WATCH-O-RAMA HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS OF THE COMING TV WEEK.Byline: David Kronke ``The Wool Cap'' (TNT TNT: see trinitrotoluene. TNT in full trinitrotoluene Pale yellow, solid organic compound made by adding nitrate (−NO2) groups to toluene. ; 8, 10 and midnight tonight; 9 and 11 p.m. Wednesday; 11 a.m. Thursday; noon Saturday) Think: As he did in ``Door to Door,'' co-writer/star William H. Macy gets in touch with his sensitive side, playing a mute man (based on a character created by Jackie Gleason) who labors as a beleaguered be·lea·guer tr.v. be·lea·guered, be·lea·guer·ing, be·lea·guers 1. To harass; beset: We are beleaguered by problems. 2. To surround with troops; besiege. tenement landlord and befriends an abandoned little girl (Keke Palmer). Together, their lives find new meaning. Don't think: Don Rickles co-stars, but what he's really needed for is to mock the film's use of a spider monkey spider monkey Any of four species (family Cebidae) of diurnal, arboreal New World monkeys found from Mexico to Brazil. Long-limbed and somewhat potbellied, they are 14–26 in. for poignant comic relief. In a nutshell: While it strives for ``edginess,'' what it succeeds at most is pure sentimentality. Which, be warned, will be a pervasive theme this week. ``Searching for David's Heart'' (ABC Family; 8 tonight) Think: A teen girl (Danielle Panabaker) attempts to resuscitate re·sus·ci·tate v. To restore consciousness, vigor, or life to. her beleaguered family by searching for the recipient of the patient who received the transplanted heart of her late brother. Don't think: Did we mention this week's theme is sentimentality? In a nutshell: Panabaker's lively yet heartfelt performance elevates this film from its familiar boundaries. ``Back When We Were Grown-ups'' (CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. Channel 2; 9 tonight) Think: An all-star cast - Blythe Danner, Jack Palance, Faye Dunaway, Mary-Louise Parker, Peter Fonda and Peter Riegert - essays Anne Tyler's feel-sort-of-good yarn about an unlikely extended family that finds equally unlikely undying love together. Don't think: Don't families sort of dangerously suppress the nasty moments in their lives? Of course, then you have no film. In a nutshell: Humorous and resonant - and, yes, sentimental. ``Touching the Void'' (KCET KCET Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (Japan) KCET Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology ; 9 tonight) Think: In 1985, two young, untested mountaineers elect to scale a previously unclimbed Peruvian peak. Don't think: The re-creations are scary and stunning, but they're re- creations nonetheless. In a nutshell: Nonetheless, not only will you be dazzled, you'll wish you had seen it during its theatrical release earlier this year. ``Murder in Suburbia'' (BBC America; 8 p.m. Monday) Think: When housewives really get desperate, it's up to two droll droll adj. droll·er, droll·est Amusingly odd or whimsically comical. n. Archaic A buffoon. [French drôle, buffoon, droll, from Old French drolle and savvy detectives (Caroline Catz, Lisa Faulkner) to clean up the mess. Tonight, they reluctantly go undercover at a singles group to investigate the murder of a ``party girl.'' Next week, a womanizer wom·an·ize v. woman·ized, woman·iz·ing, woman·iz·es v.intr. To pursue women lecherously. v.tr. To give female characteristics to; feminize. is found dead at his bachelor party after disappearing with a stripper. Don't think: Why do they need to import this sort of thing from England? Hollywood does pretty well at it itself. In a nutshell: Tackily diverting. ``NCIS'' (CBS Channel 2; 8 p.m. Tuesday) Think: Jethro (Mark Harmon) reluctantly investigates a distraught World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Congressional Medal of Honor n. The highest U.S. military decoration, awarded in the name of Congress to members of the armed forces for gallantry and bravery beyond the call of duty in action against an enemy. Noun 1. recipient (Charles Durning) who confesses to murdering a fellow Marine 45 years ago. Don't think: Durning himself fought at the Normandy invasion and was awarded three purple hearts. Shouldn't some Swift Boat vets argue he has no business playing a Medal of Honor Medal of Honor highest American military decoration for wartime gallantry. [Am. Hist.: Misc.] See : Bravery winner? In a nutshell: Interesting premise from an underappreciated show, and Durning gives a memorable performance, but - good grief! - even this most unsentimental of shows uncorks a schmaltzy schmaltz·y also schmalz·y adj. schmaltz·i·er, schmaltz·i·est Informal Of, relating to, or marked by excessive or maudlin sentimentality. See Synonyms at sentimental. moment. ``Samantha: An American Girl Holiday'' (WB Channel 5; 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday) Think: Telefilm tel·e·film n. A film produced for television broadcasting. Noun 1. telefilm - a movie that is made to be shown on television inspired by the upscale - or, if you prefer, wildly overpriced o·ver·price tr.v. o·ver·priced, o·ver·pric·ing, o·ver·pric·es To put too high a price or value on. overpriced Adjective costing more than it is thought to be worth Adj. - series of dolls, this one about the turn-of-the-century heroine (AnnaSophia Robb) rescuing exploited orphans, cobbled cob·ble 1 n. 1. A cobblestone. 2. Geology A rock fragment between 64 and 256 millimeters in diameter, especially one that has been naturally rounded. 3. cobbles See cob coal. tr. together from Samantha's sundry published stories. Mia Farrow co-stars. Don't think: Cost of an American Girls series of books: $40. Cost of an American Girl doll and all its sundry frivolous accessories: Priceless. No, seriously: Beyond price. In a nutshell: Earnestly performed, this met with mild derision from my stepdaughters, both former American Girl fans (there's $650 I'll never see again) - but they remained engaged until the end. ``The 100 Greatest TV Characters'' (Bravo; 9 p.m. Monday through Friday) Think: A jaunt through TV history, naming someone's - it's not quite sure whose - subjective list of memorable shows and personalities. Don't think: Bravo poaches VH1's ``I Love the (Insert Decade Here)'' sensibility and commentators - as well as real stars, coaxed into appearing by adding their work to the list. In a nutshell: Painless nostalgia, but oddly arbitrary - how does Barney Fife only come in at No. 36? ``Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (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. Tuesday) Think: He said/she said in a ``Roshomon''-style episode in which a rape victim and the alleged perpetrator A term commonly used by law enforcement officers to designate a person who actually commits a crime. offer opposing views of a bout of rough sex, with echoes of the Kobe Bryant case. Don't think: We learn more about Detective Stabler's (Christopher Meloni) private life than he'd want anyone to know. In a nutshell: Grimly effective storytelling with a cop-out ending. ``Elton John Live at Radio City'' (Bravo; 8 p.m. Saturday) Think: The Pinball Wizard performs some of his greatest hits accompanied by an orchestra and gospel choir. Don't think: It'll save you the cost of a ticket for his Vegas show - not to mention all that you'd lose in the casino. In a nutshell: Saturday night's all right for listening to classic songs. ``A Boyfriend for Christmas'' (Hallmark Channel; 9 p.m. Saturday) Think: A child-advocate attorney (Kelli Williams, in a role far softer than in ``The Practice'') receives a holiday gift from Kris Kringle (Charles Durning, dropping the murderous war-hero persona) - a marriage-eligible man he promised her years ago (Patrick Muldoon). Don't think: How come characters in holiday films are always beleaguered, hip workaholics? Why aren't they average underachievers with lives of banal difficulty? In a nutshell: Typical meet-cute romantic comedy with the requisite, yes, sentimental conclusion. David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) ``Searching for David's Heart'' (2) ``THE WOOL CAP'' |
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