Thursday May 2
The Big Year [M-Net.03.00]
Friday May 3
GARFIELD AS SPIDER MAN AND EMMA STONE AS GWEN STACY
The Amazing Spider Man [M-Net.09.30]
The SetUp [M-Net.00.00]
Arthur and the Revenge of the Maltazard [M-Net.03.15]
Kinky Boots [SABC3.20.30]
The Big Hit [e.tv.20.30]
Saturday May 4
Arthur 3: The War of Two Worlds [M-Net.06.00]
Rango [M-Net.23.30]
The Artist [M-Net.05.40]
Garfield [e.tv.20.00]
Boyz N Hood [e.tv.21.40]
Sunday May 5
Contraband [M-Net.20.05]
Big Miracle [M-Net.03.40]
WASHINGTON WITH TONY SCOTT- THEY WORKED ON FIVE FILMS TOGETHER; INCLUDING DEJA VU
Déjà vu [SABC1. 20.00]
MARK WAHLBERG IN SHOOTER
Shooter [e.tv.20.00]
Boyz N Hood [e.tv.01.50]
Monday May 6
Everything Must Go [M-Net.03.25]
Tuesday May 7
Safe House [M-Net.01.00]
Wednesday May 8
SetUp [M-Net.00.30]
***
HATTIE MCDANIEL MIGHT HAVE WON AN OSCAR FOR GWTW-BUT SHE STILL PLAYED A SERVANT
Until the late 1960s, the working life of a Black actor was not an easy one. Apart from servants and lackeys, roles were few and far between; The Emperor Jones, Othello if you were very lucky; and if you could sing, Porgy or Joe in Show Boat.
ROBESON HAD A BEAUTIFUL VOICE TOO
Paul Robeson, who could act and sing, did all of the above, and is today remembered, if at all, only for his political beliefs and his heartbreakingly definitive version of Ol’ Man River.
BELAFONTE AS A YOUNG MAN
Harry Belafonte opened a few doors in the mid fifties, but it was Sidney Poitier, the right man, in the right place at the right time who honed his skills as a leading man in the late 50s and early 60s, trail blazing a path for the likes of James Earl Jones, Laurence Fishburne and Sam Jackson.
CARBON COPY NEARLY FINISHED HIS FILM CAREER BEFORE IT REALLY BEGAN
By the time Denzel Washington made his film debut in 1981, playing George Segal’s son in Carbon Copy, times were changing and even back then, in a dreadfully insipid movie, he proved himself to be a superb, consistently inspired actor.
SINATRA IN THE ORIGINAL
Now, two Oscars later, he can pick and choose his role; characters even change colour to accommodate Washington and his formidable talent. A few examples; in the remake of The Manchurian Candidate, he played the part originated by Frank Sinatra
WASHINGTON IN THE REMAKE
In the recent remake of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, his role was once played by Walter Matthau. The character, Gray Grantham, as written by John Grisham in The Pelican Brief was not Afro American, neither was Jeffrey Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme. However, Washington remains true to his roots, and in his long career has played both Civil Rights hero Malcolm X and Struggle Icon Steve Biko.
JEANNE CRAIN WITH HER 'GRANNY' ETHEL WATERS
American filmmaking has come a long way since 1949 when a white actress named Jeanne Crain played Pinky in Elia Kazan’s film of the same name.
WASHINGTON TIME TRAVELS IN DEJA VU
There are two Denzel Washington movies on show this week, the first made by the late Tony Scott, a director who worked well and often with Washington, including Unstoppable released in 2010, two years before Scott’s untimely death in August 2012. Déjà vu, [SABC1.Sunday.20.00], released in 2006, is a fast moving and fanciful thriller; the plot uses my favourite fantasy theme— time travel.
WASHINGTON IN SAFE HOUSE
The making of Safe House [M-Net.Tuesday.01.00] caused quite a ripple of excitement when it was being filmed; the Safe House in question was right here in Cape Town.
FILMING SAFE HOUSE
The film which co stars Ryan Reynolds has more twists than a corkscrew and both actors are smooth and supple. A must for Washington fans; a bonus is a sighting of Cape Town Stadium.
EJIOFOR AS OTHELLO
Chiwetel Ejiofor, OBE is a British actor of Nigerian parentage who has worked with Denzel Washington on Inside Man in 2006 and has also played a South African from the struggle era, Thabo Mbeki in Endgame; he has also played Othello on stage, winning the Laurence Oliver Best Actor Award in 2009.
HELPING JOEL EGERTON
In 2005, he donned a wig to play a drag queen in Kinky Boots [SABC3.Friday.20.30]. The movie is light and somehow just right, if British humour is your cup of meat. Ejiofor helps Joel Egerton to revitalize his failing shoe factory,
AS LOLA. THESE KINKY BOOTS ARE KILLING ME!
in-between, Ejoifor has lots of campy fun, swinging his hips and singing These Boots Are Made for Walking and What Lola Wants, Lola Gets from Damn Yankees. By the by, a musical version of Kinky Boots involving Cyndi Lauper has opened on Broadway, to mixed/ goodish reviews.
50 TO HIS FRIENDS
50 Cent aka Curtis James Jackson III took his stage name from a play on the word change, when he made a career change from robbery to rapping. He helped to produce (finance) the movie SetUp [M-Net.Friday.00.00 and Wednesday 00.30], so guaranteeing himself a leading role,
QUITE A SETUP- 50 CENT, WILLIS AND PHILLIPPE
along with Bruce Willis and Ryan Phillippe. SetUp jangles, a little like change, loose and small. I’m sure that 50’s life story would pack a bigger and better punch.
CALVIN KLEIN'S MAN
Mark Wahlberg is another bad boy who was once a model; later a rapper named Mary Mark. Among his claims to fame are a brother, Donnie, who is/was a member of New Kids on the Block and a body part that he flaunted in Boogie Nights.
A YOUNG MARKY IN THE BIG HIT
No fewer than three Mark Wahlberg movies grace our screens this week, including The Big Hit [e.tv.Friday.20.30] from 1998, Shooter [e.tv.Sunday.20.00] a working of Stephen Hunter’s Point of Impact made in 2007 with Kate Mara, older sister of Rooney. And, lastly, a remake of an Icelandic movie called Contraband [M-Net.Sunday.20.05], released in 2012 and co starring Kate Beckinsale.
AN OLDER WAHLBERG IN 2012'S CONTRABAND
In the three movies, which could be strung together as The Shooter’s Contraband Big Hit, or The Shooter took a Big Hit of Contraband—alas, no one would really notice. Marky plays a hit man, a sharpshooter and a smuggler, sort of in that order.
THE ORGASMIC CAR CRASH IN NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Basically, in this type of movie, cars die and people get blown up or do cars get blown up and people die, I’m never sure. Suffice to say, there are booms and bangs at regular intervals, complete with chunks of debris and motor spares flying through the air.
MCQUEEN AS COWMAN IN JUNIOR BONNER
The Rouge Cop/ Hit Man/ Sniper is the illegitimate son of Western Hero of old, molded to the likeness of Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson and /or Steve McQueen.
AND HIT MAN IN BULLITT
This genre, like the graphic novel, seems to have an insatiable audience, with Aliens Activity and The Undead not too far behind.
A BRAND NEW SPIDY-ANDREW GARFIELD'
On the subject of Graphic Novels, there is a reboot of Spiderman, The Amazing Spiderman [M-Net.Friday.09.30], starring a brand new Spidy, Andrew Garfield.
MARTIN SHEEN AND SALLY FIELD PLAY BEN AND MAY PARKER
Marc Webb using a huge and talented cast (Emma Stone, Sally Field, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary etc.) to do what Christopher Nolan did to Batman, sharpen the angles, tighten the dialogue and …all set for a brand new franchise.
STEVE, JACK AND OWEN
The Big Year [M-Net.Thursday.03.00] is a rather limp comedy with Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson, the movie revolves around competitive bird watching; since Survivor everything, from glass blowing to teeth grinding, has a competitive edge. The feathered participants are quite as talented as and a lot more colourful than the humans.
BILL AND GARFIELD
Bill Murray is the voice of Garfield [e.tv. Saturday.20.00] a movie dating from 2004. Actors and animation meet in this appealing little film about an orange cat with a bad attitude. Yes, that one, created by Jim Davis in 1978.
WILL AMID HIS WORLDLY GOODS IN EVERYTHING MUST GO
The best of the comedies is a comedy that isn’t really a comedy at all. Everything Must Go [M-Net.Monday.03.25], based on a brilliant short story by Raymond Carver called Why Don’t You Dance? Potent short story writer Raymond Carver, penned this semi sweet tale in 1981, about a man drowning in a bucket of booze who turns his life into a symbolic ‘everything must go’ garage sale.
SHORT STORY MASTER RAYMOND CARVER
Carver, a master short story writer who died in 1988, weaved a biographical thread through most of his work; Everything Must Go is no exception. As the sympathetic neighbour, Rebecca Hall is sweetly supportive but Everything Must Go belongs to Ferrell, who is dazzling in a sadly optimistic part, which could have been written with him in mind.
BEST OF THE BUNCH
Arthur and The Revenge of the Maltazard and Arthur 3: The War of Two Worlds are for fans only and can almost be watched as a double feature on Friday into Saturday. [The Revenge of Maltazard [M-Net.Friday.0315] and The War of Two Worlds [M-N-et.06.00]
A SOULFUL LUC BESSON-OR IS HE JUST TIRED
The trilogy, which started with Arthur and the Invincibles in 2006, is the work of writer/producer/director Luc Besson. The only question I want to ask is, when does he sleep? In the last 26 years, he has had a hand in 50 films, has had four wives, and has produced five daughters.
I WONDER IF MADGE WAS CROSS?
Just for the record, Arthur 2 and 3 sees the voice of Lou Reed replace that of David Bowie while that of Selina Gomez replaces that of Madonna.
BIG MIRACLE IS NOT A ROMANTIC COMEDY
Big Miracle [M-Net.Sunday.03.40], starring Drew Barrymore, had a grand first week at the box office, and then stalled dramatically; the public were probably expecting another romantic comedy from Drew. The real story is a true life drama, the action dates from 1989 and is based on a work by Tom Rose called Freeing The Whales, all about Operation Breakthrough...
BARRYMORE AS PART OF OPERATION BREAKTHROUGH
...where grey whales trapped under ice are freed by an unlikely group of people pooling their resources and pulling together. The moral of this tidy little movie is obvious; if we forget our differences and work together, anything and everything is possible.
OSCAR WINNING RANGO
This is not a stand out movie week, but there are on show a few good ones that I’ve reviewed before—
For lovers of adult animation, there is Rango [M-Net. Saturday.23.30]…
Old Hollywood-The Artist [M-Net.Saturday.05.40] and…
Landmark Crime Drama- Boyz N Hood [e.tv.Saturday.21.40 and Sunday.01.50]
FARRELL WITH REBECCA HALL
My pick is Everything Must Go [M-Net.Monday.03.25]