good Burger director Brian Robbins. Why anyone would want to mess with an essentially perfect film produced only six years ago is beyond me, but I also didn’t understand why we needed an Avengers feature film, so what do I know. Rest assured, however, that (to paraphrase Dobie Gray) the original is still the best, featuring a magnificent Colin Firth performance as a tortured fan of perennially under-performing but always-tantalizing Arsenal. If you’ve ever screamed at the TV set during a sporting event, or simply covered your eyes in fear of what will happen next, this is your film. Also airs at 3pm.
10pm HBO Signature
The Kingdom II (1997 DEN): More Lars Von Trier madness is on display tonight in his sequel to the delirious TV mini-series, The Kingdom. I don’t think the first series has re-aired recently, which is a shame, because you really need to have seen it to fully enjoy the second batch of episodes. That’s not to say you won’t appreciate The Kingdom II if you haven’t seen The Kingdom I, but it will take on the characteristics of a particularly nasty fever dream. Having said all that, this is a terrific follow-up that maintains and develops all the bizarre subplots of the first series. The acting is uniformly excellent and Von Trier continues to surprise and confound the viewer. You'll be howling for more as the Falcon takes his final flight...or did he? Sadly, a third series is now all but impossible with the passing of - you guessed it - Ernst-Hugo Jaregard, whose officious Dr. Stig Helmer steals the show.