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.