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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 09/29/09

2:30am Sundance
Incident at Oglala (1992 USA): June 26 1975: a day that will live in infamy. During a period of heightened tension on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian reservation, two FBI officers were killed in a shootout with Native American activists whilst trying to arrest a man for the theft of a pair of boots. The fall guy: American Indian Movement member Leonard Peltier, on the lam from attempted murder charges for which he was later acquitted, and fingered by a mentally ill woman who'd never met him. The damage: two consecutive life terms and no possibility of parole until 2024, when Peltier turns 80. This excellent documentary by Michael Apted (7 Up, et al) makes a strong case in Peltier's favor and gently suggests he's a political prisoner serving time for his dangerous and provocative opinions. Produced and narrated by Sundance Channel founder Robert Redford, Incident at Oglala was nominated for the Critics Award at the 1992 Deauville Film Festival.

6pm Sundance
Know Your Mushrooms (2008 USA): Documentarian Ron Mann's latest effort is a light-hearted salute to the humble fungal beloved of gourmands and hippies the world over. Shot at Telluride's annual Mushroom Festival, Mann's film thankfully concentrates on the culinary uses for "shrooms, with only brief side trips concerning the third eye-opening qualities of certain varieties. If you've seen other Mann films (Tales of the Rat Fink, Comic Book Confidential) you'll know exactly what to expect. Also airs 9/30 at 12:15am.

7pm Turner Classic Movies
The Road Builder (1971 GB): This thriller gave me a pretty good case of the willies the last time I saw it...of course, I was 11 or 12 at the time, but still. Originally released as The Night Digger, the film stars Patricia Neal as Maura, a middle-aged spinster ensconced with her mother (Pamela Brown) in a gloomy mansion in the English countryside. Enter dashing young motorcyclist Billy (Nicholas Clay), who brings energy, excitement, and sexual tension to the old homestead, as well as a penchant for serial killing. Written by Neal's husband Roald Dahl, and featuring a fine score by Bernard Herrmann, The Road Builder stretches credulity at times but remains a fine showcase for the divine Ms. Neal. Check out its willie-giving abilities yourself.

Wednesday 09/30/09

8pm Sundance
Jellyfish (2007 ISR): The lives of three Tel Aviv women are explored in this decent, if far from groundbreaking, drama. Thankfully avoiding the worn-out device of interwoven plots (well, at least until the final reel), Jellyfish examines the unrelated experiences of beach-goer Batya, who meets-cute with a lost little girl; Keren, who breaks her ankle trying to get out of a restroom cubicle; and Joy, a Filipino worker caring for a rather unpleasant senior citizen. This whimsical, entirely non-political Israeli film clocks in at a brisk 78 minutes, and airs again 10/1 at 2:45am.

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