TCM
TiVo ALERT
For
March
1–March 7
DAVID’S
BEST BETS:
SHAKESPEARE
IN LOVE (March 1, 12:30 am): While I'm a
classic film fan, my Best Bets this week are newer movies. This 1998
film, which won the Oscar for Best Picture, is based on a great
premise. William Shakespeare has writer's block as he works on Romeo
and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter, and becomes inspired by a
talented actor (Gwyneth Paltrow disguised as a boy). After
discovering her real identity, the two fall in love and he's inspired to write Romeo and Juliet. There's some wonderful acting
(I'm not a fan of Paltrow, but there's no denying she is great in
this role), and a fantastic story with a witty and clever plot. A
winner of seven Oscars, it's a superb romantic-comedy that will be
fresh for decades to come.
THE
KING'S SPEECH (March 3, 10:00 pm): When it comes to
newer films, at least I have good taste. The King's
Speech was nominated for 12 Oscars, winning four including
for Best Picture. It's well-deserved. The plot is unique and one that
you wouldn't think would work – King George VI (Colin
Firth delivers an amazing performance) has a stammer and goes to see
a quirky speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush also giving a fabulous
performance) to solve the problem. The two develop a friendship that
is the primary focus of the film. The acting is out of this world
with performances that come across as so authentic with beautiful
cinematography. It's deeply moving and a must see.
ED’S
BEST BETS:
THE
ARTIST (March 3, 8:00 pm): A silent film made in
2011? Are you kidding me? No, I’m not, and this is a great film to
catch, even considering it’s hook of being a modern silent film.
Borrowing its storyline somewhat from A Star is Born, it
concerns one George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), a superstar of the
silent screen. But sound is coming, and George is not only
unimpressed, but refuses to do any “talkies.” One night in 1927,
at the premiere of his latest hit, George bumps into Peppy Miller
(Berenice Bejo) while exiting the theater. They seem to bond
instantly, and the next day, Variety runs her photo on the front page
as the “mystery girl” in George’s life. She begins her own
movie career, first as an extra, but as time goes on, her star rises
fast, and as George refuses the talkies, Peppy not only acquiesces,
but goes on to become the crossover star that was predicted for Clara
Bow. While George falls, Peppy rises. It’s a simple story, and, of
course, there’s more to it, but the thing to do is to forget our
prejudices and go with the film’s flow. That’s what I did when I
first saw it, and soon, I forgot I was watching a silent film. The
Artist is a totally enchanting movie.
THE
QUEEN (March 3, 2:45 am): The death of Princess Diana
was one of those momentous events where we can remember where we were
when we heard the news, especially for those in England. It was a
time of a schism between the English public, who were bereaved over
Diana’s death, and the Monarchy, who were at a loss as how to
proceed in the face of mounting public and political pressure to do
something -- anything -- to express publicly their grief over her
loss. For a moment, it almost looked as if the Monarchy could topple.
Director Stephen Frears and screenwriter Peter Morgan have combined
to make a sublime comedy of manners showcasing the Royal Family’s
plight in those times. But the biggest coup was the casting of Dame
Helen Mirren as Elizabeth II. It is the combination of director,
writer and star that brings what could very well be an empty
sentimental melodrama and makes it into a cheeky look at both the
Royals and Prime Minister Tony Blair and his irrepressible wife,
Cherri, who views the Royal Family as a bunch of “freeloading,
emotionally retarded nutters.” The strength of the movie is its
refusal to take sides, instead combing the facts with the
suppositions into an excellent kind of docudrama, all riding on the
talent of Mirren’s performance as the Queen. Michael Sheen is
wonderful as Blair, and James Cromwell a sheer delight as the
disdainful Prince Philip. For those who haven’t yet seen this
masterpiece, I recommend recording it due to the ungodly hour at
which it is being aired.
WE
DISAGREE ON . . . A BUCKET OF BLOOD (March 4, 6:00 am)
ED:
C. A Bucket of Blood is a watchable,
enjoyable little B-horror flick. It’s the typical Roger Corman
formula for his horror-comedies: Walter Paisley (Dick Miller), a
dorky character, works as a busboy at a beatnik café. He envies the
more talented customers, such as the poets and artists, but he just
doesn’t fit in with the cool scene. Trying to impress the café’s
hostess, Carla (Barboura Morris), with whom he’s in love, he
decides to create a sculpture, but his clumsiness results in the
death of the landlady’s cat. Seeking to hide the evidence, he
covers the dead cat in clay. The next day he shows her the sculpture.
It’s a hit and patrons demand more of the same, so Walter has to
keep upping the ante. But despite a great performance from Dick
Miller, the film never rises above the usual level of Corman’s
quickies (filmed in five days at a cost of $50,000). The humor is
obvious, and the tongue-in-cheek attitude ultimately brings the film
down. There’s something to be said for playing a bad film
seriously. Like I said, it is watchable and enjoyable, but nothing
worth going out of you way about.
DAVID:
B+. I've put myself in an awkward position – defending Roger Corman. I was outraged when he was given an honorary
Oscar in 2010 alongside Lauren Bacall. The "King of the Bs"
made a career by being a lazy filmmaker who let others do most of the
work. In the process, he helped launch the behind-the-camera
careers of Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese and James Cameron,
among others. However, I must admit A Bucket of Blood –
the name is another one of Corman's gimmicks; give a film an
outrageous name to bring in the audience – is among his two
best movies along with Little Shop of Horrors (hmm,
another outrageous name). In "The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of
Film," Michael Weldon calls A Bucket of Blood "an
all-time classic," as well as "a wonderful beatnik horror
comedy shot in five days." I suppose there aren't many other
movies in the quickly-made beatnik horror comedy genre, but this is
enjoyable and charming even for those not looking for films in that
category. Dick Miller, who went on to appear in many of Corman's
films, plays Walter Paisley, a coffeehouse busboy loser who dreams of
being in with the in-crowd. In a ridiculously-quirky twist, Paisley
accidentally kills his landlady's cat and covers it in clay making
what the beatniks consider to be an amazing piece of art. He ups the
ante when he kills people, first by accident and then intentionally.
The story is funny and the beatnik "Daddy-O" dialogue is
equally amusing. It's funny and suspenseful, and is nicely paced,
wrapping everything up in 66 minutes.
For the complete list of films on the TCM TiVo Alert, click here.
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