This 2007 TV special is a holiday sequel to the cinematic Shrek franchise, but by no means is a cheap knockoff. Like the films, it features Mike Myers as Shrek, Eddie Murphy as the Donkey, and Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona. And yes, this one also allows for a return appearance by Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots. It’s a fun movie-to-TV Christmas special – and ABC follows it at 8:30 p.m. ET with another one, a same-month repeat of the new Toy Story That Time Forgot computer-animated

2014

Dec

ONE DIRECTION: THE TV SPECIAL By David Bianculli

Fresh off their Saturday Night Live appearance last weekend, the members of One Direction become Ready for Prime Time Players on the same network. I know at least one young woman who will be watching this new one-hour music and biography TV special very, very closely. I also know there will be millions of others – though I don’t know them.

2014

Dec

KING OF KINGS By David Bianculli

Jeffrey Hunter stars in this literally and figuratively faithful 1961 dramatization of portions of the New Testament story of the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ. The narrative, in this epic movie, actually begins a few generations before the birth of Jesus, and goes on long enough to enact how John the Baptist lost his head after meeting the ruthless temptress Salome. Robert Ryan plays John the Baptist, Brigid Balzen portrays Salome, and other players in this biblical drama include a few

2014

Dec

THE YEAR: 2014 By David Bianculli

Robin Roberts anchors this two-hour look at the year’s biggest, most meaningful news stories. If the producers are taking their job seriously, they’ll have been working against the clock to include a last-second overview of the Sony-North Korea-The Interview hacking story, which is one of the biggest media stories in years, and, I suspect, will only get bigger in 2015.

2014

Dec

MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET By David Bianculli

AMC is televising two versions of this movie tonight. At 8:45 p.m. ET, it presents the 1994 remake, starring Richard Attenborough as the modern embodiment of Santa Claus, and Mara Wilson as the little girl who believes this particular department-store Santa is real. But the one to watch is the original, which starts at 6:30 p.m. ET. The 1947 holiday classic stars Edmund Gwenn as the Macy’s store Santa, and, as the young girl who believes in him, a very, very young Natalie Wood.

2014

Dec

A SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE CHRISTMAS By David Bianculli

Another few hours of prime-time weekday TV to fill – and, on this night, another compilation of Saturday Night Live holiday clips, this time tied to Christmas. That means, of course, a cornucopia of singing trios, Schweddy Balls, and, of course, Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon as the dueling “wrappers” from Wrappinville.

2014

Dec

12 YEARS A SLAVE By David Bianculli

I know. This powerful but grim 2013 drama, about a free northern black man’s descent into slavery in the antebellum southern states, isn’t exactly warm and fuzzy holiday fare. But it’s the best movie shown tonight anywhere on TV, so it deserves mention. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars.

2014

Dec

HIS GIRL FRIDAY By David Bianculli

This movie must have been seen by Aaron Sorkin dozens of times, because it’s the unofficial template for the way his characters talk in anything he writes. Every character. But that’s not an insult or even necessarily a criticism, because glib dialogue doesn’t get any glibber than this. Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell star as cynical newspaper co-workers, in this cleverly reworked version of Ben Hecht’s The Front Page.

2014

Dec

MAJOR CRIMES By David Bianculli

Having a guy dress as Santa Claus to pull off a robbery isn’t very original, much less sporting, for the Christmas holidays. But in this new Major Crimes episode, having him organize the heist so that he gets to escape by blending into a Santa-costume flash mob – that’s a modern twist worth noting.

2014

Dec

CRAIG FERGUSON AND THE ART OF THE EXIT By Bill Brioux

Craig Ferguson, sporting a liberated, Mohawk-y ‘do, stood on his anchor desk and left us with a joyous, Proclaimers-like, jump-up-and-dance anthem. Would that CBS had given him a band ages ago, that was a stompin’ good way to go out...

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