Daniels shines in 'Getysburg'

  • Posted: Sunday, April 24, 2011 7:00 a.m.
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Love old or unusual movies but never know when they're on? Here are several I recommend:


Gettysburg (1993): This 4 1/2-hour epic adaptation of Michael Shaara's novel The Killer Angels has a whole lot of fake facial hair in it. It also has my favorite Jeff Daniels performance (and I have seen him do a lot of things). He brings true nobility to the role of Col. Joshua Chamberlain, the poor sap stuck with the doomed defense of Little Round Top.


There are plenty of other grand performances as well, particularly Martin Sheen as Lee, and Stephen Lang as Pickett. But it's Daniels who makes this harrowing and thrilling journey worthwhile. -- 9:15 p.m. Monday, Turner Classic Movies


Call Northside 777 (1948): Even if you're a huge Jimmy Stewart fan (like me) you may have not seen this gem, one of his most obscure and unusual films. Director Henry Hathaway used a crisp, documentary-style approach to this story about a reporter who begins chewing on a 10-year old murder case. At first he believes the convicted man (Richard Conte) is really guilty of killing a cop, but as new clues surface he's not so sure.


Stewart is beautifully convincing as a cynical and stubborn reporter, and the always-underrated Conte is charismatic. This movie includes one of the all-time great character names as well: "Wanda Skutnik." -- 1 p.m. Wednesday, Fox Movie Channel


L'Auberge Espagnole (2002): Ever had a movie that gave you intense flashbacks of your own life? Anyone who's ever gone away to college will be able to relate to this warm, funny and smart movie.


Romain Duris stars as a young man from Paris who goes to study in Barcelona. He moves into an apartment that's a veritable European Union in microcosm. There's an English and a Belgian girl, and young men from Denmark and Germany. Watching them grow close may remind you of that time in your life when you forged intense friendships that felt like they would last forever. The delightful Audrey Tautou co-stars as the girl Duris leaves behind in Paris. -- 5:40 p.m. Thursday, Sundance Channel


Them! (1954): Run for your lives -- it's THEM! Radioactive tests in the desert have turned common ants into giant monsters!


This is one of the best of those wonderfully tacky Cold War monster docudramas. The special effects were so good they were nominated for an Academy Award, no fooling. And it stars James Arness from television's Gunsmoke, so you know it's a quality production. You might be surprised how suspenseful and effective this movie is. -- 7 a.m. Friday, Turner Classic Movies


Trivia Question No. 374: What 1989 Civil War-themed film contains a performance by the most Oscar-nominated black performer?


Answer to Trivia Question No. 372: The Broadway musical A Day In Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine was a riotous send-up of a Marx Brothers movie that never was.


* Ray Ivey is a writer and movie fan in Hollywood, Calif. Email him at rayivey@ca.rr.com.

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