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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 08/04/09

Midnight Sundance
Confessions of an Innocent Man (2007 CAN): The War on Terror ™ has also been a war on civil liberties. This Canadian documentary examines one of the war's more unusual victims: William Sampson, an engineer working in Saudi Arabia who was arrested and tortured until he confessed to a car bombing he had nothing to do with. Placed in solitary confinement, Sampson was repeatedly tortured and raped and denied all access to due process for three full years. But remember, folks: Saudi Arabia is one of the good guys, so it's really no big deal. This gut-wrenching doc won a Gemini Award, the Canuck equivalent of an Emmy.

5:30 AM The Movie Channel
Black Irish (2006 USA): Brendan Gleeson stars in this indie feature about life in hardscrabble South Boston. He plays Desmond McKay, an Irish immigrant raising three children with wife Margaret (Melissa Leo). Amongst the offspring is 16-year-old Cole (Michael Angarano), an altar boy with aspirations to be a professional baseball player — but Cole loves and admires his troubled older brother Terry (Tom Guiry), whose malign influence threatens to send the youngster off the straight and narrow. And there's also sister Kathleen's unplanned pregnancy to contend with! This episodic family drama rarely breaks new ground, but with the excellent Gleeson and Leo leading the way, it really doesn't matter. Also airs at 8:30 AM.

7:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Hard Times (1975 USA): A Depression-era drama from director Walter Hill, Hard Times stars Charles Bronson as Chaney, a Chicago street fighter who moves to New Orleans in an attempt to eke out a living on the bare-knuckled boxing circuit. Chaney works in cahoots with promoter Speed (James Coburn), but Speed is less than careful with money and Chaney's winnings never seem to amount to much. In fact, he's gambling the dough away, and getting so deep into debt that Chaney is compelled to fight a fixed bout in order to help him balance the books. Bronson was an actor of little range, but he's well suited for this role and Coburn is always a pleasure to watch. Also on hand: Mrs. Bronson, Jill Ireland, as a hooker with a heart of gold, and Strother Martin as a seedy doctor. Hard Times makes its widescreen television debut this evening.

Wednesday 08/05/09

4:55 AM MGM HD
Challenge of the Gladiator (1965 ITA): Coming at the end of the pepla cycle, Challenge of the Gladiator features Mission Impossible co-star Peter Lupus as rebellious slave and Greek patriot Spartacus. In this historically inaccurate outing, Spartacus takes on Roman senator Lucius (Massimmo Serato) and henchman Terenzo (Walter Barnes), who have travelled to Thrace to get their mitts on a legendary and extremely valuable treasure. Our hero plans to keep that treasure where it belongs, however, leading to the usual clash of swords and well-oiled musculature. If you like this sort of thing (and who doesn't), you won't want to miss this film's HD debut.

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