THIS WEEK’S MOVIE HIGHLIGHTS
5:45 pm The Sea Wolves ›› (’ 80, Action) Gregory Peck. World War II British agents send retired Calcutta cavalrymen to sink three German ships off the coast of Goa. TCM
6:00 pm . . . . . . . . The Players Club ›› (’98, Comedy-Drama) LisaRaye. A single mother attending college moonlights as a stripper in a rowdy nightclub in order to pay for her tuition. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . BET 6:00 pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Escape Plan
›› (’ 13, Action) Sylvester Stallone. An expert in prison security joins forces with an inmate to break out of a top-secret, high-tech facility. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . SYFY 6:30 pm Shrek ››› (’ 01, Children’s) Voices of Mike Myers. Animated. In order to save his home, a monster with a donkey makes a deal with a mean lord to rescue a beautiful princess. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FREE 7:00 pm . . . . . The Equalizer 2 ›› (’ 18, Action) Denzel Washington. Robert McCall’s mysterious past cuts especially close to home when thugs kill Susan Plummer — his best friend and former colleague. Now out for revenge, McCall must take on a crew of highly trained assassins who’ll stop at nothing to destroy him. (cc) FX 7:00 pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Help ›››
(’11, Drama) Viola Davis. Determined to become a writer, a 1960s Mississippi society girl turns her small town on its ear by interviewing black women who work for prominent white families. (cc) . PARMT 8:00 pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Solo: A Star Wars Story ›› (’ 18, Science Fiction) Alden Ehrenreich. Young Han Solo and his gang of smugglers devise a daring plan to steal coaxium from the planet Kessel. In need of a fast ship, Solo meets Lando Calrissian, the suave owner of the perfect vessel for the dangerous mission — the Millennium Falcon. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . TNT 8:00 pm Diary of a Mad Black Woman ›› (’05, Comedy-Drama) Kimberly Elise. A woman must put her life back together after her husband of 18 years abruptly kicks her out of the house. (cc). . . VH1 8:00 pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Polar Express ››› (’ 04, Children’s) Voices of Tom Hanks. Animated. The conductor of a train to the North Pole guides a boy who questions the existence of Santa Claus. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AMC 8:00 pm . . . . . . Lost Boundaries ›››
(’49, Drama) Beatrice Pearson. A doctor, his wife and their children pass as white in a New England town. (cc) . . . . . . TCM 8:30 pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Skyfall ››› (’ 12, Action) Daniel Craig. When M’s past comes back to haunt her, James Bond must track down and destroy the threat to her and MI6, no matter how personal the cost. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . SYFY 8:30 pm Zootopia ››› (’ 16, Children’s) Voices of Ginnifer Goodwin. Animated. Rookie police rabbit Judy Hopps works with a wily fox to solve a mysterious case in the mammal metropolis of Zootopia. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FREE 9:00 pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The
Five Heartbeats ›› (’ 91, Drama) Robert Townsend. A wealth of songs propels this story about five black singers pursuing their dreams of stardom in the turbulent ’60s. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BET 9:00 pm . . . . . . . . . Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa ››› (’ 08, Children’s) Voices of Ben Stiller. Animated. Zoo animals from New York meet others of their species for the first time after crash-landing on the Dark Continent. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . NICK 9:30 pm . . . . . The Equalizer 2 ›› (’ 18, Action) Denzel Washington. Robert McCall’s mysterious past cuts especially close to home when thugs kill Susan Plummer — his best friend and former colleague. Now out for revenge, McCall must take on a crew of highly trained assassins who’ll stop at nothing to destroy him. (cc) FX 10:00 pm The Help ››› (’ 11, Drama) Viola Davis. Determined to become a writer, a 1960s Mississippi society girl turns her small town on its ear by interviewing black women who work for prominent white families. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . PARMT 10:00 pm Scrooged ››› (’ 88, Comedy) Bill Murray. A ruthless TV-network chief meets the ghosts of Christmases past, present and yet to come. (cc) . . . . AMC 10:00 pm . . . . . . . . . . Home of the Brave ››› (’ 49, War) Douglas Dick. A World War II psychiatrist treats a black soldier paralyzed from the hips down from years of mental anguish and prejudice. (cc) TCM
FRIDAY
8:00 am . . . . . A Golden Christmas ›› (’09, Comedy) Andrea Roth. A special dog helps a woman reunite with a friend that she met years earlier as a child. (cc) LIFE 8:30 am The Animal Kingdom ››› (’ 32, Drama) Ann Harding. A publisher marries a socialite instead of the artist he loves. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TCM 9:30 am . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nanny McPhee
›› (’ 05, Children’s) Emma Thompson. A widower hires a mysterious woman who uses magic to control his seven unruly children. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AMC 10:00 am . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nothing but Trouble ›› (’ 44, Comedy) Stan Laurel. Two cooks employed by wealthy socialites get involved in the murder of the aging king. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TCM 10:30 am . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mission: Impossible ›› (’ 96, Action) Tom Cruise. Branded a traitor, an elite intelligence agent investigates a failed Prague mission to retrieve a computer disk. (cc) . . FX 10:30 am . . . . . . . . . . . . Prancer Returns
›› (’ 01, Children’s) John Corbett. A boy is certain that a deer he finds in the forest belongs to Santa. (cc). . . . . . . . . . . FREE 11:00 am. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Karate
Kid ›› (’ 10, Children’s) Jaden Smith. A Chinese maintenance man instructs an American boy in the art of kung fu to help the youth face down bullies at his new school. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MTV 11:15 am . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Make Your Own Bed ›› (’ 44, Comedy) Jack Carson. A private eye and his girlfriend become a tricky client’s butler and maid. (cc) TCM 11:30 am . . Footloose ›› (’ 84, Drama) Kevin Bacon. A hip Chicago teen moves to a Midwestern town where, thanks to a pastor, dancing is outlawed. (cc) . AMC 11:54 am . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dawn of the Dead ››› (’ 04, Horror) Sarah Polley. A nurse, a policeman and other residents of Milwaukee fight flesh-eating zombies while trapped in a mall. (cc). . . . . SYFY NOON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stepmom ›› (’98, Drama) Julia Roberts. A New York fashion photographer contends with her boyfriend’s children and ex-wife. (cc) E! NOON . . . . . Meet the Browns ›› (’ 08, Comedy-Drama) Tyler Perry. Soon after losing her job, a single mother takes her brood to Georgia for her father’s funeral and meets his uproarious clan for the first time. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VH1 12:35 pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matilda ››› (’96, Children’s) Mara Wilson. A little girl develops extraordinary mental abilities, despite neglectful parents and a brutal headmistress. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FREE 1:00 pm Mission: Impossible 2 ››› (’ 00, Action) Tom Cruise. IMF agent Ethan Hunt and his team try to stop a former agent from unleashing a deadly, engineered virus. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FX 1:00 pm . Twilight ›› (’ 08, Romance) Kristen Stewart. Premiere. A high-school student is caught up in a romance with a vampire, whose family has renounced the drinking of blood. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . USA 2:00 pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . National Lampoon’s Vacation ›› (’ 83, Comedy) Chevy Chase. The Griswolds and family head by station wagon for the California fun park Walley World. (cc) . . . . . . AMC 2:00 pm Breakfast for Two ›› (’ 37, Comedy) Barbara Stanwyck. An heiress saves a playboy from a gold digger, then buys his steamship line for fun. (cc). . . . . . . TCM
2:30 pm Four Brothers ›› (’ 05, Crime Drama) Mark Wahlberg. Diverse siblings reunite for revenge after learning about the murder of their adoptive mother. (cc) MTV
2:30 pm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coach Carter ››› (’ 05, Drama) Samuel L. Jackson. A high-school basketball coach turns a losing team around, then faces criticism for pushing the athletes to put grades first. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VH1 2:40 pm Shrek ››› (’ 01, Children’s) Voices of Mike Myers. Animated. In order to save his home, a monster with a donkey makes a deal with a mean lord to rescue a beautiful princess. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FREE 3:00 pm . . . . . . . . The Players Club ›› (’98, Comedy-Drama) LisaRaye. A single mother attending college moonlights as a stripper in a rowdy nightclub in order to pay for her tuition. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . BET
3:15 pm A Successful Calamity ››› (’ 32, Comedy) George Arliss. A financier comes home and tells his wife, son and daughter he is broke to get their attention. (cc) TCM 3:35 pm . The Twilight Saga: New Moon
›› (’ 09, Romance) Kristen Stewart. Premiere. After the abrupt departure of Edward, Bella develops a deep friendship with Jacob and is drawn into the world of werewolves. (cc). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . USA 4:00 pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mission: Impossible III ››› (’ 06, Action) Tom Cruise. Now a trainer for IMF recruits, agent Ethan Hunt squares off against the toughest foe he has ever faced: a ruthless arms and information broker. (cc) . FX 4:00 pm Scrooged ››› (’ 88, Comedy)
Bill Murray. A ruthless TV-network chief meets the ghosts of Christmases past, present and yet to come. (cc) . . . . AMC 4:30 pm The Last of Mrs. Cheyney ›› (’ 37, Comedy) Joan Crawford. A jewel thief and her partner corner British aristocrats on a country weekend. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . TCM 4:45 pm Burlesque ›› (’ 10, Drama) Cher. With help from a savvy stage manager and a gender-bending host, a cocktail waitress with a stunning voice becomes a performer in a club’s musical revue. (cc)
E!
4:45 pm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hercules ››› (’ 97, Children’s) Voices of Tate Donovan. Animated. The half-mortal strongman must become a hero to rejoin the gods on Mount Olympus. Charlton Heston narrates. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . FREE 4:59 pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Skyfall ››› (’ 12, Action) Daniel Craig. When M’s past comes back to haunt her, James Bond must track down and destroy the threat to her and MI6, no matter how personal the cost. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . SYFY 5:00 pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The
Five Heartbeats ›› (’ 91, Drama) Robert Townsend. A wealth of songs propels this story about five black singers pursuing their dreams of stardom in the turbulent ’60s. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BET 5:30 pm . . . . New Jack City ››› (’ 91, Crime Drama) Wesley Snipes. Undercover officers and their boss target the king of a high-tech New York crack syndicate, the CMB. (cc). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VH1 6:00 pm The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift ›› (’ 06, Action) Lucas Black. An American street racer in Japan learns an exciting but dangerous new style and goes head-to-head with a local champion who has ties to the Yakuza. (cc) . . BRV 6:00 pm Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ››› (’ 05, Children’s) Johnny Depp. A poor boy and four spoiled children win a tour through the incredible factory of an odd confectioner. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . AMC
6:15 pm The Admirable Crichton ›› (’ 57, Comedy) Kenneth More. The butler of an English lord becomes master of their shipwrecked group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . TCM
6:25 pm The Twilight Saga: Eclipse ›› (’10, Romance) Kristen Stewart. Premiere. Bella must choose between Edward and Jacob amid a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire’s quest for revenge. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . USA 6:50 pm Minions ›› (’ 15, Children’s) Voices of Sandra Bullock. Animated. On a mission to find a new master to serve, three Minions meet Scarlet Overkill the world’s first female supervillain. (cc) . . . . FREE 7:00 pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation ››› (’15, Action) Tom Cruise. Ethan Hunt and his team take on their most impossible mission yet to eradicate the Syndicate — a highly skilled, international organization dedicated to creating a new world order via a series of terrorist attacks. (cc) FX 7:00 pm Quantum of Solace ›› (’ 08, Action) Daniel Craig. James Bond’s hunt for those responsible for Vesper Lynd’s death leads him to a ruthless businessman who is plotting to seize control of a valuable resource. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PARMT
7:30 pm Uncle Drew ›› (’ 18, Comedy) Kyrie Irving. Uncle Drew recruits a squad of older basketball players to return to the court to compete in a tournament. (cc) TBS
8:00 pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nicholas Nickleby ››› (’ 47, Drama) Derek Bond. Dickens’ son of a poor country gentleman must make his own way in cruel Victorian England. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8:00 pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fast & Furious ›› (’ 09, Action) Vin Diesel. Back in Los Angeles, fugitive Dom Toretto and agent Brian O’Conner reignite their feud but, then, must join forces against a common enemy. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . BRV 8:00 pm Noah ››› (’ 14, Historical Drama) Russell Crowe. God chooses Noah to build an ark and save the animals and his family from an apocalyptic flood. . . . SYFY 8:00 pm . . Jingle All the Way ›› (’ 96, Children’s) Arnold Schwarzenegger. A crazed postman, a tough policeman and a shady Santa impede a workaholic seeking a coveted toy for his son. (cc) . . . . TNT 8:00 pm . . . . . . . . . . . Casino ››› (’ 95, Crime Drama) Robert De Niro. A New York bookie and his pal turn a Las Vegas casino into an empire, then one’s money-hungry wife helps bring it down. (cc) . . . . VH1 8:00 pm Man on a Tightrope ›››› (’ 53, Drama) Fredric March. Members of a family circus stage a bold parade to escape from Czechoslovakia. (cc) . . . . . . . . TCM 8:30 pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory ››› (’ 71, Children’s) Gene Wilder. A poor boy and his grandfather win a tour through the marvelous factory of a wily confectioner. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AMC
8:55 pm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Despicable Me 3
›› (’ 17, Children’s) Voices of Steve Carell. Animated. Fired from the Anti-Villain League, Gru travels to Freedonia to meet his long-lost twin brother for the first time. The siblings soon find themselves in an uneasy alliance to take down Balthazar Bratt, a former 1980s child star who’s out for revenge. (cc). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FREE 9:00 pm The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 ›› (’ 11, Romance) Kristen Stewart. Premiere. A chain of events, set off by Edward and Bella’s marriage, honeymoon and birth of a child, yields a shocking development for Jacob. (cc) . . . . . USA 9:30 pm Burlesque ›› (’ 10, Drama) Cher. With help from a savvy stage manager and a gender-bending host, a cocktail waitress with a stunning voice becomes a performer in a club’s musical revue. (cc)
E!
9:30 pm Quantum of Solace ›› (’ 08, Action) Daniel Craig. James Bond’s hunt for those responsible for Vesper Lynd’s death leads him to a ruthless businessman who is plotting to seize control of a valuable resource. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PARMT 9:30 pm Barbershop 3 ››› (’ 16, Comedy) Ice Cube. Premiere. With the barbershop now coed, Calvin, Eddie and the rest of the gang come up with a plan to save the neighborhood from crime. (cc) . . TBS 10:00 pm Fast & Furious ›› (’ 09, Action) Vin Diesel. Back in Los Angeles, fugitive Dom Toretto and agent Brian O’Conner reignite their feud but, then, must join forces against a common enemy. (cc) BRV 10:00 pm . . . . . Dumb & Dumber ››› (’94, Comedy) Jim Carrey. An inept dog groomer and a limousine driver chase the latter’s dream girl cross country. (cc) TNT 10:00 pm . . . Merry Andrew ››› (’ 58, Musical Comedy) Danny Kaye. A British schoolteacher/archaeologist joins a family circus as a clown and falls for an acrobat. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TCM
SATURDAY
6:00 am Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ››› (’ 05, Children’s) Johnny Depp. A poor boy and four spoiled children win a tour through the incredible factory of an odd confectioner. (cc) . . . . . . . . . . . AMC 6:00 am Kismet ››› (’ 44, Fantasy) Ronald Colman. Fate follows a beggar king, his daughter, a dancer, and the caliph and grand vizier of Baghdad. (cc). . . . . TCM 7:00 am . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prancer Returns
›› (’ 01, Children’s) John Corbett. A boy is certain that a deer he finds in the forest belongs to Santa. (cc). . . . . . . . . . . FREE