Friday April 26
Margaret [M-Net.00.00]
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [e.tv.20.30 and 00.50]
Saturday April 27
DEN AND REN IN THE BLOODLESS REMAKE OF YOURS, MINE AND OURS
Yours, Mine and Ours [SABC3.19.30]
In Dreams [e.tv.21.55]
Sunday April 28
Men In Black III [M-Net.20.05]
Saint Ralph [e.tv.22.20]
DANCER GWEN VERDON SHARES A MOMENT WITH DON AMECHE. SHE WAS MARRIED TO BOB FOSSE FOR MANY YEARS
Cocoon [e.tv.02.25]
Monday April 29
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A PLAQUE IN MEMORIAL OF SABINA SPIELREIN WHO WAS MURDERED BY A NAZI DEATH SQUAD IN 1942
A Dangerous Method [M-Net.01.00]
Tuesday. April 30
Margaret. [M-Net.00.55]
Sympathy for Delicious [M-Net.03.20]
Wednesday May 1
A DRAMATIC SHOT FROM THE ARTIST
The Artist [M-Net.03.00]
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THE DIRECTOR AND HIS REWARD
There are two very different Oscar winning movies on show this week, firstly, Michel Hazanavicius’s tribute to the end of the silver silent screen, simply entitled The Artist [M-Net.Wednesday.03.00].became the first French film to win A Best Picture Award and Jean Dujaunan became the first Frenchman to take home the coveted Best Actor Award, beating among others, George Clooney in The Descendants and Brad Pitt in Moneyball. Hazanavicius won a directing award; the movie also won for Costume Design and Best Original Score.
JOHN GILBERT IN HIS PRIME
The Artist, mostly silent and shot in black and white, tells the story of how the coming of sound killed many well established careers. An obvious example being Garbo’s favourite leading men, John Gilbert who battled to make the transition from silence to sound. Gilbert, a huge star in the 20s, lost everything— his career, his wealth and later his life. He self destructed, drunk and penniless in 1936.
THE MOVIE DOES HAVE SOME MOMENTS OF MAGIC. JEAN DUJARDIN HERE WITH BERENICE BEJO
The Artist, although fascinating on many levels, is more of an innovative oddity than a masterpiece. Or maybe, I’ve just seen too many real silent films.
DON AMECHE- THAT WAS 'THE LOOK' BACK THEN
Secondly, a movie dating from 1985 called Cocoon [e.tv.Sunday. 02.25] which won a Best Supporting Actor Award for veteran actor Don Ameche. Born in 1908, Ameche was 21 in 1929, the time in which The Artist is set. Ameche, who made his first film in 1935, was to have no real problem with sound, his background was in radio.
AS STEPHEN FOSTER- ABOUT TO PLAY SWANEE RIVER WHILE ANDREA LEEDS LOOKS ON. HER MOST FAMOUS ROLE WAS AS THE YOUNG ACTRESS IN STAGEDOOR
Ameche had a long and sometimes unintentionally hilarious acting career; when biopics where all the rage, he played both the inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell and doomed songsmith, Stephen Foster.
MAKING THE MOST OF A SECOND CHANCE-AMECHE WITH WILFORD BRIMLEY AND HUME CROYN
After a gap of 13 years, he made Trading Places in 1983, Cocoon followed two years later. Cocoon is a delightful Sci-Fi Comedy made by Ron Howard, the plot is both simple and original—Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy are given a second chance at youth by some kindly aliens.
OLD IS OKAY TOO
Watch Cocoon; a quick-witted movie that is really amusing. For those of you who might remember, Don Ameche was one half of The Bickersons, a radio show, dating from the late 40s. The Bickersons were great favourites on the old SABC Aunty English Service.
CILLIAN MURPHY DOING HIS KEIR DULLEA IMPERSONATION
Three very versatile directors are on show this week; Danny Boyle’s crisp ‘earth- in- crisis’ epic, Sunshine [e.tv. Thursday.00.45] written by his long time collaborator, Alex Garland. The movie dates from 2007 and echoes a plotline that seems to be trending at the moment— Apocalypse Now. As Tom Lehrer might have said,
‘If the Global Warming don’t get ya, the Aliens will.’
THE REAL STAR OF SUNSHINE
In Sunshine, the sun is failing… and only a desperate attempt at regeneration, with a bomb aboard a spacecraft might save Earth from perpetual darkness.
THE SPLENDOR OF THE LONDON OLYMPICS
Boyle whose output includes Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaires and the star-studded London Olympics 2012, must be one of the most multitalented directors working today. If Sunshine, starring Chris Evans, Cillian Murphy and Rose Byrnes has not come your way before, catch it now.
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN- A LOVE STORY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Taiwanese born Ang Lee won his second directing Oscar this year for his work on The Life of Pi; he received his first for Brokeback Mountain in 2005. This week, there is a chance to see Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [e.tv. Friday.20.30 and 00.50], which won The Best Foreign Film at the Oscars in 2000.
THE EPIC THAT PUT ART BACK INTO MARTIAL ART
The movie is a subtle blend of East (Martial Arts) meets West (John Ford and/ or The Holy Grail! Take your pick) Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi star in this tale that mingles the universal themes of love, loyalty, duty and sacrifice. As The Radio Times said at the time ‘Ang Lee’s handsome epic puts the art back into martial art.’
JEFF GOLDBLUM TRANSMUTES INTO THE FLY
At one stage in his career, David Cronenberg was best known for directing The Fly. That was a while back, lately he and Viggo Mortensen have made some memorable movies together, including A History of Violence, Eastern Promises and A Dangerous Method [M-Net.Monday.01.00] in which Mortensen plays Freud, to Michael Fassbinder’s Jung.
FASSBENDER, KNIGHTLEY AND MORTENSEN
Keira Knightley plays Sabina Spielreim, patient, protagonist and later one of the earliest female psychoanalysts, who affected the thinking of both Freud and Jung.
JUNG, SPIELREIN AND FREUD
The movie, scripted by Christopher Hampton is based on the non fictional work by John Kerr entitled A Most Dangerous Method: The Story of Jung, Freud and Sabina Spielrein. The film is a close, fascinating study of this unlikely psychoanalytical ménage a trios but, in the end, proves once again that humans still have a great deal to learn about that most complex of abstractions, the human mind.
CHRISTOPHER THORNTON
Most actors are frustrated directors; Mark Ruffalo makes his debut in a little film written by real life paraplegic Christopher Thornton, who stars as a disabled man with healing hands.
RUFFALO MENACE IN A DOG COLLAR
Throw into the mix Ruffalo as a priest with a different agenda; add to the ooze some radio DJ-ing, a rocking band and a bunch of acting pals, Juliette Lewis, Orlando Bloom and Laura Linney... and out pops… a weird but strangely compelling movie called Sympathy for Delicious [M-Net.Monday. 03.20].
ANNA PAQUIN AND MATT DAMON-THEY LOOK SO YOUNG BECAUSE THE MOVIE TOOK FIVE YEARS TO SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY
Ruffalo is a good solid actor with a flexible range, he, Matt Damon and Anna Paquin united to make Margaret [ M-Net.Friday.00.00 and Tuesday.00.55]. A story about the aftermath of a bus crash, unfortunately, writer/ director Kenneth Lonergan kept cutting and recutting, turning his film into an artistic bus smash all of its own.
ADAM BUTCHER RUNS WHILE...
From the headlines, Saint Ralph [e.tv.Sunday.22.20], a touching film set in and around The Boston Marathon. The year is 1954; the story tells of a boy, played by Adam Butcher, inspired to run the marathon to entice his mother out of a coma
GORD DOWNIE SINGS
I’m a sucker for this kind of schmaltz; the boy crosses the finishing line to the tune of Hallelujah, sung by Gordon Downie; tear jerkers don’t come much jerkier than that!
DREAMS BECOME A WAKING NIGHTMARE FOR ANNETTE BENING
Horror these days normally means endless shots of the undead complete with leaky eyeballs. Back in 1999 when Neil Jordan made In Dreams [e.tv.Saturday.21.55], Horror was meant to keep the viewer awake at night, reliving the movie over and over.
A ROUGH LOOKING ROBERT DOWNEY
The plot is simple— Annette Bening shares her dreams with a serial killer, or is she merely losing her marbles? Bening is terrified, Robert Downey is terrifying and Aidan Quinn uses his eyes to great effect. Yes… That is Roy Orbison on the sound track… Oh, by the way, sleep well!
LUCY AND HANK IN THE ORIGINAL
Our remake of the week is Yours, Mine and Ours [SABC3. Saturday.19.30]. The original starred Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda and 18 offspring, that teaming alone raised a few laughs plus Lucy had a wonderful drunk scene. The remake stars Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo and 18 offspring. Leonard Maltin found it bland and charmless. So did I.
TRUST EMMA THOMPSON TO LIVEN UP THE ACTION
Our sequel of the week is Men in Black III [M-Net.Sunday.02.05], which once again stars Mr Smith and Mr Jones and bonus star Emma Thompson. The movie includes a deal of syncopated time traveling, frowning from Mr Jones and grinning from Mr Smith.
THIRD TIME-QUITE LUCKY
Put it this way, M in B III is both fun and funny and while not being quite as good as the first movie in the franchise, it is much better than the second.
DON AMECHE WINNING HIS OSCAR
My pick is Cocoon [e.tv.Sunday.02.25], I’m getting to the age and stage when I wish a friendly alien would do me a similar favour.