CABLE VIEWS / Nov 19

Here is a quick rundown of some things you should know are on cable (at least on the east coast of the US).

By all means, let me know whats on a cable near you that you find interesting.


Friday The 13th: A New Beginning; 5 Star Max, 1 - 2:30am -- I admit, I am a fan of the series, its followed me through puberty and into adulthood. This entry is no better or worse than the others but the gore is heavily cut; the filmmakers, however, compensate by featuring more breasts than usual...

Seed of Chucky; OuterMax 12am - 1:25am -- this franchise started out lamely and degenerated from there, only to pick up and become interesting with the fourth (!) entry and this one, the fifth of the series.

Basketball Diaries; Starz -- 12:15am - 2am -- for fans of Leo DiCaprio only; fans of the book by Jim Carroll beware cuz the filmmakers really fucked this up!

Cape Fear; Encore - 12am - 2:10am -- watchable, but overlong and DeNiro had already started the downward spiral that would lead to self-parody and, worse, Meet The Fockers.

Roy Colt and Winchester Jack; Encore Western, 2:05am - 3:35am -- a western directed by the great Mario Bava, cant wait to see this!

The Hole; Encore Mystery 1:30am - 3:15am -- keira knightley flashes her breasts; who cares about the rest of the movie?

Moving; OuterMax - 3:30am - 5:2am -- one of Richard Pryor's worst movies, an attempt at Bill Cosby family humor; this is when I firts noticed that Pryor wasnt looking too healthy...the scary thing is, Pryor did more movies after this and his deterioration (physically and comedically) is painful to watch.

On Deadly Ground; Showtime Extreme- 3am - 4:45am -- a vanity project for Steven Seagal who stars and directs and doesnt skimp on the close-ups of himself...rivals William Shatner's incredible Star Trek V for star-director narcissism. still, the film keeps the action coming and pauses the storyline for some truly surreal sequences (e.g. after being mortally wounded early in the film, Seagal has a hallucinegenic healing sequence where he dreams he fights a big polar bear for some reason; Seagal's climatic lecture on being environmentally sound - of course, by this point he had already blown up half of alaska, but his heart is in the right place, i guess).

The Devil's Advocate; Starz East, 3am - 5:30am -- late-career Al Pacino after he had descended to self-parody; unlike DeNiro, however, Pacino remains an entertaining jokester of a performer, chewing scenery with giddy abandon - the fun he is having with the role is infectious. And Keanu Reeves comes up with a good performance, free of his usual Keanu-isms.

Adrenaline: Fear The Rush; Encore Action, 3:40am - 5am -- with a title like that, you would think this action flick would move; sad to say, as directed by the prolific, if untalented, Albert Pyun, the film remains still, lifeless. a waste of former-Highlander Christopher Lambert and the gorgeous Natasha Henstridge.

Remo William: The Adventure Begins; Encore East, 5:35am - 7:45am -- an OK, should-have-been-better adventure flick that was supposed to launch a franchise. With former Bond director Guy Hamilton and former Bond scripter Christopher Wood, I thought they might get it right. Alas, they cast charisma-free Fred Ward as Remo (it doesnt take a 12 year old to tell you this guy is NOT an action icon). Joel Grey as Chiun (Remo's mentor) is the whole show. Good stunts, lousy villain.

Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia; Sundance Film, 6am - 8pm -- Directed by Sam Peckinpah, the last great Peckinpah film (after this came Convoy and, worse, The Osterman Weekend). Classic Warren Oates.

Cannonball Run II - HBO Comedy East, 7:50am - 9:45am -- this isn't a film, its anti-film. complete, total, utter, irredeemable crap. Burt Reynolds deserves to have fallen from grace for foisting this shit onto movie screens.

My Name is Nobody; Encore Drama, 10:20am - 12:20pm -- Sergio Leone produced this spaghetti western but did not direct. Still, a great western even when it relies on too-silly humor courtesy of star Terence Hill. Henry Fonda also stars, bringing a quiet dignity to his role of a famous gunfighter who just wants to retire.

Sudden Impact; ActionMax East, 10:20am - 12:30am -- outside of the classic "Make My Day" line and Harry Callahan's switch to the .44 Auto Mag weapon, the film is rather inert. bad acting (sondra locke is particularly terrible) and just plain bad directing from star Eastwood (Clint cannot direct action for his life, and his handling of the backstory for Locke's character is extremely poor). The next in the Dirty Harry Series (The Dead Pool) is even worse.

Marathon Man, ThrillerMax East - 12:30pm - 2:35pm -- a classic. every set-piece in the film is a primer for how to direct suspense (Scheider at the French opera; Schieder vs the albino; Laurence Olivier torturing Dustin Hoffman, the climatic showdown between Olivier andHoffman). you dont really notice that the plot is a bit thin. watch!

Big Bad Mama II; Showtime Extra, 11:45am - 1:25am -- belated sequel with Angie Dickinson returning 15 years after the original; she still looks hot. Better still: nude scenes for Danielle Brisbois (she from Archie Bunker's Place) and Julie McCullough (she from Growing Pains and later a Playboy spread). The great Bruce Glover also appears (fully clothed).

Girl on a Motorcycle; The Movie Channel, 1:10pm - 2:40pm -- havent seen it but its supposed to be a relic from the 1960s. Marianne faithful is indeed eyecatching so I guess I will be watching.

From Noon Till Three; Encore Western, 1pm - 2:45pm -- you can bet I will recommend you watch just about every Charles Bronson movie that comes on (even the dire Messenger of Death). I havent seen, like this one. I heard its much lighter in tone than most Bronson movies.

Carlito's Way; More MovieMax, 1pm - 2:45pm -- classic Al Pacino / Brian Depalma crime flick. Everything about this film is top notch except for the scenes with Penelope Ann Miller as Carlito's love interest. those scenes stop the film dead, but its usually not for long. absolutely incredible 15 minute chase sequence at the end.

Nixon; Encore Drama, 4:40pm - 8pm -- doesnt approach the greatness of Stone's JFK, but no one does political drama like Oliver Stone. Anthony Hopkins turns in great work as the titular character. solid supporting work from everyone involved.