Chihiro (voiced by Daveigh Chase) makes a friend in SPIRITED AWAY.
© 2002 Walt Disney Pictures

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Peter Boyle and Joseph Barbera R.I.P.

As we all get ready for our holiday festivities I had to stop and remember two major loses to TV and film that occurred recently; Peter Boyle and Joseph Barbera.   

Boyle was a fantastic character actor who may have been great in a film or television series and you wouldn't even realize it was him.Boyle most recently starred in Everybody Loves Raymond but prior to that appeared in The X-Files, Lois and Clark, and many other television series. He also appeared in numerous films such as The Candidate, Taxi Driver, and Hardcore.  For me, and for most fans Boyle will be most remembered for his appearance in the Mel Brooks film Young Frankenstein.  His performance of Puttin' on the Ritz is classic. 

Any true cartoon fan knows the name Joseph Barbera right away as half the creative team of Hanna/Barbera who brought us The Flintstones, Scooby Doo, Yogi Bear, The Jetsons, Jonny Quest, and countless others. 

Both of these icons will be missed.  What was your favorite Hanna/Barbera cartoon and Peter Boyle appearance? 

Not a lot of new stuff to watch this holiday week.  If i have to pick some favorites for the week I have to say Matilda is a fantsatic family flick that's a bit of a throwback to the edgier kids films. Scifi Channel is also running a Heroes marathon that will give anyone that's been on the fence about the series a chance to check it out.  Have a great holiday! 

Monday 

SPIRITED AWAY (CARTOON, 7pm PST)

Hayao Miyazaki crafts another master piece of anime with this Oscar Winning film.  The surreal story focuses on a 10 year old girl who is separated from her parents and whisked off to a magical world full of offbeat creatures.

O' BROTHER WHERE ART THOU (IFC, 7:10pm PST)

One of the Coen Brothers best films in years stars George Clooney as the lead character in their version of Homer's Odyssey set in depression era Mississippi.

Tuesday 

MATILDA (ABCFAM, 8:00pm PST)

A fantastic fable in the tradition of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory about a gifted little girl and her neglectful parents.  The film is directed and stars Danny DeVito.

HOOSIERS (AMC, 8:00pm PST)

This is easily one of the best sports films ever made (this coming from someone who doesn't watch sports) starring Gene Hackman as a coach getting his last shot at creating and leading a successful college basketball game.

SKY HIGH (ENCORE, 8pm)

A teen is sent to a high school for super heroes when he has yet to develop any abilities of his own.  Bruce Campbell and Linda Carter are awesome in cameos.

Wednesday 

PHONE BOOTH (FX, 8pm PST)

Joel Schumacker returns to form with this shot on HD Video suspense film about a man who can't hang up a phone in a phone booth or he'll be killed by a sniper.

HEROES (SCIFI, 7pm PST) Marathon

Scifi Channel is running a marathon of Heroes starting today at 7pm.  If you haven't checked this series out yet this would be a great time to give it a go.

Thursday 

DELIVERANCE (AMC, 8pm PST)

A classic film about a group of friends going on a canoeing trip in which they have a harrowing run in with some vicious mountain men.

TAXI DRIVER (AMC, 10:30pm PST)

Robert DeNiro stars as a lonely taxi driver who becomes a vigilante.  The film is directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader.  Look for young Cybil Sheppard and Jodie Foster as well as Harvey Keitel, and Peter Boyle.

RENO 911 (COMEDY, 9:00pm PST) Marathon

Comedy Central is running three and a half hours of this hilarious comedy series.  If you haven't seen it before this would be a great place to start.  The series is shot mockumentary style similar to The Office except that it spoofs the series COPS.  The series follows the cops of Reno Nevada on the job and off.

Friday 

SUPERMAN (ABCFAM, 8pm PST)

The classic Christopher Reeve telling of the Superman origin story.

SERENITY (CINEMAX, 8pm PST)

The film that tied up the short lived scifi television series Firefly.  This film was highly underappreciated in theaters just as the series was on TV.

THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (SHOe, 6:30pm PST)

Starting at 6:30 Showtime is showing the original 1979 Amityville Horror followed by the 2005 remake.  If you're a student of horror films it might be interesting to do a direct comparison.  Both films are about a house haunted by a man who killed his family and the new family that has just moved into the house.

Saturday 

TRUE LIES (FMC, 8pm PST)

Back when Arnie did good movies!  He stars as a secret agent fighting terrorism and hiding his true identity from his wife played by Jamie Lee Curtis. 

MAGNOLIA (IFC, 9pm PST)

Paul Thomas Anderson direted this surreal study of the intersecting lvies of nine Californians.  The film follows the characters as they seek love and acceptance and examines the role of chance in their lives.

WATERWORLD (SCIFI, 8pm PST)

Kevin Costner directed and starred in this 1995 epic mess of a film that's not quite as bad as I remember it to be.  It's all Mad Max on the water as Costner tries to help a woman find dry land on a world where there is none.

Sunday 

TWIGHLIGHT ZONE(SCIFI, 9am PST) 43 hours of THE ZONE

That's right it all starts at 9 am Sunday morning and runs through Tuesday morning.  See all those classic Twilight Zone episodes we've all seen a million times before!  Yay for sarcasm!

STAR WARS THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY (MOMAX, 4:35pm PST)

MOMAX is showing all three of the original films remastered in HD back to back.  If you don't have the DVD's this is the way to see these films.

SHALLOW GRAVE (IFC, 9pm PST)