TiVoPlex
By John Seal
November 23, 2009
From the obscure to the obscurest to the merely overlooked or underappreciated; they all have a home in the TiVoPlex! All times Pacific.
Tuesday 11/24/09
7:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
Cast a Dark Shadow (1955 GB): Dirk Bogarde and Margaret Lockwood make a terrific screen team in this above average suspenser from director Lewis Gilbert. Bogarde portrays Edward "Teddy" Bare, an inveterate sponger married to frumpy wealthy widow Monica (Mona Washbourne). When Monica pops her clogs unexpectedly, lawyer Phillip Mortimer (Robert Flemyng) suspects foul play but can prove nothing — though Teddy's hurried remarriage to another moneyed woman (Lockwood) certainly looks a little suspicious. Bogarde is at his unctuous best, whilst Lockwood's BAFTA-nominated turn as clear-eyed Frieda is on par with Ann Savage's performance as Vera, the woman who's seen it all, in PRC's low budget noir classic Detour (1945). Beautifully shot by Jack Asher (Horror of Dracula), Cast a Dark Shadow may not pack the same wallop as that Edgar Ulmer miracle, but it certainly looks better!
6:45 PM Turner Classic Movies
Federal Man (1950 USA): T-men work to take down dope smugglers in this low–budget indie directed by western specialist Robert E. Tansey. Former child star William Henry plays Agent Sherrin, sent from Washington to investigate the murder of fellow government man Palmer (William Edwards) and snitch Tony Solano (Carlo Schipa). He's assigned to work with friendly neighbourhood narco agent Charles Stuart (reliable "B" actor Robert Shayne), and is soon on the trail of the assassins in exotic and dangerous Tijuana. Also released as Narcotic Squad, and featuring Lyle Talbot and the recently deceased Pamela Blake in its solid if unspectacular supporting cast, Federal Man is a blunt instrument with a brutal message: kids, stay away from drugs! Drugs will kill you!
Wednesday 11/25/09
4:15 PM The Movie Channel
I Witness (2003 USA): A surprisingly decent corporate thriller, I Witness airs in widescreen this afternoon and evening on The Movie Channel. Jeff Daniels is excellent as Rhodes, a human rights activist trying to uncover the truth about a mining accident in Mexico that has left dozens of workers dead. He's opposed by a less than forthright diplomat (James Spader) and corrupt local law enforcement, but starts to make headway when good cop Castillo (ethnic everyman Clifton Collins Jr.) and corporate spokesperson Emily Thompson (Portia de Rossi) begin to see the light. There's nothing terribly new or daring about I Witness, but it's refreshing to see a low budget action film with a social conscience. Also airs at 7:15 PM.
5:00 PM HBO
The Jazz Baroness (2009 GB): I haven't seen this BBC documentary yet, but it sounds pretty interesting — even for those of us who aren't terribly interested in jazz. The film examines the life of Baroness Panonnica Rothschild de Koenigswarter, who left behind her comfortable life as one of the landed gentry and moved to New York in 1951 in search of the lost jazz chord, as personified by Thelonius Monk. Online synopses of The Jazz Baroness suggest she got a lot more than she bargained for! Also airs at 8:00 PM.
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