Upcoming Movies on TV (UK)

[colinr0380]

I could have the completely the wrong film here but I think that the Movies 4 Men channel is going to be screening a Luis Buñuel film! The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe on Thursday 27th August at 5.20 p.m.

[Jonathan S]

I could have the completely the wrong film here but I think that the Movies 4 Men channel is going to be screening a Luis Buñuel film! The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe on Thursday 27th August at 5.20 p.m.

Yes, it is the Bunuel and has been shown several times - unfortunately ruined, like many of M4M's offerings, by terrible jerky NTSC-PAL conversion. Tourneur's Stranger on Horseback suffers from it too.

Correction: The Bunuel film suffers from constant blurriness/ghosting on motion, rather than jerkiness, but I'm sure it's also due to NTSC-PAL conversion. Both these films - and others on M4M with these faults - are available on American DVDs from VCI, so I suspect a connection there.

[jlnight]

If you are able to get this on Freeview, London Live appear to have scheduled what I believe to be the Horace Ove film Pressure for Sunday 30th August (23:45) and Moon Over the Alley for Monday 31st August. Both come under their BFI London banner and coincide with the Carnival coverage.

[colinr0380]

After a few quiet weeks there is an explosion of premieres next week. In addition to the previously noted premiere of the Maniac remake (11.15 p.m. on Saturday 29th August) and the showing of Bob Clark's 1972 Dead of Night (1.40 a.m. on Bank Holiday Monday) in Film4's Frightfest season we also have:

Saturday 29th August: Steven Soderbergh's Side Effects at 9 p.m. on Channel 4
Sunday 30th August: Stranger By The Lake at 1.20 a.m. on Channel 4
Monday 31st August: Xavier Dolan's Tom At The Farm at 1.25 a.m. on Channel 4
Tuesday 1st September: The Golden Dream at 1.40 a.m. on Channel 4
Thursday 3rd September: What Richard Did at 11.15 p.m. on Film4

[GaryC]

Sunday 30th August: Stranger By The Lake at 1.20 a.m. on Channel 4

It'll be interesting to see if they show that uncut on the main channel. It's usually the case that 18-cert films with hardcore sexual content (in this case, unsimulated male gay sex) are edited on C4 but have been shown uncut on Film Four. That said, C4 did show The Idiots uncut in the early hours of the morning.

[jlnight]

Late night Weds 16th Sept: Class of Nuke 'em High on the Horror Channel.

More intriguingly on Saturday 26th September London Live have scheduled Strip Jack Naked, which has never been on TV before. Nighthawks, as you'll know, had one screening on Channel 4 back in 1985. London Live have recently screened Pressure and Moon Over the Alley (as well as Babylon) which were very interesting. Pressure had a fantastic line early on: "what's wrong with bacon and eggs, fish 'n' chips and Gary Glitter?!"

Indeed!

[jlnight]

Right, on closer inspection, London Live have scheduled what I think is Patrick Keiller's London and the 1929 film Piccadilly for tomorrow (Sat 19th Sept) under their BFI London banner.

Apologies if you can't get this channel. It is genuinely free-to-air but unfortunately 'regional'. These films really should have been on one of the spin-off channels belonging to Channel 4 or BBC.

[colinr0380]

Interesting and at least both of these films are out there on BFI DVDs. I don't remember Piccadilly having been shown on television before, but I know that London got its UK premiere back on Channel 4 in 1997 (Robinson In Space got a BBC2 premiere though in the early 2000s and the third film, Robinson In Ruins, has not had a TV screening as yet).

Not too much new stuff next week (though ITV is premiering Invictus to coincide with the start of the Rugby World Cup, and we are going to finally get the chance to see the Nicolas Cage starring Left Behind film when Channel 5 show it, both on Saturday), though in terms of repeats BBC2 are showing Rafi Pitts' film The Hunter on Sunday morning at 1.50 a.m., the Horror channel is showing the original Oldboy at 12.40 a.m. on Tuesday 22nd September and Alexandr Sokurov's Alexandra is on Film4 on Tuesday 22nd September at 1.45 a.m.

[thirtyframesasecond]

I should keep an eye on London Live. It tends to show repeats of C4 type comedies whenever I glance at the listings, but they're showing films that no other channel would bother with.

[jlnight]

Here's something everyone should be able to see - Jonathan Glazer's Under The Skin on Thursday 1st October, Film4.

Yep, Keiller's London and EA Dupont's Piccadilly were on yesterday. London is on again today. I'm wondering if the line that went: "drunks pissing in the street" will be retained on this afternoon's screening! Anyway, I'm looking forward to Strip Jack Naked next weekend.

[Jonathan S]

Talking Pictures TV arrives on Freeview (Ch.81) on September 22. But, even though the channel is not broadcast in HD, it can only be received with a HD tuner, so no good for me.

Their schedule is certainly an odd mixture of mostly obscure old films - mostly British, but with some American PD items thrown in - and vintage TV series like Dick Powell Theatre, which quite impressed me at times when I saw the C4 repeats thirty years ago. There's a fine episode with Lee Marvin called Epilogue, for example.

[colinr0380]

I wonder if the 1928 Anthony Asquith film Underground may turn up on that London Live channel sometime, given that they seem to be going through the BFI's catalogue.

Very intreresting about the Talking Pictures TV channel. I wonder if it will turn up in my area (we only got ITV4 on Freeview last week!) but I see according to that schedule that this Talking Pictures channel has the 1929 Erich von Stroheim ventriloquist film The Great Gabbo on Saturday 3rd October, followed by Anthony Hopkins in Magic! Though if you cannot wait The Great Gabbo is up on YouTube too.

[perkypat]

Schedule looks interesting, if you enjoy some 50s British films. Unfortunately not yet available in my area(Newcastle). Suspect there may be a large amount of recycling of films(see Movies 4 men etc). Always nice to have more films on TV though.

[colinr0380]

A lot of the titles on the schedule struck me as the kind of films that ITV always used to fill the late night schedules with back when non-primetime ITV was a collection of regions rather than the one united channel that it has been since the 2000s. Rather than something like the sci-fi film The Night Caller (which I have a ropey recorded from TV copy of) or all of those supporting features from Butcher's Film Service productions, now ITV does home shopping and gambling shows instead, so it is nice that at least these films have found a home somewhere!

[colinr0380]

Tons of films getting their first showings next week. jlnight has mentioned the premiere of Under The Skin on Film4 at 10.45 p.m. on Thursday 1st October (followed by Fatal Attraction, in what I'm hoping is a wry joke!). Also on Friday 2nd October at 10.50 p.m. Film4 are premiering Tsui Hark's prequel to Detective Dee and the Phantom Flame, Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon.

BBC2 is showing the adaptation of Midnight's Children at 8.15 p.m. on Saturday 26th September and BBC4 is premiering Ilo Ilo at 10.30 p.m. on Sunday 27th September.

BBC4 is also screening the documentary A Syrian Love Story at 10.00 p.m. on Monday 28th September, which gets an almost immediate repeat on BBC1 the day after at 10.35 p.m. Mark Kermode gave an very positive review of it for its recent cinema release.

Most interesting though is that Channel 4 has a couple of documentaries about Indian cinema: Battu's Bioscope, a Polish-German-French made film from 1999 at 2.00 a.m. on Tuesday 29th September; and on Thursday 1st October at 3.35 a.m. a film about the composer R.D. Burman (composer of Sholay among many others), Pancham Unmixed.

[STEVE 03]

The Talking Pictures channel is brilliant. At last we have a channel solely dedicated to old films mostly pre 1970. Tcm used to be great but these days tends to show newer films after 9pm every night. Although Talking Pictures tv shows films from the 80`s and 90's after 9pm, the emphasis seems very much focused on old movies, mostly British gems and crime films with quite a few films from the 1930's showing most days.

[jlnight]

Cannibal Apocalypse, Horror Channel, Saturday 10th October.

I managed to grab Strip Jack Naked last weekend. It sort of reminded me of Of Time and The City. They also showed the Viv Albertine short Coping With Cupid. Is that available on one of the BFI releases?

[colinr0380]

The big film of next week is the premiere of Olivier Assayas's Something In The Air on Film4 Wednesday 7th October at 00.40 a.m.

Channel 4 have a couple more documentaries on Indian filmmakers: Rangbhoomi at 2.20 a.m. on Tuesday 6th October, about D.G. Phalke, and The Human Factor at 3.35 a.m. on Thursday 8th October, that "celebrates the songwriters and musicians that have been an integral part of Indian cinema since the arrival of sound in 1931, in particular the Lords family".

https://vimeo.com/127404616" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[antnield]

They also showed the Viv Albertine short Coping With Cupid. Is that available on one of the BFI releases?

It hasn't appeared on any of their Blu-rays or DVDs to date.

[colinr0380]

A couple more documentaries on Indian cinema are showing on Channel 4 next week: An American In Madras at 2.05 a.m. on Tuesday 13th October (about the career of Ellis R. Dungan), and Supermen of Malegaon at 1.30 a.m. on Thursday 15th October.

The film that most caught my attention next week though is a rare showing of the 1949 film Down To The Sea In Ships, directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Richard Widmark, Lionel Barrymore and Dean Stockwell, on Film4 at 3.45 p.m. on Wednesday 14th October.

[colinr0380]

The big film of this week is the premiere of The Hunters on BBC4 tonight at 10.30 p.m., a 1996 Swedish film which was apparently a big hit in its native country.

Also seemingly hidden away on the Spike channel at midnight tonight is the premiere of the Joel Schumacher horror film Blood Creek, which doesn't look great but apparently has the latest Superman, Henry Cavill, in the hero role and Michael Fassbender playing some kind of Nazi zombie cult leader baddie!

Channel 4's Indian film series continues with a documentary about masculinity in Indian cinema, Being Bhaijaan at 1.00 a.m. on Tuesday 20th October and the goofy looking action film Chennai Express at 12.30 a.m. on Thursday 22nd October

[STEVE 03]

I was looking through the BBC Genome website looking back through old schedules and noticed BBC 2 have previously shown Charlie Chase shorts back in 1988 and again in 1991. As a fan of the classic Hal Roach comedies (mostly the Laurel and Hardy films) I was surprised the BBC used to have the rights to the Chase comedies. I'd give anything for the BBC to show these again but very much doubt they will unfortunately as they have very limited access to old movies nowadays.

[colinr0380]

The big film of this week is the premiere of The Hunters on BBC4 tonight at 10.30 p.m., a 1996 Swedish film which was apparently a big hit in its native country.

And the sequel to this, False Trail, from 2011 and featuring Peter Stormare, is showing on BBC4 tonight at 10 p.m.

Otherwise only a couple of notable things this week: the Disney Peter Pan is getting its first UK television screening tonight at 5.30 p.m. on Channel 5 (62 years since it was made!). The Indian film this week is a Bollywood adaptation of Romeo & Juliet (or Ram & Leela in this version!) on Channel 4 Tuesday 27th October at 1.10 a.m.

BBC4 is doing a Bond night on Wednesday 28th October, with Mark Gatiss and Matthew Sweet debating the series at 8 p.m. and then an hour of archive interviews and behind the scenes footage at 9 p.m.

For anyone unfamiliar with the Worst DVD Covers...Ever thread, I'll quote a section of manicsounds' post:

Horses! Floating Heads! Names that don't match to the pictured actors below!
[followed by another 7 films in the same vein!]

Spirit Riders is getting its UK TV premiere on Channel 5 on Thursday 29th October at 3.15 p.m.

Finally, getting into the Halloween spirit of things, Film4 is has a night of horror premieres on Friday 30th October, with Park Chan-wook's Stoker at 9 p.m., followed by the Soska Twins' extreme surgery revenge thriller American Mary at 11 p.m.

[colinr0380]

Next week's items of interest:

At 9 p.m. on Saturday 31st October BBC2 is showing a new adaptation of The Dresser with Anthony Hopkins and Ian McKellen.

Channel 4's Indian film season continues with cricket male bonding drama Kai Po Che! at 1.55 a.m. on Tuesday 3rd November and the drama Fashion at 12.30 a.m. on Thursday 4th November.

Film4 have repeat screenings of Abbas Kiarostami's Like Someone In Love at 1.25 a.m. on Monday 2nd November and Babette's Feast at 11.00 a.m. on Thursday 5th November

And slightly strangely on Saturday 31st October BBC Radio 4 take the 'film' honours of the week with an adaptation of an unmade Hitchcock script The Blind Man at 2.30 p.m. starring Hugh Laurie, and then a 'Fright Night' of two hour long radioplay adaptations, first of Nigel Kneale's The Stone Tape (featuring Jane Asher, the original heroine of the 1972 TV adaptation, in a small role and directed by Peter Strickland) at 10 p.m., immediately followed by a new adaptation of Koji Suzuki's Ring at 11 p.m..

[colinr0380]

A few interesting world cinema screenings next week:

The Indian film showing on Channel 4 next Tuesday at 1.25 a.m. is Dedh Ishquiya. Also on Channel 4 at 3.15 a.m. on Thursday 12th November is A Tale of Samurai Cooking: A True Love Story.

And then Film4 have a couple of nights of South Korean high school bullying dramas: animation The King of Pigs is on Thursday 12th November at 1.55 a.m., and the premiere of Pluto (also out on Blu-ray through Third Window) is on Friday 13th November at 1.40 a.m.