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10:25 AM Showtime Extreme
Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977 USA): Here’s the fourth and final Billy Jack pic, in which he takes off his denims and dons a business suit in favor of a career in politics. Don’t worry, though: Billy hasn’t lost his edge, as he’s determined to take on the nuclear industry and their lobbyists from his new position of power. This one’s also pretty long (155 minutes) and never actually had a full theatrical release. I guess no one was ready for an action hero who looked like Dan Quayle.

1:05 PM Flix
Billy Jack (1971 USA): Finally, here’s sequel number one! A massive box office hit, Billy Jack also spawned a hit single (One Tin Soldier) and made Tom Laughlin a (very temporary) big cheese in Tinsel Town. In this outing, BJ saves a herd of wild horses from a fate worse than dog food and opens his Freedom School, where groovy teacher Jean Roberts (Mrs. Laughlin, Delores Taylor) lays some heavy knowledge on the youngsters. The film really hit a nerve in 1971, its blend of radical-ish politics and martial arts action propelling it to an impressive $32,500,000 take (this against a budget of less than a million dollars).

Sunday 11/13/11

1:00 AM Showtime Extreme
Merentau (2009 INO): Hey, look what we’ve got here - the first Indonesian film ever recommended in the TiVoPlex! I haven’t seen Merentau yet, but judging from online reviews it’s an Indonesian take on the Ong Bak meme, with a young man named Iko Uwais taking the Tony Jaa role. Directed by Welshman Gareth Jones (how’d that happen?), Merentau apparently highlights a martial arts style - Silat - us westerners haven't seen before.

Monday 11/14/11

1:15 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Spanish Sword (1962 GB): Spanish Sword, you are Eady money incarnate. For those who don’t already know, the UK’s movie industry was supported for almost thirty years by the Eady Levy, a ticket tax whose proceeds were then reinvested in the production of British films. Some terrific moving pictures resulted - as well as a whole bunch of low-budget bill-fillers like this one. Barely an hour long, The Spanish Sword is a threadbare costume drama written by Avengers producer Brian Clemens and directed by Ernest Morris, a gentleman also responsible for such quota quickies as Strip Tease Murder and What Every Woman Wants (we can only hope those two show up on TCM at some point soon). This one is strictly for the Brit flick crowd - which, of course, includes me.

9:45 PM HBO Signature
Rage (2009 ESP-MEX-COL): Martina Garcia headlines this cautionary tale designed to give the singles amongst you pause before you leap into any new relationships. Garcia is Rosa, a pretty maid subjected to leering and wolf whistles whenever she walks down the street. This doesn’t sit well with Type A boyfriend José María (Gustavo Sánchez Parra), a manual laborer who prefers to let his hands do the talking. Eventually Jose’s violent streak causes Rosa to call the cops - which in turn, causes Jose to go a bit stalky on her. This well made if somewhat far-fetched drama won the Special Jury Prize at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

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