Love old or unusual movies but never know when they're on? Here are several I recommend you watch this week:
The Rose (1979): Bette Midler exploded onto the cinema scene with this deeply affecting study of a troubled recording star.
Reminiscent of the life of Janis Joplin, Midler's Mary Rose Foster is a talented but lonely and alcoholic performer consumed with insecurity.
Though well-known as a performer and recording artist at the time, Midler had never starred in a film before and her performance is shockingly good. She received a well-deserved Best Actress Academy Award nomination for her performance. -- 9 p.m. Sunday, Fox Movie Channel
Blackboard Jungle (1955): OK, I'll say it: I am not a Glenn Ford fan. But I'll admit, he's made some great movies, and this is most definitely one of them.
This groundbreaking film by Richard Brooks is a surprisingly clear-eyed look at youthful alienation, juvenile delinquency and the emergence of rock-and-roll culture.
Ford stars as an idealistic young teacher who gets more than he bargained for when he takes a job at an inner city school. The fantastic cast includes Sidney Poitier as a young "at risk" student, Anne Francis as Ford's supportive wife (was there any other kind in '50s movies?), Vic Morrow as a young thug and Richard Kiley as a teacher terrorized by him.
Even 45 years later, this movie is a bracing breath of fresh air. -- 3 p.m. Monday, Turner Classic Movies
Rosemary's Baby (1968): The great horror films play it straight, without ever winking at the audience. Since the filmmakers believe in their story, so do we as we watch it. I'm talking about movies like The Exorcist, The Haunting, The Sixth Sense, The Blair Witch Project and this film.
Roman Polanski's uncanny eye for character detail and imagery makes this film about the conception of an unspeakable heir to evil almost unbearably disturbing.
Mia Farrow gives the performance of a lifetime as the naive young wife of a New York actor (John Cassavetes) who is befriended by an odd old couple in her building during her pregnancy. Ruth Gordon won an Oscar for her performance.
The movie will scare you silly. -- midnight Tuesday, Cinemax
Playtime (1967): This is the amazing Jacques Tati's biggest, most expensive and, visually, most impressive movie.
His famous character M. Hulot travels through Paris with a group of American tourists, lost in a soulless, high-tech world.
Tati's gift for creating visual gags is almost indescribable and must be seen to be believed. Though released in 1967, the movie is made very much in the style of silent films, so don't worry if you don't think you like "foreign" movies.
This is a movie that will amaze and delight you even with the sound off! -- 10:15 p.m. Thursday, Turner Classic Movies
Trivia question #241: Mia Farrow's husband hated her making Rosemary's Baby. Who was he?
Bryan native Ray Ivey is a writer and movie fan in Hollywood, Calif. He would love to hear from you at rayivey@ca.rr.com. His blog is at www.rayivey.com/wordpress.
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