Plane highjacked in ‘Final Approach’
Tonight’s must-see
“Final Approach,” 8-11 p.m., Hallmark Channel. Hallmark is stuffing the weekend with action films. It debuts this one tonight and “Shark Swarm” Sunday, then reruns many films Monday. “Final Approach” is the best of the bunch. It has a taut and believable (well, semi-believable) story, with a strong cast and skilled director Armand Mastroianni.
Passengers on a highjacked plane include a reporter (Tracey Gold), a first-day flight attendant (Sunny Mabrey), a senator and a former FBI agent (Dean Cain) whose wife (Lea Thompson) is an aviation official.
Yes, there are coincidences and contrivances here. Still, credit “Final Approach” for avoiding most stereotypes and delivering a solid story.
Tonight’s might-see
“Last Comic Standing,” 9:30-11 p.m., NBC. Here’s a quick rerun of Thursday’s opener, with comedians auditioning in New York in and Tempe, Ariz. The New York ones are especially good. Expect to laugh.
Other choices include:
“Phineas and Ferb,” noon to 8 p.m., Disney Channel. Hours of this cartoon and the “Suite Life of Zack & Cody,” situation comedy will alternate. These are reruns, except for a new “Phineas” – Grandma Betty Jo makes a Roller Derby comeback – wrapping it up at 8:30.
“Vinegar Hill,” 8-10 p.m., CBS. Mary-Louise Parker is a terrific actress, but this film will leave viewers perplexed and bitter. Her husband (Tim Guinee) has lost his job, so they retreat to his boyhood farm, where there are dark secrets and a crabby patriarch (Tom Skerritt). The film never makes it clear why they didn’t just stay with her parents. It makes Skerritt’s character hideously unbelievable, then releases a torrent of melodrama.
Basketball preview (5 p.m.) and game (5:30 p.m.), ABC. Here’s the third game of a best-of-seven series with the Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons. The series winner heads to the championship round.
“Saturday Night Live,” 11:29 p.m., NBC. This rerun has Ashton Kutcher hosting, with music by Gnarls Barkley.
Sunday’s must-see
PBS’ “National Memorial Day Concert,” 8-9:30 p.m., KSPS channel 7, KUID channel 12, KCDT channel 26.
Each year, on the eve of the holiday, this offers a rich blend of music and emotion. Tonight, that includes two Broadway stars, Sarah Brightman (“Phantom of the Opera”) and Idina Menzel (“Wicked” and “Rent”). It includes country’s Rodney Atkins, Motown great Gladys Knight, the National Symphony and more.
There will also be readings and presentations, ranging from actor Charles Durning, 85 (an infantryman in the D-Day invasion) to Caitlin Wachs, 18, a “Commander in Chief” co-star.
Tonight’s must-see II:
“Recount,” 9-11 p.m., HBO. For 36 days in 2000, the presidency wobbled, as the Florida results were debated. We see the Republican forces led by James Baker (Tom Wilkinson) and the Democrats led by Ron Klain (Kevin Spacey). Laura Dern plays Katherine Harris, Florida’s embattled secretary of state.
Other choices include:
“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (2004), 7 p.m., Sundance Channel. A guy hires a company to erase his memories of his girlfriend. Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey head a great cast, but the real joy is Charlie Kaufman’s brilliant, Oscar-winning script.
“Cold Case,” 8 and 9 p.m., CBS. The first rerun goes back to 1938, when a family panicked after Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” broadcast. The second involves recent murders, with bodies found in storage units.
“Shark Swarm,” 8-11 p.m., Hallmark Channel. Some eco-tampering causes great white sharks to attack humans. It’s a strange film, with brave, blonde heroes and scheming, dark-haired villains. Also, heroes forget to use phones in crises. The actors (Darryl Hannah, Armand Assante, John Schneider) and sharks are convincing.
“Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins,” 8 and 10 p.m., Animal Planet. Now the little creatures have their own movie. This traces the development of Flower, who would go on to become the matriarch.
“Desperate Housewives,” 9 p.m., ABC. We’re back to the season-opener, as the mysterious Mayfair family arrives.