Classic Movie Picks: July

Each month, I scour the Turner Classic Movies Now Playing guide for upcoming films that I can't miss. The highlights are posted here for your reading and viewing pleasure! (All listed times are Eastern Standard, check your local listings or TCM.com for actual air times in your area. Each day's schedule begins at 6:00 a.m.; if a film airs between midnight and 6 a.m. it is listed on the previous day's programming schedule.)

7/2: "Wizard of Oz" Day

The official theme of tonight's programming is films starring Terry, the Cairn terrier who played Toto in The Wizard of Oz. So, starting at 7 p.m. you can see two Oz documentaries and three of Terry's best-known films.

7 PM - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic (1990)

8 PM - The Wizard of Oz (1939), her finest role

10 PM - Memories of Oz (2001)

10:30 PM - Fury (1936), Terry plays Spencer Tracy's loyal dog, Rainbow

12:15 AM - George Washington Slept Here (1942), Terry's final film

However, making this a truly "Oz-some" day, starting at 6:30 a.m. TCM is showing films featuring Terry's Oz co-stars.

6:30 AM - The Show Off (1934) with Clara Bendick (Auntie Em)

8 AM - Stepping Out (1931) with ???

9:15 AM - Flying High (1931) with Bert Lahr (Cowardly Lion)

10:45 AM - Success at Any Price (1934) with Frank Morgan (The Wizard)

12 PM - Gildersleeve on Broadway (1943) with Billie Burke (Glinda the Good Witch)

1:15 PM - Four Jacks and a Jill (1942) with Ray Bolger (Scarecrow)

2:30 PM - Mister Cinderella (1936) with Jack Haley (Tin Man)

4 PM - Thoroughbreds Don't Cry (1937) with Judy Garland (Dorothy)

5:30 PM - 13 Ghosts (1960) with Margaret Hamilton (The Wicked Witch of the West)

Stepping Out is the only film I couldn't attribute to an Oz cast member. Perhaps Charley Grapewin, who played Uncle Henry in Oz, will make an appearance?

7/8, 4 PM: The Unsuspected (1947)

Claude Rains stars as the producer of a radio crime series who commits "the perfect crime." I can't wait to see Rains dig in to this sinister role alongside a great supporting cast including Audrey Totter, Hurd Hatfield, and Constance Bennett.

7/13: Two films directed by Michael Ritchie

1 AM - Smile (1975)

3 AM - The Survivors (1983)

Michael Ritchie is not a widely known director, but he has quite a few gems in his filmography - The Candidate (1972), The Bad News Bears (1976), Fletch (1985). He has also directed several, ahem, non-classics - A Simple Wish (1997), Cops and Robbersons (1994), Fletch Lives (1989). I would definitely put Smile, a social satire set in the world of small-town beauty pageants, in the former category; and apparently actor Robert Wuhl would agree as it is one of his guest programmer picks tonight. But which category does The Survivors fall into? It stars Walter Matthau and Robin Williams as recently unemployed friends who witness a robbery and subsequently become the targets of a mob hit man (Jerry Reed). There is enough talent involved in this film that I'm intrigued to see if it's a hit or miss.

7/18, 8 PM: Beauty and the Beast (1946)

This surrealistic telling of the classic French fairytale is renowned for its haunting imagery and inventive special effects. In his Great Movies essay for Beauty and the Beast, Roger Ebert calls it "one of the most magical of all films."

BONUS PICKS: More beauties and beasts!

10 PM - King Kong (1933)

12 AM - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)

7/30, 5:30 AM: The Relaxed Wife (1957)

This short film explains how "the modern miracle of tranquilizers helps working men and their wives deal with life's little problems." TCM has several old educational or promotional shorts like this one scheduled in July; this one's description sounded the most hilariously anachronistic for a 2010 audience. Other titles: RFD Greenwich Village, a promotional short for corduroy clothing set in New York (7/2, 5:45 AM); The Golden Years, in which bowling is made respectable through modernization (7/23, 5:45 AM); The Trouble Maker, you can probably guess that this one's about a trouble-maker (7/16, 5:45 AM).

Next month: Summer Under the Stars!

Not-So-Fresh New Releases #2

My original intention for this blog was not for it to become a screed against the banalities of contemporary cinema. However, as an avid movie-goer I can't help but be irritated as yet another terrible movie (or two or three) gets released each weekend. I'm not the only one, though. Every recent article I've read about the current crop of new releases decries this summer as unusually lackluster. This weekend's release of Toy Story 3 may be a bright spot in the season, as indicated by positive advance reviews and Pixar's track record for excellent films. However, it is still Toy Story 3 and frankly, as much I as like Woody and Buzz, I'm more interested in seeing a new story with a new cast of characters.
With all the sequels, remakes, or near-remakes in theaters right now I'm tempted to just say, "watch the original," and be done with it. Take the new version of The Karate Kid. It has received some positive reviews, but they generally end with the caveat, "the original is better." My personal reason for skipping this movie is that it stars the annoying Jaden Smith, who single-handedly ruined the 2008 remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still (yes, it was all his fault). So, save a few dollars and rent the 1984 original starring Ralph Macchio. Case closed, right? Well, I'm feeling a little more ambitious than that, so here are some more suggestions for what to watch instead of what's in theaters right now.

The Karate Kid - 70% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes
In addition to demonstrating some cool karate moves, The Karate Kid beautifully illustrates a friendship between a young person and an old person. Some other films which I would rate alongside Karate Kid in this category (though "old" is a relative term in some cases) are Captains Courageous (1937), About a Boy (2002), and Up (2009).

The A-Team - 50% freshness rating
In the interest of full disclosure, I must say that I saw The A-Team and I enjoyed it. That said, I will also concede that this film could be adequately summarized by a montage of explosions and gunfire intercut with scenes of the team throatily laughing at their own audacity. The A-Team employs one of my favorite film cliches - the rag-tag group on a mission. And the A-Team is indeed a rag-tag group: Hannibal is old, Murdock is crazy, B.A. is a born-again pacifist, and Face is actually Jim Carrey from The Mask. But if you prefer a film with coherent action sequences and a realistic relationship to physics, may I suggest one of these classic "gang of misfits" films: The Great Escape (1963) - Allied POWs, each with his own particular set of skills, must work together to escape a Nazi prison camp; The Dirty Dozen (1967) - military men again, this time they must work together to complete a daring mission; The Magnificent Seven (1960) - a diverse group of gunslingers bands together to protect a town from Mexican bandits.

Shrek Forever After - 54% freshness rating
The Shrek series, now on movie number four, began as a twist on the story of "beauty and the beast," except this time the beauty is secretly a beast, too. So, you could watch Disney's excellent Beauty and the Beast (1991), which manages to be heartwarming and funny without relying on pop culture references, the crutch of the Shrek series. Or, for an even more sophisticated alternative, you could rent Jean Cocteau's fantastic French version of the tale (1946). One Shrek character I do like is Puss in Boots, voiced by Antonio Banderas. The Spanish accent combined with fancy swordsmanship and, of course, the boots, recalls none other than Mandy Pantinkin's Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride (1987). Princess Bride also has a "fractured fairytale" style somewhat similar to that of the Shrek movies. Just think of Andre the Giant as a much friendlier and more pleasant Shrek!

Killers - 13% freshness rating
In this action-comedy an unsuspecting wife (Katherine Heigl) discovers her husband (Ashton Kutcher) is actually a secret agent - and hijinks ensue! Many people have already pointed out the obvious similarities to True Lies (1994) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis. However, I'm going to suggest two films directed by Alfred Hitchcock, which fall into the suspense genre rather than action, but also contain husbands with secrets. In Suspicion (1941), a shy, plain woman (played by the beautiful Joan Fontaine) begins to suspect that her new husband (Cary Grant) is a killer, and that she may be his intended victim. In Rebecca (1940), a mousy, unassuming young bride (also played by the stunning Fontaine) moves into her husband's grand estate and begins to discover unsettling secrets about him and his first wife's death.

On other websites: R.I.P. Dennis Hopper

Last month, actor and filmmaker Dennis Hopper died at the age of 74. His career as an actor, writer, and director produced many memorable movie moments. If you are a fan, or are interested in learning more about his stamp on American film, you may want to check out the following podcasts and articles.

Weekly film podcast, Filmspotting paid tribute to Hopper in episode #304, which includes a discussion Hopper's directorial debut, Easy Rider. On the Filmspotting website you can also vote for your favorite Hopper performance: Apocolypse Now, Blue Velvet, Easy Rider, or Hoosiers. (Personally, I also like him as the villain in Waterworld.)

On June 1, Fresh Air replayed interviews with Dennis Hopper from 1990 and 1996, in which he talked about his childhood, modern art collection, filmmaking career, and often-rocky personal life.

And on the 40th anniversary of Easy Rider last November, Keith Phipps retraced the path of that film's heroes on an "Easy Rider Road Trip" for Slate.

Classic Movie Picks: June

Each month, I scour the Turner Classic Movies Now Playing guide for upcoming films that I can't miss. The highlights are posted here for your reading and viewing pleasure! (All listed times are Eastern Standard, check your local listings or TCM.com for actual air times in your area. Each day's schedule begins at 6:00 a.m.; if a film airs between midnight and 6 a.m. it is listed on the previous day's programming schedule.)

6/10: 8 films starring Judy Garland
6:15 AM - Listen, Darling (1938)
7:30 AM - For Me and My Gal (1942)
9:15 AM - Girl Crazy (1943)
11 AM - Presenting Lily Mars (1943)
12:45 PM - The Clock (1945)
2:30 PM - The Pirate (1948)
4:15 PM - Summer Stock (1950)
6:15 PM - I Could Go On Singing (1963)
All morning and afternoon you can watch Judy Garland go from spunky girl singer to cinematic grande dame. My personal picks would be For Me and My Gal, her first film with Gene Kelly (and Kelly's first film, period) which tells the story of a song-and-dance team within a wartime setting, and The Clock, directed by Garland's first husband, Vincente Minelli. This film was made right after their wedding and through the story of a G.I. (Robert Vaughn) who falls in love during an all-too-short leave, Minelli gave his new bride a tour of "his" New York.

6/11: 100th Anniversary of Jacques Cousteau's Birth
For most people, even today thirteen years after his death, Cousteau is the best-known figure in marine science and conservation. He made over 120 television documentaries featuring his adventures under the sea and passion for preserving aquatic life, 18 of which TCM will air in a 20-hour marathon. Also on June 11, is the TCM premiere of the documentary Jacques Cousteau: The First 75 Years (1986) directed by John Soh.
On Friday nights throughout the month, TCM will pay tribute to Cousteau's passion with sea-themed films by other directors, including 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1953), and The Deep (1977). Get the full list here!

6/19: Starring Jack Carson
8 PM - A Star is Born (1954)
11:15 PM - It's a Great Feeling (1949)
12:45 PM - Two Guys From Texas (1948)
2:15 AM - The Hard Way (1942)
4:15 AM - The Male Animal (1942)
Jack Carson is a familiar face to classic movie fans, often appearing when the script calls for a big-headed, blustery foil or friend to the lead character. His role as a former college football star who deliberately annoys English professor Henry Fonda in The Male Animal is the quintessential example of the Jack Carson character. This persona is again in full effect in It's a Great Feeling, which gives Jack the perfect role - "Jack Carson" - opposite frequent co-star Dennis Morgan (also as "himself") and a young Doris Day as an unknown ingenue. The 8 p.m. showing of A Star is Born is the TV premiere of the newly-restored print which was shown at the TCM Classic Movie Festival this April. It also stars Judy Garland, in one of her most acclaimed performances, and James Mason. I'd say definitely check out Star, Great Feeling, and Two Guys (again paired with Dennis Morgan); if you can stay up late that night, watch The Hard Way and The Male Animal. More info here!

6/28, 10 AM: Too Many Wives (1937)
6/29, 12 PM: Too Many Husbands (1940)
So which is a worse dilemma, too many wives or too many husbands? Perhaps the answer lies in these two films. In Wives, "an heiress and a dog-catcher go searching for a priceless stamp," which is good enough for me, but where do the wives fit in? (Look for Jack Carson in a small role!) In Husbands, "a woman decides to try life with two mates." I'm guessing it doesn't work out, but maybe this film shows that poly-amory can work for some people...

6/29, 8 PM: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967)
If you are jonesing for new episodes Mad Men (would that be a "January Jones?"), I suggest getting your fix with this zany musical set in the business world of the 1960s starring Bert Cooper himself, Robert Morse.
BONUS PICK: 10:15 PM, Heart & Soul: The Life of and Music of Frank Loesser (2006)
Learn about the musical genius behind How to Succeed... and many other Broadway hits.

How I'll Spend My Summer Vacation

Each summer I am reminded of why I love living in Austin, Texas. It would seem impossible to love Austin in the summer since the heat and humidity are almost unbearable. However, it is the summertime when I love Austin because from late May to early September I can escape to the Paramount Theatre and enjoy the cooling effects of air conditioning and the restorative power of great cinema.
The Paramount's Summer Classic Film Series begins this weekend and I've already planned by schedule around it for the next 3 months. I know it's not the only revival theater out there (and I'm thankful for that!), but it is Austin's only movie palace. It is my theater. And since this is my blog, I've combed the schedule to highlight some of the special screenings this season.
These certainly aren't the only films I would recommend seeing, since all the scheduled films are good (except maybe Showgirls, but even that is debatable). So, if you are lucky enough to be in Austin in the summertime check the full list of screenings online.

June 23: Wings (1927) - This tale of daring WWI flyboys filmed near San Antonio was the first film to win the Best Picture Oscar. This special screening will feature a live performance of an original musical score by Austin composer Graham Reynolds.

June 26-27: The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) - If the recent Russell Crowe "re-imagining" of the Robin Hood legend didn't quite buckle your swash, may I recommend this glorious Technicolor gem starring Errol Flynn? And just try to resist entering the archery contest which will precede each screening.

July 6-7: All That Heaven Allows (1955) - Director Douglas Sirk is known as the master of the "women's picture," a distinction which often gets his films labeled as melodramatic cheese. But there is so much more to his films than Velveeta; they offer a critique of the petty moralities and conventions of 1950s America. Heaven tells the story of a rich widow (Jane Wyman) who becomes the original "cougar" when she is unexpectedly wooed by her much younger gardener (Rock Hudson), much to the disapproval of just about everyone else in town. This film will be shown in a double feature with Sirk's Imitation of Life (1959) starring Lana Turner.

July 24-25: Top Hat (1935) - When the Paramount began showing classic films in 1975, this Astaire and Rogers musical was the inaugural picture. In honor of this 35th anniversary screening all tickets will be sold at 1975 prices - 50 cents!

August 11-12: Odd Man Out (1947) and Brighton Rock (1947) - Two excellent, but rarely shown examples of British film noir. A remake of Brighton Rock is set to be released this year, so don't miss this opportunity to see the original on the big screen.

August 17-18: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) and The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) - Watching the absolutely beautiful Umbrellas on the big screen is a must for any classic film fan! But a double feature of French musicals starring Catherine Deneuve? Tres jolie!

August 24-25: Sunrise (1927) - A landmark film of the silent era, Sunrise was honored by the Academy for its "artistic quality of production." This screening of a restored print will include the original orchestral score.

For more viewing suggestions and profiles of some great films which I failed to mention here, read "The Greatest Stories Ever Told" by the staff at the Austin Chronicle.

On other websites...

The Cannes Film Festival is in full swing, and I just wanted to point out Roger Ebert's coverage of the festival in his blog. According to Ebert, "Cannes is still the most important annual event in the world of what some of us consider good cinema." As someone who is still interested in "good cinema," I'm eager to see what films will emerge as the toast of the festival. He writes a new entry each day (seven so far) about the films he has seen, the atmosphere of the festival, and the current state of cinema. The pieces are well-written, edifying, and entertaining; I'd expect nothing less from Mr. Ebert. Below are links to the first seven entries in the series.

Cannes #1: On a darkling plain

Cannes #2: A magical curtain for Jacques Tati

Cannes #3: Greed may still be good

Cannes #4: A good film, a bad film, and a friend

Cannes #5: Waiting for Godard

Cannes #6: Of emotion and its absence

Cannes #7: A campaign for Real Movies

Summer Movie Short List

I realized that since it's already May and the Summer Movie season officially starts this Friday with Iron Man 2, I should make my list of movies to see this summer. It's a very short list. The reason for my list being so short has already been covered in Lani's Remakes, Reboots, and Retreads entry, not to mention sequels. Since the movies that interest me this summer are so few I thought I would give my thoughts on the ones I'll be seeing.

First up, Iron Man 2. I enjoyed the first installment a lot more than I thought I would. I liked the feel and the tone of Iron Man. It was set it in real world, taken seriously, but stayed out of the "dark" territory that the Batman franchise has embraced. I'd like to see what the sequel does.

Get Him to the Greek: Forgetting Sarah Marshall was one of my favorite movies of 2008 and Russell Brand as Aldous Snow stole many scenes and had some of the funniest moments of the movie. The trailer for this not-really-a-sequel looks like it could all go terribly wrong. Still I'm fan of movies where a responsible guy in a suit has to look after a wacky guy and I'll admit I'd like to see more of Russell Brand as Aldous Snow, so I'll see this one too.

The A-Team: Starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, and Not Mr. T. I think this movie of a TV series sounds ridiculous (I mean it's a movie of a The A-Team, one of the TV shows you'd watch when you had to stay home sick from school), but the trailer makes it look more than decent. And, just maybe, I really would like to see how a big budget movie version of The A-Team will hold up on a big screen.

Toy Story 3: I was 10 when I saw Toy Story, the premise is interesting (the toys are donated to a day care), and Pixar has yet to make a bad movie so I will watch Toy Story 3. This is one movie this summer I can't wait to see and I will not see this movie in 3-D because a good movie doesn't need 3-D to be good.

Knight and Day: Not to be confused with Killers, which is like Mr. and Mrs. Smith mixed with Suspicion, except the the husband is trying to kill other people. I may change my mind on this one, but the trailer showed me an entertaining, funny, action-packed movie and that's what you expect from a summer movie.

Inception: This and Toy Story 3, are the movies I'm dying to see this summer. I'm still not sure if I understand what this movie is about, but that actually feels great. I'm so tired of movies that are sequels, remakes, rehashes of plots that have been used a hundred times before that I'm delighted by something that seems so unique it confuses me. You can watch the trailer here. Even better, it's by director Christopher Nolan whose films I've enjoyed very much.

Get Low: It's a little movie for the summer season, but if you look between the blockbusters you can find really good movies. I heard about this movie because, like many, I'm a big Bill Murray fan, but the star is Robert Duvall, who plays a 1930's hermit that decides to have his funeral before he dies and invites everyone, even though he doesn't know them. The trailer shows some offbeat charm and with luck it'll live up to its trailer and be a nice respite from all the action-packed blockbusters.

The Expendables: Just look at the cast list; I shouldn't have to say anything more, but here's the trailer.