INHERENT VICE
Cinemax, 7:25 p.m. ET
When a movie is directed and adapted by Paul Thomas Anderson, and based on a novel by Thomas Pynchon, it’s not going to be a straightforward narrative – or, for that matter, an easily described or analyzed movie. It’s strange, that’s for sure – and Joaquin Phoenix, as 1970s pot-addled private eye Larry “Doc” Sportello, adds to his roster of increasingly interesting and unusual film roles. I’m looking forward to seeing this 2014 movie again, because after the first viewing, I left wondering what the hell I’d just seen. The performances, like the performers, hardly seem to belong in the same movie, but they’re certainly odd enough to sample. Phoenix’s co-stars include his old screen teammate Reese Witherspoon, as well as Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Benicio Del Toro and Martin Short.