By John Seal
July 1-7, 2003
From the obscure to the obscurest to the merely overlooked or under-appreciated; they all have a home in the TiVoPlex! All times PDT.
Tuesday 07/01/03
1:30 AM Encore Westerns
Tumbleweeds (1925 USA): One of the great silent westerns, Tumbleweeds is a perfect introduction for those unfamiliar with the work of genre giant William S. Hart. Produced by, directed by and starring Hart, the man with the gigantic white hat and the prodigious box office during the teens and early twenties, this tale of good vs. evil set against the Oklahoma land rush of the 1880s will appeal in equal measure to fans of both silent cinema and old West oaters. The aging matinee idol chose to retire after making this film and spent the rest of his life on his ranch in Newhall, California. Caveat: this may be the 1939 reissue that Hart personally re-cut, adding a flowery prologue to the film that served as a tribute to his fans. Either way, it’s worth your while.
3:15 AM Black Starz
Rockers (1978 JAM): The second best reggae film ever (1972’s incomparable The Harder They Come will long remain the champion), Rockers also takes place in the Trenchtown ghetto of Kingston, where young Horsemouth (Leroy Wallace), an aspiring drummer, sells records from the back of his motorbike - only to have his wheels stolen one day. Somewhat reminiscent of the Chinese film Beijing Bicycle (1999), the film follows Horsemouth’s efforts to regain his transportation, with the action set to a stunning selection of Jamaican music. Reggae had just passed its creative peak in 1978, but the rot had yet to fully set in, and the contributions of Gregory Isaacs, Jacob Miller, Burning Spear, and others are more than adequate. Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer also make cameo appearances. Don’t be a Ras Clot - settle down with I and I on the sofa, nosh on some Ital food, and enjoy. Also airs 7/5 at 6:35 AM.
4:00 AM Encore Mystery
Squirm (1976 USA): Coming amidst a spate of ecological horror films (Frogs, Phase IV, Day of the Animals, amongst many others), this film featured possibly the worst mutation Mother Nature could offer: carnivorous worms. Our wiggly friends from down under get a taste for human flesh when they’re exposed to a sizable jolt of electricity, and it’s up to hero Don Scardino (He Knows You’re Alone) to save the day. Featuring early work by make-up genius Rick Baker, this AIP quickie will make you want to go outside and turn over some top soil just to make sure our little grubby buddies are right where they belong. Also airs at 10:00 AM. Also airs 7/7 at 10:00 AM.
10:10 AM Showtime Extreme
Crossplot (1969 GB): It’s not particularly good, but this Roger Moore feature is obscure enough to warrant a mention in this week’s column. After years spent appearing on the small screen in the popular television series The Saint, Moore starred in this low budget thriller as an ad man who gets mixed up in murder, intrigue and, inevitably, romance. Co-star Bernard Lee would later appear opposite Moore as M in six of the James Bond features during the ‘70s, and there’s a blink and you’ll miss him appearance by David “Chewbacca” Prowse as a wedding guest. For those who like Moore or have an appreciation for low budget British cinema, this is a minor lost gem.
Noon Black Starz
Another Planet (1999 CAN): This small scale drama from north of the border will appeal to fans of indie cinema or character studies in general. Focusing on a young black woman from Toronto (Jamaican-born Sandy Daley) who signs up for an exchange program to the West African nation of Mali but ends up a virtual indentured servant in rural Quebec, this is an amusing and heartwarming piece of cinematic quirkiness, all the more powerful for being based on the experiences of director-writer Christine Browne. Also airs at 8:30 PM and 7/6 at 10:10 AM.
Wednesday 07/02/03
4:30 AM The Movie Channel
Uncle Joe Shannon (1978 USA): A hopelessly obscure drama about a jazz trumpeter (perennial character actor Burt Young) who adopts a disabled youngster (The Edge of Night’s Doug McKeon), this is not as bad as you might think. Mawkish, yes, but reasonably well acted, and the film also contributes to this week’s unofficial Jamaican theme, as it features the Kingston-born actress Madge Sinclair. Young mimes to music performed by jazz artist Maynard Ferguson, who got his start in the AIP J.D. epic Hot Rod Girl (1956 USA). Also airs at 7:30 AM, 11:45 AM, and 2:45 PM.
9:45 PM Encore Mystery
B. Monkey (1999 GB): 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.
Thursday 07/03/03
1:30 AM Showtime 3
Jennifer On My Mind 1971 USA): Smilin’ Leonard Maltin dislikes this movie, but I’m partial to the post-Love Story ennui of it all. It was, indeed, written by the much-maligned Erich Segal, and tells the tale of poor drug-addicted Jenny, played ethereally by Peyton Place alumnus Tippy Walker. Michael Brandon, a TV Movie of the Week regular throughout the 70s, is Marcus, the boy who tries to save her from herself, and there are small but memorable roles by Robert De Niro and Barry Bostwick (yes, Barry, we know who you are). There’s also some typical early ‘70s folk-pop on the soundtrack, including a song by Tom Paxton, one of the original Greenwich Village folkies. Also airs at 11:45 PM.
7:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
Top Gun (1986 USA): Under no circumstances should this be considered an endorsement of this wretched flag waver, the film that launched TV star George W. Bush’s re-election bid. Additionally, Tom Cruise makes my toes curl and my stomach churn, but I feel compelled to mention Top Gun’s appearance, as TCM is airing it widescreen, probably the first time it has been seen on television in its correct aspect ratio. A terrific supporting cast, including Anthony Edwards, Michael Ironside, and Tim Robbins, goes some way towards ameliorating the suffering and numbing the pain of enduring this wallow in shallow patriotism.
10:15 PM Encore Mystery
Who’ll Stop the Rain (1978 USA): Ah, a Nick Nolte film from a time when he was an out-of-control bad boy…good to know some things never change. Nolte plays a Vietnam vet who gets mixed up in running heroin for his wartime pal, the always-excellent Michael Moriarty. This is one of the few instances where a popular song (the Creedence Clearwater Revival hit of the same name) actually seems to belong on the soundtrack and doesn't simply serve as filler or a marketing tool. Overlooked on release - probably due to a glut of flashier Vietnam war films at the time - this is one of director Karel Reisz’s best films and also features an outstanding performance by Tuesday Weld as Moriarty’s wife.
Friday 07/04/03
6:00 PM The Movie Channel
Bull Durham (1988 USA): There are some simple rules to remember in life: always put the toilet seat down (or up, depending on your sex), say “thank you” when people hold the door open for you, and never, ever pay to see a Kevin Costner film. That said, Bull Durham is the Costner film you might pay to see if you were feeling rebellious enough to break some of those cardinal rules. He’s brilliantly bellicose as the washed up catcher of the minor-league Durham Bulls and gets top-notch support from Tim Robbins as out of control pitcher Nuke LaLoosh and Trey Wilson as the team manager. The icing on the cake is The Movie Channel’s decision to air this widescreen, so if you’ve managed suppress unhappy memories of other Costner crap like JFK (1992 USA), Waterworld (1995 USA), and the especially egregious The Postman (1997 USA), you might want to make time for this.
11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
The Steamroller and the Violin (1960 USSR): I’m not a fan of Soviet auteur Andrei Tarkovsky, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this, an extremely rare chance to see his fourth film. It’s an early example of his willingness to experiment with split screens, montage, and the patience of the audience. The story of an abused seven-year-old violin prodigy, the film clocks in at a most un-Tarkovsky like 45 minutes and was produced for Mosfilm’s children’s division. Even I might have the patience to sit through this one.
Saturday 07/05/03
9:00 AM Flix
The Explosive Generation (1962 USA): This solid coming-of-age drama is much better than its lurid title might suggest. Starring William Shatner as a high school teacher daring to broach the taboo subject of human sexuality with his students, this features a well written script by Hoodlum Priest (1961 USA) author Joseph Landon and co-stars Edward Platt (Get Smart’s “Chief”), Vito Scotti, and Billy Gray, fresh from his lengthy stint as Bud on television’s Father Knows Best, and a few years prior to his arrest for possession of wacky tobaccy.
10:45 AM Showtime Extreme
El Mariachi (1992 USA-MEX): Reputedly shot for $7,000, El Mariachi launched the career of talented young director Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Til Dawn, Spy Kids). It’s a terrific action story about a lowly mariachi musician (Carlos Gallardo), whose guitar case’s resemblance to that of a hired killer’s gets its owner into considerable hot water. A brilliant debut by the then 24-year-old newcomer, the film has the zest we expect from all Rodriguez films whilst maintaining its original patina of art house indie credibility.
Sunday 07/06/03
1:00 PM IFC
You’re A Big Boy Now (1966 USA): Francis Ford Coppola’s first non-AIP film was, nonetheless, aimed at the young adult audience of the day. Peter Kastner plays a young man on the verge of a late sexual awakening in New York City, and the film is a terrific full-color time capsule of the Big Apple in the 1960s, including a visit to a raunchy Times Square magazine stand. The supporting cast is flawless, including Karen Black, Dolph Sweet, Elizabeth Hartman, and Rip Torn, and the title track - sung by The Lovin’ Spoonful - is particularly memorable. Also airs 7/7 at 5:00 AM and 11:00 AM.
2:00 PM Sundance
Decasia (2002 USA): I’m especially pleased to see that Sundance is re-airing this unique piece of art. Playing like a bizarre hybrid of Mohsen Makhbalmaf’s heady Once Upon A Time Cinema (1992 IRA), Stan Brakhage’s Dog Star Man (1962-64 USA), and one of Godfrey Reggio’s Qatsitrilogy, this film was created by Bill Morrison, who actually worked with Reggio on Naqoyqatsi (2002 USA). Consisting of apparently "found" footage in various states of decay, Decasia is a short (67 minute) meditation on the impermanence of life and art. Acting as a big screen version of Brion Gysin’s legendary dream machine, the film exudes a calming and meditative influence. I found myself pondering the fate of many of Decassia’s subjects: are these the last surviving images of these people? Are we seeing the only remaining evidence of a particular traditional Arabic or Greek dance? And where precisely WAS that camel going? My personal highlight from the film is actually some of the most "recent" footage: children on a 1950s style school bus look directly and piercingly into the camera, silently breaking the fourth wall ala Jean Seberg in Breathless. Decasia is all the more mysterious for shrouding the source material in anonymity: no clues are provided as to where the film came from, who is in it, or whether or not it is real or fabricated. You can also visit www.decasia.com, but you won’t find any more answers there. Also airs 7/7 at 2:45 AM.
Monday 07/07/03
1:15 AM Turner Classic Movies
Private Potter (1962 GB): This wartime fable of a soldier (a very young Tom Courtenay) who claims to have seen God fascinated me as a youngster. Now it comes across as a bit ham-fisted, but I can still recommend it for Courtenay’s earnest performance. Private Potter also highlights the first screen work of writer Ronald Harwood, winner of the Best Writing (Adaptation) Academy Award for 2002’s The Pianist.
3:05 PM Encore Action
The Final Option (1982 GB) : My politics would normally militate against me enjoying this right-wing, anti-CND film, but it’s an exciting and thoroughly watchable paean to the fighting skills of Britain’s Special Air Service, one of the elite units of Her Majesty’s armed forces, so I’m going to recommend it anyway. Starring Richard Widmark, Merseysider Lewis Collins, Ingrid Pitt (The Vampire Lovers), and Edward Woodward, this film was released in Britain as Who Dares Wins, adapting the motto of the SAS as its title. If you enjoy seeing Birkenstock-shod fifth columnists being taken down by the righteous forces of Thatcher-era Britain, this is your film.
5:00 PM Encore Mystery
The Lineup (1958 USA): Lots of films have been shot in San Francisco, but few present as many views of the City By the Bay as this one. Here's what we see: Pier 41 and the Embarcadero, Coit Tower, The Ferry Building, The Cliff House, Sutro's Baths (after the closure of the swimming baths in 1954, but during the heyday of the skating rink that took one of the bath's place until 1966 - this is probably the only motion picture featuring this rare sight), lots of neighborhoods, and - to top it all off - a car chase on the then under construction Embarcadero Freeway (since torn down due to earthquake hazard)! Add in a truly exciting and relatively believable story of drug smuggling - certainly cutting edge stuff in 1958 - and you have a great little film. Of particular note is Robert Keith (the sheriff in 1954's The Wild One, and father of actor Brian Keith) as one of the twisted criminals. Whenever co-villain Eli Wallach kills someone, Keith writes down the victim's “final words” in his little black book. And in the some things never change department, Oakland's Lake Merritt is cited as the location of a taxi theft by one of the film's numerous junkies.
6:00 PM Sundance
The Hunt (1997 GB): I haven’t seen this British documentary about the contentious sport of fox hunting, but I’m intrigued by director Niek Koppen’s take on this very emotional issue. Koppen was given unprecedented access to the hunt conducted by the Ludlow Hunt Association, and the film is apparently told from their perspective. Somehow I doubt they’re going to come out looking all that good, but I’m definitely a fan of non-judgmental documentaries like Hell House that allow their subjects to sink or swim based on their own words and actions. Tally-ho!
