Going through the possible motion picture presentations every week, it’s fascinating to see how the premium movie channels are expanding and diversifying. For example, Moveiplex (a division of Starz) has just announced the start-up of two new services – Indieplex and Retroplex. Each one addresses what the company sees as underserved cinematic categories – in this case, independent films and classics from the past – and each one is hoping that rabid film fans will agree. It’s not an unusual move – Encore (another Starz subsidiary) has always divided up its content into mysteries, romance, westerns, etc. But as more and more outlets open up – channels devoted exclusively to foreign films, or horror – it becomes harder and harder to keep track of the options. With the big pay networks offering multiple feeds and On-Demand services as well, the choices are almost limitless. Thankfully, for the weekend beginning 17 March, one easily accessible feature clearly stands out:
Premiere Pick
Silent Hill
It’s all about the creepy in this big screen adaptation of the popular videogame series. Thanks to the brilliant direction of Brotherhood of the Wolf‘s Christophe Ganz, and the spectacular set design and F/X work of his capable crew, what could have been your standard scary movie becomes a troubling look at an (after)world gone insane. Many of the more frightening moments have very little to do with the odd assortment of monsters and mayhem that actresses Rahda Mitchell and Laurie Holden must overcome. No, the real terror lies in not knowing the rules of this particular locale, and the consequences that occur whenever an eerie air raid siren sounds, signaling the return of ‘the darkness’. It’s hard to describe how vibrant and visceral this movie is, especially in an era which substitutes blood and brutality for genuine scares. In a year of many excellent fright fests, Silent Hill stands as one of the genre’s best. (17 March, Starz, 9PM EST)
Additional Choices
Take the Lead
Antonio Banderas goes Mad Hot Ballroom on a group of troubled New York kids, arguing that there is no problem in life that cannot be overcome through dance. While it’s territory that’s been covered a hundred times before, something about the sight of Mr. Melanie Griffith shaking his moneymaker has an indescribable charm. If you can overcome the schmaltz, you might enjoy this feel good urban pulp. (17 March, HBO, 8PM EST)
The Family Stone
One of last year’s under the radar delights, former fashion executive Thomas Bezucha deconstructs the knotty connections between kinfolk with this fresh, occasionally formulaic comedy. Sarah Jessica Parker is the uptight, Type-A personality who finds herself awash in the title clan’s free-spirited spontaneity. Dermot Mulroney is her boyfriend, and the prodigal Stone. While there is much more drama here than humor, Bezucha keeps the revelations and the reactions honest. (17 March, Cinemax, 10PM EST)
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The Devil’s Rejects
Rob Zombie taps into the long lost exploitation zeitgeist to create this superior follow up to his 2003 film House of 1000 Corpses. Less stylized than said spook show debut, and featuring some amazing moments of disturbing viciousness, this shock cinema vérité is unbelievably accomplished. Sadly, this promising terror auteur seems to be going backwards with his upcoming Halloween remake. (17 March, Showtime, 10PM EST)
Indie Pick
Audition
Ten years ago, he was literally unknown to Western audiences. Then this startlingly original movie came along, and cinephiles everywhere stood up and took notice. Noted for his combination of the beautiful and the grotesque, and never sparring his audience the onscreen shivers that can come from both, the talented Takashi Miike has since gone on to become a certified cult icon. From Ichi the Killer to his banned Masters of Horror episode, Imprint, he has consistently pushed the envelope when it comes to blood and guts. That’s clearly the case here, the story of a widower holding ‘try outs’ for a nonexistent film as part of a plan to choose a new bride. To say the tables are turned on this lonely lothario is an understatement. While there are many who believe Miike merely makes geek shows, there is a lot of artistry here as well. (20 March, Sundance, 12AM EST)
Additional Choices
Boogie Nights
After Hard Eight failed to deliver anything but major critical kudos, writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson decided to fully explore his Robert Altman-esque muse with this multi-layered, multi-character look at porn through the ’70s and ’80s. Featuring a star making turn for Mark Wahlberg, and a momentary career rebirth for Burt Reynolds, this impressive human dramedy remains one of the ’90s great masterworks. (18 March, IFC, 9PM EST)
sex, lies and videotape
It was the film that announced the independent film renaissance, a stunning dissection of life and love between detached, alienated individuals. Introducing Stephen Soderbergh as a director to watch, and giving the brilliant James Spader the role of a lifetime, this Cannes Film Festival winner remains a powerful, personal statement. (19 March, IFC, 7:10PM EST)
Road to Guantanamo
It’s an odd experiment in narrative assemblage – a part documentary, part fiction film revolving around the Tipton Three, a trio of British Muslims arrested and held in the infamous American military prison for two years – only to be released, uncharged. Thanks in part to the shocking recreations, based on the testimony of the men involved, we get a window into the way in which our current government manages the so-called ‘war’ on terror. (19 March, Sundance, 10:15PM EST)
Outsider Option
Spider Baby
It had a reputation of carnival barker proportions. Supposedly lost, then rumored to be too “shocking” for release, this low budget brain bender from writer producer Jack Hill still stands as an idiosyncratic eye-opener. Featuring Lon Chaney Jr. in one of his last roles, as well as the sensationally surreal sight of newcomer Sid Haig as the repugnant Ralph, this madcap macabre touches on murder, mayhem, and that tasty taboo of the post-modern world – cannibalism. Presented as part of Turner Classic Movie’s new Underground series (though typical host Rob Zombie is AWOL thanks to present production commitments), you will not spend a better 81 schlock filled minutes in your fright fan lifetime. They just don’t make ’em like this anymore – and once you’ve seen Spider Baby, you’ll know why. This is one seriously screwed up horror comedy. (16 March, Turner Classic Movies, 2AM EST)
Additional Choices
The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
Taking on the classic (?!?) Wes Craven cannibal epic, French fright master Alexandre Aja (the wonderful Haute Tension) decided to explore the backstory of the horrifying mutants at the center of the scares. The result was one of the most startling last act confrontations in recent cinema, and a remake that surpasses the original freak show gratuity. The upcoming sequel will apparently offer more of the same. (19 March, ActionMax, 8PM EST)
Babette’s Feast
Food is frequently used as a metaphor in film – as an extension of, reason for, or substitute to living. Here, Danish filmmaker Gabriel Axel uses the title repast as a way of bridging the gap between family, religion and the past. Winner of the 1988 Oscar for Best Foreign Film, it’s the kind of movie that whets your appetite as it simultaneously stimulates your emotional core. It’s indeed a meal fit for a king. (19 March, Indieplex, 11:45PM EST)
The Long Goodbye
When approached about remaking the classic Raymond Chandler story, American auteur Robert Altman felt a little uneasy. The material, in his mind, needed to be modernized and filtered through a post-counterculture concept of cynicism and mistrust. In the end, he delivered one of the ’70s defining films, a narrative perfectly in sync with the Watergate weakened resolve of a stunned society. (21 March, Retroplex, 8PM EST)
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