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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 06/05/07

3:45 AM Encore Mystery
The Witches (1967 ITA): It's not really a great movie, but this romantic comedy anthology does feature Clint Eastwood on the cusp of stardom. Presumably shot in Italy after Clint finished his work with Sergio Leone on The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Witches consists of five segments directed by Luchino Visconti, Mauro Bolognini, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Vittorio de Sica, and Franco Rossi. Clint appears as a bored husband in de Sica's episode, Una Sera Come le Altra, and whilst his performance here is nowhere near as riveting as his performance as The Man With No Name, its fascinating to see him developing his skills as a comedic actor. Not sure how this qualifies as a candidate for the Mystery Channel, though!

10:00 AM Showtime 2
Britannia Hospital (1982 GB): Lindsay Anderson's acerbic commentary on the state of Britain's National Health Service - and, by extension, of Britain itself - makes its widescreen television debut this morning. Anderson regular Malcolm McDowell stars as Mick Travis, a reporter shooting a documentary about the eponymous Hospital, now celebrating its 500th anniversary and playing host to Britain's beloved Queen Mum, who is coming to dedicate a new surgical center. Unfortunately for the royals, the Britannia is also experiencing industrial action, as its left wing staff are unhappy about the presence of an African dictator ensconced in a private ward, whilst elsewhere on campus unsavory experiments are being conducted under the auspices of brilliant but twisted Professor Millar (Graham Crowden). Scathing in its indictment of contemporary Britain and equally critical of sacred cows both right and left, Britannia Hospital is brilliant satire that, thanks to its uncompromising take-no-prisoners approach, is also far from being a light-hearted popcorn movie.

Wednesday 06/06/07

3:10 AM Starz Edge
The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005 USA): Long-time king of outsider music Daniel Johnston gets his due in this excellent documentary from director Jeff Feuerzeig. A diagnosed manic-depressive, Johnston spent decades recording his special blend of quirky pop music on cassette tape, but began to attract a wider audience thanks to the efforts of admirers Kurt Cobain, Thurston Moore, and others during the early 1990s. Initially signed to the Homestead label and now marketed on the net, his off-kilter oeuvre continues to fascinate the hip-eoisie, and he's now considered the equal of Wesley Willis, Wild Man Fischer, and Tiny Tim. With a story both tragic and uplifting - its subject has spent as much time in mental institutions as in art galleries - Feuerzeig's documentary draws on an apparently limitless well of archival footage shot by the obsessive compulsive (and Christian fundamentalist) Johnston clan. Whether or not you enjoy Daniel Johnston's songs, this is a fascinating film that examines the life of a 40-something man-child who still lives with mom and dad.

8:45 AM Turner Classic Movies
Bowery At Midnight (1942 USA): Bela Lugosi plays Frederick Brenner, a criminal mastermind masquerading as a kindly soup kitchen philanthropist, in this low, low budget thriller from Monogram Pictures. Brenner uses his kitchen cover as a front for an assortment of nefarious activities, and when two-bit hood Frankie (Detour's Tom Neal) happens by for a bowl of charity one night, the signs seem propitious for a new round of underhanded monkey business. An enjoyable poverty row feature spiced up with a dash of horror, Bowery At Midnight also features an un-credited Bernard Gorcey as a star-crossed shopkeeper.

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