By John Seal
November 4-10, 2002
Time to curl up on the sofa with a good remote and eat the pick of the Halloween candy your offspring collected. I've got eyes for the aplets and cotlets myself.
All times PST, as usual! Enjoy!
Monday 11/4/02
12:30am Turner Classic Movies
Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone (1950 USA): Not really sure what to expect here, but this obscure comedy stars the wonderful Marjorie Main (in the midst of her run opposite Percy Kilbride as Ma and Pa Kettle) and James Whitmore (decades before he became a star in The Shawshank Redemption). Directed by Norman Taurog, a reliable workman whose career was book-ended by Lewis and Martin comedies in the '50s and Elvis movies in the '60s, this film also features a good supporting cast, including Fred Clark and Ann Dvorak. Worth a look, I think!
3am Turner Classic Movies
Absolute Quiet (1936 USA): Another obscurity from the MGM vaults, this political satire has an unusual (for MGM) and interesting cast headed by Lionel Atwill, Wallace Ford, and J. Carrol Naish. There's also an early score by Franz Waxman. Screenwriter Harry Clork ended his career, interestingly enough, by writing Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki (1955 USA).
3:10am Black Starz!
All Power to the People! (1997 USA): Right on! This excellent documentary tells the story of the American Black Panther Party, founded in Oakland, California in 1967 to defend African-Americans against the violent and racist Oakland Police Department. Interviews with a wide variety of party founders and regulars, including Kathleen Cleaver and Bobby Seale, as well as generous portions of archival material, tell the sometimes-bloody and always-interesting story of the organization that fed breakfast to thousands of Oakland youth during the '70s. Surprisingly, there is no interview with Party co-founder David Hilliard, which suggests that some of the schisms that destroyed the Party as a political power still remain. Cleaver implies, in fact, that Hilliard was co-opted by the FBI program COINTELPRO in order to sow seeds of dissension within Party ranks. Also airs at 1pm and 11/10 at 8am and 10:35am.
4am Sundance
Juliet of the Spirits (1965 ITA): This should be a visual treat. Federico Fellini's fantasy about a woman (played by his own wife, Giulietta Masina) on the edge of a marital breakdown will be broadcast wide-screen in glorious Eastmancolor! Hopefully this print will fare better than most Eastmancolor films, as that process seems to burn and fade more rapidly than Technicolor. Regardless of how the film looks - and my expectations are pretty high - Nino Rota's score should sound as good as ever. Also airs 11/7 at 3:30pm.
7am IFC
Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. (1999 USA): Errol Morris' documentary about the banality of evil is a truly disturbing film about a man who allows his ego to subsume his ethics. Fred Leuchter is a designer of lethal injection machines for Death Rows across America. He's also an avid Holocaust denier who convinced himself that the Nazi gas chambers weren't actually used to execute anyone. Perhaps best viewed on a double bill with Bowling For Columbine (2002 USA). Also airs at 1pm, 11/5 at 5am, and 11/10 at 7:45am and 1pm.
8:30am Sundance
Kurt and Courtney (1998 GB): I was going to write something about this day being a terrific day for documentaries, but does Kurt and Courtney really fit the bill? Nick Broomfield (Heidi Fleiss: American Madam, Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer), the not-so-enfant terrible of cinema vérité, has made an incredibly entertaining but dubiously documented film about the death of Kurt Cobain and what he clearly thinks is some sort of Faustian bargain made by Cobain's widow, the not-very-talented Courtney Love. Also airs at 6pm and 11/10 at 7:30pm.
10:40pm Encore
1984 (1984 GB): Michael Radford's version of 1984 is as grey and bleak as one would hope and imagine and is one of the all-time best screen adaptations of any novel. John Hurt is perfect as Winston Smith, the workaday drone who makes the mistake of falling in love when love is against the law. This was also Richard Burton's last film, and it's nice to see him ending his career on a high note after spending much of the previous decade in mediocre Eurotrash movies. When this film came out, the future it posited still seemed somewhat fantastic; in 2002, we live in a corporate state and wage perpetual war against ever-shifting enemies. Also airs 11/5 at 1:40am and on Flix 11/6 at 9pm.
Tuesday 11/5/02
4:50am Encore
Head (1968 USA): The Monkees still get a bum rap. Yes, they were a manufactured band, but they DID play their own instruments after the first LP and also toured (most infamously with Jimi Hendrix) frequently. Best of all, they made this great satire, a film where the band acknowledged that they WERE the Pre-Fab Four and went on to skewer American society circa 1968, a time when the myths of history were coming into sharp focus when contrasted with the realities of Vietnam and the civil rights movement. This is a one-of-a-kind classic, featuring some of their best music (including The Porpoise Song) and cameo appearances by such luminaries as Victor Mature, Frank Zappa, Annette Funicello, Sonny Liston, and drag queen T.C. Jones. Also airs at 7:50am and 11:30pm and 11/6 at 2:30am.
10am HBO Signature
The Name of the Rose (1986 ITA-FRA): Imperfect as it is, this was the film that made me start reading Umberto Eco and made me appreciate the work of character actor William Hickey. A medieval murder mystery set in a dank abbey with the ever-present threat of plague in the background, the film does a decent job of portraying the incredibly unpleasant lives and even worse living conditions of the time. If you can overlook the fact that, yes, that's Christian Slater under the cowl, you'll enjoy seeing Sean Connery tease out the answer to the mystery of who is killing the great monks of Europe.
Also airs 11/9 at 1:30pm.
3pm Black Starz!
100 Rifles (1969 USA): 100 Rifles is an action-packed western that wouldn't have been possible without the confluence of the Vietnam War and the rise of the Euro-western. Directors like Leone, Solima, and Damiani introduced a left-wing perspective usually absent from American westerns, and this tale of the Yaqui Indians (Viet Cong) versus the well-armed and well-entrenched Mexicans (United States) reflects those views. Sex symbols Burt Reynolds, Raquel Welch, and Jim Brown star. Also airs at 3pm.
5pm IFC
American Movie (2000 USA): Sometimes we find our heroes in the unlikeliest places. Mark Borchardt is an independent filmmaker from Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, who has dreams of making his own feature films on his own terms, and this documentary details his efforts. Some reviewers felt this film was another slam-dunk attack on redneck culture, but I found American Movie to be one of the most inspiring films I've ever seen. I have tremendous respect for Borchardt and anyone else like him. There aren't a lot of people willing to literally put it all on the line in an effort to fulfill their artistic ambitions. Also airs at 11pm and 11/6 at 3pm.
Wednesday 11/6/02
4am Flix
Shark's Treasure (1975 USA): Cornel Wilde's take on the cinematic shark phenomenon of the mid '70s is no classic, but it is another example of good work by one of the unsung independent filmmakers of the past. Wilde started his career as a handsome would-be leading man, but he never panned out as a big star and turned to directing in the 1960s. Each of his films are distinctive, intelligent, and entertaining works: the World War II psychodrama Beach Red, the survival-of-the-fittest story The Naked Prey, and his post-Apocalyptic masterpiece, No Blade of Grass. Shark's Treasure was his last film, and it doesn't have the weighty pretensions of the earlier films, but its story of a treasure expedition is still worth your while.
4:10am Encore Westerns
Treasure of Silver Lake (1962 BRD): This is one of the most entertaining films I've ever seen. Establishing the template for every Euro-western that followed, it features non-stop action, beautiful scenery (unfortunately compromised by the pan-and-scan version airing on this date), and an amusing and watchable cast. Like most Euro-westerns, the film is more sympathetic to Native Americans than a typical Hollywood movie, but the Indians aren't really the focal point of the story, though they do ride around a great deal and emit fearsome war whoops. The Good Guys, led by sometime-Tarzan Lex Barker, have a treasure map that will lead them to, erm, some treasure. The Bad Guys, led by a re-dubbed Herbert Lom (and who seem to have an unlimited supply of men, horses, and ammo), want that map! Much gunplay ensues. Lom gets to whip some of his men into shape (literally), there's a trapper with a fright-wig (literally), and another trapper who speaks in rhyme! Highest recommendation, as long as you know what you're getting: a fun movie with lots of action. Also airs 11/10 at 7:10am.
12:30pm Sundance
Le Trou (1960 FRA): Jacques Becker's story of a prison break is unique in one respect: It's based on the true story of a convict who also happens to play himself in this film! Le Trou is also a terrific suspense story with beautiful wide-screen, black-and-white photography by Ghislain Cloquet, who also did sterling work on Au Rendez-vous de la Mort Joyeuse (1972 FRA) and Roman Polanski's Tess (1979 FRA-GB). Not to be missed. Also airs 11/9 at noon and 11/10 at 2:45am.
8:35pm Showtime Extreme
Bangkok Dangerous (2000 THA): I have no idea if this Thai action film will be any good, but hey, it's a film from Thailand being shown on American cable television. Has that ever happened before? I'm not sure, but I am sure there will be hyperkinetic action thrills and gunplay aplenty. The director calls himself Oxide, so you know he's seen his share of bad American genre flicks. Also airs 11/6 at 8:35pm and 11/9 at 8:35pm.
Thursday 11/7/02
12:30am Showtime 2
Castaway (1986 GB): Nicolas Roeg's tale of an odd couple (Oliver Reed and Amanda Donohoe) stranded on a desert island shouldn't be confused with Cast Away (2001 USA), a film about an even odder couple (Tom Hanks and a beach ball) stranded on a desert island. Roeg's film bears some similarities to Lina Wertmuller's overrated Swept Away (1975 ITA), which spawned the even less pleasant Swept Away (2002 GB), but Donohoe is much better at keeping Reed in line than Mariangela Melato was with Giancarlo Giannini. Also airs 11/10 at 11pm.
10:15pm Black Starz!
The Last Detail (1974 USA): A few weeks ago I recommended Cinderella Liberty, another film based on a novel by Daryl Ponicsan. Here's the second Ponicsan adaptation from 1974, this one starring Jack Nicholson as an MP who is taking a prisoner to the stockade but decides to show him a good time along the way. Robert Towne's screenplay captures the playful nature of the source material perfectly, Nicholson is great as usual, and there's good supporting work by Randy Quaid, Clifton James, and Michael Moriarty.
Friday 11/8/02
1:10am Cinemax
Bread and Roses (2000 GB-lots of other countries): I haven't seen Ken Loach's film about an illegal immigrant trying to get by (and get unionized) in Los Angeles, but this is a rare opportunity to catch one of his films on cable. Loach, the Marxist gadfly of British cinema, doesn't have the warm touch of Mike Leigh, but he is one of the leading practitioners of neo-kitchen-sink drama. This one won't be a lot of fun, but it might be good for you nonetheless. Also airs at 4:10am.
10:05am Black Starz!
Five (1951 USA): One of the most mature and thoughtful American films of the 1950s, Five is Arch Oboler's story of five nuclear war survivors trying to get along and get by. The presence of a pregnant woman and a black man amongst the five open up a can of worms for the three white guys in the group, as they try to jockey for mating position whilst keeping the African-American in his proper place. Oboler went on to direct the bizarre but wonderful The Twonky (1953 USA), an anti-television fantasy starring Hans Conried.
9:45pm Starz!
Shallow Grave (1994 GB): Danny Boyle's feature debut was also early notice that Ewan Macgregor was an actor to keep an eye on. Add in the under-utilized talents of Christopher Eccleston and Kerry Fox, stir in John Hodge's smart screenplay, and season with a bubbling electro soundtrack by Simon Boswell for a thoroughly satisfying suspense flick. Also airs at 11/9 at 12:45am.
11:55pm Showtime Extreme
Unholy Rollers (1972 USA)-- Unholy Rollers is AIP cinema vérité, a true American film classic that peels the façade away from the cult of sports celebrity. Claudia Jennings is outstanding as the roller queen whose place on the pedestal is about to be taken by the next hopeful in line. She plays the role with utter conviction, and the film's low-budget limitations lend added authenticity to its depiction of this seedy American pastime.
Saturday 11/9/02
8pm Sundance
Tell Me Something (1999 ROK): Sundance Channel continues its series of Asian thrillers with this Korean entry in the serial killer stakes. I haven't seen it but it has a good reputation, and I'm always interested to see how other countries interpret American film conventions. It's followed by a re-broadcast at 10pm of Cure (1997 JAP), Kiyoshi Kurosawa's take on the same general theme. The film is somewhat melodramatic and a little too long, but if you enjoyed David Fincher's Se7en, you'll find this an interesting approach to a similar story.
10:30pm Encore Mystery
P.I. Private Investigations (1987 USA): Here's an early screenplay by John Dahl (Red Rock West, The Last Seduction and Joy Ride). The film looks and feels like a low-budget straight-to-cable action film, but Dahl's intelligent and humorous writing help it rise above its inherent limitations. A confusing conclusion muddies the waters but it's definitely an entertaining 90 minutes and an interesting look at the formative stages of this talented filmmaker.
Sunday 11/10/02
6:30pm Turner Classic Movies
The Caine Mutiny (1954 USA): Who ate the strawberries? Humphrey Bogart is terrific as the over-the-edge Captain Queeg in this fine adaptation of Herman Wouk's novel about mutiny on a US Navy vessel. A sterling supporting cast is on hand, including Fred MacMurray as the weak-willed ship's doctor, Jose Ferrer, Van Johnson, Arthur Franz, Claude Akins, Lee Marvin, and E. G. Marshall. The film pulls its punches at the last minute (probably for political reasons), but you should still catch it if you can.
11pm Turner Classic Movies
The Bad News Bears (1976 USA): No disrespect intended towards Doug Fairbanks, but I'm going to skip TCM's Silent Sunday tonight in favor of this wide-screen broadcast of this hilarious comedy starring Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal. Now that TCM has stopped editing naughty words out of films, we can appreciate this one in all its vulgar glory AND in its correct aspect ratio!
