Posted on: Saturday, June 21, 2003
Tube Notes
By Mike Hughes,
Gannett News Service
Tonight's Must-See
"Amistad" (1997), 7 p.m.,ABC. Weighted down by good intentions, "Amistad" is merely a good movie. In 1839, Africans on a Spanish slave ship broke free. They killed the captain and one of his men, then forced the others to take the ship to Connecticut. Soon their freedom was teetering on a court case. John Quincy Adams, the former president, eloquently defended them. Director Steven Spielberg could have created a stirring vision of human triumph. Instead, he made a grimmer, less satisfying tale. The original escape is dashed off quickly, giving the audience little chance to savor it. Then the movie settles into its slow stretch, before the ultimate triumph.
Of Note
"Child Stars: Then and Now," 7 p.m., NBC. Not all former child stars hold up video stores. This new special visits many of them. A few — including Malcolm-Jamal Warner of "The Cosby Show," who hosts, and Emmanuel Lewis of "Webster" — are well known; others aren't. This show includes the kids from "The Addams Family" and "Lost in Space." It also has Dee and Dwayne from "What's Happening," plus Eddie Munster and the 3-year-old boy from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."
"Hope Floats" (1998), 8 p.m., ABC Family; and "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" (2002), HBO, 6:30 p.m. In both films, Sandra Bullock plays someone reluctantly returning to her roots. In "Hope," she retreats after a messy divorce. In "Ya-Ya," she's kidnapped by her mother's friends, who want her to understand past troubles.
"The Cosby Show: A Look Back," 8 p.m., NBC. In this rerun, Bill Cosby offers reflections and some new stand-up material. He also reunites with the actors who played his kids.
"The District," 8 p.m., CBS. Mannion, the top cop in Washington, D.C., is carjacked during a trip to Los Angeles.
"The Agency," 9 p.m., CBS. The CIA tries to rig Indonesia's presidential election.
"Saturday Night Live," 10:30 p.m., NBC. This rerun has Bernie Mac as host, with Good Charlotte as musical guest.
