HDTV Viewers Blast NBC's Delayed, Low-Quality 2004 Athens Olympics HD Coverage

MONDAY, AUGUST 16,  2004

COMING IN A FEW DAYS--FULL HDTV GRID GUIDE WITH 2 WEEKS ADVANCED LOOKUP
 

 

The comments so far received about the NBC coverage of the Olympics are unforgiving. Most of the veteran HDTV owners think its a pretty cheap presentation from a huge media company to people who have plunked down hard earned cash for HDTV. The one day delay is particularly grating. High level criticism of the picture has resulted from this and other "failings". It is a clear warning to the signal providers that HDTV viewing is a special thing to the owners and to let them down is to disinvite them to your party.

COMMENTS:

The opening ceremonies telecast was worse than I could have imagined.  Several segments were repeated in error.  The commercial (the same Sony SD spot over and over again) was run over parts of the delayed broadcast yet 10 minutes of fill was necessary at the end of the telecast (which was a 2 minute travel loop run 4 times).

 Both NBC and Sony have no respect for the HDTV viewer.

__Anonymous executive from the television industry

Why a 24 hour delay  They must pick up the cameras at the time of the event live  - so why delay the HD broadcast?

This is another NBC and Sony dumb idea that HDTV is a second class designation.  I do not think that people who paid $3000 or more for a TV would want the football games to be 24 hours delayed So why the Olympics.

_Steve Chapman

I agree with all the disgruntled viewers about the effort NBC put forth providing the Olympics in HD.  And, oh, by the way.  Sony, if I already didn't have a Sony hi def tuner, I wouldn't buy another Sony product.  Your commercial proved to me you don't know anything about high definition television and the ability to provide quality HDTV products, including the commercials that promote them.  Yeah, I agree, it is nice to get ANY high definition coverage of the Olympics, but as one viewer said "NBC really screwed it up"!  Maybe the Super Bowl has a chance.

 _J. Noah

Huntington, WV

Just in case anyone cares.  What we get on DirecTV, Dishnetwork and VOOM is
the same junk the public is getting OTA.

If you can't get it in HD don't worry.  You got analog to watch.  At least
that is what NBC is saying to me.  I don't watch analog unless I actually
have to so I don't watch NBC.


_Ed Romain
Magnolia Travel Center

Those who can get delayed coverage of the Olympics in HD are better off than I am.  I am one of those who have had their coverage blacked out entirely by Dishnetwork.  I wrote to them to find out why and I have not received an answer.  I sent an e-mail to our local NBC affiliate and they said they had nothing to do with it.  Do you know why?  I live in Jefferson City, MO.  I also noticed that all those getting the coverage are in large cities.

_Richard Nagel

They did the loop during the 2002 winter Olympics and that was fine......once.  Now I am used to
watching non-delayed live sports coverage and I expect to see it all the time anything is done in
HD.  Never did NBC think it would be better for new adopters, only cheaper.

_Hugh C.

As I watched the opening ceremonies last night this came to mind...

Having the olympics looped is a positive for the new owner of an HDTV. No
recorder required, just flip to the channel and there is some HD content on
your screen. If looked at this way all of this makes perfect sense to
promote HDTV.

It was also a positive to this old hat.

I have been too busy to keep up but took a break last night to see what I
could catch. I fired up my Zenith HDR230 and put it on time shift and went
to dinner so when I returned I would be able to watch this from the
beginning. That worked really great until about 3 hours into it the Zenith
glitched making the audio go dead. No matter what button I pushed I could
not resolve this. The only way to get it back was to turn the unit off which
would kill the process and it did and the audio started working again, ARGH.
If it were not for the loop I would not have been able to return about an
hour later and pick up live where my recording died.

And that commercial... Good God! For that last hour I had to watch it rather
than skip over it. And to add insult to injury they went to a break and
returned repeating 15 minutes of the show while I was forced to watch it
live... again...

_Richard

 

8:00PM ET/7:00 C
ABC Monday Movie of the Week: Jurassic Park III

Anxious to fund research for his new theory of velociraptor intelligence, renowned paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) is persuaded by a wealthy adventurer (William H. Macy) and his wife (Tea Leoni) to accompany them on an aerial tour of Isla Sorna. This infamous island has become both a primordial breeding ground for John Hammond's magnificent creations and a magnet for thrill-seekers eager to encounter them. When a tragic accident maroons the party of seven, Grant discovers the true reason his deceptive hosts have invited him along.

8:00PM ET/7:00 C
Still Standing

"Still Stressing""
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8:30PM ET/7:30 C
Yes, Dear

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"Extreme"
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Summerland

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NO HDTV TONIGHT



 

UPCONVERSIONS STRETCHED

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Face 2 Face with Roy Firestone - Premiere

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11:00PM ET/10:00 C
Wiseguy

Phantom Pain - After Susan is arrested for Mel's murder, Vinnie refuses McPike's order to pull out of the Profitt case, because Susan, who has seemingly lost her grip on reality, has told him she is pregnant with his child.


12:00AM ET/11:00 C
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12:30AM ET/11:30 C
Eye For an Eye

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1:30AM ET/12:30 C
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2:00AM ET/1:00 C
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3:30AM ET/2:30 C
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4:30AM ET/3:30 C
The Newsroom

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5:00AM ET/4:00 C
An American In Canada

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5:30AM ET/4:30 C
A Caribbean Workout 2003

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7:30AM ET/6:30 C
Duck You Sucker (aka A Fistful of Dynamite)

PG - 2:37 - 1971
Cast: James Coburn, Rod Steiger, Maria Monti Director: Sergio Leone
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10:15AM ET/9:15 C
Wild Rovers

PG - 2:10 - 1971
Cast: William Holden, Ryan O'Neal, Karl Malden Director: Blake Edwards
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12:30PM ET/11:30 C
Rough Magic

PG-13 - 1:44 - 1995
Cast: Bridget Fonda, Russell Crowe, Jim Broadbent Director: Clare Peploe
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2:15PM ET/1:15 C
The Endless Summer II

PG - 1:49 - 1994
Cast: Robert August, T.J. Baron, Jeff Booth Director: Bruce Brown
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4:05PM ET/3:05 C
Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll

PG - 2:00 - 1987
Cast: Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, Bo Diddley Director: Taylor Hackford
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6:05PM ET/5:05 C
The Man Who Loved Women

R - 1:50 - 1983
Cast: Burt Reynolds, Julie Andrews, Kim Basinger Director: Blake Edwards
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8:00PM ET/7:00 C
Elvis: That's The Way It Is

NR - 1:34 - 1970
Cast: Elvis Presley, James Burton, Richard Davis Director: Denis Sanders
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9:45PM ET/8:45 C
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R - 1:42 - 1995
Cast: Dylan McDermott, Nancy Travis, James LeGros Director: Jack Baran
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11:30PM ET/10:30 C
Elvis: That's The Way It Is

NR - 1:34 - 1970
Cast: Elvis Presley, James Burton, Richard Davis Director: Denis Sanders
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1:15AM ET/12:15 C
Destiny Turns on the Radio

R - 1:42 - 1995
Cast: Dylan McDermott, Nancy Travis, James LeGros Director: Jack Baran
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3:00AM ET/2:00 C
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5:00AM ET/4:00 C
The Man Who Loved Women

R - 1:50 - 1983
Cast: Burt Reynolds, Julie Andrews, Kim Basinger Director: Blake Edwards
A Los Angeles playboy discusses his love for women with his psychoanalyst.

 

9:15AM ET/8:15 C
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PG13 Time: 110  
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11:15AM ET/10:15 C
Mr. Holland's Opus

PG Time: 142  
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1:45PM ET/12:45 C
Down With Love

PG13 Time: 101  
A popular book about female empowerment catches the eye of a chauvinistic magazine writer who vows to expose the author as a traditional woman in this sex farce based on the Rock Hudson-Doris Day comedies of the 1950s and '60s. It's 1962 and Barbara Novak's bestseller Down With Love has rocketed up the charts with its shocking pronouncement that women can be leaders--in the boardroom and in the bedroom! Magazine cad Catcher Block has other ideas however...like seducing Barbara to prove she's really an "old school" girl at heart. But will love stand in the way of his sneaky game? 2003 Best Supporting Actress Oscar(R)-winner Renee Zellweger (Cold Mountain) and Ewan McGregor (Big Fish) star. Also with Sarah Paulson and David Hyde Pierce. Directed by Peyton Reed (Bring It On)

3:30PM ET/2:30 C
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R Time: 90  
The crew of a salvage boat thinks their ship has finally come in after they claim an abandoned ocean liner in international waters--until they discover it's a floating house of horrors! On board the empty vessel, the salvagers discover a treasure trove of gold, but strange visions begin to plague them, and when their own boat is mysteriously destroyed, they find themselves stranded on the open sea with the bloodthirsty spirits of a bygone era. Gabriel Byrne, Julianna Margulies (TV's E.R.), Ron Eldard, Desmond Harrington and Isaiah Washington star. Directed by Steve Beck.

8:00PM ET/7:00 C
The Matrix Reloaded

R Time: 138  
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10:30PM ET/9:30 C
I Spy

PG13 Time: 96  
Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson team up as the classic mismatched spy duo who must retrieve a valuable stolen aircraft from an international felon in this comical remake of the hit TV show. Murphy and Wilson reprise the roles made famous by Bill Cosby and Robert Culp as the international espionage partners who pursue global villains for the U.S. government. When the President reports a vital U.S. Stealth plane called the Switchblade stolen, Kelly Robinson (Murphy), a suave boxing champ, is paired with Alex Scott (Wilson) a socially awkward, but bright government agent to find the criminals and recover the high-tech jet. Co-starring Famke Janssen and Malcolm McDowell. Directed by Betty Thomas; based on a story by Marianne Wibberley & Cormac Wibberley; screenplay by Marianne Wibberley & Cormac Wibberley and Jay Scherick & David Ronn.

3:50AM ET/2:50 C
The Matrix Reloaded

R Time: 138  
The war between man and machines continues in this explosive sequel that finds Neo on a quest to understand how he can save humanity from destruction. In the aftermath of his realization of his powers as "the One," Neo (Keanu Reeves) and his crewmates Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) head for Zion-- the last semblance of humanity that isn't controlled by the Matrix. But while Neo seeks out the all-knowing Oracle (Gloria Foster) to find out his next move, an army of mechanized sentinels prepares to decimate Zion. Then there's Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving)--seemingly dead after his battle with Neo--who has learned to replicate himself creating a legion of clones whose sole purpose is to eliminate Neo. Jada Pinkett Smith co-stars. Written, directed by the Wachowski Brothers.

 

7:30AM ET/6:30 C
D3 The Mighty Ducks

PG Time: 103
The championship-winning Ducks are back and enrolled in a prep school with a prestigious hockey program and pretentious student body in this sequel. Fresh off their success in the Junior Goodwill Games, the Ducks are given full scholarships to Eden Hall Academy--a snooty private school with a winning hockey team. But the environment changes also bring a strict new coach who places an emphasis on solid defense, and a wealthy student body composed of arrogant varsity players who have little love for their underclassmen counterparts. When the losses start outnumbering their wins, the team must get their quack back as they face off against the varsity team or risk losing their prep-school scholarships. Starring Emilio Estevez, Jeffrey Nordling, Heidi Kling and Joss Ackland. Directed by Robert Lieberman, story by Kenneth Johnson and Jim Burnstein, screenplay by Steven Brill and Jim Burnstein.

9:15AM ET/8:15 C
White Oleander

PG13 Time: 109
Alison Lohman stars as a teenage girl bounced through the foster care system during her mother's incarceration for murder in this moving drama. Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) poisons her lover and is sent to prison while her daughter Astrid (Lohman) is forced into the state's foster care program. Shuffled through various foster parents including a born-again Christian, a former B-movie star and an eccentric Russian, Astrid is forced to grow up quickly in several families while she also attempts to keep her mother in her life. Based on the novel by Janet Fitch. Co-starring Robin Wright Penn and Renee Zellweger. Directed by Peter Kosminsky.

11:30AM ET/10:30 C
For Better Or For Worse

PG13 Time: 93
Kim Cattrall (HBO's Sex and the City) and Robert Hays (Airplane!) are having a swell honeymoon--until her secret life as a spy puts every agent in Europe on their heels. Love, laughs and action co-starring Christopher Lee.

1:15PM ET/12:15 C
Stealing Home

PG13 Time: 97
A struggling professional baseball player is forced to confront his past after the suicide of a childhood friend. "Mark Harmon is flinty, tough and engaging" (Hollywood Reporter) in this bittersweet romantic drama as the man whose memories may hold the key to his future. With Jodie Foster, Harold Ramis, Blair Brown and Jonathan Silverman.

3:00PM ET/2:00 C
Swimfan

PG13 Time: 84
A hunky high-school swimmer with a great future finds his life sinking to the bottom after a lusty fling with a slinky, but psychotic new girl on campus. Jesse Bradford stars as the swim-team standout Ben Cronin whose private lesson with attractive new co-ed Madison (Erika Christensen) leads to steamy antics in the pool. Madison claims its only a one-night stand, but it's not long before the sultry sexpot becomes a full-fledged stalker leading Ben down a dangerous path that could cost him his girlfriend, his career--and even his life. Shiri Appleby, Kate Burton and Dan Hedaya co-star. Directed by John Polson.

6:00PM ET/5:00 C
Nell

PG13 Time: 112
Nell is a "wild child"--a free-spirited, innocent young woman living in the backwoods of North Carolina who dances to her own secret music. She trusts no one...and no one can understand her strange language. When doctor Liam Neeson and psychologist Natasha Richardson begin to study Nell, they find that she has more to teach them than they thought possible. Jodie Foster gives a tour-de-force performance as Nell in this "movingly effective" (New York Daily News) drama.

8:00PM ET/7:00 C
Dreamcatcher

R Time: 133
Stephen King's nerve-wracking novel is the basis for this shocker that chronicles the otherworldly horrors experienced by four old friends during a hunting trip in the woods. Thomas Jane, Jason Lee, Damian Lewis and Timothy Olyphant star as the quartet who share unique telepathic powers as a result of helping a handicapped boy during their childhood. When they are ensnared by a horrifying alien menace and the subsequent military cover-up, they realize that only those abilities--and their old pal--can help them survive. Morgan Freeman co-stars as a power-mad Army commander who will stop at nothing to end the crisis. Also with Tom Sizemore and Donnie Wahlberg. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan; screenplay by William Goldman and Kasdan.

10:15PM ET/9:15 C
Analyze That

R Time: 95
Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal reteam in this hilarious sequel to Analyze This that follows the continuing comic adventures of a hapless shrink and an unbalanced patient who happens to be a mob boss. This time around, gangster Paul Vitti is in prison singing songs from West Side Story. Believing he's lost his mind, the authorities agree to let him out--but only into the care of his doctor. Enter nervous therapist Ben Sobel who is forced to accept an offer he can't refuse and live with the neurotic Vitti...who is still up to old criminal tricks with the help of his sidekick Jelly. Lisa Kudrow and Joe Viterelli co-star. Directed by Harold Ramis; written by Peter Tolan, Peter Steinfeld and Ramis.

1:20AM ET/12:20 C
Pale Rider

R Time: 115
Clint makes your day in this two-fisted, pistol-packing adventure in the tradition of the great Hollywood westerns. A stranger known as the "Preacher" rides into a Gold Rush town ruled by a corrupt banker. Will he be able to help the terrorized miners whose land is threatened by the robber baron? Eastwood also directed this "classic western of style and excitement" (Chicago Sun-Times). With Michael Moriarty, Christopher Penn and Carrie Snodgress.

4:45AM ET/3:45 C
U.S. Seals

R Time: 94
In this modern-day pirate adventure, Lieutenant Michael Bradley and his team of Navy SEALS accept a mission to attack a group of renegade pirates who have been robbing ships. But when the group's leader sets up a bombing of his own, Bradley's wife is killed, sending him into a blind rage of vengeance. Starring Jim Fitzpatrick, Greg Collins.
 

6:45AM ET/5:45 C
Mona Lisa

WIDESCREEN OAR UPCONV
R 1h 45m
Bob Hoskins gives a bravura performance in this Oscar-nominated crime drama from director Neil Jordan ("The Crying Game," "The Good Thief") as George, a low-level mob flunky just released from prison. Ordered to chauffeur high-class call girl Simone (Cathy Tyson) around London by his sleazy boss Mortwell (Michael Caine), George soon takes a protectively romantic interest in his enigmatic passenger - but the truth about Simone won't lead him to true love. Robbie Coltrane and Sammi Davis costar in this gritty, "Taxi Driver"-style character study.

10:30AM ET/9:30 C
Comes a Horseman

WIDESCREEN OAR UPCONV
CCAP
PG 1h 59m
A long-brewing conflict between modern-day Western ranchers Ewing (Jason Robards) and Ella (Jane Fonda) heats up into all-out war when an oil company starts pressuring both land-owners to sell drilling rights to their properties in this drama from director Alan J. Pakula ("Klute," "All the President's Men") costarring James Caan and Richard Farnsworth.

12:30AM ET/11:30 C
Married To It

WIDESCREEN OAR HDTV
Stereo
R 1h 52m
A high school committee brings together three couples from different strata of New York society in this engaging comedy drama from director Arthur Hiller ("Love Story"). Newlyweds Chuck (Robert Sean Leonard) and Nina (Mary Stuart Masterson) admire the stability of the union between John (Beau Bridges) and Iris (Stockard Channing), while upper crust couple Leo (Ron Silver) and Claire (Cybill Shepherd) find their relationship on the rocks.

2:30PM ET/1:30 C
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask

WIDESCREEN OAR UPCONV
PG 1h 28m
The well-read real-life sex primer gets the funny-bone touch of filmmaker Woody Allen with this anthology satirizing all things erotic, from aphrodisiacs to inter-species romance. Gene Wilder, Burt Reynolds, Lynn Redgrave, Louise Lasser, John Carradine and Tony Randall costar in this side-splitting interpretation from the master of movie mayhem.

4:00PM ET/3:00 C
Manhattan

WIDESCREEN OAR UPCONV
R 1h 37m
One of Woody Allen's greatest films is this love letter to New York's most famous island, the setting for failed romances between disenchanted TV writer Isaac (Allen) and his lesbian ex-wife (Meryl Streep), his best friend's mistress (Diane Keaton) and a teenager (Mariel Hemingway) who proves to be wise beyond her years. Michael Murphy and Anne Byrne costar in this black-and-white masterpiece photographed by cinematographer Gordon Willis ("The Godfather") and scored with unforgettable George Gershwin compositions.

7:25PM ET/6:25 C
Extreme Ops

WIDESCREEN OAR HDTV
Content
Dolby Digital 5.1 / CCAP
PG13 1h 34m
No Description Available.

9:00PM ET/8:00 C
The Lion In Winter

WIDESCREEN OAR HDTV
Dolby Digital 5.1 / CCAP
TV14 - VSLD 2h 37m
Patrick Stewart and Glenn Close star in this original costume drama as quarreling royals King Henry II and his banished queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, locked in marital combat that's as vicious and lethal as any battlefield warfare. John Light, Rafe Spall, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Yuliya Vysotskaya costar in this remake of the 1968 original, based on the same Oscar-winning script from James Goldman.
 

11:35AM ET/10:35 C
Austin Powers In Goldmember

Mike Myers returns as both Austin Power and Dr. Evil in this third installment of the series featuring the international man of leisure and part time hero of the free world.

4:35PM ET/3:35 C
The Master Of Disguise

A shy Italian waiter fights off criminals with his inherited powers of disguise.

10:45PM ET/9:45 C
Austin Powers In Goldmember

Mike Myers returns as both Austin Power and Dr. Evil in this third installment of the series featuring the international man of leisure and part time hero of the free world.

6:05AM ET/5:05 C
The Front

WIDESCREEN OAR HDTV
CCAP
PG 1h 35m
Woody Allen stars in this political comedy-drama as Howard Prince, a small-time bookie who finds unexpected fame and fortune when an old friend enlists him to masquerade as a TV writer for a group of scribes that have been blacklisted during the Communist witch hunts of the 1950s. Zero Mostel, Herschel Bernardi, Michael Murphy, Danny Aiello and Andrea Marcovicci head the supporting cast of this classic that represents the creative input of many blacklisted artists.

7:45AM ET/6:45 C
The Cherry Orchard

WIDESCREEN OAR UPCONV
Stereo / CCAP
TVPG 2h 22m
An "exquisite performance" ("L.A. Times") by Charlotte Rampling forms the centerpiece of this classic Anton Chekhov drama, adapted by writer-director-producer-editor Michael Cacoyannis ("Zorba the Greek"). Rampling plays a turn-of-the-last-century Russian matriarch, who returns home after a five-year absence only to be told that a financial emergency requires the destruction of the family estate's magnificent cherry orchard. Alan Bates, Katrin Cartlidge and Owen Teale costar in this elegant and bittersweet portrait of aristocratic inaction.

10:15AM ET/9:15 C
Serving Sara

WIDESCREEN OAR HDTV
Dolby Digital 5.1 / CCAP
PG13 1h 40m
Matthew Perry of "Friends" stars in this romantic comedy as a process server who falls for the spurned wife (Elizabeth Hurley) to whom he's supposed to deliver divorce papers. Bruce Campbell, Vincent Pastore, Cedric the Entertainer and Jerry Stiller costar in this likable romp from director Reginald Hudlin ("House Party," "The Ladies Man").

12:00AM ET/11:00 C
Modern Romance

WIDESCREEN OAR HDTV
R 1h 34m
Writer and director-star Albert Brooks' second film is a comedy about a neurotic film editor who struggles to maintain a relationship with his girlfriend (Kathryn Harrold) while editing a cheap sci-fi knockoff with his assistant (Bruno Kirby). James L. Brooks costars with George Kennedy and Meadowlark Lemon, who play themselves.

1:35PM ET/12:35 C
The Unforgiven

WIDESCREEN OAR HDTV
TV14 - VL 2h 2m
Trouble arises on the Texas plains when two pioneer families come to odds with a tribe of Indians, who claim that Audrey Hepburn is one of their own. The final result, an all-out Indian attack, is breathtaking. Set during the 1850s, this acclaimed 1960 epic from director John Huston costars Burt Lancaster, Audie Murphy, John Saxon, Charles Bickford, Lillian Gish and Doug McClure.

6:15PM ET/5:15 C
Serving Sara

WIDESCREEN OAR HDTV
Dolby Digital 5.1 / CCAP
PG13 1h 40m
Matthew Perry of "Friends" stars in this romantic comedy as a process server who falls for the spurned wife (Elizabeth Hurley) to whom he's supposed to deliver divorce papers. Bruce Campbell, Vincent Pastore, Cedric the Entertainer and Jerry Stiller costar in this likable romp from director Reginald Hudlin ("House Party," "The Ladies Man").

8:00PM ET/7:00 C
Bowling for Columbine

WIDESCREEN OAR HDTV
Stereo / CCAP
R 2h 0m
Director and star Michael Moore ("Roger & Me") stirred up controversy - and won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature - with this dissection ofAM ET/:00 Cerica's fascination with firearms, a skillful work of agitprop that is by turns infuriating, disturbing and hilarious as the rotund host gets a free gun with his new bank account, pays an impromptu visit to NRA chief Charlton Heston, and visits with a survivor of the Columbine High School shootings.

10:00PM ET/9:00 C
Modern Romance

WIDESCREEN OAR HDTV
R 1h 34m
Writer and director-star Albert Brooks' second film is a comedy about a neurotic film editor who struggles to maintain a relationship with his girlfriend (Kathryn Harrold) while editing a cheap sci-fi knockoff with his assistant (Bruno Kirby). James L. Brooks costars with George Kennedy and Meadowlark Lemon, who play themselves.
 

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