What's on telly tonight ?

[spiney]

Monday 25th Sept.

The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell, More4, 4.15pm.

Not a "great" film, but neverthless interesting, being made by maverick director Otto Preminger (who also made Stalag 17, Carmen Jones, Bunny Lake is missing - among other films - and annoyed quite a few people along the way!).
About arguments within the USA military, prior to Pearl Harbour attack, although the film has been criticised for not sticking to facts, and "miscasting" Gary Cooper .....(Elizabeth Montgomery - from Bewitched - also appears, as does Rod Steiger).

The Burger and the King, UKTV History, 9pm.

Elvis Presley's truly remarkable "diet", the main reason he died so early! Worth watching, if you haven't seen it, you won't believe it (helps to cure any junk food addiction problems!).

Tues, 26th Sept.

Laura, 4.30pm, More4.

After yesterday, this time it's "prime Preminger", one of his masterpieces, an Oscar winning "classic" film noir. Very enjoyable, especially "Waldo Lydecker"!
http://www.filmsite.org/laur.html (just look at that superb cast!).

(It's worth pointing out that - during the "golden age" - most major studio big Hollywood films were - simultaneously - entertaining AND "art"! That's almost unknown, now. As Gore Vidal puts it, in his novel Myron, during this period not a single "bad" (major) movie was made! Not quite true, but near enough).

Total Recall, ITV4, 10pm.

Much shown - but nevertheless - Verhoven's film is the only one yet made to successfully portray the bizarre hallucinatory "semi-world" of cult sci fi writer Phil K Dick (Ridley Scott's Bladerunner didn't!), with its highly sinister - perhaps "neo nazi" - huge industrial combines, weird machinery, religious preoccupations, time-travel drugs, and sudden "reality shifts".
http://fusionanomaly.net/valis.html .
http://www.operaworld.com/special/valis.shtml .
http://www.themodernword.com/scriptorium/dick.html .

 

[spiney]

Wed 27th Sept.

O Brother Where Art Thou?, 9pm, film.

After the discussion on this above, in critics' corner section, I watched this again, to "try" and enjoy it. After 1 hour just gave up, and switched channels to CNBC, Jay Leno interviewing Elton John. Sorry!

Thur 28th Sept.

A Matter of Life and Death, Ch4, 1.35pm (FILM OF THE WEEK, otherwise, sometimes considered the greatest British movie ever made !).

During the early 1940s, when most other wartime Brit films were pretty much pure propoganda, the film-making team of Powell (director) and Pressburger (writer) made a series of brilliant and "quintessentially British" fantasy films, always highly entertaining and of unbelievably superb quality, and in no way propoganda (reputedly, Churchill hated them, and thought them detrimental to the war effort, asking "can't something be done about them?").
After World War 2, in the 1950s, they continued making a long series of "pure fantasy" films (when most of the Brit film industry was making trade union bashing stuff, dire Rank Charm School drivel, and so-called "comedy" prior to the Carry Ons).
Powell's last film - without Pressburger - was Peeping Tom, and the horrid prurient critical reaction to this masterpiece meant that he never made another big film.

(The Red Shoes is - of course - THE dance movie, there is no other!).

Life and Death begins with Niven talking to a (female) ground controller - from his damaged aircraft - he then bails out, and mysteriously lands on a desserted beach ("the infinite shore"), unexpectedly comes across a nude boy playing a flute (which would never be allowed these days!), then strolls into a lovely English country town, superbly photographed (somewhere in Kent?), where "the Yanks" are now billeted (prior to D Day). Unfortunately, he starts having hallucinations ......

Rodger Livesey is the "country doctor", who we first meet inside his remarkable Camera Obscura, looking down over the whole town and seeing what's happening everywhere ..... and who then deduces that Niven's hallucinations mean a brain operation is essential, to save his life.

The remarkable hallucinations involve a "stairway to heaven", heaven itself being a black-and-white post-war "regimented socialist paradise", this being Powell and Pressburger's own little bit of "trade union bashing"!

In his hallucinations, Niven's right to stay alive is debated in a "heavenly court hearing", with the pros and cons being argued. Livesay encourages him to participate, believing it will increase his chance of surviving the brain operation ......

(the heavenly arguments become about Britain's colonial past, remarkable stuff, considering that postwar Britain was just then "losing" its former colonies, granting them independence ..... ).

Then, Livesay is killed in a motorbike accident, and actually turns up in "the afterworld" - inside the hallucinations - where Niven asks him to act as "heavenly advocate" for his own life ..... (a reality shift as amazing as anything Phil K Dick ever wrote!).

We see Niven on the operating table, looking through his own eye as it closes (will he recover and be allowed to remain on earth, or will he die during the operation and end up in heaven?) ......

(are the hallucinations "real", or are they "constructed" from the Camera Obscura, perhaps combined with JB Priestly's and William Temple's "socialist vision" of post war Britain? Which were - at the time - very much "part of the scene"!).

The utterly remarkable special effects beat anything seen today, and the superb cinematography is by Technicolor "pioneer" Jack Cardiff.

http://www.powell-pressburger.org/Reviews/46_AMOLAD/AMOLAD18.html .
http://www.powell-pressburger.org/Reviews/46_AMOLAD/AMOLAD00.html .
http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/03/24/cardiff.html .
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/newsletters/onFilmInterviews/cardiff.jhtml?id=0.1.4.9.14&lc=en .

 

[spiney]

Friday, 29 Sept.

True Lies, ITV2, 9pm.

James Bond-like spoof, from James (Terminator) Cameron, this also stars Big Arnie! Notable for Jamie Lee Curtis going a long while (almost) nude, showing off her very remarkable physique, which is fair enough, it's well worth showing off.

Sat 30th Sept.

How To Steal A Million, 3.25pm, BBC2.

(Almost an Austin Powers joke, since a million pounds is "nothing", now!).

Excellent 60's comedy "heist" movie, almost Wyler's last (so it's nice he went out in style!). Peter O Toole (then "hot" after playing T Lawrence), and Audrey Hepburn, who "any camera just loved"!

The Fifth Element, Ch4, 9.10pm.

Yet another showing (!), still, Luc Besson's sci fi film is excellent, especially the (British!) SFX. Bruce Willis is just fine, there's a nice "Supreme Being, Multipass" running gag, and get those aliens and the Diva!

H G Wells, The War with The World, BBC2, 9pm.

I'd "like" to recommend this, as at least "worthy", but given the utter crap stuff recently from BBC ......

H G Wells is popularly imagined as a sci fi author, Time Machine etc, but he wrote only a few such books! In fact, most of his novels were about social upwards mobility, and the extremely petty social rules governing (and often completely wrecking) the lives of middle and working class people, in ways hard to believe now!
Later on, he supported socialist world government - as the only path to a decent life for most people - which he called "the open conspiracy".
As World War 2 progressed, he got increasingly disillusioned, and - alas - died just after it ended, his last book being "Mind at The End of its Tether"!
http://www.panarchy.org/wells/conspiracy.1933.html .

Downfall, More4, 9.10pm (German, subtitles).

Excellent - and worth watching - account of Hitler's last days and hours, in the Berlin bunker, as "reconstructed" from other peoples' memories.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/downfall/ .

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, 10.10pm, ITV2.

How's it going, Bill and Ted? Totally awesome, Dudes!

Completely goofy, and you can't help liking them, still my fave, no matter how many times shown. With the film "made complete", by comedian George Carlin's uncharacteristic "deadpan" performance:
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/George_Carlin .

 

[spiney]

Sun 1st Oct.

La Belle et La Bete, 02.20am (Mon morning), film 4.

A very different experience, Cocteau's surrealist masterpiece, worth catching if you missed it before (see above post, links).

Mon Oct 2nd.

Dog Day Afternoon, BBC1, 11.45pm (film of the week DON'T MISS).

Sidney Lumet's excellent - often extremely funny - true life story of a bank robbery gone horribly wrong, bearded (much thinner! ) Al Pacino is almost unrecognisable in this early role.

http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/dog_day_afternoon/ .

(Rotten Tomatoes gives Dog Day an amazing 100% !).

The Hitcher, 01.05am (Tue Morn), film4.

Very good horror film, Rutger Hauer is excellent.

http://www.moria.co.nz/horror/hitcher.htm .

 

[spiney]

still Monday, but going back to afternoon ......

Boy on A Dolphin, 1.25pm, Ch4.

Sounds "Flipper-ish", and indeed there's a boy on a dolphin (!), but this is mainly notable for the 1st appearence of voluptuous Rachel Welch in a wetsuit (which she did again - more famously - in Fantastic Voyage).

Tuesday, 3rd Oct.

Moulin Rouge, 1.15pm, Ch4.

Not the Nicole Kidman one - which frankly, I found incoherent - but John Huston's earlier version, with Jose Ferrer famously playing disabled artist Toulouse Latrec. Some Cancan dancing, but also a good story (which is nowadays somewhat old fashioned!).

Gareth Marenghi's Dark Place, Ch4, 0.10am (Wed Morn).

Rather strange format, perhaps most easily described as a "parody Hammer House of Horror"! Not too accurate, but I don't know how to otherwise give some idea of what it's like.

Scenes From a Marriage, 0.35am (Wed morn!), film4.
(in Swedish, English subtitles).

Unlike Bergman's previous films, this was a tv series (and originally shown that way in UK), but later repackaged as this film version.
No car chases or spaceships, but a work of genius, which you might possibly like, and even if not, take a look just to see the stunning Nordic beauty of actress Liv Ullman.

All Bergman was famously "beautiful but bleak", his most famous film being the iconic The Seventh Seal, which is really wonderful (watch it if you get a chance!), but has been endlessly parodied, mainly the "death" figure with hood and scythe. Woody Alan did this, but the most successful parody was Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey.

http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=229&eid=346&section=essay.
http://www.mnc.net/norway/ullmann.htm .
http://www.leninimports.com/the_seventh_seal.html .


Wed, 4th Oct.

The Barefoot Contessa, 1.05pm, Ch4.

OK film, not brilliant, starring Humphry Bogart trying to get "stunner" actress Ava Gardner under contract (a fictionalised version of her actual life).
Mainly an excuse to show off Gardner's stunning good looks. No excuse needed.

Picnic at Hanging Rock, 6.50pm, film4.

Peter Weir's brilliant - but different - debut horror film, which also put Aussie films "on the map"!

In this enigmatic story, we see a group of young Edwardian era Aussie schoolgirls taking a trip to a large (aboriginal sacred place?) rock formation. Time seems to slow down and stand still, then they climb up the rock and ...... vanish!
(There's a half-suggestion the rock has "collected" them for their beauty, just as a humans would collect butterflies!).
http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=29&eid=47&section=essay .

Very nicely done indeed, this film is all about "atmosphere", helped by the music. It's so enigmatic, it even has its own forum:
http://p201.ezboard.com/btheultimatepicnicathangingrockforum .

Quadrophenia, Men + Motors, 10pm.

Loosely based on The Who's rock album, this (thankfully, not too bad!) 1980 Britflick shows a late 70' slice of punk life. Famous for the ending, and actress Toyah Willcox, who really was a punk singer (some may remember her listhping her way thro' that pop tune "it'th a misthtewy").

 

[JTA]

a quick jump-in to tell everybody that SciFi has scheduled the tv-series "logan's run" starting this friday at 9pm.

A must-see classic from the 80's, even if it ran for only one season.....

 

[Channel Hopper]

Boy on A Dolphin, 1.25pm, Ch4.

Sounds "Flipper-ish", and indeed there's a boy on a dolphin (!), but this is mainly notable for the 1st appearence of voluptuous Rachel Welch in a wetsuit (which she did again - more famously - in Fantastic Voyage).

Strted watching this earlier today, and I must say, she did look very much like a young Sophia Loren in the bikini. Maybe my eyesight is on the turn.;)

 

[spiney]

Strted watching this earlier today, and I must say, she did look very much like a young Sophia Loren in the bikini. Maybe my eyesight is on the turn.;)

Yeah, you're right. Sorry. But, no complaints?

http://www.americanphoto.co.jp/photosearch/Previews/CIN01057_481.jpg .

I have seen this, but still got it wrong!

 

[spiney]

Thur 5th October.

6 Million Dollar Man - Sharks, Ch5, 3.35pm.

A film length tv movie, made after the tv series ended. Not brilliant, but a nice nostalgia ride!

Older folk (like me!) might remember Steve Austin the "bionic" man, who was an astronaut crippled during a space mission, but - the famous catchphrase: "we have the technology, we can rebuild him" - he gets mechanical parts fitted, and becomes superhuman.

Each week he received a "mission", usually secret agent stuff sci fi stuff, but specially needing his bionic powers. Much fun was had watching him run in slow motion (supposedly, at "super speed"!), lifting up cars and lorries, jumping over 30 foot high walls, etc.

Lee Majors played the tv series part, but only directs this film.

http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/tv/drama/sixmillion.htm .

The Children's Hour, More4, 4.05pm.

About Lesbianism, waif-like Audrey Hepburn and brassy Shirley Maclaine are secret lovers.

Although made almost 30 years after Lillian Hellman's heavily censored and changed play, this was still "the love which may not speak its name", hence the mature content references are there, but only as subtext, making the entire thing a bit muddled, but still fascinating.

http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s665hour.html .

The Scarlet Pimpernel, 5.15pm, film4.

Fine film, an early British talkie - play spot the microphone - stqrring Leslie, Howard, who's life got cut tragically short when his plane was shot down in 1943.
Also stars Nigel Bruce, who was later famous as a "bumbling" Dr Watson to Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes.

http://www.filmsofthegoldenage.com/foga/1999/winter99/lesliehoward.shtml .

Scream, Ch4, 10pm.

Supposedly "spoofs" the horror genre. I don't much like it, but most other people seem to!

Fri 6th Oct.

The Way We Were, More4, 4pm.

About a long term man - woman relationship, starring Robert Redford and Barbara Streissand, both at the peak of their fame. Huge box office success. Also somewhat tedious.

Fanny by Gaslight, fim4, 4.50pm.

Remarkable for a stupendously inept title (changed for USA release), which meant the same back then! Otherwise, just one of many dull Gainsborough costume dramas, which mostly sent audiences to sleep. Possibly worth watching for silky voice James Mason playing a villain.

Sneakers, 10pm, ITV3.

Good sci fi plot, excellent cast.

Rob Redford is a former 1960s era computer hacker (slightly silly, though he could have been a "phone phreaker"), who runs a team of tech experts that test security systems for banks, etc. He gets approached by the CIA, to steal a new chip which can break all encryption codes, and hand it to them for national security reasons. Except, it wasn't the CIA, he's given the chip to crooks ........ how they get it back is a tense/funny adventure.

Sidney Poitier is good as an ex spy, Dan Ackroyd as the likeable conspiracy nutter, and cult actor River Phoenix appears but doesn't do much. Ben kingsley makes a fine "baddie".

The idea that all encryption can be broken by a "special chip" is nonsense, as cryptography relies on sound maths principles, though of course people are constantly working on the maths ......

http://www.telephonetribute.com/phonephreaking.html .
http://www.cs.utah.edu/~elb/folklore/afs-paper/node3.html.
http://www.sei.cmu.edu/str/descriptions/publickey_body.html .

 

[spiney]

Saturday 7th October.

The Shooting Party, BBC2, 4.15pm.

Not amazing, but notable as (almost) James Mason's last film, so a must-watch if you're a fan of "Mr Silky Voice".

Overboard, CH4, 4.30pm.

Entertaining comedy. Social snob Goldie Hawn loses her memory, and gets "rescued" by practical-man carpenter Kurt Russell, who decides to play a trick on her .....


Funeral In Berlin, ITV4, 10pm.

The 2nd film of a trilogy, from Deighton's "Harry Palmer" spy novels, again starring Michael Caine. Nowhere near as good as Ipcress File, but still watchable, not least for Oskar Homolka's accomplished portrayal of "Colonel Stock", one of Deighton's most memorable characters.

Brazil, 11.35pm, BBC2.

This very widely misunderstood sci fi comedy is "about" bureaucracy, with everything being symbolic (eg, the very daft computer terminals!), though that's a bit hard to see! Never mind, just enjoy the surreal sets and good performances .....

http://www.filmsite.org/braz.html .

Sunday, 8th Oct.

The Caine Mutiny, Ch5, 3.50pm.

Excellent thriller - closely following the novel - about an "obsessive-compulsive martinet" naval commander, the mutiny he causes, and the court martial that results.
Humph Bogart is brilliant as the "jumpy" commander. Note the "ball fiddling", is that just nerves, or something more Freudian?

Forrest Gump, film4, 9pm.

Multi award winner (but in my view, very inferior to Being There!) about a "simple" man (Tom Hanks, a fine performance), who muddles his way through a succession of situations, which include famous USA political events. Comedy? Satire? Who Knows!

A Room with a View, 11.20pm, more4.

Highly watchable and very funny, my fave Merchant-Ivory film! Helena Bonham Carter evokes sympathy, Maggie smith is hilarious, Denhom Eliot is excellent, and Simon Callow has a nude scene!

Spiney recommends this.

http://www.merchantivory.com/roomview.html .

 

[spiney]

Monday 9th October.

Elephant Boy, 1.55pm, film4.

A very young Sabu, in the film which "discovered" him! Novelty value, really, but worth a look.

http://www.britmovie.co.uk/genres/drama/filmography/077.html .

(The Kordas' company London Films, and their Denham Studios, was an attempt to emulate Hollywood in England. Just like J Arthur Rank, a bit later on.
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/445197/index.html ).

Clan of the Cave Bear, Actionmax (Sky ch 327), 4.15pm.

Based on Jean Auel's novel, supposedly, but the main reason to watch this is lots of scantily clad attractive young women (and men), including leggy blond Darryl Hannah.

http://www.jabootu.com/clancavebear.htm .

(Note, Actionmax is currently showing "reasonable" stuff, including by Roger Corman, etc).

Death of a President, more4, 9pm.

A very bizarre sounding - and controversial - film about the fictional assassination of George W Bush. Exactly what is the point of this, I don't know, nor whether it's worth watching, but it certainly has given offence!

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/...h+assassinated+in+new+TV+docudrama/article.do .

Tremors, 10pm, ITV4.

Supposedly a "deliberate comedy spoof" horror film, and quite well regarded, although I personally don't like it.

Tues 10th Oct.

Picnic at Hanging Rock, film4, 6.50pm.

A 2nd chance at this "don't miss" groundbreaking excellent horror film, see my above post.

Get Carter, 10pm, ITV4 (film of the week DON'T MISS).

Well, what the heck can I say? This is THE Brit gangster film, there is no other. Wonderful and entertaining. Caine is brilliant. Also an interesting rare film appearence by "angry young man" playwright John Osbourne.

http://www.citizencaine.org/films/get-carter.shtml .

Garth Marenghi's Dark Place, Ch4, 00.05am (Wed Morn).

2 more episodes of this "spoof horror genre" seires, weird, but worth a look.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397150/ .
official (but spoof) website: http://www.garthmarenghi.com/darkplace/default.htm .

 

[spiney]

OOPS, SORRY, I FORGOT ABOUT .......

...... back to Monday, 9th Oct.

Farewell My Lovely, 7.15pm, Movies4men (Sky ch 325). DON'T MISS.

Classic film noir, excellent! Powell plays Chandler's hardbitten private eye, Philip Marlowe (more often played by Humphrey Bogart; Dick Powell does it differently, but still brilliantly). He keeps getting drugged, and fighting through muggyness (hence the cobweb scene!). Mazurki is the "giant" Moose Malloy (a great running gag). And that "madam", well, I woudn't ever want to meet her ......

http://www.dvdjournal.com/quickreviews/m/murdermysweet.q.shtml .
http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/murder_my_sweet/ .

Death Race 2000, 9pm, Actionmax (Sky ch 327).

None of Roger Corman's films was exactly "Hollywood mainstream", but this perhaps came closest, with some big name stars, and an anarchic "road chase" plot, perhaps something a bit like Honkytonk Freeway (except for the "death" bit, of course!).

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/death_race_2000/ .
http://www.combustiblecelluloid.com/corman.shtml .
http://dir.salon.com/story/people/bc/2000/06/13/corman/index.html?pn=1 .

As several people have pointed out, what's become "zone Horror" has gone right down the pan! However, as if to compensate, there's some rather good stuff on the other free movie channels .....

 

[spiney]

Wed 11th Oct:

The Enforcer, Ch4, 1.55pm.

Well regarded "film noir", with Humphrey Bogart - for a change - playing a crusading lawyer (and not a private eye!).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043503/ .

The Narrow Margin, 2.05pm, BBC2.

A cop must stop a woman from being assassinated - during a long train journey - so that she can give evidence at a murder trial.
This is the original 1950s version, the 1990s remake was shown on ITV(4?) a few days ago, I must say I prefer the remake!.

Duck Soup, 3pm, film4 (one of the best films ever made, DON'T MISS).

Marx Bros Comedy. Rufus T Firefly is President of the Republic of Freedonia. At least, he would be, if his alarm clock worked .....

This is often listed (eg, by Variety, etc) as "the funniest comedy ever made"! After watching the first few minutes, you might wonder why, but give it a chance ....... at least, it doesn't suffer from the dire and boring "romantic interest story", that partly wrecks most other Marx Bros films!
(In Hannah and her Sisters, the character played by Woody Allen finally decides not to commit suicide while watching Duck Soup; because it's so funny, life must be worth living after all!).

http://rufustfirefly.googlepages.com/ .
http://www.filmsite.org/duck.html .

(In Spiney's opinion, a funnier film is Hellzapoppin, which was shown by film4 at startup, so should come round again ..... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033704/ ).

Cry Freedom, 6.05, film4.

Attenborough's life of Steve Biko. Hugely worthy, but Spiney finds all Attenborough directed films longwinded and boring (sorry!).

Scum, 10pm, Men and Motors.

Britfilm, not bad, about the goings on in a borstal, caused a huge fuss at the time, worth a look.

Thur 12th Oct.

Amazing Billy Wilder/ film-noir double bill .......

Double Indemnity, more4, 12.55pm (ie, early afternoon!).

Billy Wilder's incredible classic, one of 2 best ever noir films (the other is Farewell my Lovely, which was on Movies4men 2 days ago!). Stars Edward G Robinson (one of the greatest ever film actors, ugly, but superb on screen, Hank Azaria has said "Chief Wiggam" in The Simpsons is a parody of him, which you'll probably spot straight away!), and Fred MacMurray.

(This is being shown as part of a Barbara Stanwyck season!).

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19981220/REVIEWS08/401010313/1023 .

Witness for the Prosecution, more4, 4pm.

Not quite the classic Double Indemnity is, but nevertheless still an excellent and nailbiting film, from one of the best ever directors.

Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton - two screen giants - are both getting on in years here, but you'd never know that, and (of course) both give their usual expected "outstanding performance".

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051201/ .

 

[spiney]

Friday 13th Oct.

Sink the Bismark, 1.45pm, BBC2.

But first, you've got to find it ........ well regarded WW2 Brit film (although I can't stand Kenneth Moore!), with journalist Ed Murrow playing himself! (currrent film release Good Night, and Good Luck has made him topical).

Moore Was also in famous Brit war film Reach for the Sky, also directed by Lewis Gilbert.

Murrow became famous for radio broadcasts from London during The Blitz (and later, for resisting McCarthyism).

KBismarck.com - Sink the Bismarck .

"Radio Days - Edward R. Murrow" .

Cross of Iron, 10pm, ITV4.

Another highly regarded (excellent cast) WW2 film - or rather, antiwar film - with lots of director Pekinpah's characteristic blood and violence.

The title is - possibly - a reference to a famous Eisenhower cold war speech. As president, Eisenhower deplored the huge money going into building up military resources, and was suspicous of what he called "the military industrial complex":

Cross of Iron .

Dwight D. Eisenhower Chance for Peace Cross of Iron Speech .
What Is the Military-Industrial Complex? .

The Player, film4, 10.45pm.

Excellent black satire about getting a film made in Hollywood. Lots of in jokes, cameo appearences, etc ..... Directed by Robert (Mash) Altman.

The Player .

Saturday, 14th Oct.

Star Trek, The Menagerie, 1.25pm, BBC2.

The original pilot, with Jeff Hunter as Captain Pike, later expanded into a 2 part regular episode.

The Vikings, Ch4, 4.30pm.

Pretty good 50s adventure film, about ... Vikings! Nice Technicolor photography, lots of pillaging, looting, fighting, longships, helmets, Douglas and Curtis show off their bronzed muscles (steady, spiney!).

The Vikings .

Lawrence of Arabia. film4, 5pm.

Certainly AN epic, some people would say THE epic, partly famous for the photography, including - of course - that iconic scene where Sharif "emerges" from the shimmering desert.
The story is good, but drags a bit (4 hours!). however, there's no deneying O'Toole's wonderful quirky performance (TE Lawrence was a somewhat strange man).
This will be the restored version, with new soundtrack, so make sure your surround sound is working. Sadly, also needs Hi Def, at least, for the 70mm picture .....

Lawrence of Arabia - Trailer - Showtimes - Cast - Movies - New York Times .

T. E. Lawrence Studies - Lawrence of Arabia Factfile .

Donnie Darko, BBC3, 10.15pm.

Recent dark comedy sci fi film, very difficult to follow, involving a troubled adolescent, time travel, and a giant talking rabbit. Saw it, was impressed, but didn't understand it.

Donnie Darko .

Richard Prior, Live in Concert, 10.40, BBC2.

Filmed stage performance, good tribute to the USA comedian.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 10.50pm, film4.

Tobe Hooper's original version.

X-Entertainment -- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre -- Movie Review. .

Professional Foul, 10.55pm, BBC4.

A repeat of Tom Stoppard's for television 1976 play, about football, language, freedom, philosophy, and the cold war. Very funny and moving, worth watching.

Professional Foul (1977) (TV) .
Well Furlong - Tom Stoppard appreciation .

The Omen, 11.50pm, BBC1.

The original - much better - 1976 version. Great cast (Peck, Remick, Troughton, horror film stalwart Warner, and Whitelaw just great as the nanny!), and was Hollywood's attempt to "cash in" on the 1970s occult/horror phenomenon, but a fine film all the same.
(It "plays with" fundamentalist Christian attempts to predict the end of the world, as depicted in Revelation, the last book of the Bible! Especially in Hal Lindsay's books, popular at the time.
In general, predicting the end of the world - from The Bible - isn't a good idea, especialy as Jesus himself warned Christians not to try!).

The Omen (1976) .

Hal Lindsey Biography and List of Works - Hal Lindsey Books .

Eschatology, end times, & millennialism: Competing theories .

 

[spiney]

Sunday 15th Oct.

Dirty Dancing, 6pm, Ch5.

This somewhat "corny" but good-hearted film - spoiled rich girl goes on family holiday in Catskills, meets a different social group, falls in love and learns "dirty dancing" - was a surprise hit, has remained popular, and eventually spawned a stage show.

Guardian Unlimited Film | Features | Hey Baby - we're all Swayze now .

And Now For Something Completely Different, 9pm, ITV3.

All of the best Monty Python Sketches, re-done for the big screen, by The Pythons themselves. A trip down memory lane - for many of us - and a fine introduction if you've never seen the original tv shows.
Monty Python is currently topical - due to London opening of Spamalot - with a torrent of tv programmes on "the Python phenomenon", eg, South Bank Show tomorrow night.

Interesting review (I don't agree, it's still worth watching!):
The DVD Journal | Quick Reviews: And Now For Something Completely Different .

Mon 16th Oct.

The Satan Bug, 4pm, more4.

Good film version of Alistair Maclean's thriller, about a maverick "peaceloving" scientist who steals a phial of deadly germ warfare virus, and then threatens to start a worldwide biological plague unless his pacifist demands are met ......

The Satan Bug .

(Alistair Maclean was the top thriller writer of his day, but now - sadly - seems almost forgotten. However, some of his books - including Satan Bug - are downloadable here:

Alistair MacLean eSnips Folder .
(NOTE THAT - THIS MIGHT BE BREAKING COPYRIGHT LAW!)

I particularly recommend Golden Gate - a techno-thriller about kidnapping the USA President, probably his best work - and Ice Station Zebra is also good (and was a good film!). However, Seawitch became a somewhat daft Roger Moore film, and don't bother downloading San Andreas).

The Witches of Eastwick, 9pm, ITV3.

Excellent film! 3 frustrated women conujure up their ideal fantasy man - using "latent witchcraft" - and at first he's all they desired, and much more, but then things start going wrong ....... this film can be taken literally - as a sort of "occult thriller" - but is more intended as a "parable", about the differences between masculine and feminine fantasies and desires"!

The performances are all excellent, with Jack Nicolson superb as "Van Horne" (nobody else would have been as good!). Also, this film is outstanding for its "appropriate use" of special effects, which are very good, but nicely complement the story, instead of - as often happens - getting in the way of it!
There's also some very nice photography - of a somewhat idealised "fantasy" New England-ish USA small town, the sort of place many people would like to live in - which nicely offsets the rather sinister occult stuff!

Very good review (worth reading!):
The Witches of Eastwick (1987) .

Brief info on John Updike:
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0850136.html .

 

[Channel Hopper]

Saturday, 14th Oct.

Star Trek, The Menagerie, 1.25pm, BBC2.

The original pilot, with Jeff Hunter as Captain Pike, later expanded into a 2 part regular episode..

And todays show was the first of the two parter, very good, showing younger and older Spock spouting Vulcan logic in his court martial.

Donnie Darko, BBC3, 10.15pm.

Recent dark comedy sci fi film, very difficult to follow, involving a troubled adolescent, time travel, and a giant talking rabbit. Saw it, was impressed, but didn't understand it.

Donnie Darko .

One of my favourite films and it really takes a second viewing to being out the complete storyline (and its reversal). Spawned countless speculative websites.

As I have it on DVD however my evening viewing for tonight is the vampire/succubus Canadian horror - White Skin - on 30W, Canal 18. starts around 9pm.

Followed by an Austrian serial Killer flick called Angst from 1983, makes Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer look like Pokemon, and would eat Silence of the Lambs for breakfast (with or without the bottle of Chainti, fsss, fsss, fssss)

 

[spiney]

"seen on the radio".

"Tomorrow, Today", Fridays, 11.30am, BBC R4.

Some radio programme makers, back in 1961, have to come up with a series of sci fi shows, "imagining" how the future will be in 2006 ......

By accident, I "just caught" last Friday's episode. The beginning sounded really stupid - like the dire Tomorrow's World "spoof" Look Around You, but worse - however, then it suddenly became extremely funny! There was a jolly good spoof of 60's cigarette advertising - loadsa stuff about "cool refreshing mountain streams", etc - which the actors had to somehow get into their "spaceship serial" (very loosly parodying Charles Chiltern's much-loved "Journey into Space") ......

(You can still hear this, at "listen again" on BBC radio website!).

The next episode guest stars Leslie Phillips, as a Shakespearian actor trying very hard to be an android .......

BBC - Radio 4 - Tomorrow, Today! .

 

[spiney]

Tuesday, 17th Oct.

Children of the Corn 1,2,3 ! , 9pm, Zone Horror.

All 3 dire movies together, "the corn is as high as an elephant's eye"!

Children of the Corn (1984) .

The Firm, film4, 9pm.

Tense thriller. A "promising" - but naive - young Harvard law graduate, Tom Cruise, joins one of the top Boston "law firms", but the "fringe benefits" are just too good to be true, and he finds it's really a "legal whitewashing laundry" for The Mafia ..... after which, the FBI makes him "an offer he can't refuse" (so, just like The Godfather, but in reverse!).

Escape from New York, ITV4, 10pm.

John Carpenter's actionflick, as usual he did the music!

Manhattan Island has become a large open air prison (how the heck could they afford the rent?).......

Escape from New York (1981) .

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, Ch4, 00.10am (Wed Morn).

2 More episodes of the spoof "badly made horror series".

The Money Pit, Ch4, 01.10am.

Sorta remake of "Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House", about buying an expensive property with huge mortgage, then finding it needs endless repairs ...
Starring Shelly Long, then hot property due to "Cheers".

 

[spiney]

OOPS, SORRY, Missed Out Some Quite Interesting Stuff .....

BACK TO: Tues 17th Oct.

Earth vs The Flying Saucers, 6pm, Open Access 2.

Rather poor sci fi film, however the famous ending is good, showing the destruction of Washingon DC, with (uncredited) special effects from Ray Harryhausen. The "realistic" (!) script came from sci fi writer Curt Siodmak, with input from Donald Keyhoe (who wrote a lot of 50s saucer books).

Flying Saucers Are Real - Book .
Biography - Donald Keyhoe .

Dead On Arrival, 7.30pm (check time!), Open Access 2.

A man walks into a police station ........ and says he's been murdered! Famous, excellent film noir thriller, worth watching (also downloadable from Internet!).
BBC - Films - review - D.O.A. .

UFOs, the best ever taped evidence, M+M, 10pm.

A collection of videos, puporting to be UFOs, with some for and against comments on each one. Interesting.
The world's chief UFO debunker was - recently deceased - Philip Klass, he'd probably have come up with "convincing" explanations for all of them!

(Klass also wrote some sci fi, under the name William Tenn).

The Klass Files .

Wed, 18th Oct.

Hellraiser 1,2,3; 9pm onwards, Zonehorror.

No comment.

The Sweeney Movie, M+M, 9pm.

Although made for cinemas, this film is like a double length Sweeney tv episode, hence a bit flat, but worth watching.

Donnie Darko, BBC3, 10pm.

Repeat showing for this excellent - but highly enigmatic - cult horror film.

Carnival of Souls, film4, 2.15am (Thur morn).

Highly influential cult horror movie, which film4 are cleverly showing when no one will watch it (also downloadable from Internet).

Return To The "Carnival Of Souls" .

Thur 19th Oct.

The Way to The Stars, 1.30pm, ch4.

Good film about life at a WW2 RAF base, from director Anthony Asquith (who he?). Nicely captures the "cameraderie, we're-all-in-this-together" spirit, which people felt at the time (and were very nostalgic for later!).

very good review: screenonline: Way to the Stars, The (1945) .

The Mummy, 3pm, film4.

The original one, with Boris Karloff under the bandages!

Green for Danger, 4.20pm, film4. ((( DON'T MISS !!!! ))).

"Everyone loves Alistair Sim"! Yes, and after seeing this film, you'll understand why! A minor masterpiece, an eccentric British classic.

Green for Danger .
Green For Danger - Sally Gray, Trevor Howard, Alastair Sim, Rosamund John - 1946 .

A Star is Born, Open Access2, 6pm

The original - non musical - and best version, despite several later remakes.

A Star is Born - Trailer - Showtimes - Cast - Movies - New York Times .

 

[spiney]

Fri, 20 Oct.

Brief Encounter, 4.45pm, film4.

Train whistle, the opening chords of Rachmaninov's piano concerto, and the we're straight into the most famous Britfilm love story ever. Which might, now, seem a storm in a teacup, but - despite later suggestions of wartime sexual freedom - in fact an extramarital affair back in WW2 was cause for huge scandal. So, the lovers must be extremely discreet ...... anyway, Howard and Johnson are brilliant, it's riveting.

This stiff upper lip attitude was much parodied later on. The excellent Round The Horne - repeated each Wed 7 pm on BBC7 - does so in every episode!

http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=76&eid=95&section=essay .
http://www.wymondham-station.com/index.php?f=data_brief_encounter_restaurant&a=0 .

From Russia with Love, 10pm, ITV4.

Very good - some would say best ever - James Bond film, with Connery really getting going, but before the gadgets took over. With Lotte Lenya as a really nasty mature content spymaster (great acting!), and Robert Shaw as the "heavy".

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/from_russia_with_love/ .

Short Cuts, 11.35pm, film4.

Usually, I'm a huge fan of Altman's "ensemble acting" films, but couldn't get into this one, although it was widely praised.

http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=265&eid=389&section=essay .

Sat Oct 21.

Star Trek, the menagerie, part2, 1.20pm, BBC2.

2nd part of the adapted Trek "pilot" show.

The Spanish Gardner, 3pm, film4.

Somewhat bizarre film, where garder Dirk Bogarde "takes in hand" a nervous young boy, with some suggestions and undercurrents of pedophilia, at a time when this was very taboo!

http://www.britmovie.co.uk/studios/pinewood/filmography/1950/1956/001.html .

The Robe, 3.40pm, BBC2.

1st film ever made (2nd released?) in Cinemascope. Otherwise, one of a number of dire and boring Hollywood Biblical epics, made during 50s and early 60s, although Jean Simmons is nice to watch.

http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=41635 .

Heaven Can Wait, 6.55pm, film4.

"Reasonable" supernatural comedy. A man dies too early by mistake, and has to return to earth .....

http://www.moria.co.nz/fantasy/heavencanwait78.htm .

Minority Report, 9pm, BBC3

Haven't seen this, but it's well regarded, and will watch with interest.

http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/minority_report/ .