Thursday October 20
Second Hand Hearts [SABC3.01.00]
Because I Said So [e.tv.20.30]
Friday October 21
Machete [M-Net.21.30]
London River [M-Net.00.20]
The Maiden Heist [M-Net.04.15]
Chain Reaction [e.tv.20.30]
A SUPER STILL OF WINN-DIXIE AND FRIEND
Because of Winn-Dixie [e.tv.0035]
Saturday October 22
Deep Sea [SABC3.14.50]
Push [M-Net.20.15]
Sunday October 23
Secretariat [M-Net.20.05]
NO CONTEST...OR IS THERE?
Cyrus [M-Net.23.05]
Evan Almighty [SABC1.20.00]
Smokey and the Bandit II [SABC1.22.00]
WHEN THEY WAS BAD
Bad Boys [e.tv.20.00 and 01.00]
Monday October24
Zilch
Tuesday October 25
Push [M-Net.00.30]
London River [M-Net.03.00]
Wednesday October 26
Secretariat [M-Net.22.30]
Machete [M-Net.01.30]
***
SECRETARIAT'S FLYING FEET
You know that the buying bosses have not been on a productive movie shopping spending spree for quite a while when Morgan Freeman, a horse and a hound provide some of the highlights of the week. Anyway, for what it’s worth, here goes.
MORGAN FREEMAN IN THE DAYS WHEN ALMOST EVERYBODY SPORTED AN AFRO
Morgan Freeman is a good actor, very predictable and extremely hard working; he has made 60 odd feature films (at the commendable average of 1, 5 films a year) since his debut in 1971, when aged 34, he appeared in Who Says I Can’t Ride the Rainbow.
ALIKE AND YET NOT ALIKE
He often plays a benevolent black man with gritty moral fibre; these roles have included God and Nelson Mandela. His private life seems to reflect his screen persona; although when he was involved a car accident a few years ago, his passenger was a female person who was not his wife— but, hey, no one’s perfect.
THROWING UP THEIR HANDS INHORROR-WELL THEY MIGHT!
This week we can watch Freeman at various points in his career; starting in 1996, with Chain Reaction [e.tv.Friday.20.30] a silly programmer where he shares a lot of absurd screen time with Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz. If you thrive on really far fetched conspiracy stories overlaid with threats of cosmic destruction and find Rachel and/or Reeves pleasing to the eye, you may enjoy this one.
DEAR GOD
For Anglo American actors of a certain age and stage, playing God and/or The President of the US seems to come with the turf. Morgan Freeman first played God in Bruce Almighty; aided and abetted that time by the manic posturing of Jim Carrey.
DEAR STEVE
He dons a heavenly mantle again in Evan Almighty [SABC1.Sunday.20.00], this time with poor Steve Carell, who is wasted in his role as a latter-day Noah. Unfortunately, no one appears to be on the same hymn sheet and the laughs are few and far between.
MACY, WALKEN AND MORGAN FREEMAN
Another Freeman movie, The Maiden Heist [M-Net. Friday.04.15] has a clever plotline and some finely timed character studies from Freeman, William Macy, Marcia Gay Harden and Christopher Walken. This kind of caper often starts well, lingers too long and then runs out of steam long before the closing credits. Not The Maiden Heist, it remains sharp and poignantly funny until the last frame which is exactly 90 minutes after the first.
FRANCIS THE TALKING MULE-HERE WITH DONALD O' CONNER
Remember Velvet, Silver and Francis (who really was a mule, but let’s not get picky,) horses on screen are in the same league as dogs; normally they steal the show.
LANE AND MALKOVICH ENJOY A DAY AT THE RACES
Diane Lane and John Malkovich appear as owner and trainer to racehorse, Secretariat [M-Net.Sunday.20.05 and Wednesday.22.30] in a film of the same name. Nothing life changing, but a salute to courage, determination and the sheer thrill of speed. Lane and Malkovich deliver performances that give Secretariat a fair run for his money.
WINN-DIXIE AND FAMILY-SOUTH AFRICAN BORN DAVE MATTHEWS STRUMS THE GUITAR
Because of Winn-Dixie [e.tv.Friday.00.35] is ‘dog of the week’, in a film based on the novel by Kate DiCamillo. AnnaSophia Robb and Jeff Daniels star, together with Elle Fanning, younger sister of Dakota. This seems unlikely territory for director Wayne Wang, but, all in all, Because of Winn Dixie provides a thumping good tail wag.
KEATON AND ALLEN-ALL THE RAGE IN ANNIE HALL
Once upon a time I was a great Diane Keaton fan; I thought she and Woody Allen were a great team and Annie Hall was one of my favorite movies from the mid 70s.
KEATON AND MOORE-A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN
Just lately, she has become very mannered and rather irritating. These fluttering hand gestures and inane grins are very evident in Because I Said So [e.tv.Thursday.20.30], where she plays mother to Mandy Moore. The kindest thing to say is that they sure deserve each other.
BLAKE AS A CHILD
Robert Blake was a child star in his teen and preteen years; even then, he was one of those tots whose cuteness bordered on cunning. As an adult, he is probably best remembered for playing Perry Smith, one of the cold blooded killers in Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, one of the most truly horrifying movies ever made.
BONNIE LEE BAKLEY-ROBERT BLAKE WAS HER 10TH HUSBAND
Blake had an ongoing career on American TV, notably the series, Baretta and then, made tabloid headlines in 2001 for sort of not killing his second wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley. She was 44 when she died of a gunshot wound to the head. Why all this inconsequential rubbish?
ROBERT BLAKE AS KILLER PERRY SMITH
Oh, yes, Blake made a really bad film in 1981 called Second Hand Hearts [SABC3.Thursday.01.00], try very hard not to see it. If, on the other hand, you ever get a chance to see In Cold Blood, which was directed by Richard Brooks; it is riveting. I remember huge chunks of it all too clearly, although I first saw the movie over forty years ago.
JACKIE GLEASON-KING OF THE HARASSED GRIMACE
Remember the days when a cover shot of Burt Reynolds in a tight fitting tee shirt was a sure way to make tabloid magazines fly off the supermarket shelves. Relive those glory days and watch Smokey and the Bandit II [SABC1.Sunday.22.00] which co stars both Jackie Gleason and Dom DeLuise hamming their heads off.
HIS TEE SHIRT WAS IN THE OTHER ROOM
If you are too young to remember Burt in his heyday, and can’t see what all the fuss is about, wait until your kids laugh at Robert Pattinson’s bridge work a decade and a half from now.
ANOTHER NEW TREND-'THE JOINED AT THE HIP BROTHER WRITING/DIRECTING TEAM'
Cyrus [M-Net.Sunday.23.05] is a comedy about the perils of mother love, and surprise, surprise, it actually works pretty well. The movie is directed by Duplass, Jay and Mark and produced by Scott, Ridley and Tony. John C Riley needs every crease of his mobile face to cope with his new girlfriend’s relationship with her son, Cyrus.
AN UNEASY FAMILY GROUP;A BEMUSED REILLY WATCHES MOTHER AND SON
Marisa Tomei plays parent to the petulant antics of Jonah Hill as Cyrus. Throw in Catherine Keener, who is as adept at comedy as she is at drama and a nifty shifty script by the Duplass brothers and behold an amusing modern comedy that doesn’t rely completely on sit com type gags and potty humour.
FRANCO ALGERIAN DIRECTOR RACHID BOUCHAREB
Rachid Bouchareb who made Days of Glory directs London River [M-Net.Friday.00.20 and Tuesday.03.00] Like Days of Glory, he sets London River within an historical event; this times the London bombings of 2005.
BLETHYN AND KOUYATE
Brenda Blethyn and Sotigui Kouyate play parents who come to realize that loss and shared grief can easily override cultural and religious differences. This is a carefully crafted, sadly fulfilling piece of cinema from a very talented director.
AN OCTOPUS'S GARDEN
Deep Sea [SABC3.Saturday.14.50] is a documentary, made and marketed for Imax distribution. The narrating voices are Johnny Depp, who seems to have an affinity for things salty and wet and Kate Winslet who has a wonderfully mellifluous voice. The world below the water, home to jellyfish, octopus and turtle is compelling in a surreal, hypnotic way.
LAWRENCE AND SMITH AS BAD BOYS
I wonder if Will Smith is wearing out his star encrusted welcome mat; the signs are there. Watch this space; on second thoughts don’t; I’m always wrong about this sort of thing.
THE LADY HAS HER MOMENTS
Seriously, back in 1995, when he was top of the princes Smith and Martin Lawrence made a ‘buddy-buddy’ that was a smash, in more ways than one. Bad Boys [e.tv.Sunday.20.00 and 01.00] was directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Brucheimer and featured Tea Leoni in a big screen roles that really suited her rather specialized talent.
THE POWERS THAT BE
The plot of Push [M-Net.Saturday.20.15 and Tuesday.00.30] is very ‘in’ at the moment, all the characters have special powers, Chris Evans has telekinetic prowess, Camilla Belle and Djimon Hounsou specialize in mind control while Dekota Fanning can predict the future.
ALL GROWN UP
To find the plot, connect those dots. A Word-Don’t hold your breath, but I think that Dakota Fanning now aged 17, may well make the difficult transition from a child star to a fully fledged adult actor. Very few are that talented or that lucky.
JUST THE KIND OF BLOKE TO TAKE HOME TO MEET THE FOLKS
Violence in one form or another never really goes out of fashion; nothing like a bit of voyeuristic sadism to release tension. Machete [M-Net.Friday.21.30 and Wednesday.01.30], starring Danny Trujo does the job, awash as it is with blood, guts and gore.
SO NEAR...
Not really that much to choose from this week, but London River [M-Net.Friday.00.20 and Tuesday.03.00] is my pick.