TCM Premieres....

Discussion of programming on TCM.
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ziggy6708a
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Re: TCM Premieres....

Post by ziggy6708a »

SUN., 1-1, 2023 Space Comedies....

(times ET)

10:00
pm

The Reluctant Astronaut (1967)
1h 42m | Comedy | TV-G

Don Knotts in a story about a carnival ride operator (afraid of heights) who is hired as a janitor at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston and is eventually sent into space.

Director
Edward J. Montagne
Cast
Don Knotts, Leslie Nielsen, Joan Freeman
"....Not as popular as his first film ventures, The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964) and The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), due to its connection to the Apollo program, The Reluctant Astronaut still was a popular children's film and was frequently shown on weekend afternoons. ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Reluctant_Astronaut

======================================

12:00
am

Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953)
1h 17m | Comedy | TV-G

Lester and Orville accidentally launch a rocket which is supposed to fly to Mars. Instead it goes to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. They are then forced by bank robber Mugsy and his pal Harry to fly to Venus where they find a civilization made up entirely of women

see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbott_an ... Go_to_Mars
Director
Charles Lamont
Cast
Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Mari Blanchard
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scsu1975
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Re: TCM Premieres....

Post by scsu1975 »

ziggy6708a wrote: January 1st, 2023, 2:48 pm
12:00
am

Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953)
1h 17m | Comedy | TV-G

Lester and Orville accidentally launch a rocket which is supposed to fly to Mars. Instead it goes to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. They are then forced by bank robber Mugsy and his pal Harry to fly to Venus where they find a civilization made up entirely of women

see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbott_an ... Go_to_Mars
Director
Charles Lamont
Cast
Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Mari Blanchard
Not one of their best - but Blanchard looks good as usual.
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ziggy6708a
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Re: TCM Premieres....

Post by ziggy6708a »

WED., 1-4

(time ET)

4:15
pm

My Demon Lover (1987)
1h 27m | Comedy

"Denny is a young woman who has horrible luck with men. Her latest encounters have been particularly bad, so when she meets a homeless (and horny) street musician, Kaz, she thinks that she may have found a good man. Little does she know that Kaz was cursed by the mother of a young girl he was messing around with while he was in middle school. Whenever he becomes aroused he becomes a demon. ....

....Michael Wilmington of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "though there’s a lot wrong with it, there are things amusingly right about it, too". While acknowledging that some audiences may find it too "overcute and shallow", he said it works better than some big studio comedies.[8] TV Guide's review says that film may have been meant to be satirical, but the film's script and direction make it difficult to take seriously".......

see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Demon_Lover

Director
Ted G Vujovich
Cast
Raymond Patterson, Larry Melman, James Morrissey


6:00
pm

Sphinx (1981)
1h 58m | Adventure | TV-14

An archaeologist travels to Egypt to find the lost tomb of a king, which has a curse on it. After a local expert on the tomb murdred, she becomes the next target for assassins.

"....Vincent Canby of The New York Times said the film "never stops talking and never does it make a bit of sense. It's unhinged. If it were a person, and you were trying to be nice, you might say it wasn't itself." He continued, "Mr. Schaffner and Mr. Byrum have effectively demolished what could have possibly been a decently absurd archeological-adventure film. The locations . . . are so badly and tackily used that the movie could have been shot more economically in Queens . . . The performers are terrible, none more so than Mr. Langella, who is supposed to be mysterious and romantic but behaves with all of the charm of a room clerk at the Nile Hilton." In conclusion, he called the film "total, absolute, utter confusion."...

see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphinx_(film)
Director
Franklin J. Schaffner
Cast
Lesley-anne Down, Frank Langella, Maurice Ronet

:roll:
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Re: TCM Premieres....

Post by TikiSoo »

ziggy6708a wrote: January 4th, 2023, 8:57 am The performers are terrible, none more so than Mr. Langella, who is supposed to be mysterious and romantic but behaves with all of the charm of a room clerk at the Nile Hilton."
I find it hard to believe Frank Langella would ever be wooden or bland. Lesley Ann Down is at the very least a capable actress, I just can't believe the acting is the weak point of that movie.
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Re: TCM Premieres....

Post by ziggy6708a »

LATE FRI., 1-6
Underground...

times ET

2:15
am

Hackers (1995)
1h 45m | Teens | TV-MA

Zero Cool--real name Dade Murphy--is a legend among his peers. In 1988, he single-handedly crashed 1,507 computers on Wall Street, creating worldwide financial chaos. Eleven years old, Dade Murphy had a record with the F.B.I.--forbidden to finger the keys of so much as a touchtone phone...
The film follows a group of high school hackers and their involvement in a corporate extortion conspiracy. ..
Director
Iain Softley
Cast
Kristin Moreu, Richard Purro, Ethan Browne

"......On the show Siskel & Ebert, Ebert gave the film thumbs up while Gene Siskel gave the film thumbs down, saying, "I didn't find the characters that interesting and I really didn't like the villain in this piece. I thought Fisher Stevens was not very threatening... The writing is so arch."[31]

Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle, wrote "Want a believable plot or acting? Forget it. But if you just want knockout images, unabashed eye candy and a riveting look at a complex world that seems both real and fake at the same time, Hackers is one of the most intriguing movies of the year."....
see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers_(film)#Reception

4:15
am

S.F.W. (1994)
1h 32m | Adaptation | TV-MA

When young slacker Cliff Spab (Stephen Dorff) becomes one of several hostages in a convenience store held by publicity-seeking extremists, he endures being a prisoner for weeks. Eventually, Cliff grows indifferent to his survival, and his defiance is captured on camera, striking a chord with TV viewers...
Director
Jefery Levy
Cast
Natasha Gregson Wagner, Amber Benson, Lisa Dinkins

"“S.F.W." is the kind of movie to inspire members of Generation X to lie about their age. It qualifies Forrest Gump for a genius grant. It is a portrait of the most singularly stupid, obnoxious character I've seen on the screen in many a day - which would be promising, if he were not boring, as well....

see: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/sfw-1995

:roll:
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LostHorizons
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Re: TCM Premieres....

Post by LostHorizons »

TikiSoo wrote: January 5th, 2023, 6:38 am
ziggy6708a wrote: January 4th, 2023, 8:57 am The performers are terrible, none more so than Mr. Langella, who is supposed to be mysterious and romantic but behaves with all of the charm of a room clerk at the Nile Hilton."
I find it hard to believe Frank Langella would ever be wooden or bland. Lesley Ann Down is at the very least a capable actress, I just can't believe the acting is the weak point of that movie.
I watched a portion of that hoping for a cool Mummy style horror film and what I got was some British lady bumbling around Cairo for two hours.
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ziggy6708a
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Re: TCM Premieres....

Post by ziggy6708a »

late SUN., 1-8
TCM IMPORTS.....

times ET


2:30
am

The Scar (1976)
1h 52m | Drama

about a man put in charge of the construction of a large chemical factory in his home town in the face of strong opposition from the townspeople who are concerned with their short-term needs.

Director
Krzysztof Kieslowski
Cast
Krzysztof Kieslowski, Franciszek Pieczka, Jerzy St...

"Blizna' is a realistic film about a socialist society, but socialist realism was never even close to realism. It's full of that blind optimism which Stalin so idealized. But Kieslowski's film, Blizna, is incredibly pessimistic: it shows how socialism works, how it doesn't work, how it cannot work and how it's impossible for anyone to make a change in a society like that. However, one shouldn't feel that Kieslowski was a man cheering for individualism, market economy or economic liberalism. He always called himself unpolitical and criticism for the new, capitalist Poland can be seen in his later film Three Colors: White (1993). .....

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074220/re ... =tt_ql_urv


4:30
am

Camera Buff (1979)
1h 52m | Comedy

about a humble factory worker whose newfound hobby, amateur film, becomes an obsession, and transforms his modest and formerly contented life.[1]
Camera Buff won the Polish Film Festival Golden Lion Award and the FIPRESCI Prize and Golden Prize at the 11th Moscow International Film Festival,[2] and the Berlin International Film Festival Otto Dibelius Film Award in 1980....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_Buff#Reception

Director
Krzysztof Kieslowski
Cast
Jerzy Stuhr, Malgorzata Zabkowska, Ewa Pokas

:smiley_chinrub:
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LawrenceA
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Re: TCM Premieres....

Post by LawrenceA »

Haven't seen those. I think the only Kieslowski films I've seen are The Decalogue and the Three Colors trilogy.
Watching until the end.
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ziggy6708a
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Re: TCM Premieres....

Post by ziggy6708a »

MON., 1-9


6:15
pm (ET)

El Condor (1970)
1h 42m | Action | TV-14

Jim Brown and Lee Van Cleef lead a band of Apaches (including Iron Eyes Cody) against a fortress commanded by Patrick O'Neal. The fortress is said to contain the gold reserves of Emperor Maximilian.
Director
John Guillermin
Cast
Jim Brown, Lee Van Cleef, Patrick O'neal

....Roger Ebert's review of August 27, 1970 in the Chicago Sun-Times began: "Lee Van Cleef's last words in El Condor are, 'What am I doing here?' Amen, brother".......
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

".......So with that comes the observation that El Condor is not successful in making any deep meaningful observations on either the human condition or politico posturing. What it does do is have a bloody good time, with its bloody brutal action sequences, a body count via gun-play that would fill out a war movie and the sexually charged atmosphere, El Condor is mindless but pure unadulterated entertainment. So Amen to that! ..."

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065570/re ... =tt_ql_urv

:roll:
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Re: TCM Premieres....

Post by ziggy6708a »

early FRI., 1-13

(times ET)

2:00
am

Soup For One (1982)
1h 27m | Comedy

When Allan meets Maria he is sure he has found the perfect woman for him but she's not interested. He persists, she relents, they begin dating. Allan then starts to second guess what he thought he wanted.

Director
Jonathan Kaufer
Cast
Kim Chan, Linda Ray, Bo Rucker

"This early 80's comedy is far more sombre than you might expect. With definite shades of Woody Allen, it begins as a pretty funny send-up of the singles scene, but somewhat awkwardly changes into a film about social and parental conditioning, ending with a psychological twist that no rom-com today would risk. Most of the jokes are a bit labored, and there is a weird S/M subtext that (along with the low-budget TV station setting) evokes inappropriate memories of Videodrome. No lost classic, but a passable evening's entertainment, Soup For One is just about worth seeing, although the soundtrack (by Chic) is probably the best thing about the movie...."

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084708/re ... =tt_ql_urv


3:45
am

Set Me Free (1999)
1h 34m | Comedy

tells the story of Hanna, a girl struggling with her sexuality and the depression of both her parents as she goes through puberty in Quebec in 1963.
The film heavily references the French new-wave film "Vivre sa vie" by Jean-Luc Godard.

Director
Lea Pool
Cast
Karine Vanasse as Hanna
Pascale Bussières as Hanna's mother
Miki Manojlovic as Hanna's father

"Emporte-Moi was well received by critics, and was given an average rating of 8/10 by reviewers.[2][3] Critics generally praised the film's bittersweet tone and the performances, particularly that of Vanasse. Still, some, such as Roger Ebert, criticised the film's ending for seeming somewhat forced.[4]

On Autostraddle’s list of the 200 Best Lesbian, Bisexual & Queer Movies of All Time, Set Me Free was ranked at number 34...."

see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_Me_Free_(1999_film)

:smiley_huh:
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Re: TCM Premieres....

Post by EP Millstone »

ziggy6708a wrote: January 9th, 2023, 2:42 am El Condor (1970) . . .
I love El Condor!

Although I haven't seen every one of Lee Van Cleef's movies, of his movies that I have seen, I consider his acting in El Condor to be his finest. He delivered a multidimensional performance, making "Jaroo," by turns, comical, crafty and cunning, compassionate . . .

After a Mexican mother calls her young son a b@st@rd, Jaroo empathetically tells the boy, "You know, you and I got a lot in common. I’m a b@st@rd, too. Ain’t it great. Most of the best people are.”

. . . and ultimately murderous. For me, Van Cleef's characterization significantly enhances the entertaining, action-packed screenplay by always interesting-B-movie ace Larry Cohen.
"Start every day off with a smile and get it over with." -- W.C. Fields
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ziggy6708a
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Re: TCM Premieres....

Post by ziggy6708a »

SAT., 1-14 starring Bob Hope....

times ET

8:00
pm

Monsieur Beaucaire (1946)
1h 33m | Comedy | TV-G
A bumbling barber in the court of King Louis XV becomes engaged in political intrigue.
It is loosely based on the novel of the same name by Booth Tarkington. It is a remake of the 1924 Rudolph Valentino silent film of the same name Monsieur Beaucaire.

Director
George Marshall
Cast
Bob Hope, Joan Caulfield, Patric Knowles

"Above-average Bob Hope costume comedy… borrows its title and inspiration from a silent Rudolph Valentino romance-drama, but transforms the original premise of a duke disguised as a barber into a farce about a real barber and a duke switching places......
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/104141 ... _beaucaire

10:00
pm

Caught in the Draft (1941)
1h 22m | Comedy | TV-G
Don Bolton is a movie star who can't stand loud noises. To evade the draft, he decides to marry a colonel's daughter.

Director
David Butler
Cast
Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Eddie Bracken, Lynne Overman

".....The gag quota is high, visually and orally, a one liner or a brisk set piece is never far away, and Lamour continues to be the perfect lady foil for Hope's ebullient japery. Whether it's the cowardly comedy antics or fluke bravado, it's a film showcasing the best of Bob Hope and a character persona that served him so well over the years.,,,,,,"

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033455/re ... =tt_ql_urv

====================================================
2:00
am

Night Shift (1982)
1h 46m | Comedy

film centers on a timid night-shift morgue employee whose life is turned upside down by a new co-worker who fancies himself a free-spirited entrepreneur. It stars Howard's Happy Days co-star Henry Winkler along with Michael Keaton, in his first starring role, and Shelley Long.

Director
Ron Howard

"....received mostly positive reviews from critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 93% based on 28 reviews, with an average rating of 6.70/10.
The site's critics consensus reads, "Night Shift bristles with pitch-perfect laughs thanks to Ron Howard's snappy direction and a side-splitting turn from Michael Keaton."[5] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100, based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6] Many reviewers praised the performances of the two male leads, particularly Michael Keaton. ....."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Shift_(1982_film)

:)
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Re: TCM Premieres....

Post by CinemaInternational »

Monsieur Beauclaire is one of Bob Hope's finest hours, and I think I will always treasure it for it making my father laugh so much while he was watching it with me.....
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Re: TCM Premieres....

Post by ziggy6708a »

late Sun., early MON., 1-16

times ET

4:30
am

Ciao, Federico! (1970)
1h 20m | Documentary
A behind-the-scenes documentary about the filming of the Federico Fellini film, “Satyricon.” (aired earlier)

Director
Gideon Bachmann
Cast
Hiram Keller, Regine Heuser, Martin Potter
"Review by Mike Kennedy ★★★½ 3

German-born American radio commentator Gideon Bachman, who had been friends with Fellini for 15 years, persuaded Fellini to give him and his camera unrestricted access to the sets where he was shooting Satyricon and this hour-long documentary is the result. It is a properly observational documentary that looks like what is is - someone who knows how to work a camera trailing around for seven months shooting stuff that looked interesting then editing it together using the kind of anecdotal structure that answers the question: “So, what have you been doing in the year since I last saw you?”.....
At this stage of his filmmaking, Fellini was still not shooting synchronised sound, so the question of how his non-professional actors managed chunks of dialogue is clear. Like the professional actors, they didn’t. They said anything at all during the shooting, often random numbers, and the dialogue was dubbed in in post-production...."

see: https://letterboxd.com/film/ciao-federico/
========================================================
MON., 1-16 MLK Day tribute


8:00
pm

The Autobiography Of Miss Jane Pittman (1974)
2h | Adaptation

The story depicts the struggles of African Americans as seen through the eyes of the narrator, a woman named Jane Pittman. She tells of the major events of her life from the time she was a young slave girl in the American South at the end of the Civil War.

"Winner of nine Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama of the 1973-74 season, this was one of the most acclaimed TV movies ever, highlighted by Cicely Tyson's Emmy-winning performance as the (fictional) woman who was born into slavery in the 1850s and lived to see the Civil Rights movement a century later. "

Director John Korty and writer Tracy Keenan Wynn also received Emmy Awards. Additionally, they won the Directors Guild of America and Writers Guild of America awards, respectively, and the film was given the prestigious Christopher Award.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Autob ... ne_Pittman

Director
John Korty
Cast
Cicely Tyson, Odetta, Josephine Premice
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ziggy6708a
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Re: TCM Premieres....

Post by ziggy6708a »

WED., 1-18

Times ET

8:00
pm

The Blues Brothers (1980)
2h 13m | Action | TV-14

".. a tale of redemption for paroled convict Jake and his blood brother Elwood, who set out on "a mission from God" to prevent foreclosure of the Roman Catholic orphanage in which they were raised. To do so, they must reunite their R&B band and organize a performance to earn the $5,000 needed ....
Director
John Landis
Cast
John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Lawrence

"....It stars John Belushi as "Joliet" Jake Blues and Dan Aykroyd as his brother Elwood, characters developed from the recurring musical sketch "The Blues Brothers" on NBC variety series Saturday Night Live. The film is set in and around Chicago, Illinois, where it was filmed, and the screenplay was written by Aykroyd and Landis.
It features musical numbers by rhythm and blues (R&B), soul, and blues singers James Brown, Cab Calloway (in his final feature film role), Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Chaka Khan, and John Lee Hooker. It features non-musical supporting performances by Carrie Fisher, Henry Gibson, Charles Napier, Kathleen Freeman and John Candy. ....

see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blues_Brothers_(film)
:) :smiley_clap:

==================================================

THURS., 1-19


10:00
pm

Over The Brooklyn Bridge (1984)
1h 46m | Comedy | TV-MA

Alby has negotiated the purchase of an upscale restaurant in Manhattan, a project he cannot finance on his own. He asks his wealthy Uncle Benjamin to lend him the money. His uncle imposes only one requirement: he will lend Alby the money, but only if he leaves his "shikse" (gentile) girlfriend. ....

Director
Menahem Golan
Cast
Elliott Gould, Margaux Hemingway, Sid Caesar

".... If you like Carol Kane, Elliott Gould, Shelley Winters, Margaux Hemingway, or Sid Caesar (who gives a knockout performance), if you liked 'Enter Laughing' or 'Crossing Delancey', or even 'Used People', you'll like this..."

see: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087864/re ... =tt_ql_urv

IMDB score: 5.6/10
:smiley_huh:
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