AMC, 8:00 p.m. ET
This isn’t a very good movie – but on this occasion, that’s the reason to tune in. This movie, made in 2006 by Wolfgang Petersen, should be better than it is. Starring Kurt Russell, it’s a remake of the 1972 disaster film The Poseidon Adventure (pictured) – and Petersen, who directed the brilliant Das Boot, knows his way around water-based dramas. So it has its moments, which are interesting. And this remake is followed, at 10 p.m. ET, by the original movie: the one starring Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine and Shelley Winters.
Showtime, 8:00 p.m. ET
This 1992 Quentin Tarantino breakout film – now 20 years old – has been televised a lot the past few weeks, but certainly stands up to repeated viewings. It’s fun to watch Steve Buscemi, two decades before Boardwalk Empire, and to see that even then, Harvey Keitel was the epitome of one-screen cool.
TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
Once again, TCM comes to Saturday night TV’s rescue, with a prime-time showing of another cinema classic. This 1933 movie version of a hit Broadway play, one of the screwiest of all screwball comedies, features an all-star cast led by Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, Jean Harlow, and two different Barrymores: Lionel and John.
TCM, 10:00 p.m. ET
The proposed remake of this film, starring Johnny Depp, reportedly has hit a speed bump or two. But while we’re waiting to see if he indeed manages to revive yet another vintage show-biz property, tonight we can enjoy the original article: the first of the Thin Man movies, which spawned many a sequel. William Powell and Myrna Loy star as the ultra-smooth Nick and Nora Charles.
NBC, 11:29 p.m. ET
Promoting her new movie, Les Miserables, Anne Hathaway returns to host SNL for the second time. The first time, she showed off her strong singing voice and her brave commitment to her material – two elements that may have helped lead to her appearance in the movie musical. Tonight’s SNL musical guest is worth watching, too: Rihanna.