Part 2. Paul Dano and Benicio Del Toro star in this seven-hour miniseries, playing real-life convicts Richard Matt and David Sweat, who escaped from the Clinton Correctional Facility in 2015. They escaped with help from prison employee Joyce Mitchell, played by Patricia Arquette – and she’s the biggest surprise here, committing to a fascinating, yet anything but flashy, character and performance.

2018

Nov

ALL ABOUT EVE By David Bianculli

Tonight’s theme on TCM is “Blind Ambition” – and while it’s not showing the 1979 TV miniseries by that name, which starred Martin Sheen as central Watergate figure John Dean (with Rip Torn as Nixon!), it is showing a small collection of films featuring single-minded, ruthless, Iago-like antagonists. First up is one of the best: this 1950 backstage drama, in which Bette Davis plays a movie star whose adoring fan turns out to be scheming to steal the star’s care

2018

Nov

A CHRISTMAS STORY By David Bianculli

Every year, poor Ralphie tries his best to convince everyone, especially his parents and Santa Claus, that there’s absolutely nothing wrong (and, in fact, everything right) with getting a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. Well, technically, Ralphie only tried it once, in this 1983 movie comedy – but TV has long made a holiday tradition out of showing this movie over and over, especially around Christmas day. But today, TNT is getting an early jump on Thanksgiving weekend, and showing i

2018

Nov

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE By David Bianculli

Here’s another, even older movie that gets trotted out every Christmas season – and, like A Christmas Story, also shown right after Thanksgiving as a post-holiday “bonus.” This film, from 1946, stars James Stewart as a man who’s down on his luck, and experiencing severe financial difficulties because of some unsympathetic bank executives. This Frank Capra film always has been resonant, but after the Wall Street crash in the first decade of this century, it seems alm

2018

Nov

SICK NOTE By David Bianculli

SERIES PREMIERE: Two seasons of this British series have been produced so far, and today Netflix presents them both. Rupert Grint stars as Daniel, whose doctor, played by Nick Frost, diagnoses him with terminal cancer. It’s a diagnosis that proves to be, so to speak, dead wrong – but both the doctor and his patient decide to keep silent, and keep everyone thinking Daniel is soon to shuffle off this mortal coil. Why? Because the doctor is embarrassed to admit he made such a dramatic m

2018

Nov

FROSTY THE SNOWMAN By David Bianculli

This cartoon first appeared on TV in 1969, so we’re not that far from its golden anniversary. And that may be a problem, because of the color as it relates to snowmen – as we were always warned as children, “Don’t eat the yellow snow.”

2018

Nov

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS By David Bianculli

There’s going to be a new Grinch movie this holiday season, and perhaps you’ve already soon one of the estimated 5,482,006 TV promo ads that have been run so far. But that’s even more reason to revisit this 1966 original, which was broadcast, for the first time, on Dec. 18, 1966. One week before Christmas, rather than, as with today’s repeat, more than a month. I’m just saying. It’s literally the day after Thanksgiving, and we’re already being fed Christ

2018

Nov

MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 By David Bianculli

SEASON PREMIERE: The long-running cult TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000 has always had a strong connection with Thanksgiving – or, at least, turkeys, especially of the cinematic variety. In fact, today, Thanksgiving Day, marks 30 years since MST3K launched as a low-rent local offering on KTMA-TV in Minneapolis. On the subsequent national level, if you’re keeping track, this is Season 12 for the antics of the villains from outer space torturing other interstellar travelers by fo

2018

Nov

PEE-WEE'S PLAYHOUSE MARATHON By David Bianculli

The classic CBS children’s series Pee-Wee’s Playhouse gets an all-day marathon, running old episodes nonstop until 6 a.m. ET Friday. Oh, but there is one interruption, and it’s a welcome one: At 12:06 p.m. ET today, and again at 6:12 p.m. ET tonight, IFC presents the most recent revival special, Pee-Wee’s Christmas.

2018

Nov

MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE By David Bianculli

This is the 92nd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York, and the 66th time NBC has televised it. For three hours beginning at 9 a.m. ET, viewers at home can watch the floats, and sit back and chill. But if you really want to chill, go to Manhattan and watch in person. It'll be coooooold.

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