The Iron Giant: Unexpected Friendship Brilliantly Portrayed

   The Iron Giant (1999) is an animated masterpiece and one of our top picks in this house. As Brad Bird's directorial debut, this film tells a tender yet frightening story utilizing both traditional animation techniques as well as digital animation means. The results are at once both beautifully nostalgic and impressively state-of-the-art.
   One of the aspects of this film that I really appreciate is the relieving omission of the "over-the-top" wacky character that seems to be a requirement in many animated movies. Instead, the funny moments are genuine and subtle, innocent and utterly lacking guile. The characters are real people, living in the late 1950's, voiced by a cast of talented actors who all seem to recognize the weighty issues tackled by this tale. Particularly, Vin Diesel, as the Giant, and Eli Marienthal, as his young friend, Hogarth, both naturally embody the shared wonder and terror their characters experience throughout this story.
   Though it did not get the attention it deserved from the beginning, The Iron Giant has received numerous awards and nominations and has even developed a bit of a cult following. This truly is a special film that does not disappoint.

The Iron Giant is on HBOFamily at 7.

  
  

The Big Lebowski: Mistaken Identity and Bowling Balls

   The Big Lebowski (1998) was the follow-up to Ethan and Joel Coen's smash hit Fargo. Though not well-received initially, this film has become a cult favorite. Jeff Bridges, as The Dude, has even been compared to a Zen Master by actual Buddhists. He does seem to speak in riddles.
   The cast is spectacular, including Julianne Moore, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, John Torturro, David Thewlis, Sam Elliott, Flea and my favorite actor of all time, Philip Seymour Hoffman. With a crazy mostly useless plot line and a script that offers far too many quotable moments, Lebowski is just a funny little ride. Hop on!
   Oh, did I mention the fantasy dream sequences? Busby Berkeley would have been touched.

The Big Lebowski is on Esquire at 7 and 9:30.

How Green Was My Valley: A Class Act

   How Green Was My Valley (1941) is an award-winning film that I have never seen. Set in a 19th-century coal-mining town in South Wales, this film is populated with some wonderful talent, including Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O'Hara, Donald Crisp, Barry Fitzgerald and Roddy McDowall.
   Based on a novel by Richard Llewellyn and directed by John Ford, this film follows the lives of the Morgans at a time when the family can still recall life before the scourge of industry. It will be interesting to hear what the characters have to say about the coal blight. It also looks like there are labor issues and more than likely a mining accident or two.
   Interestingly, in the 40's and 50's, there were several radio adaptations broadcast using many of the original cast members. David Niven and Donna Reed also made appearances.

How Green Was My Valley is on TCM at 8:30.

Sunday Night Best Movie on Tonight SciFi Deviation

    For obvious reasons, I have not seen this new documentary, so I cannot honestly say that I think this is the best movie on tonight. 50 Years of Star Trek, however, looks like it's going to offer some fun, celebratory TV stuff and is probably a "Must See".
  

   I, like so many, grew up with this show on in the living room several times a week; my stepdad was a trekkie. In the 1980's, we had the original series re-runs as well as the new The Next Generation series. Not to mention the several Star Trek films that were released every few years and then went to "movie heaven" (cable).

   I never cared for the movies. Most of the franchises' TV series, however, managed to hold my attention and imagination. I was enthralled by the idea of humans finally achieving some tremendous technological and spiritual landmarks. The costumes and sets were iconic and hokey but there was so much damn heart put into each space age story; not to be ignored.

   Though I would be hard-pressed to pick a favorite captain, I would rather watch Deep Space Nine than Voyager re-runs, Next Generation over all of them. Spock is my favorite character of the entire series....today.

50 Years of Star Trek is on History at 8P.

Saturday Night Best Movie on Tonight 'Xtravaganza

   Apollo 13 (1995) depicts the aborted space mission of 1970 by telling a high-tech space story with a down-to-earth voice. Ron Howard's direction is supported by an excellent cast, including members of Howard's own  family and a technically savvy yet naturalistic screenplay.

Apollo 13 is on TNT at 11P.

   Mean Girls (2004) does not at first seem as smart as it actually is. And as subversive as it actually is. Funny too, truly funny. If you have been avoiding this one as I did for years, give it a shot. Written by Tina Fey, Mean Girls tells that age old tale of teen hierarchy and pecking orders. Lots of juicy twists and surprises in this one.

Mean Girls is on MTV at 10:30P.

   Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) got mixed reviews but who cares? With Christian Bale as Moses, I can forgive some overlong dialogues and one dimensional characters. The cast put in a genuine effort and the parting of the Red Sea is epic.

Exodus: Gods and Kings is on MOMAX at 9P.

The Royal Tenenbaums: Just Like Your Family

   The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) is a darkly delightful exploration into family dynamics and the numb disappointment of growing up. Directed by Wes Anderson, this film boasts a spectacular cast. Anjelica Houston and Gene Hackman are the estranged parents of Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson and Ben Stiller. With narration by Alec Baldwin, the cast also includes Danny Glover, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Anderson.
    Even though this movie is primarily quirky and often outlandish, there are moments in Tenenbaums when I realize just how much like anyone's family these people really are. Paltrow and Wilson in particular have some genuinely stunning moments together. 

	The soundtrack is purchase-worthy and includes an original score by Mark Mothersbaugh featuring his Mutato Muzika Orchestra. There are two versions of the soundtrack, the 2001 release and a kind of different one in 2002.
	The Royal Tenenbaums is on Flix at 8p.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Boop Boop Boop Boop Booooop

   Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) is my favorite "space brethren" film. Directed by Steven Spielberg, this story beautifully illustrates what it is like to be an "experiencer". Richard Dreyfuss perfectly portrays the various levels of the "loosening grip upon reality" that so many people, who have had their own encounters with cosmic beings, have described.
   Though the special effects are impressive, not to mention the grandeur of the closing sequence, what makes this film so timeless is the way in which Spielberg has depicted the regular lives of the main characters; messy houses, unkempt kids, nosy neighbors, the TV constantly on. It is this sharp contrast with the unreal quality of the UFO encounters that makes this movie so appealing.
   According to Spielberg, prior to releasing the movie, NASA sent him a 20 page letter which explained why there was danger in letting people see it. Rather than scaring him, the letter galvanized for the filmmaker the need to tell this story.

Close Encounter of the Third Kind is on Starz at 9p.

Across the Universe: Better Than Moulin Rouge

    Across the Universe (2007) is yet another musical full of unoriginal songs. Fortunately, director Julie Taymor, of Lion King fame, managed to put a refreshing twist on 30+ songs from those moptops from England, The Beatles. The story is set, appropriately, in 1966 and follows a once disparate group of strangers who all converge upon New York City, seeking fame, love and freedom...and finding so much more.
   I almost did not make it through this film. Like Moulin Rouge, I was put-off by the oh-so familiar songs in such an unfamiliar setting. Then, I heard a voice. She was singing one of my least favorite Beatles' songs ("I Wanna Hold Your Hand") but her voice was the voice of an angel of rock! T.V. Carpio as Prudence (the main characters all have Beatles' song related names) saved me from missing this visually stimulating and emotionally satisfying musical love letter to not only a highly influential band but a hugely important decade.
   Come for the songs, stay for the stagings. Taymor has envisioned and manifested a feast for anyone who appreciates choreography and massive movie undertakings. Salma Hayek, Bono, Eddie Izzard, and Joe Cocker all make cameo appearances.

Across the Universe is on FXM at 9P tonight.

The Crucible: Frenetic Judgement

   The Crucible (1996) is a well-crafted production, rife with a gang of frenzied female teens and puritanical sexual tension. Arthur Miller's play, set in Salem in the 1690's, was a direct response to Senator Joseph McCarthy's own misguided "witch hunt" of the 1950's, via the House Un-American Activities Committee.
   Winona Ryder (who hardcore rocks it as the sneaky Abigail Williams) and Daniel Day-Lewis head the cast, which includes Joan Allen, Jeffrey Jones, Paul Scofield and Bruce Davison. One of the stand-out performances is by Karron Graves as Mary Warren, who takes desperately frantic to a whole new level.
   Miller beautifully adapted his play for this film and was nominated for an Academy Award. Joan Allen also received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

The Crucible is on Indieplex at 7:50p tonight.

  

Saturday Night Best Movie On Tonight 'Splosion

As is often the case, Saturday night tends to offer a couple of golden nuggets from which to choose.

From Here To Eternity (1953) is a dramaful freaking delight! The fact that it has both Montgomery Clift AND Frank Sinatra is a huge plus for me as these two cuties were fine craftsman and full of vocal acumen when it comes to expressing a character's angst. Set in Hawaii prior to the Pearl Harbor incident, this film follows several soldiers in the Army. Not too many surprises, per se, but the script is most excellent, particularly the exchanges between Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr, who are in no position to even be chatting, let alone engaging in shenanigans. Clift plays a reluctant middleweight boxer with some nervous tendencies and Sinatra is a loyal hothead who has some strong opinions about music.

From Here To Eternity is on TCM at 9:45P

Donnie Darko (2001) is indescribable. I can say that it is set in the 1980's, Jake Gyllenhaal puts in a perfectly powerful performance and it may cause you to question reality. Feel like questioning reality through film tonight?

Donnie Darko is on Viceland at 9:30P.

Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) is the first film from Dreamworks Animation that was made using a stereoscopic 3-D format, as opposed to the finished product being converted into 3-D. The expensive results were worth it. Visually-speaking, this genuinely funny story is a full-on feast for the oculars. Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Kiefer Sutherland and Paul Rudd all lend their various vocal talents to a cleverly written and well-paced script.

Monsters vs. Aliens is on AMC at 8P.

3:10 To Yuma: Duty & Death

   3:10 To Yuma (2007) is the second adaptation of Leonard Elmore's short story of the same name. With Christian Bale as a dutiful yet impoverished father and Russell Crowe as a criminally-minded leader of men, this film delivers an excellent script with brutal action sequences.
   Set sometime after the Civil War, this is a heartbreaking story full of tension and grit. I enjoy a good "race against the clock" tale and this one does not disappoint. Bale is particularly soulful as a broken man who is just trying to keep his family alive.
   Filmed entirely in New Mexico, part of the set built at Cerro Pelon Ranch was kept intact and can be visited by tourists and locals alike.

3:10 To Yuma is on Flix tonight at 8p (PST).

The Departed: Beautifully Brutal

   The Departed (2006) is an Oscar-winning film directed by Martin Scorsese. Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio play fellows who are in a similar screwed up situation. As puppets for more powerful men, the two are pitted against one another, despite their shared misery. 
   I don't know about you but I love a good tragedy. To my mind, Leo is a modern-day hero of tragedy and The Departed is another great example of this man's great dramatic skills. The cast also includes other powerhouse actors like,Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin.

   In 2003, Brad Pitt bought the rights to remake Infernal Affairs (2002) and was set to play one of the leads, but chose to go with someone younger, though he did stay on as a producer of the film.

 

 The Departed is on MOMAX tonight at 9p.

Catch-22: Funny Darkly

 

  Catch-22 (1970) has a stellar cast. Alan Arkin, Martin Balsam, Richard Benjamin, Jack Gilford, Charles Grodin, Bob Newhart, Anthony Perkins, Paula Prentiss, Martin Sheen, Jon Voight, Orson Welles, Art Garfunkel (acting debut) and Buck Henry (wrote the screenplay as well) all lend their gifts to the oddball variety of neurotically self-centered characters that populate Joseph Heller's fictional World War II military base in Italy.
   Painful and frustrating, the experience of watching this dark comedy has rubbed many the wrong way. There is so much that does not make sense in this lunatic asylum that some viewers find it off-putting. If you are, however, one that loves to watch crazy people destroy themselves and others, like myself, then you may enjoy Catch-22.
   Directed by Mike Nichols, this was a hugely challenging film to pull off. The original novel does not have a linear narrative flow, making the transition to film difficult. Nichols and Henry allegedly worked on the screenplay for two years.

   Catch-22 is on Starz tonight at 10P (PST).