MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS 1934
THE GODFATHER: PART II 1974
FRACTURE, 2007
The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 1939
Monday, 1:30 a.m., TCM
The classic movie from the classic novel by Victor Hugo stars Charles Laughton as the deformed bell ringer, Quasimodo, who follows orders and kidnaps the beautiful gypsy, Esmeralda (Maureen O’Hara). When he is caught, he is flogged, but later when Esmeralda is accused of murder, the bell ringer tries to save her. Brilliant, heartbreaking and wonderful. Also starring Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Thomas Mitchell and Edmond O’Brien.
March of the Wooden Soldiers, 1934
Thursday, 9 a.m., Ch. 11
A personal favorite and a kickoff to the holiday movie season, “March” (also known as “Babes In Toyland”) stars Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel as Stanley Dum and Ollie Dee, two dunces working at Toyland. When Barnaby tries to foreclose on Mother Peep’s shoe house, they try to borrow from the toymaker. When that fails, and Barnaby insists on marrying Bo Peep in exchange for the mortgage, they trick him into marrying Stanley instead. Also starring magical toys.
The Godfather: Part II, 1974
Thursday, 3:30 pm., AMC
Sequels and prequels are never supposed to be as good as the brilliant first one. This is the exception. Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) takes over the family business and plans to expand the family enterprises into Cuba on the eve of the Cuban revolution. Also starring Robert De Niro as the young Vito, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton. This film explains how he became The Godfather.
Fracture, 2007
Saturday, 2 a.m., TNT
The best legal thriller you never saw stars Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling. A brilliant engineer confesses to murder and entrapment, and then goes about undoing the ambitious prosecution’s side with a perfectly laid out plan that nobody saw coming in the “sure thing” case.