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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 10/31/06

7:00 PM Sundance
She Killed In Ecstasy (1971 GER): Last week I celebrated the arrival of Jess Franco's Vamypros Lesbos on Sundance, and tonight we get something even better: a Franco triple feature! She Killed In Ecstasy is a sexy remake of the director's 1965 black and white horror classic, The Diabolical Dr. Z, and features Franco regular Soledad Miranda as a widow out to get revenge against the doctors who hounded her husband, Dr. Johnson, to death. Hubby (Fred Williams) had engaged in some ethically and legally questionable experiments involving human embryos, and committed suicide after the local medical board took umbrage at his work and suspended his license. Unlike many Franco features, She Killed In Ecstasy features a coherent story (albeit one cribbed from Cornel Woolrich's The Bride Wore Black and Luis Bunuel's Belle de Jour), fine acting from Miranda and fellow Franco acolyte Howard Vernon, and a great psychedelic jazz score from the team of Manfred Huber and Siegfried Schwab. Franco himself puts in an appearance as one of the board members, and even legendary Spanish actor German Robles (best known to Americans for his performances in early ‘60s Mexican vampire movies) pops up as a policeman. She Killed In Ecstasy is followed at 8:30 PM by an encore presentation of Vampyros Lesbos, and at 10:00 PM by Franco's The Devil Came From Akasawa (1971 GER), Miranda's final film before her tragic death in an automobile accident.

Wednesday 11/01/06

3:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Lost Weekend (1945 USA): Ray Milland's career reached its apex in The Lost Weekend, Billy Wilder's uncharacteristically gritty look at alcohol addiction in the Big Apple. Milland, who deservedly took home the Best Actor Academy Award, plays freelance writer Don Birnam, a New Yorker with a longstanding drinking problem and a very understanding brother (Phillip Terry) and girlfriend (Jane Wyman), both of whom have invested much time and energy in keeping Don on the wagon. When they invite him on a weekend jaunt to the country, Don turns them down - and then proceeds to spend the next four days hitting the bottle. Wilder's film grimly portrays the ensuing damage, with the penniless Birnam willing to do anything for a drink - and before the weekend is over he's lied, cheated, and stolen his way into Bellevue and had a first-rate case of the D.T.'s. Even though it's not a noir, The Lost Weekend shares many of that genre's characteristics, from expressionistic cinematography courtesy John Seitz to the eerie theremin-based score of Miklos Rozsa, and it remains one of the classics of post-war American cinema.

8:30 PM Showtime
2001 Maniacs (2005 USA): It's arriving a little late for Halloween, but I couldn't overlook the premium channel debut of this remake of Herschel Gordon Lewis' classic 1965 gore-fest 2000 Maniacs. For those of you unfamiliar with the original film, the story revolves around a busload of Yankee college students on their way to spring break (ho hum) who stumble into a Southern town so backwoods that the residents still haven't recovered from losing the Civil War. When the locals invite their new teenage pals to their annual hoedown and barbeque, the kids are more than happy to come along - but once there, they rapidly regret their decision. Filled with over the top violence and copious nudity - not to mention the presence of an eye-patched Robert Englund as the town's maniacal mayor - 2001 Maniacs doesn't improve on the Lewis formula, but it does put a glossy modern sheen on it. Gore hounds will appreciate the presence of Cabin Fever director Eli Roth and Leatherface himself, Kane Hodder, in small roles. Also airs at 11:30 PM and throughout the month.

Thursday 11/02/06

Midnight Turner Classic Movies
Bunker Bean (1936 USA): Fans of Lucille Ball will want to make time for this very obscure early entry on her resume. She's not the star of the film, however - that honor belongs to the now forgotten Owen Davis Jr., who would retire from motion pictures within three years and then drown in Long Island Sound in 1949. Davis plays the title character, a weak-willed stenographer who shares office space with receptionist Rosie (Ball) at the behest of aerospace magnate J. C. Kent (Robert McWade). With life in the office a living hell, Bunker finds distraction in the person of kindly Dr. Meyerhauser (Ferdinand Gottschalk), whose disquisition on reincarnation encourages the impressionable youngster to visit fortune tellers Countess Cassandra and Professor Balthazar (Sibyl Harris and Berton Churchill). Convinced by the carnys that he was both an Egyptian pharoah and Napoleon in his previous lives, the now confident Bunker sets out to woo the love of his life - Mary (Louise Latimer) - who just happens to be the boss's daughter. Based on a popular 1916 play, the story had already been filmed twice during the silent era, but this is the only version still available.

4:00 AM Sundance
Red Sky At Morning (1971 USA): Basically a homier take on the Last Picture Show trope, Red Sky At Morning features a pre-Waltons Richard Thomas as Josh, a teen about to graduate from high school during the early days of World War II. Newly arrived in New Mexico and lacking in social skills, Josh manages to make friends with Steenie (Desi Arnaz Jr.) and Marcia (Catharine Burns), whilst mom (the great Claire Bloom) becomes more and more withdrawn in the absence of dad (Richard Crenna), off fighting the war. Red Sky At Morning is typical coming-of-age stuff, but is blessed by Vilmos Zsigmond's breathtaking location photography and a heartbreaking finale courtesy screenwriter Marguerite Roberts. It's never had a home video release, so for those interested - and judging from the many extremely positive IMDb comments, there are a lot of you - don't miss it.

6:00 PM HBO
Hacking Democracy (2006 USA): I haven't screened this HBO original documentary yet, but if there's only one film you watch this week (and you're either a registered voter or a concerned citizen), this is it. Detailing the dishonest and probably illegal activities of nefarious companies such as Diebold, ESS, and Sequoia - companies that struck gold thanks to the Help America Vote Act and now supply the nation with the majority of its voting machines - Hacking Democracy also exposes the many ways votes can be subverted or compromised by software or hardware vulnerabilities. People used to say that ‘my vote doesn't count' - and thanks to the efforts of Diebold and Co., that's more true today than ever before. Essential viewing, Hacking Democracy also airs at 9:00 PM, on 11/4 at 9:00 AM and noon, and 11/5 at 6:00 AM and 9:00 AM.

9:30 AM Encore Mystery
Cujo (1983 USA): I'm going out on a bit of a limb here, but in the vast sea of Stephen King screen adaptations out there, this is one of the best. Now I realize that's not saying much and that the bar is set pretty low, but King enthusiasts could do a lot worse than this tale of a rabid St. Bernard prowling the streets of a small Maine town (filmed, naturally, in Northern California). Well shot by cinematographer Jan de Bont (now, thanks to the Peter Principle, a big league director), it's basically an excuse to watch a big dog bite a bunch of baby boomers and their offspring, which strikes me as reason enough to tune in. For those still unconvinced, Cujo hasn't been on premium cable in a long time - and it really is better than Children of the Corn. Honest.

11:40 PM HBO Signature
Oculto (2005 ESP-GB): This hard to describe Spanish thriller features Laia Marull (from last week's Te Doy Mis Ojos) as a dream enthusiast who attends a dream interpretation conference and then finds it increasingly difficult to separate her conscious and subconscious minds. Things take a turn for the even weirder when she meets Natalia (Angie Cepeda), a fashion executive beset by visions of the obelisk from 2001: A Space Odyssey during her sleeping hours, and it's up to online journo Alex (Intacto's excellent Leonardo Sparaglia) to help sort the real from the imagined. It plays a bit like one of Gabriel Garcia Marquez' magical realist tales, so if that's your cup of tea, you won't want to miss Oculto.

Friday 11/03/06

5:55 PM IFC
Amores Perros (2000 MEX): With director Alejandro Inarritu's big budget Babel about to hit screens, now seems like an appropriate time to revisit his Pulp Fiction-style feature debut, Amores Perros, which also introduced Gael Garcia Bernal to the Anglophone world. I wasn't impressed with Inarritu's second effort, the overcooked 21 Grams, so the outlook for Babel is cloudy at best, but Amores Perros does everything Pulp Fiction did, but better. Spinning three tales from a single car accident, the film explores the world of illegal dog fighting, the home of a wealthy couple, and the barebones existence of a homeless gun for hire played to perfection by Emilio Echevarria. Featuring a terrific Gustavo Santoalalla score blending elements of hip hop, norteno, and Fahey-esque acoustic finger-picking, Amores Perros was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards, but lost out to Pedro Almodovar's All About My Mother.

Saturday 11/04/06

7:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Superman (1948 USA): Oops. Apparently TCM is once again airing serials on Saturday mornings, and I overlooked their return in last week's column. So apologies for those of you who might have missed the first five episodes of this exciting chapter play, but at least now you can watch the middle five (with the concluding five airing on November 11th)! Starring the athletic Kirk Alyn as the Man of Steel, this was the first screen adaptation of the popular comic book, and Alyn remains a fan favorite to this day. Others may prefer the chunky but iconic George Reeves, whilst Christopher Reeve and Brandon Routh also have many fans - but Alyn was there first, and his portrayal is near flawless. Hewing closely to the source material, the series pits Superman against The Spider Lady (Carol Forman) with assists from newspaper pals Clark Kent (you know who), Lois Lane (Noel Neill, natch), and Jimmy Olsen (Our Gang veteran Tommy Bond). Be sure to tune in and enjoy every cliffhanging minute of this terrific serial!

Sunday 11/05/06

12:45 AM Sundance
Mobutu King of Zaire (1999 FRA-BEL): I've been a philatelist (that's stamp-collecting nerd to you, bub) since the age of six, and as a child, some of my favorite stamps came from the central African nation of Zaire. Besides the colorful depictions of exotic animals and such, each stamp also bore the portrait of a handsome man in a leopard skin hat (though sadly, not one of the pillbox variety). That man was Mobutu Sese Seko, the oligarch who ruled his land for over 30 years after helping out with the CIA-supported overthrow of nationalist Patrice Lumumba, and he was rarely seen without his signature toque, which lent him a jaunty air belying his bloodthirsty nature. In other words, he looked a lot nicer on the stamps than he was in real life. This grim but compulsively watchable documentary explores his reign of terror in considerable depth, and is strongly recommended to anyone with an interest in African history.

9:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
Wild Oranges (1924USA): Hacking Democracy may be the most important film on offer this week, but for hardcore film fans, this is surely the most exciting. It's an otherwise unavailable King Vidor feature about the inhabitants of a remote island, and their run in with a homicidal maniac. Starring Virginia Valli, Frank Mayo, and Charles E. Post, the film was a critical and box office success, but has remained unseen to the general public for decades. I haven't seen it, but to quote the New York Times' original 1924 review, "some of the last sequences of Wild Oranges are strong enough to impress themselves upon one for some time." Strong words indeed!

Monday 11/06/06

6:00 PM Sundance
Crossing Arizona (2006 USA). It's almost election day, which means the Republican Party will once again be fanning the nativist flames as much as possible by viciously attacking illegal immigrants. For some different perspectives on the issue - which, in truth, is a complex and difficult one for both left and right - take a look at this documentary. Featuring interviews with ‘illegals', Minutemen, ranchers, farmers, and social workers, Crossing Arizona doesn't provide easy answers to the problem - but it does provide an opening for a more nuanced debate on the topic. It's followed at 7:15 PM by something called Wetbacks, about which I know nothing - other than it probably isn't the 1956 Lloyd Bridges programmer of the same name.