by Lani
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.)
9/5: Tribute to Telluride
Since 1998, TCM has been airing an annual 24-hour marathon in honor of the Telluride Film Festival. The films chosen for this marathon are usually an interesting and eclectic mix, and this year's group is no exception. The tribute will include all seven episodes of TCM's Emmy-nominated miniseries Moguls and Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood, as well as several TCM premieres: Below Zero (1930), Wanda (1970), The Plumber (1979), and Election (1999). (The film festival will take place Sept. 2-5 in Telluride, Colorado.)
9/10: September Spirits
10 PM - The Innocents (1961)
12 AM - Dead of Night (1945)
Tonight's spotlight on actor Michael Redgrave includes two films about ghosts. The Innocents is an adaptation of Henry James's novella The Turn of the Screw and stars Deborah Kerr as a governess who believes the children she cares for are haunted (or is it all in her head?). Dead of Night is an anthology film of stories of the supernatural. The most famous of the six vignettes is "The Ventriloquist's Dummy" starring Redgrave as an entertainer whose dummy seems to be in control.
9/16, 5:45 AM - Delicious Dishes (1950)
In this vintage short, "experts demonstrate such innovative kitchen gadgets as a cheese slicer and melon baller." This should be instructive; I've always wondered how to use a cheese slicer. And couldn't we all wield a melon baller with a little more expertise?
9/19, 12:15 AM - Invitation to the Dance (1956)
This ambitious film, which tells three stories through dance, was a pet project of Gene Kelly, who was always striving to bring his art form to the fore of popular culture. As a lover of dance and great fan of Gene Kelly in particular, I've been anxious to see this film since I first heard about it in a documentary about Kelly. It also features many of Europe's top ballet dancers, MGM contract player Tommy Rall (Frank in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers), and Broadway star Carol Haney.
9/20: Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas is the Star of the Month, so you can see his films each Tuesday in September - and he made a lot of great films! I've chosen to highlight this particular night of programming because it features films from what I consider to be Douglas's prime: the late 50s and early 60s. However, you really can't go wrong on Tuesday nights this month.
8 PM - Lust for Life (1956)
10:15 PM - Paths of Glory (1957)
12 AM - Last Train from Gun Hill (1959)
1:45 AM - The Devil's Disciple (1959)
3:15 AM - Town Without Pity (1961)
5:15 AM - Two Weeks in Another Town (1962)
Thursdays in September: 50 Years of Merchant Ivory
Producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory formed their famous partnership in 1961 with the intention of making English-language films in India for an international audience. However, they are best-known today for their elegant British dramas such as Remains of the Day and Howard's End. TCM will be showing these "greatest hits" as well as films from their early years in India, made-for-TV projects spanning from 1959 to 1994, and films by others which their company produced. One thing that stands out among the Merchant Ivory filmography: they attracted some of the most talented actors of the past 60 years. In the films I've listed below you'll see Peggy Ashcroft, Alan Bates, Anne Baxter, Pierce Brosnan, Vanessa Redgrave, Naseeruddin Shah, Maggie Smith, Christopher Walken, and Teresa Wright, among others. Here are my personal picks, but I would urge any cinephile to look over the full schedule of 21 films and 5 shorts since most of these films are unlikely to be shown on TCM again in the near future.
9/8, 8 PM - The Europeans (1979)
9/8, 12 AM - Roseland (1977)
9/8, 2 AM - Quartet (1981)
9/8, 4 AM - Savages (1972)
9/22, 8 PM - The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (1988)
9/22, 10 PM - The Deceivers (1988)
9/22, 12 AM - The Perfect Murder (1990)
9/29, 8 PM - Hullabaloo over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures (1978)
9/29, 1:45 AM - Jane Austen in Manhattan (1980)
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
A Look Ahead: Fall/WInter Preview
by AJ
I had originally planned on writing about how little I went out to the movies this summer in post titled "The Summer of My Discontent." But instead of looking back at how few in number the highlights of the summer were I thought I'd take a look ahead at the movies coming out in the next few months. Here are some that I am looking forward to:
September 16th: Drive
IMDB Synopsis: A Hollywood stuntman (Ryan Gosling) who moonlights as a get-away driver for the criminal underground finds himself on the run from after a botched job.
Yes, it sounds like Transporter, but with Ryan Gosling in the lead it seems worth checking out. Also, Nicolas Winding Refn won best director at Cannes and the movie was up for the Palm d'Or so that makes me think twice about this being just another action movie.
September 23rd: Moneyball
IMDB Synopsis: Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) works to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.
So there's the Bad News Bears angle, but this isn't really about a group of misfits that work hard to prove themselves (though I'm sure that'll happen). It's mostly about looking at the game of baseball in a different way and that is what has me interested.
September 30th: 50/50
IMDB Synopsis: A comedic account of a 27-year-old guy's cancer diagnosis, and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease.
I think Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogan are good enough at what they do to walk the tightrope of a dark but good hearted comedy about about someone with cancer. I liked Funny People from 2009 which more or less had the same premise, but, despite being about funny people, was much more of a drama. There were also too many subplots in Funny People that don't seem likely to occur here since the trailer focuses on Gordon-Levitt and Rogan trying to look on bright side of things.
October 14th: The Thing
IMDB Synopsis: Do you really need one?
I think this is still a prequel to John Carpenter's The Thing which I imagine will end up being a lot like John Carpenter's The Thing. I mean there's only so many directions this story can take. I hope it isn't bogged down with low rent CGI effects that are so common in horror and action movies theses days (how expensive can corn syrup and red dye be?). I really like John Carpenter's The Thing which is the reason I want to see this version/prequel at all. Also, I'll be looking out for a wolf and a helicopter at the end of this movie (stay tuned for angry rant when that ending doesn't happen).
The Skin I Live In
IMDB Synopsis: A thriller centered on plastic surgeon Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas), who has been conducting experiments on a human subject (Elena Anaya) while trying to perfect an artificial skin to use to treat his severely burned wife.
Four words will get me to see a movie quicker than just about anything else: A Film by Almodovar. The plot sounds weird and twisted, the trailer is infinitely enticing, and Almodovar clearly knows how to make a movie and make it good even if, or especially if, it's about something, shall we say, uncommon.
October 21st: Red State
IMDB Synopsis: A group of teens receive an online invitation for group sex, though they soon encounter Pastor Abin Cooper (Michael Parks), his followers, and their sinister agenda.
I'm a Kevin Smith fan and I'm very interested in Red State. There's not too much in the trailer that says "this is a Kevin Smith film" and neither does the premise. He's talked about making Red State for so long that I almost have to see it just because, finally, it's here. I've heard less than stellar things about it from critics that have seen it so far, but I still think there's a good chance for this to be a satisfying movie.
November 18th: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
IMDB Synopsis: During the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6's echelons.
This is another film I've been hearing about for a while. I'm a bit tired of Bourne-style action movies which even the new James Bond movies are trying to imitate, so I'm kind of excited about a spy story where the spies are men in suits after documents or microfilm or in this case a double agent. And a cast including Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, and Tom Hardy is reason enough to be excited.
November 25th: The Muppets
IMDB Synopsis: When an oilman hatches a plan to raze the Muppet Theater, Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the rest of their friends reunite and, with the help of some of their biggest fans, they decide to stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever in order to save their old stomping grounds.
This plot reminds me a bit of The Blues Brothers and I really hope this new Muppet movie is like that. I recently watched a few episodes of The Muppet Show and I still thought they were great. With the songs and irreverent comedy the Muppets reminded me of The Marx Brothers and I hope this movie, written by Jason Segal, sticks with that spirit.
December 23rd: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
IMDB Synopsis: Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a young computer hacker.
I can't tell you how extremely excited I am to see this movie. I've never read the books. I've never seen the movies. I don't really know what it's about or why it's a big deal. And that's a good thing especially with a movie like this that has so much baggage. I want to go in blind and experience this movie fresh, my expectations and preconceived notions at a minimum. So far, to me, this is only the new David Fincher film which is plenty of reason to be excited. Also I love that a studio is willing to put it's name along with the phrase "presents the feel bad movie of Christmas."
We Bought a Zoo
IMDB Synopsis: Set in Southern California, a father moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.
It's been 6 years since Cameron Crowe's last film, Elizabethtown, which was not nearly as bad as people talk about it as. In fact, it's not bad at all, it's quite good. In any case, I will certainly see Cameron Crowe's latest. There's no trailer as of yet, but Matt Damon as the lead is a good place to start.
I had originally planned on writing about how little I went out to the movies this summer in post titled "The Summer of My Discontent." But instead of looking back at how few in number the highlights of the summer were I thought I'd take a look ahead at the movies coming out in the next few months. Here are some that I am looking forward to:
September 16th: Drive
IMDB Synopsis: A Hollywood stuntman (Ryan Gosling) who moonlights as a get-away driver for the criminal underground finds himself on the run from after a botched job.
Yes, it sounds like Transporter, but with Ryan Gosling in the lead it seems worth checking out. Also, Nicolas Winding Refn won best director at Cannes and the movie was up for the Palm d'Or so that makes me think twice about this being just another action movie.
September 23rd: Moneyball
IMDB Synopsis: Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) works to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.
So there's the Bad News Bears angle, but this isn't really about a group of misfits that work hard to prove themselves (though I'm sure that'll happen). It's mostly about looking at the game of baseball in a different way and that is what has me interested.
September 30th: 50/50
IMDB Synopsis: A comedic account of a 27-year-old guy's cancer diagnosis, and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease.
I think Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogan are good enough at what they do to walk the tightrope of a dark but good hearted comedy about about someone with cancer. I liked Funny People from 2009 which more or less had the same premise, but, despite being about funny people, was much more of a drama. There were also too many subplots in Funny People that don't seem likely to occur here since the trailer focuses on Gordon-Levitt and Rogan trying to look on bright side of things.
October 14th: The Thing
IMDB Synopsis: Do you really need one?
I think this is still a prequel to John Carpenter's The Thing which I imagine will end up being a lot like John Carpenter's The Thing. I mean there's only so many directions this story can take. I hope it isn't bogged down with low rent CGI effects that are so common in horror and action movies theses days (how expensive can corn syrup and red dye be?). I really like John Carpenter's The Thing which is the reason I want to see this version/prequel at all. Also, I'll be looking out for a wolf and a helicopter at the end of this movie (stay tuned for angry rant when that ending doesn't happen).
The Skin I Live In
IMDB Synopsis: A thriller centered on plastic surgeon Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas), who has been conducting experiments on a human subject (Elena Anaya) while trying to perfect an artificial skin to use to treat his severely burned wife.
Four words will get me to see a movie quicker than just about anything else: A Film by Almodovar. The plot sounds weird and twisted, the trailer is infinitely enticing, and Almodovar clearly knows how to make a movie and make it good even if, or especially if, it's about something, shall we say, uncommon.
October 21st: Red State
IMDB Synopsis: A group of teens receive an online invitation for group sex, though they soon encounter Pastor Abin Cooper (Michael Parks), his followers, and their sinister agenda.
I'm a Kevin Smith fan and I'm very interested in Red State. There's not too much in the trailer that says "this is a Kevin Smith film" and neither does the premise. He's talked about making Red State for so long that I almost have to see it just because, finally, it's here. I've heard less than stellar things about it from critics that have seen it so far, but I still think there's a good chance for this to be a satisfying movie.
November 18th: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
IMDB Synopsis: During the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6's echelons.
This is another film I've been hearing about for a while. I'm a bit tired of Bourne-style action movies which even the new James Bond movies are trying to imitate, so I'm kind of excited about a spy story where the spies are men in suits after documents or microfilm or in this case a double agent. And a cast including Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, and Tom Hardy is reason enough to be excited.
November 25th: The Muppets
IMDB Synopsis: When an oilman hatches a plan to raze the Muppet Theater, Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the rest of their friends reunite and, with the help of some of their biggest fans, they decide to stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever in order to save their old stomping grounds.
This plot reminds me a bit of The Blues Brothers and I really hope this new Muppet movie is like that. I recently watched a few episodes of The Muppet Show and I still thought they were great. With the songs and irreverent comedy the Muppets reminded me of The Marx Brothers and I hope this movie, written by Jason Segal, sticks with that spirit.
December 23rd: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
IMDB Synopsis: Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a young computer hacker.
I can't tell you how extremely excited I am to see this movie. I've never read the books. I've never seen the movies. I don't really know what it's about or why it's a big deal. And that's a good thing especially with a movie like this that has so much baggage. I want to go in blind and experience this movie fresh, my expectations and preconceived notions at a minimum. So far, to me, this is only the new David Fincher film which is plenty of reason to be excited. Also I love that a studio is willing to put it's name along with the phrase "presents the feel bad movie of Christmas."
We Bought a Zoo
IMDB Synopsis: Set in Southern California, a father moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.
It's been 6 years since Cameron Crowe's last film, Elizabethtown, which was not nearly as bad as people talk about it as. In fact, it's not bad at all, it's quite good. In any case, I will certainly see Cameron Crowe's latest. There's no trailer as of yet, but Matt Damon as the lead is a good place to start.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Not-So-Fresh New Releases #6
by Lani
- This film, in the tradition of Snakes on a Plane, has a title that says it all. Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford star as men of the Old West who must rally their town to fight against invaders from space. But we all know that Ford first tangled with aliens as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy. And since you already know this, then I shouldn't need to tell you to just watch Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, or Return of the Jedi instead.
- If you are intrigued by the idea of a fun sci-fi/western combo, try Back to the Future Part III (1990) in which Marty McFly travels back in time to Hill Valley of 1885 to save the life of his old friend Doc Brown.
- Alien invasion movies have been almost as popular as super heroes movies this summer and Super 8, which came out in June, is definitely the best of the bunch. Check your local theaters, it is still playing on some screens.
- In The Change-Up bachelor Ryan Reynolds and family man Jason Bateman make a wish to switch lives while urinating in a (magical?) fountain; when they wake up the next day and find that they've switched bodies, blah blah...you know what happens in a body-switch movie. This one seems particularly unappealing when, in the trailer alone, we are treated to the sight of three of the lead actors (Reynolds, Bateman, and Leslie Mann, who plays Bateman's wife) going to the bathroom. If that is the "good stuff" that's meant to pique my interest and get me to the theater, I'm not anxious to see what didn't make the cut. Films about two characters switching bodies go back at least to 1940's Turnabout, about a bickering husband and wife. And the last thirty years have seen a glut of child/parent switches, including several versions of Freaky Friday.
- I prefer variations on the simple body-switch concept, preferably ones involving millionaires since they tend to have nicer houses. All of Me (1984) could be called a "body-sharing" comedy since the spirit of dying millionaire Lily Tomlin is accidentally transported into the body of her lawyer, Steve Martin.
- Heaven Can Wait (1978) is another good film about a soul in a new body; this time it's the spirit of pro-athlete Warren Beatty inhabiting the body of an aging millionaire.
- Being John Malkovich (1999) offers a fresh take on the idea of walking in another man's shoes by having many characters literally inhabit the body of movie-star (and likely millionaire) John Malkovich.
- I'm not sure why 2011 was deemed the optimum moment to bring back the Smurfs, but obviously someone thought it was. The cartoons were certainly not masterpieces, but I can admit that I enjoyed watching those little blue guys in the magical world of Smurf Village. If you feel like reminiscing, full episodes are available to watch on the WB website. This film, rather than sticking to the village we all remember, transplants the Smurfs to modern day New York City where they meet up with a young married couple (Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays). The ensuing subplot about the couple's marital problems and pregnancy-related anxiety doesn't even seem to belong in a movie for kids. If you are trying to entertain your kids, or yourself, surely you can do better.
- Ratatouille (2007) about Remy, a rat who dreams of being a great chef in Paris, is a delightful film about a little outsider in a big world.
- Enchanted (2007) is, like The Smurfs, about someone from a fantasy world transported to NYC and the culture-shock which follows, in this case it's fairy-tale princess Giselle played by Amy Adams.
- And going back even further into the Disney vault, you'll find The Gnome-Mobile (1967) in which two children and their grandfather help some lost gnomes find their tribe.
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