Here are some films on Fox Movie Channel, Sundance, IndiePlex, RetroPlex and TCM for the month of March, 2013 that you might be interested in. Remember, these movies may be edited, time compressed, in the wrong aspect ratio, have commercial interruptions, be preempted, or have never existed in the first place. You know how it goes.
All times Eastern.
SUNDANCE
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2009)
March 5, 8:00 PM – only time it’s on this month
The original Opley version starring Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace and Lisbeth Salander, about a young hacker who helps a cop with a 40-year-old unsolved murder.
Marathon Man (1976)
March 7, 10:00 PM and 12:15, plus March 11th and 25th
Dustin Hoffman as a man mistaken for a spy in John Schlesinger’s classic.
Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
March 9, 6:00 AM and 11:45 AM, plus March 15, 20, and 28th
More evidence that the 1970s can simply never be fully explained, this Brian De Palma retelling of the classic Phantom of the Opera story stars William Finley and Paul Williams.
FOX MOVIE CHANNEL
Panic in the Streets (1950)
March 5, 6:00 AM
Zero Mostel and Jack Palance as two gunmen carrying a deadly virus around town. With Richard Widmark as the doctor who must stop them before they accidentally start a plague.
Three Came Home (1950)
March 6, 6:00 AM
Jean Negulesco film based on Agnes Newton Keith’s autobiography of her time as a Japanese war prisoner. Starring Claudette Colbert and Sessue Hayakawa.
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Starting this month I am listing IndiePlex and RetroPlex, Starz channels which were recently added to our cable line-up. Note that while the movies thus far have been unedited and without commercials, I only watch late at night. The official schedules for these channels have prime time movies listed in green, which may mean edits or commercial breaks. Also, when I list movie times “and others,” that means it’s on more than once during the month — most of these films are — so check the full schedule, which I will link to. You may also want to check the schedule for sound issues, such as whether a film has subtitles or if it’s shown in mono, as a few newer films on these channels are.
INDIEPLEX
Click here for the IndiePlex page to see the full schedule for more showings and details.
Cry-Baby (1990)
March 4 11:00 AM, 5:50 PM and others
John Waters spoof of 1950s, rock and roll, and teenagers. Starring Johnny Depp, with fabulous turns by Iggy Pop, Susan Tyrrell, Polly Bergen, Troy Donahue, Mink Stole, and more.
Tea With Mussolini (1999)
March 6 11:50 AM and others
Franco Zeffirelli’s gentle, semi-autobiographical drama about the illegitimate son of an Italian businessman. Starring Cher, Joan Plowright, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Lily Tomlin.
The Memory of a Killer (2003)
March 14 at 2:05 AM and March 19 at 12:15 AM
Thriller from the Netherlands starring Koen De Bouw as an aging hitman chased by the cops, the mob, and his own poor health.
RETROPLEX
Click here for the RetroPlex page to see the full schedule.
Nighthawks (1981)
March 1 at 1:40 AM and others
Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams as two New York cops trying to hunt down German criminal Rutger Hauer. Because what else would you do with Rutger Hauer?
There are four Sherlock Holmes films on this month:
The Seven Per Cent Solution (1976): March 1, 6:05 PM and others
Nicol Williamson as an addicted Sherlock Holmes who hooks up with Sigmund Freud (Alan Arkin!) to solve crimes. Robert Duvall as Watson, Sir Larry as Moriarty, with Vanessa Redgrave and Joel Grey and Charles Gray and it is amazing. A complete mess, but fun.
Dressed to Kill (1946): March 4 at 4:55 AM and others
Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes after a prison inmate somehow managing to steal bank plates while incarcerated.
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942): March 4 at 3:20 PM and others
Rathbone as Holmes, who has to protect an inventor being hunted by Professor Moriarty.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Serlock Holmes (2010): March 4 at 4:35 PM and others
The Asylum knock-off version of the 2009 spectacle, starring Ben Syder, Dominic Keating and Gareth David-Lloyd. It gets terrible reviews, many from people who haven’t ever seen an Asylum knock-off “mockbuster” before, so just know what you’re getting into.
Duel (1972)
March 3, 7:45 AM and 6:25 PM and March 14 at 1:55 AM
Dennis Weaver stars in this made-for-tv film by Steven Spielberg about a truck driver after a lone motorist on a deserted highway.
Rope (1948)
March 6 at 11:05 AM and others
Uh… it’s Rope. If you haven’t seen it, see it. There are other Hitch films on Retroplex this month, including Vertigo, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Psycho, The Birds and Rear Window.
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
March 11 at 12:30 AM and others
William Friedkin film about a cop (William Petersen) after a counterfeiter (Willem Dafoe). Love this movie.
TCM
The Hard Way (1942)
March 5, 10:00 PM
Ida Lupino as the ambitious older sister who pushes a young Joan Leslie into being a movie star.
Pre-Codes on March 7 with Charles Bickford:
6:00 AM: Anna Christie (1930)
7:45 AM Passion Flower (1930)
9:15 AM The Sea Bat (1930)
10:30 AM Panama Flo (1932)
12:00 PM A Wicked Woman (1934) (Not strictly a pre-code, though a sudsy melodrama that is hard to find)
The Wild Guitar (1962) and The Sadist (1963)
March 9, 2:00 AM and 3:45 AM (early morning the 10th)
An Arch Hall Jr. double feature for Underground.
Rules of the Game (1939)
March 9, 3:30 AM (early morning the 10th – also note time difference because of Daylight Savings)
A famous pilot falls in love with a rich married woman during a weekend party. Exceptional film, also very depressing. You will be in a sulk for a month.
The Ace of Hearts (1921)
March 10, 12:30 AM
Silent film about a militant revolutionary and the woman he loves from afar. Starring Leatrice Joy and Lon Chaney.
Pre-codes on March 12:
9:30 AM Suicide Fleet (1931)
11:00 AM Sweepstakes (1931)
12:30 PM Air Hostess (1933)
1:45 PM Below The Sea (1933)
Though his birthday isn’t until March 26, TCM is showing a marathon of movies based on Tennessee Williams’ stage plays on March 13:
6:15 AM A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
8:30 AM Baby Doll (1956)
10:30 AM Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
12:30 PM The Fugitive Kind (1960)
2:45 PM Sweet Bird Of Youth (1962)
5:00 PM The Night Of The Iguana (1964)
March 13: Lloyd Rogosin films and documentaries:
8:00 PM On the Bowery (1957) – A young man tries to get out of skid row.
9:15 PM Come Back, Africa (1959) – Documentary about black South Africans living under apartheid.
11:00 PM An American in Sophiatown (2007) – Rogosin discusses his struggle to film Come Back, Africa in Sophiatown, Johannesburg during apartheid. Directed by Earl Lloyd Ross.
12:00 AM Black Roots (1970) – Documentary about folk and blues musicians who share stories and songs about the black experience in America.
1:15 AM Good Times, Wonderful Times (1966) – Rogosin’s anti-war documentary with footage of a host of war crimes and atrocities from around the world.
Bette Davis marathon on March 15, including some pre-codes:
6:00 AM The Rich Are Always With Us (1932)
7:15 AM So Big (1932)
8:45 AM Housewife (1934)
10:00 AM Front Page Woman (1935)
11:30 AM Jezebel (1938)
1:15 PM Dark Victory (1939)
3:15 PM The Old Maid (1939)
5:00 PM In This Our Life (1942)
6:45 PM Bette Davis: The Benevolent Volcano (1984) (documentary)
Jewel Robbery (1932)
March 16, 6:00 AM
William Powell and Kay Francis in one of the best pre-codes around.
Pre-codes on March 18:
6:30 AM Wide Open (1930)
7:45 AM The Front Page (1931)
9:30 AM Lonely Wives (1932)
11:00 AM Smarty (1934)
12:15 PM Success at Any Price (1934)
Pre-codes on March 21:
6:00 AM The Pagan (1929)
7:30 AM Night Court (1932)
9:15 AM Eskimo (1933)
11:15 AM Laughing Boy (1934)
12:45 PM Manhattan Melodrama (1934)
Le quai de brumes (Port of Shadows) (1939)
March 22, 5:00 AM
Jean Gabin as a solider who falls in love after deserting the army.
The Case of the Lucky Legs (1935)
March 23, 10:30 AM
Perry Mason case starring Warren William, with Genevieve Tobin and Craig Reynolds in a small part. My favorite of the 1930s Perry Masons.
The Outrage (1964)
March 29, 3:15 AM
This ridiculous Americanized version of Kurosawa’s masterpiece Rashomon is this month’s official What The Shit Is This? selection. See! Paul Newman in brownface and dressed like a mariachi singer from Casa Bonita. Thrill! As William Shatner finally shakes off any last vestiges of a legit dramatic acting career and embraces scenery chewing, as is his destiny. Swoon! As Laurence Harvey out-hams even William Shatner. Cheer! As Claire Bloom tries and fails to hide the unmistakable “What the fuck have I gotten myself into?” look in her eyes.
Penthouse (1933)
March 29, 11:15 AM
Warner Baxter as a lawyer framed for murder and Myrna Loy as the prostitute who helps him find the real killer. This one has been hard to find for a while, so grab it while you can.
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Got any movies showing this month you want to share? Leave ’em in the comments!
Outrage does have that James Wong Howe cinematography, at least.
Penthouse sounds amazing. These posts of yours just remind me that I need to pay deep attention to the TCM schedule for pre-codes. It seems like there is always something awesome sounding every month that I miss.
You’re right, I’d forgotten Howe was cinematographer. It does look really nice, the scenes in the sunny forest-field areas especially.
I read the TCM schedule through twice and always miss a ton of stuff. Going through five schedules means I miss five tons of stuff! It’s like a law.