THE DAILY NEWS WATCH-O-RAMA HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS OF THE COMING TV WEEK.Byline: David Kronke ``Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom: Grizzly Encounters'' (Animal Planet; 7 tonight) Think: Alaskan brown bears make friends and enemies alike. Don't think: Not a good sign when one of the best scenes in a film about grizzlies concerns a caribou Caribou, town, United States Caribou (kâr`ĭb  ), town (1990 pop. 9,415), Aroostook co., NE Maine, on the Aroostook River; inc. 1859. battling wolves. (A cub also
takes on some wolves.)
In a nutshell: Unstructured documentary with catch-as-catch-can approach to its subject; intermittently interesting moments and lovely footage of the beasts. ``La Femme Musketeer'' (Hallmark Channel; 8 tonight) Think: Valentine (Susie Amy), daughter of the legendary D'Artangnan (Michael York), battles 17th-century corruption in the form of Gerard Depardieu and Nastassja Kinski. Don't think: Why would people fence with broadswords while scarves and hoods cover their eyes? Ah, to conceal the surprise that one is a young woman and the other is ``Three -'' and ``Four Musketeers'' star York. Which isn't much of a secret, given the film's title and cast list. So, again: Wouldn't experienced Musketeers know better? In a nutshell: Swashbuckling swash·buck·le intr.v. swash·buck·led, swash·buck·ling, swash·buck·les To act as a swashbuckler, as in a movie or play. [Back-formation from swashbuckler. , though dialogue, performances and production design don't hew hew v. hewed, hewn or hewed, hew·ing, hews v.tr. 1. To make or shape with or as if with an ax: hew a path through the underbrush. 2. terribly close to verisimilitude. Still, competent if uninspired. ``Jack'' (Showtime; 8 tonight; also 1:45 p.m. Saturday) Think: Coming-of-age yarn about a 15-year-old sad sack (Anton Yelchin) contending with the divorce of his parents (Stockard Channing, Ron Silver) and his father's admission of his homosexuality. Don't think: Hasn't Stockard Channing appeared in every good-intentioned gay-themed TV movie of the past five years? In a nutshell: Oddly acted, slackly paced, undramatic drama. ``Fatherhood'' (Nick at Nite; 9 tonight) Think: Animated series about family life, based on Bill Cosby's book of the same name. Don't think: Why is Blair Underwood's voice coming out of Bill Cosby's cartoon body? In a nutshell: Nice visual style, very pedestrian scripting. ``Quest for King Arthur'' (History Channel; 9 tonight) Think: Just in time to hype a big-budget Hollywood film comes this documentary on Camelot. Don't think: It's significantly less enticing without Kiera Knightley or Monty Python in the mix. In a nutshell: Cheesy cheesy (che´ze) caseous. re-enactments - cheesier even than ``Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' - and overheated o·ver·heat v. o·ver·heat·ed, o·ver·heat·ing, o·ver·heats v.tr. 1. To heat too much. 2. To cause to become excited, agitated, or overstimulated. v.intr. scripting make this a decidedly lowbrow documentary, with little intent beyond spreading word for the movie. ``Who Wants to Marry My Dad?'' (NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. Channel 4; 10 p.m. Monday) Think: Three 20-something daughters prone to bursting into tears pick out a prospective bride for their 47-year-old father from a bevy of available and not-too-desperate women. Don't think: You can scarcely trust kids to do their chores; who in their right mind would let them select your spouse? And who in their right mind would want their kids watching them getting frisky frisk·y adj. frisk·i·er, frisk·i·est Energetic, lively, and playful: a frisky kitten. frisk with paramours? In a nutshell: One participant says, ``I watched `The Bachelor,' but it didn't have the class that this one did.'' Class, apparently, being a relative term: There are a bunch of duplicitous and sneaky twists along the way, which of course is recommended in encouraging a loving and trusting relationship. ``Outback Jack'' (TBS; 9 p.m. Tuesday) Think: Women in inappropriate evening attire are dispatched via parachute into the Australian outback to romance an adventurer with whom they obviously have little in common. Don't think: If ``The Bachelor'' and ``Survivor'' got pregnant, this would be the baby. Which makes for a compelling pro-choice argument. In a nutshell: Whiny, squealing girls, mild adventures, fatuous deconstructions of the action, and so forth, of an extremely familiar nature. ``NYPD NYPD New York City Police Department (since 1845; New York City, NY, USA) NYPD New York Play Development 24/7'' (ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. Channel 7; 10 p.m. Tuesday) Think: ABC News documentary series following the detectives and officers of the New York Police New York Police may refer to:
Don't think: Why is ``NYPD Blue's'' Dennis Franz introducing and narrating a news series? ``We see stuff nobody should see,'' one detective says, and ABC News, bless 'em, makes sure we get to see it, too. In a nutshell: Cases, such as tonight's, involving a woman stabbed by a small-time small·time or small-time adj. Informal Insignificant or unimportant; minor: a smalltime actor. small thug caught in a circuitous cir·cu·i·tous adj. Being or taking a roundabout, lengthy course: took a circuitous route to avoid the accident site. fashion when the police locate the victim's cell phone, unfold. ``Hank Williams: Honky Tonk Blues'' (KCET KCET Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (Japan) KCET Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology ; 8 p.m. Wednesday) Think: ``American Masters'' portrait of the legendary country crooner. Don't think: I'm so lonesome I could cry, too, but you don't see me making such a big deal about it. In a nutshell: With so many interview subjects speaking in either hyperbole or generalities, it remains tough to get a bead on this enigmatic artist in this earnest, straightforward documentary. ``Everyday People'' (HBO Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) A form of oxygen therapy in which the patient breathes oxygen in a pressurized chamber. Mentioned in: Ozone Therapy ; 9 p.m. Saturday) Think: A Brooklyn diner prepares to close due to gentrification gentrification, the rehabilitation and settlement of decaying urban areas by middle- and high-income people. Beginning in the 1970s and 80s, higher-income professionals, drawn by low-cost housing and easier access to downtown business areas, renovated deteriorating and the neighbors respond in this slice-of-life drama. Don't think: There's a little false advertising at work here: While there are many everyday people in the movie, there are also several weekends-only people, not to mention a couple of every-other-Tuesday people and some government-holidays-only people. In a nutshell: Themes of race, identity and change are thoughtfully explored in this unassuming, occasionally pedantic and ultimately humane film. David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) ``OUTBACK JACK'' (2) ``JACK'' (3) ``HANK WILLIAMS: HONKY TONK BLUES'' |
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