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.)
5/2, 8 PM - Gates of Heaven (1978)
I think some people avoid documentaries because sometimes non-fiction films can make you feel like you are back in school getting a lecture on economics, environmental science, or foreign policy. However, documentarian Errol Morris is like that one cool teacher who can make any subject engaging. He uses inventive cinematic techniques and finds completely unique topics - such as the Gates of Heaven pet cemetary and the people whose pets are buried there. Roger Ebert has listed Gates of Heaven as one his top 10 films of all time and written about it for his Great Movies series, but I think the best endorsement for this movie is that it caused director Werner Herzog to eat his shoe.
Star of the Month: Esther Williams
5/5, 8 PM - Bathing Beauty (1944)
5/12, 8 PM - Neptune's Daughter (1949)
"Wet she's a star, dry she ain't." Though that Fanny Brice quote was originally said about Olympic swimmer Eleanor Holm (Holm had married Brice's ex), many people have applied it to "Metro's Golden Mermaid" Esther Williams. Her swimming-centric musicals were such big hits in the 40s and 50s (and still entertaining today), you can't deny her star-appeal. And Williams' water-ballets were so unique, no one else even tried to copy her - a true rarity in the film industry! I've singled out a couple of my favorite Williams films, but I really feel like any of her musicals are worth watching simply for the spectacular pool sequences. However, if you find they're not your style, check out some of Esther's non-swimming movies on May 26 - she's pretty good outside the pool, too.
5/18: Heist Movies
6:30 AM - The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (1960)
8 AM - Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
10 AM - The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
12 PM - Cairo (1942)
2 PM - Rififi (1955)
4 PM - High Sierra (1941)
6 PM - I Died a Thousand Times (1955)
TCM has really been hitting my sweet spots lately, last month they had a night of prison break movies, this month they're doing a day of heist films. The only film out of place here is the 1942 Jeannette MacDonald musical Cairo. It would make more sense to show 1963's Cairo which is a remake of The Asphalt Jungle in which thieves try to steal King Tut's jewels. However, the Now Playing guide and TCM website both say that the '42 film is the one playing today.
5/21, 2:30 AM - House of Pleasure (1954)
I've recommended the films of director Max Ophuls before, and as long as TCM keeps showing his films I'll keep picking them. This one contains three stories about the pain that pleasure can bring, and it features many wonderful French actors including Jean Gabin, Danielle Darrieux, and Simone Simon.
5/22, 8 PM - My Brilliant Career (1979)
This film about a headstrong girl who chooses independence over marriage was part of the Australian New Wave of the late 70s and early 80s, and started the career of director Gillian Armstrong (whom I always mistakenly call "Gillian Anderson," a habit I need to break - reason #1 for me to see this movie). The film also introduced the wider world to the great Judy Davis, who would later go on to star in A Passage to India (1984) and several Woody Allen films, as well as winning an Emmy for her portrayal of that other great Judy: Judy Garland. Though I've seen Davis in many films, I realized that I've never heard her speak with her natural Aussie accent (reason #2 for me to tune in tonight)!
Andrzej Wajda Trilogy
5/15, 2 AM - A Generation (1955)
5/22, 2 AM - Kanal (1957)
5/29, 2:15 AM - Ashes and Diamonds (1958)
These three films by legendary director Wajda form a trilogy about the Polish experience during World War II. A Generation is a coming-of-age story of young Polish soldiers during the German occupation. Kanal shows the harrowing experience of resistance fighters trapped in the sewers during the ill-fated Warsaw Uprising. Finally, Ashes and Diamonds takes place on the first day of peace after WWII as one totalitarian regime replaces another.
5/31: Fantasy-Adventure Movies
6:15 AM - The Three Worlds of Gulliver (1960)
8 AM - The Boy and the Pirates (1960)
9:30 AM - The Wonders of Aladdin (1961) [listed online as Thief of Bagdad (1940)]
11:30 AM - Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960)
1 PM - Atlantis, The Lost Continent (1961)
2:45 PM - The Pirates of Blood River (1962)
4:30 PM - Captain Sinbad (1963)
6 PM - Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969)
Stories of pirates, magic, and underwater cities - this just seems like a day of pure fun!
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