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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 2/14/12

5:00 PM Sundance
Happy Ever Afters (2009 IRE): First the good news: bright and bubbly Sally Hawkins (Happy Go Lucky’s perky Poppy) is the star of this motion picture. Now the bad: it’s a pretty routine and at times rather cloying Irish wedding comedy. Sally plays Maura, bride to be of illegal immigrant Wilson (Ariyon Bakare) and mother of disapproving eight-year old Molly (Sinead Maguire). Concurrently tying the knot are neurotic couple Freddie and Sophie (Tom Riley and Jade Yourell), and when the two wedding parties meet at a shared reception site, complications ensue - complications heightened by the presence of immigration officials eager to put Wilson on the first plane out of Dublin. If you like wedding movies or light romantic comedies, you’ll probably enjoy Happy Ever Afters - all others may want to avoid this particular not-so-special occasion.

6:00 PM HBO
The Loving Story (2011 USA): Now here’s a wedding movie even I can get behind. Well, it’s not so much wedding movie as documentary, but the focus is on the historic marriage of Richard and Mildred Loving so I’ll shoehorn it into the genre anyway! For those unfamiliar with the Lovings, they were the Virginia couple whose relationship changed forever the legal definition of marriage in America. Wed in the District of Columbia in 1958, the Lovings were Virginia residents whose marriage was not recognized in their home state due to a statute entitled The Racial Integrity Act of 1924. This anti-miscegenation law was unanimously ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1967, but before it was overturned Richard and Mildred suffered through the humiliation of being tried and found guilty of felony miscegenation. Though their prison sentences were suspended with the understanding that the Lovings would leave Virginia, they weren’t about to forgive and forget the injustice, and this documentary tells the story of the interceding years leading up to the Supreme Court’s momentous decision. It’s a terrific film, and with gay marriage presently wending its way through the legal system also a timely one. Also airs at 9:00 PM and throughout the month.

Wednesday 2/15/12

4:00 AM Showtime 2
Tex (1982 USA): Matt Dillon headlines in this above average coming-of-age drama about a parentless teenager. Based on a popular novel by author S. E. Hinton, Dillon is cast as Tex McCormick, an Oklahoma lad whose mother is dead and dad long gone from his life. Tex is basically taking care of himself, but also constantly locking horns with elder brother Mason (Jim Metzler) - especially when a local drug dealer starts to cosy up to the younger sibling. In addition to excellent performances by Dillon and Metzler, the film also features a fine supporting turn by veteran character actor Ben Johnson and a less annoying than usual perf from Meg Tilly.

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