[IMG:L]The Departed — 8/7c on HBO
If you’re staying in tonight, you will have a number of movies to choose from, beginning with HBO’s premiere (finally!) of last year’s Best Picture winner.
Martin Scorsese’s Boston-set crime drama was sittin’ pretty well before it hit theaters last fall, with its formidable foursome of A-listers–Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg–all of whom are more than capable of carrying their own separate movies.
But The Departed actually managed to live up to, if not obliterate, its expectations, thanks in no small part to Scorsese, who would finally win his elusive and long overdue Best Director Oscar. It took home three other golden statuettes, including Best Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay and the aforementioned Best Picture, with only Wahlberg not winning in his nominated category (Supporting Actor).
The movie is vintage Scorsese, a throwback to his unapologetically gritty glory days of Goodfellas, and totally worth a look, be it your first or 10th.
ALSO…
[IMG:R]The Last King of Scotland — 10/9c on Cinemax
Not one to be upstaged by its cousin network, Cinemax is also playing the Oscar card tonight by airing Forest Whitaker’s Best Actor vehicle. The movie itself is rather take-it-or-leave-it, but Whitaker’s gigantic performance is truly a must-see.
Cool Hand Luke — 8/7c, 10:30/9:30c on AMC
AMC rolls out arguably the best Robert Redford movie a day after he released Lions for Lambs–quite a lopsided now-versus-then.
Austin City Limits — 9/8c on PBS
Spending your precious Saturday night watching PBS might not be the decadence you’d had in mind, but hey, if you are home and you are a fan of the beloved indie-rock band Arcade Fire, you can catch an entire concert before it hits YouTube. And let’s be honest: Seeing anything before it hits YouTube nowadays is something of a victory.
[IMG:L]The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift — 8/7c on Cinemax
On a night featuring Oscar-winning movies, it’s only logical to throw in this threequel, starring Grown-Up Bow Wow.
