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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 09/11/07

9:35 PM Sundance
Dust to Dust: The Health Effects of 9/11 (2006 USA): Breathe deep the gathering gloom - unless, of course, you were in Lower Manhattan in the days following the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001. Advised by Christine Todd Whitman's politicized Environmental Protection Agency that the air was safe to breathe, thousands of rescue workers and first responders with insufficient safety apparatus spent hundreds of hours sifting through the wreckage. Within a few years, as more and more of these workers fell ill to a bewildering array of illnesses, the truth - that the air had, in fact, been suffused with a nasty stew of toxic chemicals - began to emerge. This biting documentary makes no bones about putting the blame where it squarely belongs: on the Bush administration and on Rudy Giuliani, who assured New Yorkers that the air was safe to breathe, and is now assuring us he's the best choice to succeed George Bush in the White House. Caveat emptor!

Wednesday 09/12/07

8:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
Going Steady (1958 USA): Here's a rarely seen cautionary tale that the risk-taking teen in your life needs to see today - before it's too late! Molly Bee and Alan Reed Jr. play Julie and Calvin, high school sweethearts who wed in secret whilst on a school sports trip to Reno. In love and now legal, the couple shack up overnight in a honeymoon cottage, and a few weeks later, the predictable result begins to make itself apparent. Will their parents understand - or will an annulment be the only way out for the hormone-maddened lovebirds? Don't even think about the abortion option, because this is strictly bill-filler material churned out in a lightning fast ten days by schlock producer Sam Katzman and director Fred Sears, who suffered a fatal (and presumably coincidental) heart attack a mere two months after wrapping the film.

9:30 AM Fox Movie Channel
Kangaroo (1952 USA): Tie me Kangaroo down, sport! This Lewis Milestone helmed feature, shot entirely on location down under but funded with Hollywood money, stars Finlay Currie and Maureen O'Hara as the McGuires, Irish immigrants trying to make a go of the cattle business in the Australian outback. Alas, they haven't reckoned on the presence of Connor and Gamble (Peter Lawford and Richard Boone), a pair of thieving villains determined to get their hands on both O'Hara AND her cows. The story is nothing special, but the colorful and exotic location footage is impressive - and it's always good to see Aussie actor Chips Rafferty (here cast as a representative of the law) in anything.

4:00 PM Sundance
Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? (1966 FRA): Take a week off, and look what happens. A fortnight ago I took one of my infrequent TiVoPlex breathers, and missed the American television premiere of this outrageous pop art feature from expatriate director William Klein. Shot in Paris at the height of the swinging '60s, Who Are You, Polly Maggoo? features unknown Dorothy McGowan as the titular dolly bird, a movie star/model who drives her fans mad with desire. The great Jean Rochefort stars as a television reporter trying to make sense of the phenomenon, whilst Sami Frey portrays a moneyed noble determined to win over his idol with his mansion full of toys. This is absolutely essential viewing for anyone interested in '60s cinema, and strongly recommended to everyone else - especially if you're also a fan of Beckett, Bunuel, or Ionescu.

9:45 PM The Movie Channel
Twelve and Holding (2006 USA): Director Michael Cuesta's L.I.E. was one of the best films I've ever seen about adolescent sexuality, so I was quite excited about the release of Twelve and Holding, especially as it came out the same year my own son turned twelve. As luck would have it, I didn't recognize a whole lot of my child in the film, but it's still a hell of an effort notwithstanding. Revolving around the trials and tribulations of three New Jersey families, Cuesta's film stars Conor Donovan as the Carges twins, 12-year old brothers who, in consort with overweight chum Leonard (Jesse Camacho), get into big trouble one day in their tree house. Also living through the pains of pubescence is Malee (Zoe Weizenbaum), who has a crush on the same construction worker her mother (Annabella Sciorra) is lusting after. Saddled with adult-size problems they don't fully comprehend, these edge-of-adolescence tweenies undergo some pretty serious growing pains throughout the film, and the end result is a thoughtful, realistic, and frequently uncomfortable viewing experience. Also airs 9/13 at 12:45 AM.

Thursday 09/13/07

3:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Libel (1959 GB): An excellent courtroom drama from director Anthony Asquith, Libel stars Dirk Bogarde as a well regarded barrister confronted by accusations that he's not the man he claims to be. Olivia De Havilland plays his trusting wife who slowly starts to turn on him, and the solid supporting cast includes Robert Morley, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Anthony Dawson, as well as Robert Shaw in an early cameo as a newspaper reporter. Watch and find out why this was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound!

9:30 PM Showtime
Farce of the Penguins (2006 USA): Do you still love penguins? After the spate of waddling seabird movies to which we've been subjected in the wake of box-office super smash March of the Penguins, it would be understandable if one's fancy for the tuxedo clad critters had paled a bit. If you're sick of those fish-sucking, egg coddling black and white minstrels, you might be ready for this low budget comedy cash-in from writer-director Bob Saget (yes, THAT Bob Saget). As one might expect from the host of America's Funniest Home Videos, the penguin footage here is all "the real deal", whilst Saget's witty repartee about mating and toilet rituals has been post-synched to provide maximum hilarity. It's all appropriately sophomoric, but if you think penguins have got a bit big for their boots of late, you'll probably appreciate the effort to take them down a peg or two. Also airs at 12:30 AM and at 8:00 PM on 9/16.

Friday 09/14/07

8:45 PM Flix
Romper Stomper (1992 AUS): The TiVoPlex archives reveal I've overlooked this Aussie drama in years past - a bit of a surprise, considering my penchant for bare knuckle realism and general empathy for skinhead culture (ha, ha). Chalk it up to my innate love/hate affair with lead actor Russell Crowe, who never lets you forget you're watching a movie star on screen, but acts like a working class yob when off it. Romper Stomper includes a bravura breakthrough performance from Crowe, who portrays a nasty skinhead going through one of those predictable "there goes the neighborhood" moments after Vietnamese refugees start moving in down Melbourne way, leading to more than a bit of the old ultra-violence in the local pubs and back alleys. It's not as good as this year's instant Oi! classic, This Is England, but is still pretty gut-wrenching stuff.

Saturday 09/15/07

5:00 PM Cinemax
Hollywoodland (2006 USA): In 1959, Superman remained one of the most iconic of early television shows, and Clark Kent himself, actor George Reeves, one of the best loved (and best recognized) actors in the land. That was both blessing and curse for Reeves, who found himself unable to escape the orbit of the role that made him a star after years of back-lot struggles, and (at 45) no longer believable as The Man of Steel. Reeves committed suicide that year, but there have long been suspicions that his death was actually the result of foul play, and Paul Bernbaum's screenplay approaches the story from that direction. Adrien Brody stars as Louis Simo, a down on his luck private detective hired to get to the bottom of the mystery, and once one adapts to the casting of tobacco-store Indian Ben Affleck as Reeves, Hollywoodland actually delivers as a Sunset Boulevard-style expose of Tinsel Town's seamy underbelly. Also airs at 8:00 PM and on 9/16 at 4:10 AM and 7:10 AM.

10:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Below the Sea (1933 USA): Wealthy Fay Wray underwrites a maritime expedition that turns nasty in this tremendously enjoyable adventure feature from Columbia, airing tonight as part of TCM's celebration of the actress's 100th birthday. (Unlike most folks, Ms. Wray almost made it to the finish line, only shuffling off her mortal coil in 2004 at the age of 97 years, 11 months.) She portrays heiress Diane Templeton, whose keen interest in marine science takes her on an Atlantic voyage that soon finds her crossing figurative swords with former U-boat commander Schlemmer (Frederick Vogeding), who's hitched a ride in an effort to recover the gold bullion lost after the sinking of his submarine during World War I. Co-starring Ralph Bellamy as straight arrow sailor Steve McCreary, Below the Sea features excellent Joseph Walker cinematography and a spicy pre-Code screenplay from Jo Swerling, who would later contribute to works as diverse as Gone With the Wind and Lifeboat.

Sunday 09/16/07

9:00 PM Sundance
J.S.A. Joint Security Area (2000 ROK): It's been quite a while since we've had anything new to report on the Asia Extreme front, but Sundance finally gets out of the repeat rut this evening. J.S.A. Joint Security Area is an early feature from Oldboy director Chan-Wook Park, and takes place within the Korean Peninsula's Demilitarized Zone, the no-man's land that separates the authoritarian North from the democratic South. Lee Young-Ae stars as Korean-born, Swiss-raised officer Sophie Jean, a UN peacekeeper assigned to investigate an incident in the DMZ in which two North Korean troops were killed, ratcheting up tensions between North and South, who each claim the other side is to blame. The film avoids the hyperbolic violence of some of Park's later efforts and barely qualifies as "extreme" - but that's a minor quibble, and Sundance should be commended for airing what is actually an above average but fairly straightforward murder mystery.

11:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Tokyo Story (1953 JAP): The post-war generation gap rears its ugly head in this excellent, contemplative drama from the great Yasujiro Ozu (Floating Weeds). Set in 1950s Tokyo, the film tells the story of an anonymous urban family who must contend with the unwanted visit of their old-fashioned parents from the provinces. Things go difficultly if politely - until one of the elders expires on the journey home, forcing the insular youngsters to open up and reconnect with their rural past. Simply and elegantly told, this is a film to savor, and is best appreciated with the lights turned down low and outside distractions shut out.

11:05 PM Showtime
On the Outs (2004 USA): If Go Steady didn't provide your young ones sufficient warning about the dangers of pre-marital sex, drinking, and drug abuse, On the Outs surely will - not that I'd recommend you let them watch this brutally realistic indie drama. Directed by Lori Silverman and Kevin Skolnick and developed from a series of improvisational acting workshops, the film features Anny Mariano, Paolo Mendoza, and Judy Marte as Suzette, Marisol, and Oz, three teenage Jersey Girls confronting unwanted pregnancy, crack cocaine, and domestic violence during the post-Wonder Years. There's little if any varnish on this tale of teen woe, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Slamdance 2005. Also airs at 2:05 AM.

Monday 09/17/07

5:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Something Always Happens (1934 GB): A forgotten chapter of British film history gets reopened this evening, as TCM offers a trio of obscure features produced during the 1930s and 40s at South London's Teddington Studios. Teddington has been the site of film work since 1910, but had been purchased in 1931 by Warner Brothers, who promptly increased production to cash in on the need for British films mandated by the 1927 Cinematograph Films Act. First up tonight is Something Always Happens, a very early feature from fledgling director Michael Powell about an unemployed car salesman (Ian Hunter) who makes good in the petrol station business. It's a far cry from Powell's later, more cerebral fare, but Powell himself considered it one of his better "quota quickies". It's followed at 6:15 PM by another Powell production, Crown vs. Stevens (1936), in which an engagement ring causes an office clerk (Patric Knowles) no end of problems, and at 7:30 PM by The Peterville Diamond (1942), a rollicking comedy about jewel thieves featuring a young William Hartnell (the first Doctor Who). All three films air again commencing at 9:00 PM.