“Melvin Goes to Dinner” director and “Mr. Show” co-creator Bob Odenkirk will be hosting Sundance Channel’s new cult-movie show, “Midnight Snack.” The weekly destination, which launches on March 5, 2004 with Johnny To and Wai Ka-Fai’s Fulltime Killer, showcases eccentric, outrageous and over-the-top films for the late night crowd. Less concerned with good taste than a good time, and sampling from different eras and different countries, “Midnight Snack” is unrestricted to any single format or genre; it offers everything from Hong Kong bullet ballets and vintage exploitation to homegrown horror and oddball shorts. “Midnight Snack” airs Friday nights at 12:00am.
The March through June lineup for “Midnight Snack” is as follows:
March 5 @ 12am ^ Fulltime Killer (Johnny To and Wai Ka-Fai). Hong Kong action king To pulls out all the stops for this globetrotting tale of two professional hit men.
March 12 @ 12am ^ “The Crow” (Alex Proyas). Proyas brings a gorgeously gloomy sensibility to this beloved adaptation of the 1980s graphic novel about a rock musician who rises from the grave on a mission of vengeance.
March 19 @ 12am ^ “Switchblade Sisters” (Jack Hill). Legendary exploitation director Hill (Foxy Brown) does himself proud this 1975 girl-gang flick, which was re-released by fan Quentin Tarantino in 1996.
March 26 @ 12am ^ “Romeo is Bleeding” (Peter Medak). Gary Oldman and Lena Olin tear into their juicy roles in this deliciously pulpy, darkly funny neo-noir.
April 2 @ 12am ^ Audition (Takashi Miike) This masterpiece of Japanese horror recounts a middle-aged bachelor’s infatuation with a beautiful young woman that takes a shocking turn.
April 9 @ 12am ^ Habit (Larry Fessenden): A distinctive down-and-dirty East Village vampire flick from indie auteur Fessenden.
April 16 @ 12am ^ “Cure” (Kiyoshi Kurosawa): Moody horror from Japanese master Kurosawa in which a strange young man may hold the key to a series of mysterious killings.
April 23 @ 12am ^ Rude Boy (David Mingay and Jack Hazan): This off-the-cuff 1980 “mockumentary” portrait of a dissolute Clash roadie is vintage punk rock.
April 30 @ 12am ^ “Lord Love a Duck” (George Axelrod): This take-no-prisoners 1966 satire of American consumer culture, stars Tuesday Weld, Roddy McDowell and, of course, Ruth Gordon.
May 7 @ 12am ^ Wave Twisters (Syd Garon and Eric Henry): Sci-fi animation with wall-to-wall turntablism from the world famous DJ Qbert.
May 14 @ 12am ^ “Heavy Traffic” (Ralph Bakshi): A vintage underground comic come to life, in this deranged 1973 animated film from cult hero Bakshi.
May 21 @ 12am ^ Decasia (Bill Morrison): Trippy collage of sound and image constructed from decayed, degraded archival stock.
May 28 @ 12am ^ Master of the Flying Guillotine (Yu Wang): This much loved 1975 kung fu classic has been very influential on other filmmakers.
June 4 @ 12am ^ “El Mariachi” (Robert Rodriguez): Rodriguez’s classic no-budget south-of-the-border Western.
June 11 @ 12am ^ “La Haine” (Matthieu Kassovitz): Kassovitz’s first feature, a witty, dangerous account of ghetto life on the fringes of Paris.
June 18 @ 12am ^ Chopper (Andrew Dominik): Eric Bana turns in a powerhouse performance as celebrated mass murder turned professional self-promoter Mark “Chopper” Read.
June 25 @ 12am ^ The City of Lost Souls (Takashi Miike): A small time Brazilian criminal takes on an army of murderous Yakuza.
