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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 11/11/08

4:00 PM Sundance
Body of War (2007 USA): Phil Donahue makes a movie! The TV talk show host who lost his job because of his opposition to the invasion of Iraq gets a measure of revenge via this outstanding documentary about the war's effects on paralyzed army veteran Tomas Young. Donahue's film juxtaposes scenes of the congressional War Authorization debate with scenes of Young's mental and physical rehabilitation, as well as his transformation from happy warrior to anti-war activist. Inspirational and infuriating in equal measure, Body of War won the National Board of Review's Best Documentary Award in 2007.

Wednesday 11/12/08

1:00 AM Sundance
The Proposition (2005 AUS): This extremely bloody Australian Western was written by rock musician Nick Cave, who also provided the film with its outstanding, ethereal score. Set deep in the outback, the film stars Ray Winstone as police officer Captain Stanley, in determined pursuit of the villainous Burns brothers, who have been robbing and raping their way across Queensland. When Stanley captures half-wit brother Mike (Richard Wilson) and handsome brother Charlie (Guy Pearce), he blackmails Charlie into helping him capture gang leader Arthur (Danny Huston), still on the loose and willing to do anything to stay out of the law's clutches. Not a film for the squeamish, The Proposition features superb performances from all concerned (with special kudos for Huston) and magnificent cinematography - in burnt hues of brown and orange - from DP Benoit Delhomme. After initially airing in pan and scan on Encore Dramatic Stories in January, it's making its widescreen television debut this morning.

3:20 AM HBO Signature
Run Granny Run (2006 USA): Just a few minutes of watching empty suit Judd Gregg mouth the standard platitudes about Wal-Mart and Iraq during New Hampshire's 2004 senate debate was enough to make this viewer almost throw up in his mouth. Thankfully, Doris 'Granny D' Haddock was also at the contest to give better than she got! This wonderful documentary about a great American citizen is inspiring, hilarious, and depressing in equal measure. After all, how could over 434,000 voters watch that debate and then pull the lever for George Bush's loyal apparatchik? Regardless, Ms. Haddock connected with well over 200,000 New Hampshire residents - and seems well poised to oust her callow young opponent come the next election cycle, should she choose to run again.

12:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
Spy Ship (1942 USA): Craig Stevens stars in this neat little second programmer from Warner Bros. He plays Ward Prescott, a newspaper columnist at odds with isolationist aviatrix Pamela Mitchell (Irene Manning). Ward's in love with Pamela's sister Sue (Maris Wrixon), and is having a hard time convincing her that her sibling is acting on behalf of the Axis powers — until someone takes a shot at Ward and some Nazi submarine attacks strangely coincide with Pam's radio broadcasts. Will Sue come around — or will it take a dastardly bombing attack on a mainland American city to shake her from her complacency? Spy Ship is followed at 1:30 PM by Nazi Agent (1942), in which Conrad Veidt plays twins — one a loyal Nazi, the other a real American hero determined to break up a German spy ring.

10:30 PM More Max
Heartbeeps (1981 USA): One of the worst films ever made returns to the small screen this evening. Andy Kaufman and Bernadette Peters star as Val and Aqua, two robots trying to start a family together and encountering all sorts of difficulties along the way. What, did someone pass an anti-robot marriage law or something? Stuck in a robot repair facility along with smoking hot automaton Catskill (voice of Jack Carter), the pair decide they're compatible models and pledge to escape the building and reboot together. But they haven't reckoned on the presence of biological life forms Max and Charlie (Kenneth McMillan and Randy Quaid), who work in the building and are determined to recapture the escapees. It's all depressingly unfunny and terribly disappointing, especially when you consider the director (Allen Arkush, fresh from Rock n Roll High School) and the remarkable supporting cast (Dick Miller, Mary Woronov, Paul Bartel, Kathleen Freeman, Christopher Guest, and — gulp! — Jerry Garcia!). Quality pedigree and fun guest cameos aside, Heartbeeps really is as bad as its reputation, and no matter how hard you try to move it to your recycle bin, its memory will stain your hard drive for years to come.

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