I don't watch much AMC, or at least I haven't in the past. Chalk it up to my distaste for older films, which are usually defined by many (myself included) with the "classics" label. Whether it's due to that or just the placing within DirecTV's channel lineup (somewhere around 260, also known as "the dead man's zone" in my head, due most likely to it's proximity to Lifetime, Lifetime Movies, Oxygen and god knows what other awful channels), AMC's never been on my radar.
Since you're reading this, you should know that that has changed, at least somewhat. Flipping through on Monday, I came across Escape From New York. The 1981 Kurt Russell actioner is undoubtedly a new classic, but something about the myriad commercials I saw for upcoming
items on their schedule screamed "Not classic!" Now, don't get me wrong - I love Road House more than most rational people (watched it last night, mijo), but even I would be labeled a witch if I started touting it as an American Movie Classic.
The thing is, though, compared to some of the other films on this month's lineup, Road House is a classic. Here's a small sampling of some of the, shall we say, lesser movies (in alphabetical order):
* Blues Brothers 2000
* Celtic Pride
* Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
* Eddie
* Ladder 49
* Missing in Action 2: The Beginning
* Pearl Harbor
* Striking Distance
* Teen Wolf
* The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
* The In-Laws
* The Karate Kid, Part II
* Troy
* Two Weeks Notice
That's not to say that there certainly aren't some classics being shown as well. Amongst my forte of contemporary classics, I saw The Princess Bride, Stand By Me, Wall Street, and Terminator 2: Judgement Day to go along with all of the classic classics.
Still, it came as no surprise to me when I read on the Wikipedia entry for AMC this morning that, "since 2003, the full name has been de-emphasized as a result of a major shift in programming." Months back, I ranted about The History Channel airing a documentary series called Ice Road Truckers, wondering what exactly it was about that profession that deemed it worthy of History? It would appear that this is just more of the same.
What started as a premium, commercial-free channel that showed primarily films from the 50s and before has sold its soul like so many other "niche" channels. It's become yet another clone in the cable universe, an indistinct destination that leans slightly to its original intent, all the while attempting to pull in more viewers. What we're left with is a thousand TNTs and USAs - sure, AMC might rein me in with an airing of Road House or snag awards with its hit show Mad Men, but apart from being a specific number on the dial, how can one tell these channels apart? I fear for them should the cable providers ever hit the "Shuffle" button.
But please, call me when Lifetime starts airing Wild Things. Thanks.
http://www.amctv.com/
Since you're reading this, you should know that that has changed, at least somewhat. Flipping through on Monday, I came across Escape From New York. The 1981 Kurt Russell actioner is undoubtedly a new classic, but something about the myriad commercials I saw for upcoming
items on their schedule screamed "Not classic!" Now, don't get me wrong - I love Road House more than most rational people (watched it last night, mijo), but even I would be labeled a witch if I started touting it as an American Movie Classic.The thing is, though, compared to some of the other films on this month's lineup, Road House is a classic. Here's a small sampling of some of the, shall we say, lesser movies (in alphabetical order):
* Blues Brothers 2000
* Celtic Pride
* Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
* Eddie
* Ladder 49
* Missing in Action 2: The Beginning
* Pearl Harbor
* Striking Distance
* Teen Wolf
* The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
* The In-Laws
* The Karate Kid, Part II
* Troy
* Two Weeks Notice
That's not to say that there certainly aren't some classics being shown as well. Amongst my forte of contemporary classics, I saw The Princess Bride, Stand By Me, Wall Street, and Terminator 2: Judgement Day to go along with all of the classic classics.
Still, it came as no surprise to me when I read on the Wikipedia entry for AMC this morning that, "since 2003, the full name has been de-emphasized as a result of a major shift in programming." Months back, I ranted about The History Channel airing a documentary series called Ice Road Truckers, wondering what exactly it was about that profession that deemed it worthy of History? It would appear that this is just more of the same.
What started as a premium, commercial-free channel that showed primarily films from the 50s and before has sold its soul like so many other "niche" channels. It's become yet another clone in the cable universe, an indistinct destination that leans slightly to its original intent, all the while attempting to pull in more viewers. What we're left with is a thousand TNTs and USAs - sure, AMC might rein me in with an airing of Road House or snag awards with its hit show Mad Men, but apart from being a specific number on the dial, how can one tell these channels apart? I fear for them should the cable providers ever hit the "Shuffle" button.
But please, call me when Lifetime starts airing Wild Things. Thanks.
http://www.amctv.com/
