Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE: "Romeo & Juliet" (1996), 7 p.m., ABC. For director Baz Luhrmann, this was the second straight triumph. First, he managed to make a great movie ("Strictly Ballroom") about ballroom dancing. Then he set Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet" in contemporary Miami. Visually, Luhrmann does a spectacular job. This "Romeo" offers a look that's as passionate as the story. Just as important, however, is his perfect casting of the title roles. We already knew Claire Danes had great talent, but this film showed that Leonardo DiCaprio could match her. A year before "Titanic," DiCaprio established himself as a leading man with uncommon depth and emotion.

"Midwives," 6 p.m., Lifetime. Here's another chance to see this involving cable movie. Sissy Spacek and Alison Pill are superb as a Vermont midwife and her teen daughter.

"Walker, Texas Ranger," 7 p.m., CBS. Last week the likable "That's Life" had its last new episode of the season. Now "Walker" takes over the time slot to air the last new shows of its ninth and final season. Tonight, a rich man's daughter has been kidnapped and Walker has only six hours to find her.

XFL Football, 7 p.m., NBC. Now the XFL is down to its final four. Two games — tonight on NBC, then 7 p.m. Sunday on UPN — will decide who will be in next Saturday's championship game. Are we excited yet?

"Kate Brasher," 8 p.m., CBS. Sandwiched between the macho moves of "Walker" and "The District," let's hope this well-made Mary Stuart Masterson drama can survive; tonight, Kate finds trouble after breaking a rule at the community center where she works.

SURFING FOR LIFE, 8:30 p.m., KHET. An award-winner when it was introduced at the 1999 Hawai'i International Film Festival, this film uses surfing as a metaphor for life, profiling legendary surfers who have continued their dedication to the sport even as they've aged.

"Beverly Hills Cop" (1984), 5 p.m., USA Network. This started with a clever, Oscar-nominated script by Daniel Petrie, Jr., about a Detroit cop winging it in California. Then it added good work from director Martin Brest and great work from comedian Eddie Murphy. The result works as a comedy and an adventure.

"The District," 9 p.m., CBS. A bad guy is breaking into old people's homes, stealing the codes for their bank machines and gradually stealing their money. Cops are helpless — until Ella finds a clue.