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4:30 PM Starz
Searching For Sugar Man (2011 USA): Did this really deserve to win the Best Feature Length Documentary Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards? Absolutely not – the prize should have gone to 5 Broken Cameras - but that doesn’t mean Searching For Sugar Man isn’t well worth seeing. A huge arthouse hit, the film examines the career of mysterious Michigan muso Sixto Rodriguez, who released a couple of albums in the early ‘70s that sank without trace in the US but became huge hits in Australia and South Africa. Unaware of his overseas success (no internet in those days!), Rodriguez spent the next several decades doing construction work, but his recent rediscovery has relaunched his career. It’s a wonderful, heartwarming story – which explains the Oscar win – and to top it all off Rodriguez’s music is absolutely brilliant, seamlessly blending elements of classic ‘60s pop, blues, jazz, and folk. Now 70, Rodriguez has been touring again and sounds as good as ever. If you’re unable to catch him in concert, though, don’t miss this film, which also airs at 7:30 PM.

7:30 PM Turner Classic Movies
The Outfit (1974 USA): Robert Duvall stars as a small-time criminal out for revenge in this excellent crime drama based on a novel by Donald Westlake. Duvall is Macklin, a newly released ex-con aiming to avenge his brother’s death at the hands of the mob. Aided by compatriots Cody (Joe Don Baker) and Bett (Karen Black), Macklin takes the battle directly to mob boss Mailer (Robert Ryan), who, naturally, is none too pleased by the attention. Co-starring Timothy Carey, Elisha Cook Jr., Richard Jaeckel, and Marie Windsor, this is, purely and simply, a really good gangster flick. Sadly, it’s not airing in its original aspect ratio tonight, but still looks fine in pan and scan.

Thursday 5/23/13

7:15 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Voice of the City (1929 USA): Here’s one of those frustrating early talkies blending marvelous (and all too brief) silent footage with static (and hard to listen to) recorded footage. Robert Ames headlines as Bobby, an innocent man framed for murder and sentenced to a long prison stretch. He escapes with an assist from fellow inmate Johnny (Clark Marshall), but his breakout draws the attention of Wilkes (John Miljan), the baddie responsible for sending Bobby up the river in the first place. Will the intercession of detective Biff (director Willard Mack) provide Bobby closure – or will Wilkes get to him first? If you can put up with its many technical flaws, The Voice of the City is reasonably engaging and Miljan is, as always, very good.

5:00 PM Encore
Easy Come, Easy Go (1967 USA): Last week we had Paradise, Hawaiian Style - this week we get one of the other ‘missing in action on TCM’ Elvis flicks. Easy Come, Easy Go isn’t much better than PDH, and features The (real) King as Ted Jackson, a Navy skindiver searching for girls and buried treasure off the California coast. That’s all you need to know – otherwise, it’s the usual shenanigans. Oh, and if you thought last week’s Queenie Wahini’s Papaya was bad, prepare yourself for this week’s Yoga Is As Yoga Does - in the pantheon of Elvis movie songs, this may be the very worst of a bad lot. Also airs at 8:00 PM.

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