SATURDAY
JULY 18
2015

BIANCULLI’S BEST BETS

 

ESPN, 2:00 a.m. ET

If you enjoy watching golf at all, then as soon as you read this, tune to ESPN and see what’s happening today – because it’s brutal, and amazing, and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before on televised golf. Yesterday, torrential rains stopped play for hours, and the advent of darkness made them suspend play at St. Andrews until the sun rose on Saturday. At the end of play Friday night, Dustin Johnson held the lead at 10 under par, having completed only 13 holes of his second round. Jordan Spieth was on the 13th also, and was 5 under par, making him tied for 15th. While the only reason Tiger Woods made it to the weekend play is because he, too, had to complete his second round on Saturday – but he was five over par after 11 holes, and tied for – ready? – 129th. So that was yesterday. Today, starting at 2 a.m. ET, the players who hadn’t completed their Friday rounds picked up where they had left off, with the prospect of starting round 3, if they made the cut, shortly after completing their round two. And if that’s not grueling enough, there was the wind, which has approached 30 mph, made the golfers dress like mountain climbers, and – as I type this at 2:43 a.m. ET – having stopped play on one green because it was impossible to replace their balls on the green without having them roll away in the wind. It’s nuts. And, as TV, it’s kind of fascinating. You’ll be able to watch this all day, whenever you tune in, unless play is suspended for the ridiculously challenging conditions. Which, just before 3 a.m. ET, it just was. So stay tuned…

 
  
 
 

TCM, 5:15 p.m. ET

Stanley Kubrick approached Vladimir Nabokov’s controversial erotic novel about the only way he could have in 1962: By stressing the humor in the story rather than the sexual elements, and by aging the character of Lolita, played by Sue Lyon, a few years to make her a bit less of a nymphet. James Mason plays the professor who’s come completely undone by his attraction to the young girl, Shelley Winters plays her abrasive mother, and Peter Sellers, in a movie-stealing role, plays… well, just watch.

 
  
 
 

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

In this excellent 1972 political drama, Robert Redford plays the title role – a candidate for the U.S. Senate from California, who decides he has no chance of winning so he runs an increasingly honest campaign. Are you watching, 2016 presidential candidates? Many of you should be…

 
  
 
 

NBC, 10:00 p.m. ET

NEW NIGHT: In its final season, Hannibal is being treated even more ignominiously than before. This week, without much warning, it was moved from its Thursday time slot and, beginning tonight, banished to Saturday – with the episode where both Hannibal and Will are captured, chained and being prepared for dinner. And not as guests, but as entrees. By the way, if you’re a fan of Aquarius, it’s been given the same banished-to-Saturday treatment. You can find it at 9 p.m. ET, beginning tonight.

 
  
 
 

Cinemax, 10:00 p.m. ET

This 2014 horror film is about a group of teens who gather around a supposedly haunted Ouija board, and unexpectedly summon some very nasty spirits. It’s fitting that this thriller is called Ouija: Based on its plot summary, I’m already board…

 
  
 
 
 
 
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David Bianculli

Founder / Editor

David Bianculli has been a TV critic since 1975, including a 14-year stint at the New York Daily News, and sees no reason to stop now. Currently, he's TV critic for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and is an occasional substitute host for that show. He's also an author and teaches TV and film history at New Jersey's Rowan University. His 2009 Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour', has been purchased for film rights. His latest, The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific, is an effusive guidebook that plots the path from the 1950s’ Golden Age to today’s era of quality TV.