Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service
TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE: "Ransom" (1996), 7 p.m., ABC. When it comes to slick, mainstream entertainment, director Ron Howard has a near-perfect touch. "Ransom" offers a fine example. With only one flaw (one too many plot twists near the end), this is a great thriller. Mel Gibson and Rene Russo play wealthy people whose son is snatched. Soon, lots of cops — including Delroy Lindo and Gary Sinise — are on the case. Howard skillfully blends action and strong character portraits. He gets great performances from everyone, especially Gibson.
TONIGHT'S MIGHT-SEE: "Lighting: Fire From the Sky," 8 p.m., Pax TV. If nothing else, this movie gets credit for sheer effort. On one level, it's a drama about a teenager (Jesse Eisenberg) whose dad (John Schneider) doesn't understand him. On another there are small town politics as a developer rushes to open a giant chain store. There's more, including teen romance, adult corruption and (mostly) lots of nasty weather. "Lightning" is at its worst when officials keep denying the obvious — just as they've been doing since "Jaws." It's at its best when conjuring up some truly spectacular lightning scenes.
Basketball, 1:30 p.m., NBC (shown live). Now NBC can return to its obsession with Michael Jordan. Tonight his Washington Wizards face Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers.
"Behind Closed Doors," 9 p.m., A&E. Joan Lunden's show has switched to a new night. Here, it devotes the entire hour to one subject, horseracing. Lunden visits an auction, with one untested horse going for $4 million. She also rids us of any desire to be a jockey: One lives on 850 calories a day and has had a lifetime of broken bones.
"National Lampoon's Vacation" (1983), 8 p.m., NBC. Chevy Chase takes his family on a cross-country car trip to visit a place sort of like Disneyland. The result is filled with dark humor, some of it terribly funny.
"Citizen Baines," 8 p.m., CBS. Now that Baines has been defeated for re-election to the U.S. Senate it's time for his daughter (played by the talented Embeth Davidtz) to become a candidate. She's running for Congress against her dad's enemy, the mayor; the result could quickly turn nasty.
"The District," 9 p.m., CBS. When one child shoots two others the police chief is determined to find out where the gun came from.
