Suspense Loses Its Edge In ‘Nobody’
“Edna Buchanan’s ‘Nobody Lives Forever”’ (ABC at 9) is a meandering thriller that causes one to wonder whether a police officer (Greg Evigan) should trust either his partner (Alexandra Powers) or his girlfriend (Brenda Bakke).
Both women are in love with detective Rick Barrish (Evigan). One of them is some kind of psycho.
The two women, detective Mary Ellen Dustin (Powers) and Laurel Trevelyn (Bakke) try to convince him that the other is “dangerous,” as Barrish and Dustin team up to stop a serial killer.
Suspicions grow early on. Neither woman can be accounted for each time the killer strikes. Hmmm.
While it does keep you in suspense, the 1998 movie goes out of its way to extend the guessing game.
To do that, the writers make Dustin pout throughout the movie about losing her man instead of becoming a better detective. And Trevelyn’s mysterious, jittery behavior is all that defines her.
The result is two pivotal characters you don’t care much about as the movie plods along through episodic developments.
The big buildup is a big disappointment. It’s not a mystery for the thinking person, and the three stars do little to compensate for that failing.
Highlights
“Friends,” NBC at 8: In a wild half-hour, Monica (Courteney Cox) tells Ross (David Schwimmer) to go for it and follow Emily (Helen Baxendale) to London. Holy smelly cat! Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) is going to have triplets.
“Prey,” ABC at 8: The new species’ latest assault on the rest of the world is to contaminate juice consumed by a generation of schoolchildren worldwide. Sloan (Debra Messing) leads the fight to find how it’s being done and stop the next attempt to wipe out the world’s kids.
“Promised Land,” CBS at 8: Hattie (Celeste Holm) plays detective, going undercover in a retirement home to expose abuse of elderly residents. Gwen Verdon (“Damn Yankees”) guest-stars.
“Just Shoot Me,” NBC at 8:30: More laughs for David Spade as Jack (George Segal) hires a second assistant (Jim Wise) who is Dr. Jekyll to the staff but exposes himself to Finch as a menacing Mr. Hyde.
“New York Undercover,” FOX at 9: Moreno and Barker (Lauren Velez, Tommy Ford) go undercover to stop a serial killer who dispatches his young male victims by slipping them tainted hits of the drug ecstasy.
“48 Hours,” CBS at 10: Correspondents report on the human toll resulting from the crazy weather generated by El Nino. Included are interviews with devastated families in Florida and Southern California.
Cable Calls
“A Cinderella Season: The Lady Vols Fight Back,” HBO at 7: Filmmakers Jon Alpert and Maryann DeLeo (“High on Crack Street”) traveled with the University of Tennessee women’s basketball team through the 1996-‘97 season. It was a year that the defending NCAA national champions endured 10 devastating regular-season defeats before clawing their way back to the Final Four.
This intimate and inspirational documentary illustrates the blood, sweat and tears that went into the season. I became so involved in the Lady Vols’ quest that I wept at the emotionally charged climax.
Basketball fans should not pass up this outstanding film.
“Basketball,” ESPN at 4:30: From New York’s Madison Square Garden, it’s the championship game of the National Invitational Tournament.
“Performing Arts Showcase,” BRAVO at 7: “American Dance” chronicles the history of dance in America. Highlights include interviews with Twyla Tharp, Tommy Tune and legendary street tap dancer Lavaughn Robinson.