Michael Wilmington

BASIC CABLE "PAPILLON" (star)(star)(star) 1/2 9:30 p.m., AMC A romanticized account of Henri Charriere's string of escapes from Devil's Island, based on his book. Conceived by scenarist Dalton Trumbo as...

(PREMIUM CABLE) "THE USUAL SUSPECTS" **** 6 p.m., SHO The modern film noir of your dreams, "Suspects" takes its title from "Casablanca," its setup from "Reservoir Dogs" and its nervy...

PREMIUM CABLE "THE PRODUCERS" (star) 1/2 6:45 p.m., MAX This pallid adaptation of the hit stage musical is based on Mel Brooks' famous non-musical 1968 movie about the financing, execution...

"THE HONEYMOONERS" (star) 1/2 7 p.m., SHO Up in TV Valhalla, the ghosts of Jackie Gleason and Art Carney can rest easy; they won't be dislodged by this movie, which...

"THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW" **1/2 6:30 p.m., FX A genuinely spectacular but terminally predictable sci-fi movie from Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day") about the cataclysmic consequences of global warming, this "Day"...

'Becket' *** "Becket," producer Hal Wallis' opulently entertaining film of Jean Anouilh's play, is the tale of a wild and woolly British king and his God-intoxicated buddy, whom he unwisely...

BASIC "CARRIE" (star)(star)(star)1/2 9 p.m., AMC Brian De Palma's 1976 horror tale about an unhappy high school girl (Sissy Spacek) who discovers she has telekinetic powers. A voluptuously shot horror...

Popular movies--our own as well as those from other lands--often have an unashamed kitschy vulgarity that can be irresistibly entertaining. "Tears of the Black Tiger," from Thailand, is an attempt...

BASIC CABLE "MATILDA" (star)(star)(star) 7 p.m., FAM "Matilda" is a celebration of intelligence and learning. It's written and directed by people who, on some level, love books and reading --...

"BE COOL" (star)(star)1/2 7 p.m., TMC Even if you enjoyed the meanly funny 1995 Elmore Leonard-derived, John Travolta crime comedy "Get Shorty," this forced sequel based on the follow-up book...