Thursday May 19
G [e.tv.20.30 and 00.55]
Good Fences [e.tv.22.30]
Mad Dog and Glory [SABC1.23.00]
Friday May 20
Cop Out [M-Net. 21.30]
Judgment Night [SABC1.22.00]
KURT RUSSELL, DAKOTA FANNING AND KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story [e. tv.14.30]
Saturday May 21
Ice Age: The Meltdown [e.tv.14.00]
BABS IN ALL NIGHT LONG
All Night Long [SABC3.21.30]
The Matador [e.tv.21.50]
Quicksilver Highway [e.tv.01.30]
Sunday May 22
Date Night [M-Net.20.05]
How to Lose Friends& Alienate People [M-Net.03.40]
SIDNEY POITIER HAS VERY EMOTIVE HANDS
To Sir, With Love [e.tv.21.55 and 01.40]
Monday May 23
Zip
Tuesday May 24
Zip
Wednesday May 25
Date Night [M-Net.22.30]
They Shoot Divas, Don’t They? [e.tv.00.40]
SIMON PEGG STARS AS TOBY YOUNG
This week we have two movies featuring that rather unenviable breed of actor, the (former) child star. Firstly, Kirsten Dunst, who, in How To Lose Friends & Alienate People [M-Net. Sunday.03.40] plays very much second fiddle to Simon Pegg.
PEGG WITH JEFF BRIDGES
Pegg is, shall we say expansive, as Toby Young, a journalist who wrote with a fair amount of insight about his time with Vanity Fair magazine. Jeff Bridges, complete with Graydon Carter hair, costars and the movie takes a fair tilt at our plastic, disposable society, peopled with plastic, disposable people.
GROWING UP IN THE PUBLIC EYE CAN BE HARD
Secondly, there is Dakota Fanning, who made the much gentler horsey movie, Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story [e.tv.Friday.14.30] when she was eleven. Kurt Russell is her dad while Kris Kristofferson is at his craggy best as her granddad, seen as this movie revolves around a horse with a broken leg, it might be advisable to keep the tissue box handy.
KIRSTEN DUNST-THEN AND NOW
We have watched both these actresses grow up before our eyes; at the time of going to press, Fanning seems to be faring better career wise than Dunst; who, of course, is eight years older; with her childhood career a distant memory.
TATUM O' NEAL
So it goes with little people who act, some blossom into adult actors with relative ease, while some fade and disappear. Sometimes, the very elements that made them appealing children are the very things that jar and irritate later on or, poor little sods, their skins erupts, or they grow too tall or stay too short.
JODIE FOSTER AS A CHILD
Some, like Jodie Foster really make a meal of a career as an adult; others like Anna Paquin keeps doggedly working, often in unfulfilling roles. A great many, an obvious example being Tatum o’ Neal, never get going as an adult.
AS A CHILD, SHE GAVE LASSIE A RUN FOR HER/HIS MONEY
Where am I going with this? I have been meaning to pay tribute to Elizabeth Taylor for some time; now I’ve wangled myself a chance, here goes. All the obituaries mentioned her diamonds, her husbands, her health problems and her fluctuating weight; just for the hell of it, let’s examine the ingredient that brought her fame and fortune; her rapport with the camera.
WITH MONTY IN A PLACE IN THE SUN
Her acting as a child was more sincere than sensational; she was good with dogs and horses; also she was a pretty child with truly beautiful eyes. After a plethora of ingénue parts, in 1951, she played Angela Vickers opposite the tortured Montgomery Clift in A Place in the Sun; he kills his wife to win her favour; by this stage she was so beautiful that most people would have done the same.
AS MAGGIE THE CAT
Her greatest acting triumphs came playing Tennessee Williams heroines, Maggie Pollit opposite Paul Newman in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Catherine Holly again with Monty and the scene stealing Katherine Hepburn in Suddenly, Last Summer; then came Cleopatra, Richard Burton and History.
BURTON AND TAYLOR IN VIRGINIA WOLF
She won a sympathy Oscar in 1960 for Butterfield 8—the press made a meal out of one of her many brushes with death. Then, in 1966, Richard Burton, gave all comers an acting lesson in an adaptation of Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf, his then wife took home the Oscar.
AT HER BEAUTIFUL BEST-IN THE LATE 50S
The rest of Taylor’s career was pretty mundane, she went on to make some truly ghastly films; her Bette Davis / Joan Crawford School of Acting was dated, even in the early 60s. But love her or hate her, Dame Elizabeth Taylor was the last great star; not actress; star with a capital S. They don’t make them like her anymore.
THE QUEEN AND HER CONSORT
American critic Alan Silverman was joking about the trend of sequelitis, so prevalent in movie making today. Ice Age: The Meltdown [e.tv.Saturday.14.00] is the second in that franchise, not quite as good as the first, but loads of icy antics, the voice of Queen Latifa is a welcome added attraction.
A SUPERB POSTER
I’ve just made another new word; remakesque of which we have two examples this week. Imagine a hip hop Jay Gatsby; imagine no more, Richard T Jones does the honours in a not a terrible version of the Scott Fitzgerald novel; called enigmatically, G [e.tv.Thursday.20.30 and 00.55] ;Blair Underwood costars, with Chenoa Maxwell.
JENNIFER BEALS DOES HER BEST IN DIVAS
There is a hint of All About Eve in They Shoot Divas, Don’t They? [e.tv.00.40] unfortunately, it is just that, a faint trace.
WHOOPI BEING PATRONISED
Another made for television movie is Good Fences [e.tv.22.30], the story is bland and predictable, although it does make a few pertinent statements about racial disharmony; both Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover are good and good with each other.
THE STORY CHATTERY TEETH COMES FROM THIS COLLECTION
Quicksilver Highway [e.tv.01.30] has Christopher Lloyd retelling ala The Twilight Zone, two stories of terror, one by master Stephen King, a must for creepy freaks, that came out badly, you know what I mean!
TRACY AND BRUCE
Cop Out [M-Net. Friday.21.30] is just that, the script sounds promising; Bruce Willis is dependable while Tracy Morgan of 30 Rock fame is very funny indeed. His stand-up routine as a black poetess is one of the best sketches I’ve ever seen. But, the movie about lost baseball cards and two buddy cops is dire and far too long.
DE NIRO DISPLAYS HIS VERSATILITY
Much better is Mad Dog and Glory [SABC1.Thursday.23.00], with a neat role reversal, if ever there was one. De Niro plays the timid cop, while Bill Murray plays the mobster. Only Uma Thurman remains true to form as the beautiful woman. The film is poignant and very clever; with a script by Christopher Price.
JAMES BOND AND BUDDY
Matador [e.tv.Saturday.21.50] is also in the Buddy/Buddy/Unlikely Best Friend mould; good performances from Greg Kinnear and Pierce Brosnan carry the day rather well. And now, night must fall…
ESTEVEZ- THERE IS A STRIKING FAMILY LIKENESS
Judgment Night [SABC1.Friday.22.00] dating from 1993, was made at a time when it looked as if Emilio Estevez was going to be the big star in the Sheen household and before Cuba Gooding, Jnr became more of a Main Ingredient than his dad ever was. The movie moves at a cracking pace, with speed and spills galore.
ONE OF THE BEST-GENE HACKMAN
All Night Long [SABC3.Saturday.21.30] is even older; it was released in 1981, an almost forgotten Barbra Streisand movie, which is actually very good. Babs is as Babs is, but Gene Hackman gives a wonderful performance as a man whose life has played a series of terrible tricks on him. This is really a good way to spend Saturday night.
THE ONE WITH THE DIMPLE IS NOT THE DEVIL
Talking of Saturday Night… Live, why can’t they just run a channel, just for that show, almost every comedian worth their salt got a start there. I think Tina Fey is fabulous and her take off of Public Enemy #1; Sarah Palin is one of the greatest bits of comedy this century. Except that Madame Palin herself, like Hitler is not that funny, neither has she gone away; she’s sitting in Anchorage, killing endangered wildlife and regrouping.
COMEDY WITH AN EDGE
But back to Tina Fey, she and Steve Carrell are marvelous as the couple with a bad case of mistaken identity in Date Night [M-Net.Sunday.20.05 and Wednesday.22.30]. The spirit of Billy Wilder lives, after all. Miss this one at your peril.
SIDNEY POITIER
I have left a real classic until last. To Sir, With Love [e.tv.Sunday.21.55 and 01.40] was based on the memoirs of Guyanan born E.W. Braithwaite; Sidney Poitier plays the young black graduate trying to teach in a London slum.
LULU YELLS ON POITIER'S LEFT
Lulu costars and sings the (now) golden oldie theme song. Poitier, one of the finest actors of his generation gives a heartfelt, well thought out performance. One of those 60s movies that dates very well indeed.
CARRELL AND FEY
Maybe it isn’t really the best on offer, but I’m going to pick Date Night [M-Net.Sunday.20.05 and Wednesday.22.30].
HE'S A LITTLE BIT OLDER NOW
On behalf of Me and Me; I’d like to wish Bob Dylan a very happy 70th birthday on May 24. And Tina Fey who turns 41 today, the 18th.