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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 2/09/10

6:50 AM IFC
Primer (2004 USA): Do you pronounce it with a long or a short ‘i'? Regardless of your preference, Primer is worth a look, especially if you're in the market for some thought-provoking science fiction. Written, directed, edited, and scored by star Shane Carruth, Primer relates the story of four inquisitive young men who spend their off hours trying to develop a complex and potentially world-changing fact-checking machine. United by friendship, the quartet happily wile away their weekends—until two of them make a breakthrough, which threatens to upend their relationships and the space-time continuum itself. Primer is a suitably convoluted tale that benefits from repeat viewings, so you might want to record this one for posterity—or at least an encore performance. Reportedly produced for a mere $7,000, it's prime food for thought.

7:00 AM Starz Edge
The Least of These (2009 USA): An utterly compelling and rather upsetting documentary, The Least of These takes a look at one of the ugly and embarrassing legacies of the Junior Bush administration: family detention for ‘illegal immigrants'. Focussing on a Texas facility operated by a for-profit company, The Least of These pulls back the curtain on the shocking practice of jailing children and their parents whilst they await deportation hearings. Needless to say, this often results in families spending weeks, months, and sometimes even years behind bars before their cases are adjudicated. No matter your opinion on immigration issues, The Least of These is a disturbing eye-opener.

Wednesday 2/10/10

1:15 AM Turner Classic Movies
Trading Places (1983 USA): Hey, I'm allowed to like popular movies, too! Trading Places was the film that turned Eddie Murphy from Saturday Night Live sensation into full-fledged movie star, and though in retrospect we may have some regrets about that, it remains a very entertaining picture. Eddie takes the lead as Billy Ray Valentine, a homeless New Yorker who becomes the unwitting pawn in a game being played by two Wall Street lions (Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche). The bet is that they can take a bum off the street and make a successful businessman out of him—but in order for the plan to work, said bum will replace clueless broker Louis Winthorpe (Dan Aykroyd), who's set up to take a fall and ends up sleeping rough. It's the old nature versus nurture debate Hollywood-style, and makes its widescreen television debut this morning.

8:30 PM Cinemax
Lady Chatterley's Lover (1981 FRA): In which Skinemax meets Sundance Channel. Well, perhaps that's a little unfair to Sundance—this version of the oft-filmed tale comes from the sweaty palms of director Just Jaeckin, best known for developing the Emanuelle/Emmanuelle franchise. Featuring Sylvia Kristel as the Lady and Hammer star Shane Briant as paralyzed hubby Sir Clifford, Jaeckin's film features all the gauzy ‘80s softcore action you would expect. It's far from special, but hasn't been seen on American television for many years. Also airs at 11:30 PM.

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