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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 08/29/06

1:15pm Turner Classic Movies
Gaslight (1944 USA): Fans of all things Gothic probably need no introduction to this Hollywood classic, which returns to TCM this afternoon in all its monochrome glory. Charles Boyer stars as Gregory, a concert pianist whose marriage to sweet young thing Paula (Oscar-winner Ingrid Bergman) turns sour after he receives a mysterious missive in the post. As the gaslight flickers and dims and Gregory repeatedly and not too subtly implies that she's having a nervous breakdown, Paula has only one hope: that handsome policeman Brian Cameron (Joseph Cotton) can fathom out the truth and save her from a fate worse than a messy divorce. Surprisingly well directed by George Cukor - generally better known for big-budget soaps or musicals - Gaslight also marked the film debut of 18-year-old Angela Lansbury, who earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance as an inquisitive and flirtatious housemaid.

Wednesday 08/30/06

8:45am Showtime
Ghostbusters (1984 USA): Who you gonna call? Maybe the good folks at Showtime, to thank them for ushering Ghostbusters into the wide-screen era with this morning's letterboxed presentation. You know the story, you know the stars, you even know the song, and could anyone forget the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man? Now you can see and hear it all in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and in glorious Metrocolor to boot! Also airs at 11:45am on 8/31 at 2am and 5am.

1;15pm Starz! In Black
The Gospel (2005 USA): I have to confess complete ignorance regarding this film, which apparently revolves around an R ‘n' B singer who returns to his gospel roots in order to settle some unfinished family business. But any film that has fought its way into the IMDb bottom 100 (#85!) only a year after being released is guaranteed to get my attention. To make matters even more interesting, The Gospel - which, other than long-time character actor Clifton Powell, stars no one I've ever heard of - got a glowing review from dear old Roger Ebert (get better soon, Roger!), one of the few contemporary film critics who can fashion a coherent opinion about anything. Roger seemed to like the film as much for its singing as its storyline, so your enjoyment of The Gospel may depend on your tolerance level for African-American church music. Me, I still haven't forgiven Aretha Franklin and Sam Cooke for going secular, so you know where my sentiments lie.

11pm Turner Classic Movies
The Wilby Conspiracy (1975 RSA-USA): I really love this all-but-forgotten caper film, shot in South Africa during apartheid's heyday. It's basically an Afrikaner version of The Defiant Ones, with Michael Caine and Sidney Poitier filling the buddy roles as an engineer and a political activist on the run (for different reasons) from the South African police. If you want to see a textbook example of film villainy, you need look no further than Nicol Williamson's sadistic Major Horn, who is guaranteed to get you hissing the TV set with each appearance. The film also features Saeed Jaffrey and Persis Khambatta (looking very beautiful) as an Indian couple caught up in the escape attempt (an unusual bit of recognition for South Africa's frequently silent Asian minority) and Rutger Hauer as another Boer baddie. Nicely filmed in Panavision, intelligently written, and marvelously scored by the great Stanley Myers, The Wilby Conspiracy deserves a larger audience and a better reputation.

Thursday 08/31/06

10:35am The Movie Channel
Chronicle of the Raven (2004 USA-ARG): An obligatory shout-out goes in the direction of Chronicle of the Raven thanks to its Argentinean roots. Can't say it's worth much beyond that, as otherwise it's a pretty standard horror flick about a young woman's nightmares involving a raven pecking out assorted body parts. It's also a bit distressing to see Faye Dunaway slumming here; is she going to turn into Karen Black at this late stage in her career? Also airs at 1:35pm.

12:15pm Turner Classic Movies
Clash by Night (1952 USA): Barbara Stanwyck headlines this noteworthy Gothic romance from director Fritz Lang. She plays Mae D'Amato, a woman entangled in a fishing town love triangle with husband Jerry (Paul Douglas) and his best friend Earl (Robert Ryan). Jerry's completely smitten with Mae, but he spends a lot of time at sea and is blind to the sparks flying between his woman and his bosom pal. There's fog and fish aplenty in this seaside meller, which also features Marilyn Monroe in a small role as a cannery worker and J. Carroll Naish as cranky old Uncle Vinnie. Based on a Clifford Odets play, Clash by Night is-typically gloomy Lang, though free of the criminal subplots evident in his better known work.

Friday 09/01/06

6:35am Flix
Pop Gear (1965 GB): This Technicolor marvel last aired on AMC over six years ago, back when AMC was still a viable alternative to TCM. After such a long absence it's great to see it back on the small screen, though sadly Flix seems to be airing a pan-and-scan print. Starting out with some welcome (if inessential) Beatles footage, the film soon hits its stride with compère Jimmy Savile's wide-eyed introductions to the pop music leaders of Cool Britannia, circa 1964. Some of the highlights: The Animals, looking menacing during House of the Rising Sun; the undervalued chanteuse Billie Davis; a terrific appearance from the Nashville Teens doing Tobacco Row; and The Honeycombs belting out Have I the Right. The Rockin' Berries He's in Town still sounds great, too. The overall quality is dragged down a bit by housewife's choice Matt Monro (nothing against your voice, Matt, but you're a bit of a square), the cringe-inducing Herman's Hermits, and an embarrassing turn by Tommy Quickly and the Remo Four. Other appearances by Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas (Little Children), Peter and Gordon (World Without Love) and The Four Pennies make Pop Gear essential viewing for fans of Merseybeat and ‘60s pop, even in pan-and-scan.

5pm Encore Westerns
Showdown (1973 USA): Dino and Rock, on screen together for the first and only time! Yep, Dean Martin and Rock Hudson star in this lackadaisical Western from director George Seaton. The sexual tension on set must have been thick enough to cut with a bread knife, if not a cocktail weenie. Rock plays a ranch owner moonlighting as town sheriff, and Dean is an old chum who's drifted off the straight-and-narrow since the two last hooked up. Indeed, he's taken up a new career as a train robber, and guess who's on call to bring him back alive? Co-starring Ed Begley Jr. and Susan Clark (as Rock's beard - er, wife), this amiable piece of Old West fluff from Universal was Seaton's last gig in the director's chair, and judging from the laidback results, not a moment too soon.

Saturday 09/02/06

9am Turner Classic Movies
Hercules, Samson and Ulysses (1963 ITA-ESP): Yes, Captain Oveur, I DO like gladiator movies, and this is one of the best. Sadly, TCM doesn't seem to have access to a wide-screen print of this one, a problem that has in the past also detracted from their airings of Andre De Toth's 1963 sword-and-sandal epic Gold for the Caesars. Still, this should look better than the worn-out TV prints we all grew up watching, and I'm still panting in anticipation. If you enjoy the sight of muscular men in short skirts, this film can't be beat, as it features several, including Kirk Morris as Hercules and Richard Lloyd as Samson (Sadly, THIS Richard Lloyd is not the guitar genius from New York art rockers Television, but some Italian guy with an Anglo screen pseudonym). In this peplum epic, Old Testament stud Samson squares off against the aforementioned mythological heroes, but the three soon decide to oil up their pecs together and team up to take on a very fake-looking sea monster. If homoerotic subtext is your bag, look no further.

7pm Sundance
Forty Shades of Blue (2005 USA): Rip Torn is terrific as a past-his-prime music producer in this award-winning indie drama, which took the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2005. Torn plays Alan Jones, a Memphis rock-and-roll legend whose much younger Russian mail-order bride (the melancholic Dina Korzun) isn't getting everything she needs from her man. With Alan spending an inordinate amount of time either in the studio or on a bender, wife Laura finds herself spending quality time with her husband's adult son from a previous marriage, Michael (Darren Burrows). The film is a tad overlong - not to mention long in the face - but Torn's performance will keep you involved until the bitter - and we do mean bitter - end.

Sunday 09/03/06

9:25am Flix
That'll Be the Day (1973 GB): If you enjoyed Pop Gear earlier this week, you might want to tune in for That'll Be the Day, an excellent fictional take on the rags-to-riches rise of a British rock-and-roller back in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. Oddly enough, the film spawned a sequel, Stardust, which has seen wider exposure in the United States than its progenitor, until now, that is. David Essex stars as Jim MacLaine, a restless working-class youth unwilling to settle down, get an education, and do a nine-to-five every day. Whether renting deck chairs with street-smart Teddy Boy pal Mike (Ringo Starr), knocking up lasses at the local fun fair, or trying to run the family shop, poor old Jim can't get no satisfaction, until the siren song of the devil's music finally gets the better of him. Co-starring real-life rocker Billy Fury (as fictional rocker Stormy Tempest!) and Keith Moon, That'll Be the Day may disappoint those expecting a musical extravaganza, but succeeds as gritty drama thanks to Ray Connolly's down-to-earth screenplay.

7:15pm Turner Classic Movies
'Breaker' Morant (1980 AUS): Set during the Boer War, this excellent historical drama features Edward Woodward (whose ornate early ‘70s pop recordings I've recently been enjoying), Bryan Brown, and Lewis Fitz-Gerald as Australian officers being court-martialed for the murder of three Boer prisoners and a German missionary. The missionary's death threatens to set off an international incident, and Her Majesty's armed forces need to set an example...and pass a few death sentences. Though the three officers on trial are clearly guilty of something, the film brings into focus not only the absurdities of war, but also of the "rules" of war, which more often than not place foot soldiers in the impossible position of providing legal justification for the deaths of those they are killing. Of course, nothing has changed to this day; soon the Marines of Haditha will be paying for the sins of those who sent them into battle in the first place. Breaker Morant, William Calley, and Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich are the names that get attached to the crimes, but do they share a greater responsibility than Lord Kitchener, Robert McNamara, and Donald Rumsfeld? There's no black-and-white answer provided by this superb Bruce Beresford film, but its underlying anti-war message is impossible to ignore. Airing in wide-screen for the first time on American television, ‘Breaker' Morant garnered an Academy Award nomination for its collaborative screenplay by Beresford, Jonathan Hardy, and David Stevens.

Monday 09/04/06

3:45am Sundance
Taking Off (1971 USA): A long unseen Milos Forman comedy/drama (and also his first American feature), Taking Off stars Lynn Carlin and Buck Henry as parents searching in the wilds of New York's East Village for their runaway daughter. When they discover they're hardly alone - this was, after all, still the very early 1970s, when kids would take off for the nearest commune at the drop of a bong - they start to bond with other bereaved parents, resulting in some unexpected and frequently hilarious developments. The film also includes the film debuts of actor Vincent Schiavelli, here playing a hustler named, oddly, Schiavelli; and Kathy "Bobo" Bates; The Ike and Tina Turner Revue and Carly Simon (!) provide musical interludes. Co-written by Forman and playwright John Guare, this biting social satire comes with TiVoPlex's highest recommendation.

9:25am Flix
Gamera, the Guardian of the Universe (1995 JAP): Yeah, Godzilla always got more press, but Gamera, that dude can FLY! AND he's a turtle! So not only can he cruise from galaxy to galaxy protecting the furthest reaches of the universe from, um, whatever, he can also eat huge amounts of lettuce and lay eggs! Well, he could if he were a female, which he might be, because no one's ever actually determined Gamera's sexual orientation. Speaking of which, how did the determinedly macho Godzilla sire Minya, the Son of Godzilla, back in 1968? That's always puzzled me. There never seemed to be a lady Godzilla around, so was osmosis the answer? Ponder that whilst enjoying the premium channel wide-screen premiere of this hugely enjoyable kaiju eiga from Daiei Studios.