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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 8/31/10

3:45 AM Sundance
Stolen Land (2008 COL): We’ll start the week off on a somewhat serious note with this Colombian documentary concerning an indigenous tribe’s struggle for survival in our relentlessly cruel, market-driven modern world. Stolen Land tells the story of the Nasa, an agricultural people whose land was taken from them by force in the early ‘90s. Though promises were made to restore their property, the Nasa soon discovered that talk is cheap, and in order to force the question adopted non-violent resistance as a tool for restorative justice. Stolen Land focuses on the efforts of Lucho Acosta, leader of the tribal Indigenous Guard, and though the film has been roundly criticized in some circles for assuming a hagiographic tone, is fascinating stuff nonetheless.

11:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Escape From Alcatraz (1979 USA): The last of six collaborations between director Don Siegel and actor (and, of course, future director) Clint Eastwood, Escape From Alcatraz is an enjoyable if cliched prison break drama with a great cast. Set during the early 1960s, the film stars the stoic one as Frank Morris, a bank robber incarcerated on the legendary San Francisco Bay island fastness. No one has ever escaped from Alcatraz before, but Frank is determined to be the first…and with the assistance of fellow inmates Doc (Roberts Blossom) and Litmus (Frank Ronzio), who’s to say he can’t do it? Co-starring Patrick McGoohan as the prison warden, Escape From Alcatraz provides solid all-around entertainment value, and makes its widescreen television debut this morning.

Wednesday 9/01/10

1:00 AM Flix
Invaders From Mars (1986 USA): A remake of the classic Cold War-era chiller of the same name, Tobe Hooper’s take on Invaders From Mars hews surprisingly close to the original film’s plot but is nowhere near as satisfying. Sprog Duncan Hunter plays David Gardner, who sees a UFO land just over the hill, and then discovers his parents (Timothy Bottoms and Laraine Newman) have quite literally lost their minds - or at least their free will - to the space visitors. It’s up to young David, nurse Magnusson (Karen Black), and General Wilson (James Karen) to restore the natural order of things and send those damn Martians back where they came from. Co-starring Bud Cort, Louise Fletcher, and Tony Cox, Invaders From Mars may be a disappointment in comparison to William Cameron Menzies’ 1953 fever dream, but is still worth a look in its original aspect ratio - Flix is currently airing a gorgeous letterboxed print.

3:30 AM Flix
One Little Indian (1973 USA): I had this confused with 1974’s Agatha Christie adaptation Ten Little Indians until I got around to doing my background research for this week’s column. Turns out One Little Indian is an obscure Disney flick about a ten-year old white boy (Clay O’Brien) raised by Indians and ‘rescued’ by a mutinous soldier (James Garner). I can’t believe I didn’t see this when it first came out - I was 11 at the time - but it looks like pretty typical Disney ‘70s live-action fare. A good cast, including Vera Miles, Pat Hingle, Andrew Prine, Jay Silverheels, and fellow 11-year-old Jodie Foster elevate One Little Indian into ‘maybe worth a watch if I can’t sleep’ territory.

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