Posted on: Saturday, December 4, 2004

Tube Notes

By Mike Hughes
Gannett News Service

Tonight's Must-See

"The Perfect Storm" (2000), 7 p.m., NBC. Stunning visuals link with personal stories to create an impact. The true tale has three storms converging off the Atlantic coast, creating a fierce impact. Much of the film by Wolfgang Peterson (the director of "Troy" and "Das Boot") is spent on the storm itself, with superb special effects. Still, "Perfect Storm" concisely and skillfully personalizes the crew of one boat. The macho captain (George Clooney) is difficult to care about. Still, there's an involving relationship between a crewman (Mark Wahlberg) and a young woman on shore, beautifully played by Diane Lane.

"Anonymous Rex," 7, 11 p.m., Sci Fi Channel. Who knew that dinosaurs were still among us, disguised as humans and pondering a takeover? That bizarre notion is played as a serious detective film. We even get the divided loyalties of a beautiful human, pretending to be a dino who's pretending to be a human. Daniel Baldwin and Sam Trammell star in a movie that's flawed but sometimes fun.

Of Note

Football, 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., ABC. Southern California and Oklahoma would like to collide for a national championship game. First, they face hurdles: Southern Cal meets UCLA in the first game; then Oklahoma faces Colorado in the Big 12 championship game.

Football, 1 p.m., CBS. Auburn, another national-title contender, faces Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference title game.

Christmas Cartoons, starting at 2 p.m., ABC Family. The "25 Days of Christmas" marathon hits a giddy extreme. That starts at 2 p.m. with "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus," then goes nonstop, including "Little Drummer Boy" tales at 11 and 11:30 p.m. Some kids may need coffee to catch these.

"The Santa Trap" (2002), 7 p.m., Pax TV. A girl proves Santa exists by capturing him. His parents are perplexed and the police chief (Corbin Bernsen) arrests him. It's a light tale but modestly enjoyable.

"Pocahontas" (1995), 8 and 9:35 p.m., Disney Channel. Not all family films are about Christmas. Here's the big-budget cartoon about an American Indian heroine.