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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 9/20/11

1:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
Operation Crossbow (1965 GB): Sophia Loren and George Peppard headline this big budget war flick helmed by Michael Anderson. Though top-billed, Loren’s role is actually a small one - she can thank producer and husband Carlo Ponti for that - and the real action revolves around Peppard, here playing John Curtis, a volunteer sent on a dangerous mission: to winkle out secret information about Nazi long range missiles. To do so he must pose as a German engineer along with fellow volunteers Bradley (Jeremy Kemp) and Henshaw (Tom Courtenay) and infiltrate deep within enemy territory. Based on a true story, Operation Crossbow is not as exciting as it could have been, but will still probably satisfy action-adventure fans, who will especially appreciate the film’s Bond-style finale. An excellent supporting cast, including John Mills, Anthony Quayle, Trevor Howard, Lilli Palmer, Richard Todd, Richard Wattis, Allan Cuthbertson, and many others, provides plentiful distraction from the rather routine proceedings.

5:00 PM Showtime 2
The Tournament (2009 GB): Ever wondered what The Olympics would look like if assassination was considered a sport? Watch the Tournament and find out! Here’s the set-up: once every seven years, 30 of the world’s deadliest and most devious cutthroats gather to match poison-tipped umbrellas and radio-controlled shark bombs in a deadly fight to the finish. This year, the competition is taking place in...Middlesbrough?!? Wow, they couldn’t find a swankier location for such a prestigious event? My great-aunt Lillian and her husband Frank lived in Middlesbrough, one of the crappest towns in Britain. Anyhoo, The Tournament features an array of international film stars - including Ving Rhames, Kelly Hu, and Robert Carlyl - running around the Teeside burg trying to knock each other off. Seems to be Shane Meadows would have been the obvious guy to direct this film, but a chap named Scott Mann drew the assignment instead.

Wednesday 9/21/11

5:00 PM Sundance
Map of the Sounds of Tokyo (2009 ESP): Rinko Kikuchi plays a fishmonger with a deadly secret in this unusual Spanish drama. Kikuchi is Ryu, a woman who flogs fish by day whilst moonlighting as a professional assassin during off hours. Hired to take out hapless foreigner David (the always wonderful Sergi Lopez), she finds herself falling for the big lug - and eager to somehow worm her way out of the contract. Easier said than done, of course! Marketed as a thriller, Map of the Sounds of Tokyo is anything but, and will appeal to fans of cerebral cinema and movie think-pieces. Think of it as Lost in Translation with seafood.

9:30 PM Sundance
The Last Deadly Mission (2008 FRA): Or, as it’s known in its native France, MR 73 - a far more enigmatic title that also sounds a lot less like the title of a crummy chop socky flick. Daniel Auteuil stars as Louis Schneider, a past his prime Marseilles copper looking for one last opportunity to restore his reputation and perhaps come to terms with his drinking problem. Said opportunity arises in the form of Justine (Olivia Bonamy), a woman being stalked by the serial killer (Philippe Nahon) who previously killed her parents - and is about to be released from prison. Uh oh. Written and directed by former police officer Olivier Marchal, this top notch character study/crime drama has broad appeal, and comes highly recommended.

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