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ShareAs the month of September winds down, it’s a fairly routine 50/50 proposition on the premium movie channels this weekend. Granted, none of the offerings are instant classics, and if you base success on box office, only one truly triumphed (the other’s stellar fiscal performance masked a massive budget and even more monstrous marketing campaign). Still, if you’re up for a little man vs. monster brutality – complete with overreaching firepower – or a second serving of Elmore Leonard’s neo-noir, you just might be in luck. In fact, with the local Cineplex offering the kind of critically questionable vehicles that seem to slowly slog along between the blockbuster biz of Summer and the official start of awards season, you may be as equally entertained on the small screen as with a trip to the bigs. Besides, at least one of this weekend’s titles promises the kind of no holds barred brazenness that’s been missing from most mainstream comedies. So, for your consideration, here are the titles trying to grab your attention for the weekend of 22 September:
HBO – Wedding Crashers
In an age where ‘PG-13’ rules the Cineplex roost, and audiences apparently want their humor on the goofy or gross side, this raunchy R-rated comedy was a welcome relief from all the pro-PC platitudes stinking up the screen. With the viable chemistry between leads Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson (as men who arrive, uninvited, to other people’s ceremonies and cruise for some easily available action) and the laughably lewd hi-jinx they get into, this was one of 2005’s better efforts. While Cinemax subscribers have already had their fill of these naughty nuptial nogoodniks, it’s time for the Home Box Office crowd to get a taste of this film’s wild and wanton wackiness. (Premieres Saturday 23 September, 8:00pm EST)
Cinemax – Doom
Even with the rising stardom of one Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, no one except die-hard ‘Doomers’ were expected to give this adaptation of the popular title a chance. Turns out, those anonymous analysts were right. Granted, revamping a first person shooter experience noted for its horror, monsters and gore quotient into a continuous 100 minute narrative would seem like a tough enough challenge. Yet after jettisoning much of the original storyline in favor of a more Aliens-esque approach, even the loyalists felt lost. With only a single memorable POV sequence, this dull, derivative is high on body count, low on logic and proves that it’s the VERY rare game that can make the cinematic grade. (Premieres Saturday 23 September, 10:00pm EST)
Starz – The Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
In an obvious bid for some Lord of the Rings style revenue, Disney teamed up with late author C.S. Lewis’s multi-volume Christian allegory, and laid on as much CGI spectacle as they could. The result was a fairly well regarded hit. But first time live action director Andrew Adamson (who helped helm the first two Shrek epics) soon learned the lessons his Kiwi better Peter Jackson had to bear as well – fans will fry you if you’re unfaithful to the source, critics will complain if you sacrifice drama for the sake of literary loyalty. Where the Rings trilogy succeeded on all levels however, this heavy, ponderous production only soared when the action trumped the traditional narrative elements. Not surprisingly, a sequel is in the works. (Premieres Saturday 23 September, 9:00pm EST)
Showtime – Be Cool
Somehow, this smacks of desperation. John Travolta used the one two punch of Pulp Fiction and Get Shorty to resurrect his flagging feature film career back in 1996. Now, 10 years later, he is back as mobster turned mogul Chili Palmer, and not surprising, looking for yet another considered career boast. Not even the eccentric cast – featuring Uma Thurman, Vince Vaughn, Cedric the Entertainer and a previous named ex-wrestler – can save this sloppy, silly sequel. Moving the action from the movie to the music business may have seemed like a logical - and literary - move, but it only stands to rehash material that was tenuous to begin with. Even with the thankless artifice of Barry Sonnenfeld’s mannered direction out of the picture (F. Gary Gray is in charge here), this is still one revisit too many. (Saturday 23 September, 9pm EST)
Indie Film Focus: September 2006
Last month, Turner Classic Movies was kind enough to supply us with 30 days of star driven righteousness to keep the small screen film finds freely flowing. With the network back to it’s rather hit or miss programming, SE&L has decided to focus on another facet of the cinematic canon – the Independent film. Thanks to IFC, otherwise known as The Independent Film Channel, and The Sundance Channel, there is currently a 24 hour a day supply of outsider excellence. Some of the movie suggestions here will seem obvious. Others will reflect the divergent nature of the art form’s overall approach. Whatever the case, these are the highlights for the week of 16 September through 22 September:
IFC
Wonderland (2003)
Val Kilmer stars in this intriguing look at these infamous murders, and the possible connection to porn star John Holmes.
(Sunday 24 September, 9pm EST)
Talk To Her (2002)
Pedro Almodovar won an Oscar for his screenplay to this unusual character drama revolving around life, death, and the tenuous, comatose connections between.
(Tuesday 26 September, 9pm EST)
Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)
The Vermeer masterwork gets its own unusual cinematic explanation in this fascinating film. With Colin Firth as the artist and Scarlett Johansson as his muse.
(Wednesday 25 September, 9pm EST)
Secrets and Lies (1996)
Director Mike Leigh turns his idiosyncratic improvisational style loose on the family drama, with amazing, masterful results.
(Thursday 28 September, 5:45pm EST)
Sundance Channel
Dazed and Confused
The ultimate time warp back to the ‘70s, D&C also stands as the final statement on the joy and illogical liberty of youth.
(Saturday, 23 September, 10pm EST)
