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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 3/26/13

5:30 AM Starz Citation
Offside (2006 IRA): One generally doesn't associate comedy with Iranian cinema, but here's a light-hearted look at gender segregation that will generate a few chuckles and smiles of recognition from Anglophone audiences. Directed by Jafar Panahi, whose beautifully made 1995 feature The White Balloon offered a brilliant and subtle criticism of the Islamic Republic's attitude towards women, Offside tackles the big issue: why can't women be allowed to attend sporting events with men? (Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinajad, who is stereotyped as a hidebound reactionary in western circles, briefly desegregated stadiums in 2006 before his superiors on the Expediency Council overturned his decision.) The film focuses on a group of cross-dressing girls who try to sneak into Iran's World Cup qualifying match against Bahrain. Though disguised in baggy clothing and daubed in patriotic war-paint, the lasses are soon lassoed by the authorities, who corral them within the bowels of the stadium in order to prevent vice and promote virtue. Filmed during the actual match (though the game itself is never seen), Offside is an improvisational gem, and as long as you don't anticipate Adam Sandler-style goofiness or Rowan Atkinson-esque pratfalls, you'll enjoy it.

11:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Battle Taxi (1955 USA): It’s Sterling Hayden day on TCM, and being a huge Hayden fan, I couldn’t be happier. Well, I suppose I could, but I’m easily satisfied. Amongst the offerings today is this rip-roaring tale of helicopter jockeys during the Korean War – the first war in which whirlybirds played a major role. Sterling plays Russ Edwards, an Army Captain trying to convince the young pups under his command to follow orders and stay safe in the course of rescuing endangered GIs. It’s routine stuff bolstered by lots of stock footage, but makes for enjoyable viewing thanks to the presence of such familiar faces as Arthur Franz and Marshall Thompson. Director Herbert L. Strock, of course, went on to helm such memorable features as How to Make a Monster and The Crawling Hand. It’s followed at 12:30 PM by 5 Steps to Danger (1957), an uncredited "reimagining" of The 39 Steps in which Hayden and Ruth Roman essay roles similar to those of Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll in the earlier (and superior) film.

Wednesday 3/27/13

1:30 AM HBO Signature
Greetings From the Devil (2011 COL-MEX-USA): From Colombia’s Orozco brothers (director Juan Felipe, screenwriter Carlos Estaban) comes this solid crime thriller about a former FARC fighter who’s trying to turn over a new leaf in exchange for government amnesty. Edgar Ramirez plays once upon a time guerrilla Angel, whose determination to settle down is sorely tested when his daughter is kidnapped by someone he badly wronged in his previous life. The ransom, however, isn’t money - it’s the cold, dead bodies of Angel’s former comrades-in-arms, and he has 72 hours to deliver them. Uh oh! Surprisingly short on ultra-violence, Greetings From the Devil nevertheless provides a compelling story and a fine performance from Ramirez.

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