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From the obscure to the obscurest to the merely overlooked or underappreciated; they all have a home in the TiVoPlex! All times Pacific.

Tuesday 07/17/07

Midnight IFC
C.S.A. :The Confederate States of America (2004 USA): What would the United States look like if the slave states had won the American Civil War? That's the question posed by this cheeky mockumentary from director and film professor Kevin Wilmott. Framed as a British television expose examining the state of the nation after 140 years of Confederate rule, C.S.A. slyly insinuates genuine examples of crude racism into the proceedings, including product placements for outrageous (but real) items like Sambo Axle Grease, and updates history to reflect what might have been had Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee triumphed. In this revisionist history, abolitionists fled to Canada, the 'Cotton Curtain' descended, Hitler visited the White House, and Ronald Reagan kicked off his 1980 Presidential campaign from Philadelphia, Mississippi, where civil rights workers were murdered in 1964. Oh wait, that last bit's true. Wickedly satirical and pointedly critical of the way things really did turn out, C.S.A. nevertheless puts the lie to the romantic notions of Old South apologists, whose flowery images of mint juleps, antebellum mansions, and happy slaves still remain in vogue today in certain circles.

3:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Flight (1929 USA): An early effort from Frank Capra, Flight is a bare knuckled drama about Marine Corps flyboys Panama and Lefty (Jack Holt and Ralph Graves) and their passive aggressive competition for the hand of beautiful nurse Elinor (Lila Lee). Sent to Nicaragua to assume the White Man's Burden and to quell a native rebellion, Panama and Lefty soon find themselves in the thick of the action, and by happy coincidence, Elinor is also assigned to tend to the wounded. When Lefty's plane is shot down, Panama finds himself torn between his loyalty to his old chum and his desire to claim victory in the battle for Elinor's heart. Will he help to rescue his old flying partner — or will he let him rot in the jungle? A far cry from the calcified and syrupy comedies for which Capra is best known today, Flight is an exciting if predictable adventure tale with some superb aerial photography.

11:45 AM Turner Classic Movies
Wings and the Woman (1942 GB): If you're in the mood for a flag-waving feature or a patriotic pick me up, here's one for your consideration. Shot in Britain during the darkest days of World War II, Wings and the Woman (originally entitled They Flew Alone) stars Anna Neagle as Amy Johnson, the real life British equivalent of Amelia Earhart. Johnson was the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia and also set speed records for fastest flights from London to Moscow and from London to Cape Town, so her uplifting life story and spunky attitude were just what the doctor ordered as Rommel knocked on the door of Alexandria and Malta was bombed into near submission. Co-starring Robert Newton as Amy's husband, fellow flyer Jim Mollison, the film also served as an enlistment aid for other aspiring female pilots, who could serve in the Air Transport Auxiliary and free up male aviators for combat duty in the RAF. Co-starring William Hartnell (the first Doctor Who), Martita Hunt, and Miles Malleson, Wings and the Woman will have you hanging out your Union Jack bunting and planting a victory garden in no time.

Wednesday 07/18/07

9:00 AM Showtime
Home Front (2006 USA): This astonishing and powerful documentary features interviews with Iraq War veteran Jeremy Feldbusch — left blind and brain damaged from his experiences overseas — and his Pennsylvania family, desperately attempting to reintegrate him into 'normal' society. Still supportive of 'The War on Terror', Feldbusch is seen re-learning things he once took for granted, such as riding a bike and (yikes!) shooting a .44 magnum, which I've heard tell can blow your head clean off. He also spends time working with the Wounded Warrior Project, a support group for veterans such as himself. Though his opinions may seem to set him at odds with those of director Richard Hankin, the film never attempts to speak for or against Feldbusch, allowing the viewer to draw their own conclusions about the value of the sacrifices make by this very loyal soldier.

9:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Dime With A Halo (1963 USA): Five street urchins steal money from the collection plate and bet it on the horses in this south of the border fable from TV director Boris Sagal. The boys use a gringo tourist (Invisible Invaders' Paul Langton) to place their bets, but when they finally and unexpectedly hit the jackpot, he's not around to claim the prize money on their behalf. After a frenzied search and a phone call to Los Angeles, Mr. Jones is located — but this being a fable (and a lesson in morality), things don't go quite as planned, and the lads are forced to confront the wickedness of their ways. Attractively shot on location in Tijuana, Dime With A Halo is a very enjoyable MGM second feature that originally played beneath Pat Boone's The Main Attraction. And no, until now I didn't know major studios were still sending out double bills in 1963, either.

Thursday 07/19/07

8:35 AM Encore Dramatic Stories
Babes In Toyland (1986 USA): Last week, we featured the unnecessary made-for-television remake of The Defiant Ones — this week, we offer you the even less necessary made-for-television remake of Babes In Toyland, an old Laurel and Hardy feature that wasn't all that great to start with. (And how exactly does it qualify as an, er, 'dramatic story'? Encore, you owe us an explanation.) This NBC movie of the week would be entirely forgotten today if not for its cast, which includes 11-year-old Drew Barrymore as Lisa, a put upon Cincinnati youngster with too many family responsibilities and no time to play. Late one foggy Christmas Eve, Lisa is thrown from a speeding SUV, bumps her head on a tree, and ends up traveling to magical, mystical Toyland, where teddy bears police the streets, toy soldiers battle evil trolls, and Mary Contrary (Jill Schoelen) suffers sexual harassment at the hands of the wicked Barnaby (scenery chomping Richard Mulligan). Luckily for Mary, handsome Jack Be Nimble (Keanu Reeves, dude!) is around to save her from Barnaby, and luckily for Lisa, she recovers consciousness just in time to enjoy the last fleeting moments of her childhood. Sadly, YOU may not recover from watching this remarkable example of inept filmmaking, which will send you into insulin shock almost instantaneously.

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