Turner Classic Movies: what good movies used to be
Written: Nov 07 '04 (Updated Nov 21 '04)
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Pros: Very deep film library, knowledgeable hosts, 24/7, superb website, uncut and commercial-free
Cons: Parental guidance suggested, no mobile/PDA facility
The Bottom Line: A great channel for movie fans of all ages!
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| javajoop's Full Review: TCM |
Before I got digital cable, I wondered where my favorite movies had gone to. An occasional classic feature would appear on my local PBS station or some programming manager would sneak in a late night feature instead of those moronic "infomercials." What good 'ole memories I had! My childhood television habits consisted of sneaking in the "Late, late movie" on WCBS-TV/ch.2 or the "Million Dollar Movie" on WOR-TV/ch.9 while my folks were sound asleep. "Creature Feature" on WPIX-TV/ch.11 was a favorite of mine on Saturday nights. After the unfortunate events of 9/11 and the loss of the WTC which carried the largest TV antenna ever, I subscribed to cable. It was then I saw where my movies went.
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a cable/satellite channel, available domestically and overseas, offering 24 hours of movies rated good to excellent and ranging different genres - from silent to musicals; black & white to technicolor® melodramas to action. I don't know what defines movies as classic, but I do know Ted Turner made a smart purchase eighteen years ago to own the complete pre-1986 MGM library and later, merged the pre-1950 Warner and the complete RKO film stock. They also lease the best films from Columbia, Universal and Paramount studios; ironically, don't expect the colorized versions that TBS nor TNT produced. At least somebody at the TCM executive suite has good taste.
Note: On occasion, they do show TV-MA films like the Day of the Jackal so I'd make sure that your TV's V-chip is set appropriately if you have minors about.
Do expect most if not all films running in letterbox format, unedited and, in some cases, to include the original theatre overture and exit music. That's not a bad thing; however, I would recommend seeing it on a 19" TV or larger for best viewing. What fills in-between the features are either film shorts, trailers or well produced tributes to a number of actors. Recently, Jamie Lee Curtis made a loving testimonial to her mother, the late Janet Leigh who depicts her as an erudite actor as well as a caring mom.
Oh, there's so many assets that make TCM high on my watch list. Let's start with Robert Osbourne, prime time host and anchor. His commentaries at the film's beginning and conclusion are not to be missed, for he has the ultimate 411 on each feature and behind-the-scenes production so missed on other channels. Mr. Osborne is also a columnist-critic for The Hollywood Reporter, the daily show business trade paper as well as a well-known author. He is the quintessential authority of the Academy Award® - the Oscar®.
Sydney Pollack, Academy Award® winning director and actor, hosts "The Essentials," a TCM exclusive in which he selects 26 films he deems required viewing and comments each with its own relevancy to society. He includes my favs such as Casablanca, Rear Window, and Day of the Jackal. The program usually shows on Saturday evening and repeats on Sunday afternoon.
Ben Mankiewicz is TCM's weekend daytime host and is the grandson of writer Herman and great-nephew of director Joseph L. Mankiewicz. His youthful insight brings a different spin to his intro's. For instance, he co-hosted with four prominent senators - John Edwards, Orrin Hatch, John McCain and Joseph Biden; each of them brought their personal film choice in tribute to election day.
The best asset of them all is TCM's excellent website, 2004 Webby Award nominee for Best Practices category. Well designed and easily navigable, the site offers a colossal compendium on who, when and what's on film. Let's start with the main page. The following navigation bar topics are:
Schedule - offers customizable flash or non-flash formats and your choice of different genres, actors, themes, times, letterbox, DVS (descriptive video service), & close-captioning - all to select to print out! What I would suggest is a mobile/PDA version of their guide so I could sync with my calender.
This month - monthly focus on themes or institutions for the preservation of films. This month, November offers selection from the American Film Archives. Also, a Star of the Month is featured as well as the Now Playing Guide.
Game, trivia and fun stuff - this fun page offers you many games (trivia, "flim, flam", scene match), wallpapers, ecards, buddy icons, and screensavers in conjunction to the monthly spotlight. (Confidentially, the trivia game is my guilty pleasure but don't tell my boss. Ok?)
Multimedia - the "gravy" of this site, TCM has an extensive video featurettes, movie trailers from their catalog and piles of photos. Prepare to spend hours just browsing through here - months if you have a slower modem. They even have dates listed for their next available showing. Booyah!
Community - there's a robust viewer forum boards as well as polls and book corner sweepstakes. Topics range from the demise of the westerns to David Selznick getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. What's a nice feature is the "Suggest a Movie" board. I always perennially ask for John Wayne's "The High and the Mighty" knowing full well it won't be shown. The rights belong to his heir's and they deem not releasing it anytime soon.
Movie News - this feature is dedicated mostly to new DVD releases with occasional highlights on film festivals, musical scores and book introductions. Of recent, they had obituaries of Fay Wray, Elmer Bernstein and Eugene Roche (Slaughterhouse Five).
Shopping - What's a movie channel without ye old online shoppe? It's actual operated by Movies Unlimited for the films and Barnes & Noble for their books. There's one notable TCM item such as Turner Classic Movies Edition Scene It? The DVD Game ($49.99), where you play up to four participants by watching scenes from TCM library and testing your powers of observation and movie faculty. It plays similar to Disney Scene It? so I'm inclined to look at it further.
Overall, the channel is very well produced with a retro-art-deco feel. It's as though you'd entered one of the big Loews movie emporiums for a movie premiere. So just settle in your recliner, turn to TCM and enjoy what Hollywood's yesteryears were all about.
www.turnerclassicmovies.com
© 2004 javajoop
Recommended:
Yes
Average Program Rating: TV PG -- parental guidance suggested
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javajoop
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Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 23
Trusted by: 3 members
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Cacoethes scribendi - "Bad habit of writing"
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