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BEST BETS FOR MARCH 15, 2008
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ABC, 8 p.m. ET In 2002, cinematic heavyweights Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio teamed up on a fact-based caper movie that went nowhere. But I have no idea why, because this is one enjoyable little movie. DiCaprio plays a high school student in the 1960s who becomes a chameleonic con man, and Hanks is the FBI guy who devotes all his energy to hunting him down. Watch, too, for enjoyable supporting work from Christopher Walken, Jennifer Garner and others. |
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AMC, 8 p.m. ET Another delightful film. This is one of the best Westerns made in the last 25 years, because it acknowledges and tweaks the conventions while staying true to them. Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Danny Glover and Kevin Costner are the good guys in the saddle here (Costner, as a young hotshot gunslinger, shows more energy than at any other point in his career), and Brian Dennehy, Jeff Fahey and Jeff Goldblum are among the memorable bad guys. |
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TCM, 8 p.m. ET In 1932, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy made this comedy short, which won the first Oscar for Live Action Short Film. It's nothing more than two men trying to deliver a player piano up a very steep flight of stairs - but that threadbare plot is more than enough to make this a deliriously enjoyable little movie. My challenge to parents: Show this to your children, regardless of their ages. It takes 35 minutes, and, if they've never seen Laurel & Hardy (which, these days, is more and more likely), there's a good chance they'll never forget them. And if they like what they see, it's followed at 8:35 p.m. ET by the duo's 1933 full-length classic, Sons of the Desert. |
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BBC America, 9 p.m. ET Two weeks ago, one of the Torchwood team died unexpectedly. Last week, that same team member came back to life, or at least was an animated dead man, even more unexpectedly. What's happening tonight? All I know is, on this show, expect the unexpected - and if it sounds like goofy, light science fiction, it's a lot darker than that. And a lot smarter. |
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Bravo, 9 p.m. ET Kathy Bates won an Oscar as the unhinged woman who comes upon her favorite author in his time of need - and holds him captive. In Psycho, the unforgettable image - one of them - involves a kitchen knife. In Misery, it's a sledge hammer. |
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NBC, 11:30 p.m. ET Janet Jackson has the flu, so she won't be there as scheduled tonight. (I'm still getting over the death flu myself, so she has my sympathies.) Mariah Carey is here instead, along with guest host Jonah Hill, the curly-haired kid from Superbad. This is the last first-run SNL for a while, and I fully expect politics to lead the show again this week... maybe with Kenan Thompson as Rev. Wright? |
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