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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 9/18/12

7:00 PM Sundance
Ghost World (2001 USA): Though I know I’ve mentioned Ghost World when writing about other films, I don’t think I’ve previously given it a stand-alone recommendation. With it screening tonight on Sundance, it’s time for that to change! Written and directed by Terry Zwigoff (Crumb, Bad Santa), the film focuses on the adventures of a pair of recent high school grads (Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson) who develop an odd relationship with a geeky older guy (Steve Buscemi) as they try to figure out whether or not they belong in the “adult world”. The three leads are perfectly cast, with Buscemi’s obsessive record collector scoring particularly high points with this vinyl junkie. A vastly above average example of the ‘”American indie” genre, Ghost World also features a terrific soundtrack, including the unforgettable Jaan Pehechaan Ho as sung by Mohammad Rafi.

Wednesday 9/19/12

1:20 AM Starz in Black
Ill Gotten Gains (1998 USA): I’m not sure why this searing, surreal drama of Middle Passage horror doesn’t get more love than it does, but I recommend it highly. Djimon Hounsou made his big screen debut here as Fyah, a West African man sold into slavery and preparing for a new life in the New World within the belly of a slave ship. The action takes place almost entirely aboard the slaver Argon Miss (a character itself, inhabited by the unseen presence of Eartha Kitt), where Fyah and his compatriots await the arrival of a final shipment of cargo: 60 additional men and women intended for bondage across the ocean. Though filmed on a very low budget, Ill Gotten Gains was shot on the same replica cutter used in Steven Spielberg’s Amistad, lending it a verisimilitude it otherwise couldn’t have afforded.

12:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
Dangerously They Live (1941 USA): John Garfield headlines this solid Warners second feature as Michael Lewis, the best–selling author of Moneyball - no, sorry, a doctor - helping a woman recover from an automobile accident that’s left her in a state of amnesia. The wrinkle, of course, is that the woman in question (Nancy Coleman) just happens to be a British spy in the possession of crucial information regarding a flotilla of German U-boats stalking the Eastern Seaboard - and the Nazis know all about her. Produced before America’s entry into World War II (but released less than a month after Pearl Harbor), Dangerously They Live features a sterling supporting cast, including Frank Reicher, Raymond Massey, and Moroni Olsen.

3:05 PM HBO 2
Hanna (2011 GB-USA-GER): No matter what your crazy Teabagger uncle thinks, home schooling is not all that and a bag of, er, tea. How do I know? I watched Hanna, in which the titular teen (Saoirse Ronan) has been taught self-defense and other survivalist skills by dad Erik (Eric Bana) whilst her cheerleading, home ec, and social skills have been ignored. A secret agent of legendary skill, Erik has attracted the attention of the CIA, who send agent Wiegler (Cate Blanchett) to capture him and his progeny because they apparently pose a great threat to the US of A. The result is an unusual blend of fantasy, action, and arthouse tropes, with director Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride and Prejudice) getting a great performance from the spooky looking Ronan. Techno fans will also thoroughly enjoy the film’s bangin’ Chemical Brothers score.

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