Thursday, August 25, 2011
Here are a few movies on Fox Movies, TCM, and Sundance for the coming month of August that you may be interested in. All times Eastern. As a reminder, note that these movies may turn out to be edited or in the wrong aspect ratio, even on TCM.
Last month there was no Official SBBN What The Shit Is This Selection, but this month, there are two. In honor of such an auspicious event, I have created a handy banner to make the Official Selection easy to find.
TCM
September 1st begins the Merchant and Ivory films featured on Thursday evenings all month on TCM. You can check listings or visit BBFF Ivan's post for a full list.
Not only are Merchant and Ivory films featured, but the TCM star of the month is Kirk Douglas. Also, much of the schedule is featuring well-known classics; still, there are several good pre-codes, specifically The Story of Temple Drake. Yeah, you heard me.
September 2, 3:45 AM (early morning the 3rd)
The Val Lewton classic apparently replaces the original choice, I Was a Teenage Zombie (1987). Walked is followed by the Herk Harvey short "Shake Hands With Danger" (1970) and a 1962 tear gas training film for law enforcement.
Five Star Final (1931)
September 3, 6:00 AM
Gritty pre-code starring Edward G. Robinson as a ruthless editor who will stop at nothing to get a juicy story and the tragedy that results. Interesting early film that still uses melodramatic silent film techniques at times, but ends with a whopper of a modern ending. Very recommended. This is followed by several pre-codes this morning: The Finger Points, The Music Box with Laurel and Hardy, and The Bishop Murder Case with Basil Rathbone as Philo Vance.
Moguls and Movie Stars
September 5th starting at 12:45 PM
TCM is showing the entire series this afternoon. It's your chance to catch it, since it was shown so rarely during its first run. Oh, wait.
Fat City (1972)
September 5, 6:00 AM
John Huston film starring Stacey Keach as a worn out boxer trying to train a young up and comer. Susan Tyrell is terrific in this, as always.
Election (1999)
September 5, 1:30 AM (early morning the 6th)
The dark comedy starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon.
September 6, 6:00 AM
The glorious Karloff classic that plays like a pre-code two years after pre-codes officially ended. This kicks off a schedule of several classic horror and scifi films on the 6th, including Them! and The Blob.
Breakin' (1984)
September 9, 2:00 AM (early morning the 10th)
TCM Underground brings it with this amazing time capsule from the 1980s. As a kid, I loved the song "Breakin'" so much I bought the 45! Allegedly, Chris Rock and Jean Claude Van Damme are background extras in some dancing scenes.
Roller Boogie (1979)
September 9, 3:30 AM (early morning the 10th)
Sadly, Breakin' is not followed by Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, and the original line-up of Breakin' with Beat Street has been changed -- but at least we get a re-showing of Roller Boogie. I'm glad, too, because my last attempt at recording this failed. I saw this edited for Saturday afternoon TV as a kid, so I'd like to see the theatrical release. It promises a lot of cheese.
Behind Office Doors (1931)
September 10, 6:00 AM
Based on some positive word of mouth, I bought an official DVD release of Behind Office Doors a few months ago, so I've already seen this. It's not bad, definitely worth a watch for pre-code fans, but I personally think it puts all its cards on the table too soon and leaves the film with a rather weak final third. The copy I bought was the "Silver Screen Series" which came with three other films for a whopping $5, but it's also available through TCM's website for $10.
September 12th has an entire day devoted to pre-codes, some of them really wacky:
6:00 AM Son of the Gods (1930): Richard Barthlemess plays a half-Asian man who falls for a white woman. Yay this again.
7:45 AM Passion Flower (1930): Kay Francis plays a rich woman who falls in love with her chauffeur. Yay this again.
9:15 AM Three Who Loved (1931): A bank teller is accused of stealing from his job.
10:30 AM Manhattan Parade (1931): Winnie Lightener plays a wife whose husband runs off, leaving her to keep their business running.
12:00 PM Winner Takes All (1932): Cagney as a boxer who takes in a sick woman and her baby.
1:15 PM Union Depot (1932): Doug Fairbanks Jr as a con man who stumbles across stolen money, with Joan Blondell as the girl. It's Grand Hotel in a train station, basically.
2:30 PM The Expert (1932): Chic Sale didn't appear in many films despite being very well known in his time. He achieved significant success on stage and with a salty book titled The Specialist about an outhouse builder; I can only assume the title The Expert is in some mild way a reference to the book, although the plot of the film is about a grandfather (Sale) moving in with his married son and causing comedic havoc.
3:45 PM A Man's Castle (1933): Spencer Tracy knocks up girlfriend Loretta Young and turns to crime to pay for the problem. Must be a comedy.
September 14, 8:00 PM
Infamous, banned, and almost impossible to find -- record this or be sorry you didn't. Based on a scandalous William Faulkner story about a wild southern girl who likes to go too far, but not all the way, with boys. She finds herself stranded in an old roadhouse with a gang of criminals who all have their eye on her. Part she-deserved-it morality tale and part seedy B-grade sex story, I found the film rather difficult to pin down. I also suspect the copy I eventually unearthed was an edited version, so I'll be glad to see TCM's version to compare.
Corruption a.k.a. Carnage (1968)
September 16, 2:00 AM (early morning the 17th)
The first Underground film of the night is a Peter Cushing flick from 1968 (TCM erroneously lists it as 1967). The UK title was Carnage, probably the better-known title, but TCM does love to use the U.S. release titles. Basically taking the plot from Eyes Without A Face, Cushing plays a doctor who accidentally causes serious facial injuries to his wife, a model. He loses his cookies and does numerous problematic things to try to restore her beauty.
Wicked, Wicked (1973)
September 16, 3:45 AM (early morning the 17th)
This campy film is infamous for using the split-screen technique throughout, as well as lifting the original organ score from the silent Phantom of the Opera. I never thought I'd get a chance to see this film, yet here I am.
Employees Entrance (1933)
September 17, 6:00 AM
Pre-code that very much resembles 1932's Skyscraper Souls, but excellent in its own right. Grab a copy while you can.
The Power and the Glory (1933)
September 18, 10:15 PM
Spencer Tracy and Colleen Moore flick written by Preston Sturges, about a man driven to succeed with his railroad company that his family suffers. Many consider Citizen Kane to be based on this film, and indeed this is being shown by TCM immediately after yet another showing of Citizen Kane.
Metropolis (1927)
September 18, Midnight
The reconstructed version based on recently-found footage. Followed by the documentary "Metropolis Refound."
Redemption (1930)
September 19, 9:30 AM
John Gilbert plays a man married to faithful Eleanor Boardman but deep into gambling and attracted to a beautiful gypsy girl played by Renee Adoree. Early talkie starring mostly silent film stars. While it was filmed before Gilbert's notorious His Glorious Night, it was released afterward, and that fact has only increased speculation that L.B. Mayer was deliberately sabotaging Gilbert's carer.
The Smart Set (1928)
September 21, 9:00 AM
Silent film starring William Haynes as an obnoxious polo player who bugs the shit out of everyone. I've seen clips of this and I have to say that Haynes really nails the "irritating asshole" aspect of the character. This begins a day of Jack Holt films, mostly early talkies and pre-codes, including Flight, Behind the Mask, The Black Moon, and Whirlpool.
September 22, 11:30 AM
This month's first SBBN Official What The Shit Is This Selection features Ronald Reagan as Tom Bates, a man who returns to his small home town after making his way in the world as a lawyer in the big city. He soon hears rumors that his old flame Grace Gateley had a baby after he left town 17 years ago, and that baby is now teenager Mary Hagen (Shirley Temple), adopted by the Hagen family as an infant. When Tom meets his possible daughter Mary, they of course become sexually attracted to each other. Bosley Crowther rather politely called this film a "bleak indiscretion." Yeesh.
Five on the Black Hand Side (1973)
September 23, 2:00 AM (early morning the 24th)
Comedy starring Clarice Taylor, Godfrey Cambridge, and Leonard Jackson as the domineering father of a household who decides to rebel against him.
Sweet Jesus, Preacher Man (1973)
September 23, 3:45 AM (early morning the 24th)
Character great Roger E. Mosely plays a hitman who poses as a preacher in a neighborhood to find out who is moving in on his boss' business.
Hollywood Party (1934)
September 24, 11:30 PM
Comedy musical with cameos by Mickey Mouse and Laurel and Hardy.
Nana (1933)
September 24, 4:00 AM (early morning the 25th)
Anna Sten as a hooker who becomes a famous star but gets involved in scandal when two brothers both fall in love with her.
Solaris (1972)
September 25, 2:00 AM (early morning the 26th)
Tarkovsky classic about a man sent to a space station to investigate an unknown disturbance.
Heat Lightning (1934)
September 29, 10:45 AM
Aline MacMahon, Ann Dvorak, Lyle Talbot, and Glenda Farrell in a very late pre-code released just three months before the Breen administration began in the summer of 1934. Gritty drama about a mechanic and her sister who get mixed up with gangsters who happen in on their garage in the desert.
Street Scene (1931)
September 29, 5:00 PM
Pre-code about a husband who catches his wife cheating on him. Based on the Pulitzer prize winning play of the same name.
September 30, 4:45 AM (early morning the 1st)
The second SBBN Official What The Shit Is This Selection. Viewer discretion is advised. I cannot stress this enough: You probably do not want to see this documentary. This short starts out fun enough, railing against pornography by showing as much of it as possible, occasionally covering the bits with stripes, but sometimes "forgetting." It reaches the height of stupidity when it uses a cover of Man Classics magazine with Steve Reeves in his Hercules costume as an example of gay porn about 13 minutes in, but less than a minute later moves on to pretty explicit examples of child porn. Not only does it equate homosexuality with pederasty, it lingers on these pictures of 10 to 12 year old boys in a way that will make you very queasy.
Fox Movie Channel
Little Murders (1971)
September 1, 6:00 PM
Dark comedy directed by Alan Arkin about a man whose fiancee is shot by a sniper on his wedding day, so he turns to her crazy family for support.
September 4, 10:00 AM
Children's fantasy about the blue bird of happiness starring Elizabeth Taylor, Cicely Tyson, Jane Fonda, Ava Gardner, and directed by George Cukor. The 1940 version will be on September 12.
The Pleasure Seekers (1964)
September 5, 1:30 PM
The FMC description reads "Madrid! Music! And, Ann-Margret singin', swingin' and lookin' for a man!" Also starring Tony Franciosa. I have a feeling this deserves a What The Shit Is This designation, but I have not seen it so I cannot judge. On again September 12.
All That Jazz (1979)
September 10, 3:45 AM (early morning the 11th)
Classic fantasy autobiography from Bob Fosse about a Broadway choreographer, his women, his health, and his career. On again September 14.
Mother, Juggs, and Speed (1976)
September 15, 8:00 PM
The now-cult classic about ambulance service workers starring Bill Cosby, Raquel Welch, Harvey Keitel, and Larry Hagman.
Sundance Channel
Sundance has a lot of television shows and films I highlighted in previous months, plus their schedule takes forever to update, so my listings for this channel are always going to be a bit thin.
The Red Riding series will be shown on Sundance this month. This UK crime drama was made into three feature-length television episodes which aired in 2009 and were released in the US in 2010.
Red Riding: 1974 (2009)
September 1, 1:55 AM (early morning the 2nd)
Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1980 (2009)
September 8, 2:00 AM (early morning the 9th)
Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1983 (2009)
September 15, 2:00 AM (early morning the 16th)
Cass (2008)
September 5, 2:00 AM (early morning the 6th)
Autobiography of Cass Pennant, orphan raised in the UK who is bullied, ignored, and eventually turns to football hooliganism to escape his troubled life.
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| Matt McKenzie, Ian McKellen, Rosalind Ayres, and Arthur Dignam. |
Gods and Monsters (1998)
September 15, 10:00 PM
Semi-biographical film about director James Whale.
Die, Mommie, Die! (2003)
September 17, 3:00 PM
I usually don't repeat films I've already mentioned, but this one is so fun I wanted to let everyone know it was on again. Charles Busch plays Angela Arden, faded star with a life as melodramatic as songs she used to sing.
The Last Mistress (2007)
September 18, 12:30 AM
I rather dismissively called this "Eurotrash semi-erotic cinema" when I saw part of the film a few months ago, but having seen more of it (yet not all) I believe I was overly critical. Explicit story of a mistress who will not leave her high society lover, even after he has married a proper woman for his position in society. On again September 20.
Alarm (2008)
September 24, 5:30 PM
Thriller about a young woman who moves to the country to escape the violence of Dublin, but quickly finds herself the target of something sinister.
***
In case you were wondering, yes, you probably did see this post earlier in the week. I somehow managed to publish this schedule, a post on Tallulah Bankhead, and a not-quite-finished guest post all at the same time. Whether it was me or a Blogger glitch I do not know, but the Tallulah post may still be in your RSS feed. Don't get too familiar with it, you'll be seeing it again in the future, published (hopefully) on the day it was intended.
And if anyone has any other movies on any channel they would like to mention, feel free to leave a comment!
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13 comments:
I am so swiping that George C. Scott banner. Isn't Perversion for Profit a vehicle for porn hunter Charles Keating, the scourge of Hustler publisher Larry Flynt and later S&L bandit?
Wicked Wicked is Awesome Awesome. And, of course, they show Heat Lightning again after I buy the darnblasted thing.
Thanks for the suggestions--there are a ton of movies next month on TCM that I've never even heard of, let alone actually seen!
I love "Heat Lightning", it's a wide-open little drama. I always had a thing for films set in AZ when I was a kid, and this one had Aline MacMahon and Ann Dvorak as kickers. This is a great month for fun recording.
Great heads-up,and I would be so excited if I had a SINGLE of those channels! (Cable=budget buster, and I lost them, especialy TCMsob) - that has become one work for me, TCM(sob). But I can pull out copies of these, of which I have several, and pretend! I remember Perversion for Profit-it'a hoot, and as you aid, bizarre! It appeals to me (sicko), which explains why I am doing the twin exploitation films, Reefer Madness and Sex Madness, for CMBA's Guilty Pleasures blogathon. Sex Madness is a real scream!
I hope I can find some primitively-equipped person like me who might be able to actually record a tape of Temple Drake for me. I've never seen it, and am dying to! Your BBFF Ivan has all kinds of weird things around his house, maybe he can do it for me!
And All That Jazz - one of the greatest to me. Just the Hospial Hallucination scene alone would put it in "Best of" lists, not to mention everything else!
How nice of you to put so much work into doing this line-up!
P.S. Forgive my many typos. It's 3:25am, and I'm lucky my fingers will work at all!
I agree, Lauren and Van. TCM makes up for the excessive repeats by jamming some great pre-codes in there. Bootleggers are going to LOVE this month!
Ivan, if you steal this banner, I will steal your favorite recliner right outta your living room. And yes, PfP is a Charles Keating atrocity. It's interesting to see the way this documentary presents porn, because it says a hell of a lot more about Keating and his associates than it does about porn itself.
WB, I think Heat Lightning looks like something that you would want two copies of, just in case. Haven't seen it yet of course, but it seems fabulous.
CBecky, typos are a way of life around here. We'd be giving you the side-eye if you DIDN'T have typos.
Between the Ivan and I, we'll get you a copy of Temple Drake. Temple Drake for everybody! (Pun intended.)
"Temple Drake for everybody" - so apropros! BTW, I knew Miriam Hopkins in her later roles before I ever saw her in pre-codes like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and this one which I have not seen, but is obviously risque (love that old-fashioned word for "dirty"). Taht was such a surprise to me as a kid!
Temple Drake!!! The first David Lynch film!
That day of pre-Codes sounds fantastic - wish TCM showed such goodies in the UK. I haven't seen many of them but out of those I have, I'd recommend 'Man's Castle' - great drama from Frank Borzage, giving a weirdly romantic portrayal of the Great Depression and a shantytown.
'Winner Takes All' is a mixed bag... it's one where Cagney has a fake broken nose which is a bit disconcerting, and also his character keeps suddenly changing completely!
I've only asked TCM for Temple Drake for like 5 years, so it is about effing time!
I feel ya, KG. I requested Skyscraper Souls something like 4 years before they showed it. And last year they finally showed Penthouse (1933) so long after I'd started requesting it that I'd forgotten WHY I wanted to see it, other than it's a Kay Francis flick.
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