Can you believe that it's the end of November already?  I've barely gotten over Halloween.  But there's some great movies coming up this week, so get that record button ready.

Mon, Nov 24:

8/9 pm: The Proposition on IFC (repeat 11/25 at 12/1 am).

Tues, Nov 25

3:45/4:45 am: The Wild One on AMC.  You may ask what that young man is rebelling against?  At this point, the answer is: whaddaya got?  Later the answer will be: belts.

8:50/9:50 am: The New World on IFC (repeat at 2:35/3:35 pm).

7/8 pm: Ride With The Devil on AMC (repeat 11/26 at 12:30/1:30 am).  Among the many inversions of your expectations in Ang Lee's Civil War drama is the utter surprise when the pop singer Jewel appears and you do not feel like leaving the room immediately.

11 pm/12 am: The Last Waltz on VH1CL. Why is The Band so awesome?  Marty Scorcese wants to know.

11:15 pm/12:15 am: Rio Grande on TCM.

Wed, Nov 26

Don't you have a turkey to baste?  Or travel plans?  TV offers no excuses to procrastinate on the day before Thanksgiving.  Unfortunately.

Thurs, Nov 27

5:15/6:15 am: Solaris on IFC.  Tarkovsky version, not Soderbergh.

5:30/6:30 am: Planet of the Apes on FMC (too many repeats to mention over the next four days).  Starting with a documentary called "Evolution of the Apes" at 5 am on Thanksgiving Day (here in the US, I mean; apologies to our friends elsewhere who will not be stuffing their faces with bird carcass and pie today), FMC is showing nothing but Planet of the Apes movies until Sunday.  Rock me, Dr. Zaius!  

10:30/11:30 am: The Godfather on AMC.  Family.  It's what's important in life.

2:30/3:30 pm: The Godfather, Part II on AMC.  You should pointedly insist that your brother (or brother-in-law) sit down to watch this with you when the bastard swipes the last piece of pumpkin pie.

9:30/10:30 pm: Beneath the Planet of The Apes on FMC (too many repeats to mention here over the next four days).  A guilty pleasure for some, which is why this POTA movie gets special notice.  I should mention that I had no idea that there were so many POTA movies.  I remember seeing a few when I was a kid, but I didn't realize that the series went on for so long.  My favorite is Under The Volcano Of The Planet Of The Apes, in which Charlton Heston plays a burnt-out diplomat drunkenly careening from chimp bar to chimp bar while his luck slowly runs out.  

Fri, Nov 28

9/10 am: Picnic at Hanging Rock on IFC (repeat at 3:05/4:05 pm).

Sat, Nov 29

1/2 am: The Harder They Come on TCM.  Is this the finest rude boy movie ever made?  It certainly has the best soundtrack.

3:30/4:30 am: Hell on IFC.  The grandfather of J-horror, this is a shockingly gory Japanese flick from 1960. 

7/8 am: THRONE OF BLOOD on IFC.  Sorry for shouting, but it seems appropriate to shout when mentioning Throne of Blood, the all-time best version of Macbeth on film.  You've got Kurosawa & Mifune.  Medieval Japan.  Cobweb Castle, witches, a walking forest, and a rain of arrows.  Allegedly T.S. Eliot's favorite film.  Throne of Fuckin' Blood.

6/7 pm: A Boy Named Charlie Brown on FAM (repeat 11/30 at 11 am/12 pm).  Pardon my language.  I got carried away.  Since you might have family with you over the holiday weeked, perhaps it's a good time to revisit the classics of Charles Schultz?  This is the one (as you may remember) about a spelling bee. No, not Spellbound, but you're close.

8/9 pm: Snoopy Come Home on FAM (repeat 11/30 at 1/2 pm).  What will that rascal Snoopy do next?

Sun, Nov 30

7/8 am: Sansho The Bailiff on IFC.  Fantastic drama about justice misserved in feudal Japan.  It's not Throne of Blood, but it's not too far behind.

9/10 am: Twentieth Century on TCM. Classic screwball comedy.

9:05/10:05 am: High and Low on IFC. Frequent commenter Janet says she sometimes thinks this is the best Kurosawa/Mifune movie full stop.  I sometimes agree with that.

11:15 pm/12:15 am: The Wizard of Oz on TCM.  No Judy Garland here.  This is the silent version from 1925.

Mon, Dec 1

I got nothing.  Hard enough to go back to work after the holiday weekend, anyway.