Moviedrome Mondays: Naked Tango (1990) and Apartment Zero (1988)

by John Charet

This week’s Moviedrome Monday entry consists of two films set in Buenos Airs.

Naked Tango (1990)

I have posted a youtube video link below to Moviedrome presenter Alex Cox’s introduction to late director/writer Leonard Schrader’s (brother of the legendary Paul) 1990 erotic drama Naked Tango. Readers can also read Cox’s intro transcript here. The episode’s original airdate was August 28, 1994 (read here). I actually have not seen this film, so I unfortunately can’t comment on it. It does look interesting though 🙂

Here is a youtube video link to Moviedrome presenter Alex Cox’s intro to Naked Tango

Here is a youtube video link to what may be either the film’s original theatrical trailer or a TV spot

Apartment Zero (1988)

I have posted a youtube video link below to Moviedrome presenter Alex Cox’s introduction to director Martin Donovan’s 1988 political thriller Apartment Zero. Readers can also read Cox’s intro transcript here. The episode’s original airdate was August 29, 1994 (read here). As eloquent as his intro is, I have to respectfully disagree with Cox on Apartment Zero. Concerning it’s content, I was fascinated by it’s blending of it’s cinematic themes (our lead character owns a revival house) with that of it’s political drama (his opposite may be an assassin). I was even more intrigued by the central relationship between these two characters – a Brit (Colin Firth) and an American (Hart Bochner) in Buenos Aires.

Here is a youtube video link to Alex Cox’s Moviedrome intro to Apartment Zero

Here is a youtube video link to what may be the film’s original theatrical trailer

11 thoughts on “Moviedrome Mondays: Naked Tango (1990) and Apartment Zero (1988)”

  2. I too enjoyed Apartment Zero. I thought it was a little too ambitious for its own good, but it’s a courageous film. There were elements of it that seemed convoluted and some of it just went over my head; I usually enjoy black humor but I don’t think it worked as well here, although it’s been ages since I saw it. I should revisit it.

  4. The first one is available on VHS, but I have since upgraded to Blu-Ray, so I can’t really do anything about that 🙂 Apartment Zero is available on DVD, though it has been a while since it has been reissued 🙂 Anyway, thanks for dropping by 🙂

  5. I hear ya about Apartment Zero 🙂 As for me, it is the central relationship between the two lead actors that really elevate it, though it’s other ideas perfectly stand on their own 🙂 Anyway, thanks for dropping by 🙂

  10. Naked Tango is on ok.ru. I watched it and I thought it was a very poor and forgettable film. I found the film turgid and stodgy. It has quite a good cast but they don’t have much to work with. It has fine visuals. It looks like a TV commercial as Alex said in the intro. It’s slick and glossy. It’s very well photographed by Juan Ruiz Anchia. His photography also helped Glengarry Glen Ross transcend it’s stage origins. Naked Tango has a bad script and I think it’s a bad film overall. I can see why the film didn’t get a DVD release and why Leonard Schrader didn’t direct any more films after it.

    I thought Apartment Zero was even worse. There’s positivity about it here but I’m afraid I disagree. I hated the film. I thought it was terrible. I thought it was garbage, dreadful, shockingly bad and dire. I thought it was a very languid and uninteresting film. I thought the script was bad and the film was just a bore. I thought the direction was flat too. I think Alex was right describing the film as lugubrious. I disliked the performances of both lead actors. I think Alex description of Colin Firth was right. He is rigid and mannered. So much so that it’s grating. Hart Bochner is a plank of wood. He had a supporting role in Die Hard but apart from that it’s easy to see why his career went nowhere. I was relieved to see the end credits. I’d give Apartment Zero a zero out of ten.

    This was a Buenos Aires double bill on Moviedrome. It’s a pity it was a double bill of two bad films though. Alex’s two intros are great and very interesting and are both better than the actual films. It was odd doing the Apartment Zero intro in a hairdressers though. There’s a bored looking woman there. It should be “Smile, you’re on Moviedrome!”. The intros of season seven of Moviedrome were filmed in Budapest, Hungary.

Leave a comment