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.)
Thursdays in January - Peter Sellers!
1/6, 5:30 AM - The Wrong Box (1966)
1/13, 3:30 AM - After the Fox (1966)
5:15 AM - The Bobo (1967)
1/27, 8 PM - The Man in the Cocked Hat (1959)
9:45 PM - Being There (1979)
I am so pleased that January's Star of the Month is also one of my favorite stars, Peter Sellers. He is best remembered for his comedic films, whether it be the silliness of the Pink Panther series or the dark comedy of Dr. Strangelove...; but he was equally brilliant in dramatic roles, such as Clare Quilty in Lolita. I could easily recommend any Sellers film, just to see Peter Sellers, so check out the full schedule of his films. However, these five films are the ones I'll be sure to watch - The Wrong Box, After the Fox, and Being There are all hilarious (the latter film combining satire and serenity); and I am excited to see The Bobo and The Man in the Cocked Hat in their TCM premieres.
1/11, 8 PM: Laurel and Hardy Shorts & Features (1929-1935)
As part of a month-long slaute to Hal Roach Studios, TCM will dedicate 24 hours to the iconic comedy team launched by Roach, Laurel and Hardy.
(Read more about Hal Roach Studios here.)
1/12: Luise Rainer's 101st Birthday
8 PM & 11 PM - Luise Rainer: Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival (2010)
8:30 PM - The Good Earth (1937)
11:30 PM - The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
German-born Luise Rainer was the first person to win two Best Actress Academy Awards, and she earned them in consecutive years! This month TCM is celebrating her 101st birthday (yes, she is still alive and kicking!) with the premiere of an interview special filmed at the 2010 TCM Classic Film Festival and 4 of her films, including her two Oscar-winning vehicles. If you are not familiar with her work, I urge you to watch The Good Earth - Rainer is lovely and heart-breaking.
1/15: Palme d'Or Winners
8 PM - Black Orpheus (1959)
10 PM - Missing (1982)
Tonight's lineup features films which received top honors at the Cannes Film Festival. I'm interested in Black Orpheus, an adaptation of the mythological tale of Orpheus and Eurydice set in Brazil during Carnivale, and Missing, a politically-charged drama directed by Costa-Gavras (of the Oscar-winning Z) and starring acting geniuses Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek.
1/18, 8 PM - 1 AM: Screen Directors Playhouse (1955-56)
The Hal Roach Studios tribute continues with 10 episodes of the NBC-TV series Screen Directors Playhouse not seen since they originally aired. Hollywood's A-List stars and directors are featured in these 30 minute dramas and comedies. I'm especially looking forward to "Number Five Checked Out" (10 PM) starring Teresa Wright as a young deaf woman who must confront a gang of crooks, and "Claire" (12 AM) with Angela Lansbury in the story of a woman haunted by her husband's first wife.
1/30, 12 AM - Pandora's Box (1929)
This silent film by German director G.W. Pabst was condemned at the time of its release for its "immoral" sexual contect. It was heavily censored for distribution and little-seen in America. When restored prints surfaced in the 1950s, Pandora's Box was hailed as a masterpiece and since then it has garnered a cult following. The film is notable for its unorthodox presentation of the classic vamp character, the expressionistic use of shadows and light, and the performance of American actress Louise Brooks in her iconic role as Lulu.
1/31: Jean Simmons Day
6:45 AM - Hungry Hill (1947)
8:30 AM - Adam & Evelyne (1949)
10:15 AM - Trio (1950)
12 PM - So Long at the Fair (1950)
1:30 PM - She Couldn't Say No (1954)
3 PM - A Bullet is Waiting (1954)
4:30 PM - Footsteps in the Fog (1955)
6 PM - Life at the Top (1965)
To close out the month we get a day of films starring lovely British actress Jean Simmons (not to be confused with Gene Simmons, the lead singer of KISS who is neither British, nor lovely). The lineup includes many of her lesser-known films and my top pick is So Long at the Fair, a unique psychological thriller/mystery set during the 1889 Paris World's Fair co-starring young Dirk Bogarde.
Next month: 30 Days of Oscar!
Happy New Year everyone!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
That Way Madness Lies... Black Swan
"True! --nervous --very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses --not destroyed --not dulled them... I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad?"
That opening passage from Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart would also be an apt prologue for Darren Aronofsky's fifth film, Black Swan. It tells the tale of Nina, the new and unproven prima ballerina of a New York CIty Ballet company and her pursuit for perfection.
When Thomas, the Ballet's director, played with a stern fierceness by Vincent Cassel, says of his choice for their next production, Swan Lake, that it's been done to death, he could be talking about the plot of Black Swan. It's a story we all know: a young rising star tries to deal with the pressure her new role puts on her, a demanding director, and rivals within the company. But, Thomas goes on to say, we haven't seen it like this: stripped down, visceral. That also applies to Black Swan particularly in its visual style which resembles Aronofsky's 2008 film, The Wrestler. The similarities don't end there. Aside from the stripped down visual style, both Black Swan and The Wrestler take a visceral, hard edged look at the backstage world of stage performers. Both movies are also character pieces about people so devoted to their chosen profession that it borders on obsession.
The centerpiece of the film is Natalie Portman's performance as Nina, the young ballerina recently made the star of her company. "I just want to be perfect," Nina says early in the film. Her technique, her innocence, make her perfect for the part of the White Swan, but her director thinks she lacks the passion to tackle the more difficult role of the Black Swan. Nina is a young woman seemingly kept in girlhood by her domineering mother. Lily, played quite well by Mila Kunis, is the new dancer in the company and may be Nina's new friend and, possibly, her rival. She embodies the confidence and sexuality Nina lacks.
An entire decade ago there was a film called Center Stage that made itself up to be the behind the curtain drama of what really goes on in the lives of young dancers but don't be fooled, it's all glossed over pettiness. I don't doubt there is some pettiness in the world of ballet but that film fails on any substantial level. With Black Swan we get to see the physical punishment these girls put their bodies through for their art and we see at least Nina's psychological punishment. She slips into paranoid fantasy and we, the audience, are just as unsure about what's happening as she is.
This movie isn't about seeing Nina break down because of stress and anxiety. She descends into madness because down that path lies what she most desires: perfection. She doesn't "lose it" because of her role, she "loses it" for her role; to achieve the ultimate performance of her career. 
That opening passage from Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart would also be an apt prologue for Darren Aronofsky's fifth film, Black Swan. It tells the tale of Nina, the new and unproven prima ballerina of a New York CIty Ballet company and her pursuit for perfection.
When Thomas, the Ballet's director, played with a stern fierceness by Vincent Cassel, says of his choice for their next production, Swan Lake, that it's been done to death, he could be talking about the plot of Black Swan. It's a story we all know: a young rising star tries to deal with the pressure her new role puts on her, a demanding director, and rivals within the company. But, Thomas goes on to say, we haven't seen it like this: stripped down, visceral. That also applies to Black Swan particularly in its visual style which resembles Aronofsky's 2008 film, The Wrestler. The similarities don't end there. Aside from the stripped down visual style, both Black Swan and The Wrestler take a visceral, hard edged look at the backstage world of stage performers. Both movies are also character pieces about people so devoted to their chosen profession that it borders on obsession.
The centerpiece of the film is Natalie Portman's performance as Nina, the young ballerina recently made the star of her company. "I just want to be perfect," Nina says early in the film. Her technique, her innocence, make her perfect for the part of the White Swan, but her director thinks she lacks the passion to tackle the more difficult role of the Black Swan. Nina is a young woman seemingly kept in girlhood by her domineering mother. Lily, played quite well by Mila Kunis, is the new dancer in the company and may be Nina's new friend and, possibly, her rival. She embodies the confidence and sexuality Nina lacks.An entire decade ago there was a film called Center Stage that made itself up to be the behind the curtain drama of what really goes on in the lives of young dancers but don't be fooled, it's all glossed over pettiness. I don't doubt there is some pettiness in the world of ballet but that film fails on any substantial level. With Black Swan we get to see the physical punishment these girls put their bodies through for their art and we see at least Nina's psychological punishment. She slips into paranoid fantasy and we, the audience, are just as unsure about what's happening as she is.
This movie isn't about seeing Nina break down because of stress and anxiety. She descends into madness because down that path lies what she most desires: perfection. She doesn't "lose it" because of her role, she "loses it" for her role; to achieve the ultimate performance of her career. I've pointed out some of the similarities this film has with The Wrestler, but it's also like Aronofsky's The Fountain in its objective showcase of a metaphysical, cerebral journey and obsession of a character that has no singular explanation. There is no scene in either movie where things are spelled out for us. Though Black Swan is not nearly as open-ended.
Whatever accolades Portman has earned, or will earn, have come very deservedly. She gives an incredible performance; little of which has to do with the actual ballet training she did. She captures the naive, fragile side of Nina; the terror, fear, and paranoia of a ballet star; and the budding rebellion and passion of the Black Swan.
I was fortunate enough to see Black Swan at the Austin Film Festival where it was well received by thunderous applause and a standing ovation. I didn't stand but I did applaud thunderously. I really enjoyed it, but I wasn't sure how this movie would hold up on a second viewing. I saw it again a couple of weeks ago and I can't wait to see it again. Black Swan is filled with surreal, haunting imagery. It's beautiful in an almost disturbing way. It's definitely not for everyone but you should be able to tell that from the poster and the trailers. But I'm telling everyone I know to watch it for the almost gritty backstage look at a ballet production, the wonderful dancing, and for Natalie Portman's stellar, "all-in" performance.
Whatever accolades Portman has earned, or will earn, have come very deservedly. She gives an incredible performance; little of which has to do with the actual ballet training she did. She captures the naive, fragile side of Nina; the terror, fear, and paranoia of a ballet star; and the budding rebellion and passion of the Black Swan.
I was fortunate enough to see Black Swan at the Austin Film Festival where it was well received by thunderous applause and a standing ovation. I didn't stand but I did applaud thunderously. I really enjoyed it, but I wasn't sure how this movie would hold up on a second viewing. I saw it again a couple of weeks ago and I can't wait to see it again. Black Swan is filled with surreal, haunting imagery. It's beautiful in an almost disturbing way. It's definitely not for everyone but you should be able to tell that from the poster and the trailers. But I'm telling everyone I know to watch it for the almost gritty backstage look at a ballet production, the wonderful dancing, and for Natalie Portman's stellar, "all-in" performance. Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Not-So-Fresh New Releases #4
It is officially movie awards-season, when all the high-profile Oscar bait is released into theaters. Last year, I could barely keep up with all the new releases; however, this past weekend I couldn't muster any enthusiasm for the selection at my local multiplex (aside from the films that I have already seen and enjoyed, such as the latest Harry Potter installment). I've decided to highlight two of new releases I find to be most egregiously unnecessary, which coincidentally have two of the worst ratings on RottenTomatoes.com, and suggest some classic viewing alternatives.
The Tourist - 20% freshness rating
The Tourist - 20% freshness rating
- Angelina Jolie is a glamorous woman of mystery, equally as adept at eluding the authorities as wearing designer frocks; Johnny Depp is a math teacher from Wisconsin drawn into her web in a whirlwind romp through Venice. The romantic escapism promised by The Tourist, when done well, gives one the exhilarated feeling that movies were invented solely to tell such stories. Unfortunately, The Tourist has exhilarated no one. If you want to see a movie about a sexy mystery woman teamed with an out-of-his-depth academic, I humbly suggest Arabesque (1966) directed by Stanley Donen and starring Sophia Loren as a beautiful spy and Gregory Peck as a university professor. This film takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to international intrigue revolving around Arab hieroglyphics, an assassination plot, and lots of costume changes for Sophia.
- Three years earlier, Stanley Donen directed another great romantic thriller, Charade (1963), in which Audrey Hepburn is pursued through Paris by several shady characters seeking her late husband's fortune. She must decide whether she can trust Cary Grant to keep her one step ahead. To paraphrase one of Hepburn's great lines: You know what's wrong with this film? Nothing.
- North by Northwest (1959) also stars Cary Grant, only this time he is the one pursued. Eva Marie Saint comes along for the ride as a cool, blonde secret agent. This film is one of director Alfred Hitchcock's best, combining his signature thrills with humor and sophistication.
The Nutcracker in 3D - 0% freshness rating
- This film adaptation of the well-known Christmas tale sets the action entirely in 1920s Vienna. It has received universally negative reviews, citing such misguided elements as a holocaust subtext, poorly executed 3D effects, and Albert Einstein. If you want to see a production of The Nutcracker during the holidays, please find a local performance of Tchaikovsky's ballet by a professional ballet company, a children's ballet school, or any other performing arts group. The live theater experience (in 3D!) will surely be more pleasant, cheerful, and memorable than this ill-conceived film.
But if you still want to venture out to the movies this week, luckily there are some well-made, interesting, and worthwhile films still in theaters including 127 Hours, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Black Swan, Made in Dagenham, and The Social Network.
Happy holidays and happy film-going!
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