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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 12/11/12

2:00 AM Showtime
Heart of Stone (2009 USA): The school to prison pipeline is in good working order throughout the United States, but public education employees continue to put up resistance. In Newark, New Jersey, the principal of Weequahic High School (alma mater of, amongst others, Philip Roth and Michael Lerner) dons a bullet-proof vest in his efforts to keep his students away from the so-called criminal justice system. His work is the subject of this excellent documentary, which depicts his unique approach: community outreach to the local gang bangers, unlikely allies in Weequahic’s efforts to get kids to stay in school. Also airs at 5:00 AM.

Wednesday 12/12/12

4:00 AM Sundance
No One Knows About Persian Cats (2009 IRN): The fledgling and deeply underground Iranian indie music scene gets a look-in in this brave feature from filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi (A Time for Drunken Horses). Shot in what weren’t the easiest of conditions in Tehran (arrests were made), No One Knows About Persian Cats stars Nagar Shaghaghi and Ashkan Koshanejad as Nagar and Ashkan, a nu-folk duo hoping to spread their wings and fly to London for a series of concerts. Getting visas, however, is a daunting affair - as is staying one step ahead of the police, who are determined to break up any unapproved concerts taking place in the Islamic Republic’s capital city. This Kafkaesque drama, enlivened by an amazing array of Iranian musical talent, was the final straw for Ghobadi, Koshanejad, and Shaghaghi, who have since gone into self-imposed exile. Sometimes life does imitate art. Also airs at 10:00 AM.

3:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
Dirty Dingus Magee (1970 USA): I used to love seeing this title in print when I was an adolescent. Hee, hee...it says "dirty dingus" in TV Guide! Hee, hee! Of course, I watched the movie, but was disappointed (or something) that the only Dirty Dingus on screen was the one portrayed by Frank Sinatra, one of the least likely stars you’d imagine in the role. What, Lee Marvin and James Coburn weren’t available? Directed by western specialist Burt Kennedy, DDM stars Ol’ Blue Eyes as a rapscallion engaged in all sorts of Old West chicanery, much of it at the expense of fellow bad boy Hoke Birdsill (George Kennedy). Overall, it’s pretty lame, tame stuff, but a decent supporting cast (Anne Jackson, Jack Elam, John Dehner, and Henry Jones) elevate this Dingus above all others.

Thursday 12/13/12

11:30 PM HBO Signature
Tropico de Sangre (2010 DOM): A historical drama set in the Caribbean, Tropico de Sangre tells the true story of Minerva Mirabal, a political dissident who fought against the Dominican Republic’s Trujillo dictatorship during the 1940s and ‘50s. Mirabal is played with gusto by Texas-born Michelle Rodriguez, whilst the not-so-great dictator is portrayed to perfection by Abel Ferrara veteran Juan Fernandez. I don’t know enough about the period in question to comment on the historical accuracy of the film, but as entertainment, it’s first rate.

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