I watched about half of Renoir's Boudu Saved From Drowning this evening and was shocked to realize that Down And Out In Beverly Hills is a semi-faithful remake of this movie. Nolte plays the same character as Michel Simon in almost exactly the same way.

IMDb has Michael Winterbottom's Code 46 as the movie of the day, for which I want to give a tentative rec. I remember that, for a film that deals with a forbidden romance, it was a bit bloodless despite the presence of Samatha Morton, whom I love. Tim Robbins is rather so-so. Also, the ending kind of fizzes out. What it does have is an unexpectedly rich world-building of a dystopian future--lots of the usual Blade Runner influence, of course, but with its own unique twist. It also smartly plonks you down in the middle of this particular universe without preamble and lets you figure out what's going on--no condescending exposition-dump, which was refreshing. I felt like there was a lot more to the world than what we're shown, like this was one short fragment from a long, richer novel.

I may Netflix it to see how it holds up.

I remember it not being nearly as engaging as I'd hoped, based on the premise. Didn't leave me with the desire to see it again, Samantha Morton/dystopia aside.

Yeap. It had really interesting ideas and a terrific look, but the main story was plodding. I do remember loving the sequence in the clinic, and the whole idea of an "empathy virus" being as a tool for law enforcement. Kind of made me wish someone wrote a novel with different characters, set in the same universe.

Talking about Samantha Morton, I HBO was playing Sweet and Lowdown continuously last night--and I'd forgotten how friggin' amazing Morton was in what could have been a cringe-inducing role. Not that Sean Penn was any slouch, but I remember Morton's character more vividly. And the soundtrack for the movie (which I own) is wonderful.

Best entrance evah?

One of my favorites is Captain Jack Sparrow's in Pirates of the Caribbean. The whole Proud Pirate Captain by the mast of his ship thing to start, the pan back to show that he's really on a rapidly sinking fishing boat, the perfect timing as he steps from the mast to the dock, the saunter down the dock . . .

I think you get nearly everything you need to know about the character in that scene.

Heads up for fans of the oldies --

TCM is showing 14 hours of Dick Powell movies on Monday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. Powell was one of WB's big musical stars of the '30s (42nd Street, Gold Diggers of 1933, Footlight Parade). TCM isn't showing his classics, but a lot of his less-known '30s movies and some of his later (early '50s) comedies. (Doesn't look like there'll be any of his later '40s detective work.)

Should be a lot of pleasant light escapism there.

In other TCM news, they're showing The Narrow Margin - an excellent and rarely screened noir soon.

Also they're showing the super camp deluxe Demille Cleopatra (with Claudette Colbert) again this weekend (I think at 3am, so it's a TiVo task).

Already got TiVo set, Hec. It's actually a Cleopatra double feature -- Liz-n-Dick, then Claudette.

The Narrow Margin ... that's the Mimi Roger/Gene Hackman thriller on the train, right? I haven't seen that one in ages.

I have irrational Dick Powell hatred. Whenever he pops on my screen, I want to bash his ferrety face in. Not too fond of the whole "let's put on a show!" concept overall, unless the movie has Fred Astair or Gene Kelly in it. Hmmmm.

TCM is apparently having Joan Fontaine month: The Women, Otello, Gunga Din, Ivanhoe, Suspicion, Rebecca, plus a bunch of B movies I haven't seen. It's too bad they are not airing "Letter from an Unknown Woman", which is, I suppose, terribly political incorrect nowadays--I still have a fond memory of it, what with all that swoony lushness and self-sacrifice for an undeserving cad and all. I love Max Ophuls and his melodramas. There is enough decadent European romanticism in each film of his to chock an elephant.

I keep waiting for TCM to air "The Constant Nymph" to no avail. I hear the music in the movie is particularly fine--by Erich Wolfgang Korngold no less.

The Narrow Margin ... that's the Mimi Roger/Gene Hackman thriller on the train, right? I haven't seen that one in ages.

Hmmm, I wonder if that's a remake. This one is definitely on a train, but it stars Marie Windsor and some palooka.