Here it is, the last Viewer Discretion Advised before SE&L settles in for its annual examination of horror in all its many film-oriented facets. As usual, the pay cable channels are challenging the very notions of quality, providing limp action, dull drama, and uninspired comedy as its main cinematic starting points. Only a fascinating look back at the War at Home circa 1945 holds any worthwhile allure. Things aren’t much better on the Indie and Outsider scene either. It looks like every movie-based network is waiting for the calendar to turn over so they can indulge in a little movie macabre thrills and chills. So play it safe this weekend – tune in to the suggested selection, and then get ready to get your creepy crawly on. You’ll have 31 days of dread before the haunted holiday itself signals an end to all the ghosts and goblins:
Premiere Pick
Flags of Our Fathers
It was an ambitious decision. With the success of Saving Private Ryan and books like The Greatest Generation, Hollywood and the viewing public’s newfound love affair with World War II was about to get a whole lot trickier. Clint Eastwood announced that he intended to take on the Battle of Iwo Jima – one of the conflict’s worst and bloodiest – and present it from two perspectives. The first would be this Western/Allie/American side of the story, with that famous photo of the flag raising beginning the dramatic dissertation. From there, the hero worship accompanying the soldiers, plus the search for the real story behind the shot, are given an equally evocative treatment. For many this was the lesser of Eastwood’s daunting double feature. The all Japanese Letters from Iwo Jima would be considered the material’s masterpiece. Still, this is a wonderful motion picture, addressing issues not usually associated with a war movie. (29 September, Cinemax, 10PM EST)
Additional Choices
Miami Vice
Michael Mann’s uninspired update of his seminal ‘80s TV series avoids all of the arch art direction and soundtrack spoils that gave the MTV-inspired crime drama its signatures. Instead, we getting Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx doing Scarface for an audience more interested in pastels and Glen Frey than undercover acrobatics and moral indecision. (29 September, HBO, 8PM EST)
Running with Scissors
Movies based on books run the risk of angering more than one demographic. You have devotees to the tome, individuals hoping for complete authenticity. On the other hand, you’ve got film fans who just want an engaging entertainment. This adaptation of Augusten Burroughs autobiographical work satisfied neither. It missed too many of the memoir’s finer points, substituting obvious quirk in their place. (29 September, Starz, 9PM EST)
Failure to Launch
Here’s a weird idea for a romantic comedy – let’s focus on the adventures of an amiable slacker who won’t leave home, even after he hooks up with a socially acceptable hottie. Matthew McCanaughy is the likeable sponge. Sarah Jessica Parker is the horse-faced catalyst who’s supposed to inspire, and then spring him. It’s all very touchy feely and phony as Hell. (29 September, Showtime, 8:15PM EST)
Indie Pick
Kill Your Idols
Kill Your Idols starts off with a stellar premise for a documentary. Hoping to trace the history and growth of the No Wave scene in mid ’70s New York, director S. A. Crary rounds up a few of the usual suspects – and a couple we desperately hope to hear from – and turns the camera on their open, opinionated selves. For anyone who grew up in the period, only ‘hearing’ about artists like Lydia Lunch or Suicide from their more hip and haughty pals, this is a chance to get in on the ground floor of the significant sonic movement and see what all the fuss was about. In many ways, this approach will probably copy your reaction to this fine, fragmented film. On the one hand, you will definitely find these aging musical anarchists an intriguing and engaging bunch. But there will be folks who hear the racket these reasonable people made and bristle at such an atonal attack. For them, no amount of erudition can make up for their lack of melody. (01 October, Sundance Channel, 11PM EST)
Additional Choices
American Splendor
Paul Giamatti is writer Harvey Pekar, a miserable man who channels his angst into the title comic. Along with friend Toby Radloff (the genuine nerd of Cleveland, Ohio), they work as file clerks for the VA. This astounding biopic follows the cult figure’s rise to prominence…and the pitfalls along the way. (01 October, IFC, 9PM EST)
Debbie Does Dallas Uncovered
One of hardcore’s penultimate titles gets a documentary breakdown thanks to director Francis Hanly’s overview. This is really nothing more than a UK look at America’s obsession with smut, an episode from Channel 4’s sensational The Dark Side of Porn. Still, it definitely deserves a look. (02 October, Sundance Channel, 2AM EST)
Dahmer
He remains an icon of evil, a man so disturbed that he could only satisfy his psychosexual cravings via vivisection and cannibalism. When he was caught, the slaughterhouse state of his apartment indicated a darkness much deeper than anyone thought. Too bad this small indie effort fails to capture any of these elements. (03 September, IFC, 9PM EST)
Outsider Option
Circle of Iron
In an ADD hampered cinematic society which thinks films like Crank and The Transporter are too restrained, this elemental Bruce Lee vanity project (which was completed posthumously after the noted Asian action star died) will appear almost comatose. But if you get into the mellow mood being presented, and actually listen to the many maxims offered up, you will definitely be engaged both visually and metaphysically. For many, Lee continues to be batted back and forth, marginalized and sanctified by critics on both sides of the conversations. Still, it’s clear that his impact on martial arts in the movies remains as strong as ever. No film featuring kung fu, karate, or any other form of Eastern training can make it into theaters without bowing to the man who more or less formed their commercial viability. While Circle of Iron won’t diminish his earnest reputation, it also won’t amplify it. Instead, it remains an individualized endeavor lacking its true inspiration. (01 October, Flix, 12:45AM EST)
Additional Choices
Bikers Beware!
It’s Billy Jack vs. Marlon Brando as TCM’s Underground brings chopper riding reprobate to the late night audience. Both movies here – The Born Losers and The Wild One – have been featured before, so if you love ‘em, here’s your chance to enjoy them all over again. If you’ve never seen them, you’re in for some remarkable man vs. motorcycle madness. (05 October, TCM Underground, 2AM EST)
The Red Shoes
British auteur Michael Powell and his longtime collaborator Emeric Pressburger created this decidedly adult take on the Hans Christian Anderson fairytale, and critics have been beside themselves ever since. Remarkable in its use of color and art design, yet equally imposing in its acting and dance performance, this is a masterpiece for the ages. (30 September, Retroplex, 11:40PM EST)
The Capture of Grizzly Adams
Okay, so it’s a TV movie. Sue us. We here at SE&L just can’t get enough of Dan Haggerty’s hokey mountain man persona, and this old fashioned melodrama has enough wonderfully weepy elements to push all of our guilty pleasure buttons. Come on – it’s got wrongful accusations and kids being threatened by a trip to the orphanage. How can you say no? (02 October, Drive In Classics Canada, 10:30PM EST)