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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 1/24/12

12:30 AM Flix
Manderlay (2005 DEN): Part two of Lars Von Trier's still incomplete Dogville trilogy returns to the small screen this morning. The luminous Bryce Dallas Howard replaces Nicole Kidman in the lead role of Grace Mulligan, and the story commences as she departs with her father (Willem Dafoe) from Dogville for greener pastures in rural Alabama. It's 1933, and apparently this back-of-beyond part of the Deep South hasn't received word that slavery was outlawed 70 years prior. The Mulligans meet plantation owner Mam (Lauren Bacall) and overseer Wilhelm (Danny Glover), neither of whom believe their slaves are ready for the responsibilities of freedom. Grace believes differently, and ends up leading a slave rebellion. Shot in the same arch-theatrical style as its predecessor, Manderlay exposes American's post-racial mythology through the prism of Von Trier's puckish point of view. It's not easy or entertaining viewing, but like all of the Danish nutter's output, thought provoking and maddening in equal measure.

7:35 AM Flix
The Master Gunfighter (1975 USA): In between cranking out Billy Jack features, Tom Laughlin cooked up this wacky western. Laughlin, of course, stars as Finley, a mysterious rancher who (unsurprisingly) knows martial arts and (perhaps more surprisingly) wields a really cool mini-machine gun. Just like Billy Jack, he’s a pacifist at heart...but just like Billy Jack, he’ll kick your ass seven ways ‘til Sunday should you steal some land or massacre some Native Americans. The Master Gunfighter is pretty awful and Laughlin’s next feature, Billy Jack Goes to Washington, wasn’t much better. Co-stars Ron "Superfly" O’Neal, Barbara Carrera, and Burgess Meredith do their best under the trying circumstances.

7:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Where the Spies Are (1966 GB): It’s spy comedies night on TCM, and the channel has a couple of tasty obscurities on offer amidst the usual Derek Flint and Matt Helm films. First up is this Val Guest-helmed feature starring David Niven as Jason Love, a milquetoast country doctor hired by British intelligence to uncover the truth about an agent’s death in Beirut. This mildly diverting caper flick - which used to appear regularly on TV back in the ‘70s - was shot on location and will benefit from airing (for the first time on American television) in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. A decent supporting cast, including Francoise Dorleac, Eric Pohlmann, and John Le Mesurier, nicely supplements the Lebanese scenery. It’s followed at 9:00 PM by Agent 8 3/4, a 1965 feature in which Dirk Bogarde’s character - a writer - finds himself in a predicament similar to Niven’s. Though this is a TCM debut, you’ll need to check out VCI’s Region 1 disc to see this film in letterbox format.

Wednesday 1/25/12

1:00 AM Fox Movie Channel
In Broad Daylight (1991 USA): Don’t you think it a little odd that Fox Movie Channel keeps airing these old made-for-TV movies - films created with commercial breaks built-in - during their "no commercials" hours, while commercial-interrupted FXM is airing theatrically released features in prime time? Explanations on a postcard to the usual address, please. In Broad Daylight is an above average example of the small screen style, with the great Brian Dennehy headlining as Len Rowan, patriarch of a family of hellraisers who’ve been making life miserable for their middle America neighbors for years. An argument with shop owner Ruth Westerman (Cloris Leachman) spirals out of control, leading to all sorts of nasty problems. Based on a true story, this nail-biter also features Marcia Gay Harden and Chris Cooper, both of whom have since graduated to the Hollywood big leagues.

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