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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 7/10/12

Midnight Showtime Extreme
Hillside Cannibals (2006 USA): With the consumption of human flesh suddenly becoming trendy from sea to shining sea, what better time to enjoy this juicy slice of cinema sleaze? Shot in the Mojave Desert, Hillside Cannibals is a complete Hills Have Eyes ripoff but ups the gore ante to truly spectacular levels. The story, as per normal for slasher and torture porn flicks, revolves around a group of high-spirited but not very bright young people who head into the outlands for some spelunking fun - only to run into a family of crazed cannibals sooner than you can Sawney Bean. Mayhem ensues, and the youngsters run around a lot before they finally come a cropper on the family flatware. It’s a dreadful film, but if gut munching and finger chomping are your things, check it out - no bath salts or synthetic marijuana required!

10:10 AM Starz
Kill the Irishman (2010 USA): Within a somewhat provocative title lies a very enjoyable, above average gangster flick. The previously unheralded Ray Stevenson headlines as Danny Greene, a red-headed mobster stalking the streets of Cleveland in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Danny’s also an FBI informant, however, leading to strained mob relationships and more than a little spilled blood. Based on a true story, writer-director Jonathan Hensleigh’s film doesn’t stray too far from the Goodfellas mold, but a good gangster flick doesn’t need to. Added value is provided by an outstanding supporting cast of familiar faces, including Christopher Walken, Paul Sorvino, Robert Davi, and Tony Lo Bianco. That’s a pretty impressive assortment of bad fellas. Also airs at 2:10 PM.

5:00 PM Sundance
Lost in La Mancha (2002 GB): One of the best movies ever made about the art of filmmaking, Lost in La Mancha is a fascinating look at Terry Gilliam, the obsessive and high-strung director who remains one of the few true artists of world cinema. Cursed by a chain of unfortunate events that would be declared preposterous if not impossible were they to appear in a fictional film, the struggles surrounding the production of his unfinished film Don Quixote are thoroughly and painfully documented here, as Gilliam contends with an unwell lead actor (Jean Rochefort), unbelievably bad (and unseasonal) weather, and the vicissitudes of financiers and money men. We can only hope that one day he’ll be able to bring his vision to the screen, because what little footage he did get truly looks remarkable.

9:45 PM Turner Classic Movies
Never the Twain Shall Meet (1931 USA): Here’s another of those Hollywood warnings about the dangers of inter-racial relationships that were so popular in the 1920s and ‘30s. This time our star-crossed lovers are Leslie Howard and Conchita Montenegro; he playing Anglo-Saxon Dan Pritchard, she hot-blooded South Seas native Tamea. Pritchard’s been wooing nice white girl Maisie (Karen Morley) for a while, but when Tamea blows into town he comes down with a serious case of island fever and ups sticks for the tropics. Of course, things don’t work out - they never do in these films - but as long as you don’t find the story’s blatant racism too off-putting you’ll enjoy the top notch production values and good acting from all concerned, including C. Aubrey Smith as Dan’s stuffy dad.

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