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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 5/14/13

1:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
Masculin Feminin (1966 FRA): If you’re an admirer of Jean-Luc Godard in general or his mid-60s films in particular, but have never seen Masculin Feminin, you’re about to be very happy. If you’re not a Godard fan – and I admit, his films can be heavy sledding at times - you still might like this one. Jean-Pierre Leaud headlines as Paul, a young man who’s recently completed his national service and is now trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life. In addition to spending too much time navel-gazing, he’s also engaged in an on-again off-again relationship with aspiring ye-ye girl Madeleine (Chantal Goya). It’s the ol’ battle of the sexes fought on the playing fields of Left Bank Paris, with Leaud terrific as an idealistic twentysomething who’s also, well, a bit of a pretentious asshole. As with all Godard films, the story doesn’t follow a linear route and Marxism is never very far away, with Paul’s interest in left-wing politics clashing with Madeleine’s loyalty to the trappings of pop culture.

9:30 AM Flix
Breezy (1973 USA): William Holden and Kay Lenz star as lovers in this unlikely May/December romance from - of all people - director Clint Eastwood! Lenz plays hippie chick Breezy, who escapes an over-amorous admirer by hiding from him on the property of Frank Harmon (Holden), a cranky old businessman cut from the same cloth as most contemporary Eastwood characters. The two slowly begin to fall for each other, raising the inevitable question: can a hippie and a straight find true love, or is it just a one-night stand? Slightly marred by a cloying conclusion, Breezy is nevertheless considerably better than you might think, especially if you can overlook Lenz's penchant for sunny optimism and New Age glad-handing.

Wednesday 5/15/13

Midnight Encore Action
Fireball (2009 THA): It’s been a while since we’ve had a Thai movie in the TiVoPlex, and while this one isn’t going to work its way onto any Best Of lists, it’s still good fun. If you can imagine a martial arts mash-up of BASEketball and Rollerball, this is the result! Preeti Barameeanat essays the double roles of twin brothers Tai and Tan, the former a newly released convict, the latter a Fireball star hospitalized after suffering serious game-related injuries. Tan needs an operation to recover, so it’s up to Tai to be his ringer and win big money playing the game, which involves beating the living crap out of opposing players once a basket has been scored. Really, it’s that simple! This is genuinely one of the weirdest, wackiest, and most violent sports films you’ve ever seen or could ever imagine, and co-stars some guy named "9 Million Sam." Highly recommended for manly men and 13-year old boys.

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