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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 04/03/07

2:00 AM Sundance
Let's Rock Again (2004 USA): Thankfully NOT a sequel to 1958's abysmal Julius LaRosa roxploitationer Let's Rock, Let's Rock Again is a hagiographic tribute to Saint Joe Strummer, the middle-class public schoolboy who donned working class garb for the role of lead singer and rhythm guitarist in blank generation spokesband The Clash. Since Strummer's death in 2002, his already lofty status in the annals of rock history has been elevated further, and this feature — which follows his exploits during late career tours of Japan and the U. S. — doesn't exactly provide much in the way of a counterargument. Even if, like me, you're a Strummer agnostic, the film makes a strong case for the man's showmanship and integrity, and will please anyone who — even for a brief moment — fell under the spell of the man's music. Of course, that includes yours truly, who, as a callow youth, witnessed two phenomenal Clash shows in 1979 and 1980.

9:30 PM Turner Classic Movies
Homicide Bureau (1939 USA): An obscure Columbia proto police procedural, Homicide Bureau is a far from scintillating example of the style, but worth a look due to its historical value and to its intriguing cast. King Kong star Bruce Cabot stars as Jim Logan, a police detective at odds with new supervisor J. G. Bliss (Rita Hayworth!!), who Jim thinks is coddling criminals. When local bad man and pool hall murderer Chuck Brown (Marc Lawrence) is released on a technicality, things come to a head—especially when it becomes apparent that Chuck is also earning some money from a nefarious and unnamed 'foreign government'. Will Jim and J. G. come to blows over the case — or will they kiss, make up, and bring the slimy Chuck to justice? No prizes for guessing the correct answer.

Wednesday 04/04/07

3:20 PM Starz
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005 GB-USA): Even though it's relatively faithful to the source material, and even though Tilda Swinton makes for a magnificent White Witch (with James McAvoy her equal as the cowardly Mr. Tumnus), there's something not quite right about this big budget C. S. Lewis adaptation. Perhaps my problem with the film lies primarily with my familiarity with the novels, which I probably read half a dozen times as a child — or perhaps the CGI animals just don't look as good on the screen as their written equivalents did in my imagination. Whatever the cause of my lukewarm reaction to the film, it's making its widescreen television debut this afternoon — and really can't be faulted as solid family entertainment, Christian subtext aside. Also airs at 6:20 PM.

7:00 PM Showtime 2
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999 USA): Much to my surprise, the archives reveal that I've never before recommended Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog in this column. We'll fix that right now. Star Forrest Whitaker may have only recently earned wide acclaim thanks to last year's bravura turn in The Last King of Scotland as Ugandan strong man Idi Amin, but cineastes have long admired his talent, which came into full bloom in this quirky character study. He plays the titular Dog, a phlegmatic hired gun set apart from the other members of the goon squad by his penchant for pigeons, popsicles and purple prose. After a job goes sour, Ghost Dog finds himself targeted by the very man who hired him in the first place (the reliably malicious Henry Silva), and must turn to the Code of the Samurai to get himself out of hot water. A strange but effective film that also features a marvellous performance by Isaach de Bankole as the neighbourhood Good Humor man, Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai marked the filmmaking maturation of director Jarmusch, previously a great stylist but not much of a storyteller. It all comes together for him here — in large part thanks to Whitaker, who really deserved Academy Award recognition for this performance. Better late than never, I guess.

Thursday 04/05/07

11:40 AM Flix
The Manitou (1978 USA): This hilariously awful horror flick makes its widescreen television debut this morning. Tony Curtis, of all people, stars as Harry Erskine, a psychic huckster whose ladylove Karen (Susan Strasberg) reports to the hospital one day with a disturbing growth on her back. No doubt suspecting boils, a nasty insect bite, an inflamed hair follicle, or a good old fashioned Biblical curse, Karen is shocked to learn that she's actually carrying a fetus on her spine — and kindly old Doc Snow (Burgess Meredith) breaks the news that it's no ordinary little bundle of joy. No, it's actually the angry reincarnated spirit of a 400-year-old Native American out for heap big revenge against those who have trespassed against it! So much for the pitter-patter of little feet. An astonishing example of psychotronic film helmed by genre master William Girdler (Three On A Meathook, Asylum of Satan), The Manitou is essential viewing for all fans of truly bad cinema.

1:00 PM Sundance
September 30, 1955 (1977 USA): Where were you on that fateful day? Probably still a twinkle in your father's eye, if that, but for many filmgoers in 1977, the events of 22 years previous probably still brought a lump to the throat and a tear to the cheek. Yes, September 30, 1955 was the day James Dean totalled both himself and his snappy little sports car, and this film tells the story of the effect this tragedy had on clean cut college kid Jimmy (Richard Thomas). When Jimmy learns his idol is no more, he immediately goes off the rails, drinks too much, does some stuff he deeply regrets, and then jumps on his chopper for fame and fortune in California. Directed by The Paper Chase's James Bridges, the film is an effective if overwrought examination of celebrity worship and youthful indiscretion, bolstered by the presence of Susan Tyrrell, Dennis Quaid, and Tom Hulce in the supporting cast. It's been out of video and television circulation for many years, so if you're a Dean fan or an admirer of John-Boy Walton, don't miss it.

10:15 PM HBO Signature
Rosario Tijeras (2005 COL-MEX-ESP-BRZ): I haven't seen this crime drama about a female enforcer working for the Medellin cartel, but you know that makes Rosario Tijeras all the more enticing for me. The film garnered good reviews and was a box office smash in its native land (where, rather bravely, it was shot on location), and apparently features a cameo by maverick filmmaker and Hispanophile Alex Cox.

10:45 PM Flix
Blind Beast (1969 JAP): A Japanese art-house take on the roughie genre, Blind Beast appears on American television for the first time this evening. The film features Eijo Funakoshi as Michio, a blind sculptor and amateur masseuse who kidnaps sweet young thing Aki (Mako Midori) and holds her in his warehouse full of bizarre art objects, where he subjects her to a gruelling program of sado-masochistic abuse with an unseeing eye towards utilizing her as a model for one of his projects. Based on a story by Edugawa Rampo, Blind Beast was stunningly shot by Setsuo Kobayashi, who brilliantly blended shadowy deep focus shots with a palette of rich colors on his widescreen canvas. Revisiting some of the same themes of sex and power explored in earlier Japanese films such as Woman In the Dunes and Onibaba, this is a powerful and disturbing film not for the faint of heart — and therefore comes highly recommended. Also airs 4/8 at 9:40 PM.

Friday 04/06/07

11:30 AM Showtime Extreme
Typhoon (2005 ROK): A rather mundane Korean suspenser, Typhoon is worth a look for less credulous (or less discriminating) action fans. Revolving around the efforts of a North Korean provocateur (Jang Dong-geon) to take advantage of bad weather to irradiate the entire peninsula with some stolen warheads (he's nothing if not an equal opportunity madman), the film is far too long at 126 minutes, the action poorly staged, and the political subtext beyond the ken of most westerners. On the plus side, it's premiering on American television tonight in its correct 2.35:1 aspect ratio.

6:00 PM Showtime 2
Rakhi (1962 IND): Not sure I should believe this listing or not, but just in case, here it is. Anyone who enjoyed TCM's exemplary tribute to Indian cinema a few years back will definitely want to make time for this drama about a pair of orphans (superstar Ashok Kumar and Waheeda Rehman) who grow rich in the toy business, only to find their newfound wealth tearing them apart with the passage of time. I haven't seen it before, but if Direct TV's listing is correct, this is definitely the Pick of the Week.

9:15 PM Turner Classic Movies
Take A Giant Step (1959 USA): It looks positively quaint now, but in 1959, Take A Giant Step was what passed for cutting edge social commentary on 'the race problem'. Future hitmaker (I Can See Clearly Now) Johnny Nash stars as Spencer Scott, a middle-class African-American youngster who's grown up in a mostly white neighbourhood and considers himself 'color blind' — but is forced to face the reality of his 'otherness' when the subject of race comes up in a classroom discussion one day. The film fumbles its honorable intentions — no doubt due to the fact that it was based on a play written by two white New Yorkers — but Nash is quite good, and the luminous Ruby Dee lights up the screen as family retainer Christine. It's a fascinating film to watch, but ultimately a frustrating one, too, as the films of Shirley Clarke and Melvin Van Peebles soon rendered it as up to date as a Nash Rambler. Then again, I've always wanted to own a Nash Rambler, so maybe that's not such a bad thing.

Saturday 04/07/07

1:30 AM Turner Classic Movies
The Beast With 1,000,000 Eyes (1955 USA): Outrageous title aside, this is far from being a cheesy sci-fi timewaster. The Beast With 1,000,000 Eyes may indeed have a pathetic space ship that looks like a coffee percolator, but the film itself is an understated and serious attempt to deal with issues as diverse as individualism, loneliness, guilt, and spirituality. It doesn't rely on stock footage, giant bugs, prescient scientists, granite jawed generals, or any of the other cliches of 50s sci fi. Shot in the deserts of California on a meagre budget, it manages to convey the depression and decay that have overcome the small, but nuclear, farm family headed by the excellent Paul Birch. Birch went on to play a similar role in the 1956 ARC production, The Day the World Ended — another film that is remembered primarily for its goofy monsters instead of its interesting storyline. This film scared me to death when I was ten-years-old, and today it still conjures up the primal fears of betrayal and disloyalty that so disturbed my pre-pubescent psyche. By no means a 'classic', The Beast With 1,000,000 Eyes is simply an outstanding example of low, low budget independent filmmaking and intelligent screenwriting.

9:00 PM Turner Classic Movies
We Were Strangers (1949 USA): Hands up all those of you who knew John Huston directed this film. A peak period Jennifer Jones stars as China Valdez, a Cuban rebel girl battling the corrupt Mahado regime which murdered her brother. She falls in with American expat Tony Fenner (John Garfield), and together the two plot the assassination and overthrow of the Cuban dictator. In 1949, Cuba was living through a brief period of democracy (the US-supported Fulgencio Batista would stage a coup d'etat in 1952, thus setting the stage for the rise of Fidel Castro), but We Were Strangers is set in 1933, and presumably didn't rankle too many diplomatic feathers. Nonetheless, it was not a box office success, and surely didn't help Garfield's reputation as a left-wing troublemaker — a reputation that soon cost him his career and probably exacerbated his serious health problems. All in all, it's a very good adventure yarn that deserves more than just the attention of Huston scholars.

Sunday 04/08/07

9:00 PM Sundance
Unborn But Forgotten (2002 ROK): This week's Asian Extreme entry is a rather derivative Korean thriller about a supernatural Web site called The White Room. In a not too subtle tip of the hat to films such as Feardot.com and The Ring, the story revolves around intrepid television reporter Su-Jin (Eun-Ju Lee), who's investigating the suspicious deaths of pregnant women who, days prior to their demise, pointed and clicked their way into the aforementioned room. With the help of police detective Lee (Jun-Ho Jeong), Su-Jin discovers the truth about a dead woman and her equally dead baby, and comes into harm's way when, after perusing the website for clues, she finds herself mysteriously with child. Virgin birth, or deadly revenge? Unborn But Forgotten's baffling conclusion provides no answers. It's one for the completists, which of course includes me.

Monday 04/09/07

6:10 AM Starz In Black
Soda Cracker (1989 USA): One of actor-director-producer Fred Williamson's many low budget efforts from his own Po' Boy Films, Soda Cracker (also known as The Kill Reflex) stars the cigar-chomping badass as a cop out to get revenge for the murder of his partner. Soda, as he is known to his friends on the force, immediately suspects the involvement of old arch-enemy Ivan Moss (Bo Svenson), and though discouraged by his superiors from making further inquiries, remains committed to solving the crime. Cue the arrival of new partner Crystal Tarver (Maud Adams), who complicates matters by falling head over heels for our testosterone-laden hero. It's always fun to watch The Hammer do his thing, but he's no Melvin Van Peebles, and Soda Cracker is inept filmmaking at best, with a cliché-ridden script and awful special effects. Nonetheless, it's good fun if you're in the mood for mindless violence, and the Chicago location work is nice.

6:00 PM Sundance
Kill Gil (Volume 1) (2005 ITA): A tongue in cheek title masks the serious intentions of this documentary about a man confronted by life-threatening illness. Directed by Gil Rossellini (adopted son of Roberto, brother of Isabella), Kill Gil recounts the filmmaker's battles with a mysterious staph infection contracted at a film festival in Stockholm. Left in a coma for weeks and subjected to almost two dozen operations in the aftermath, Rossellini kept a video diary during his seven-month long recovery — a diary as humorous as it as harrowing.