What to Watch on TV this Weekend: Chloe's Guide

Jan. 6–Jan. 8, 2017

Her are a few suggestions for what to watch during the upcoming weekend.

The Danish Girl (2015)

Friday, Jan. 6 - HBO2 - 5:30 5 p.m.

Directed by Tom Hooper and based on the 2000 fictional novel of the same name, The Danish Girl is a biographical romance loosely inspired by the lives of Danish painters Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. The film stars Eddie Redmayne as Elbe, who was one of the first known recipients of sex reassignment surgery, and Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina) as Wegener. Despite the film receiving criticism for its inaccurate portrayal of historic events, Vikander won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and Redmayne was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Bridesmaids (2011)

Saturday, Jan. 7 - ESQUI - 8 p.m.
Bridesmaids follows the story of Annie, played by Kristen Wiig, a former pastry artist, who experiences a series of misfortunes after her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph), asks Annie to serve as maid of honor. The film stars Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Ellie Kemper and Wendi McLendon-Covey as Lillian's bridesmaids, with Chris O'Dowd, Rebel Wilson, Matt Lucas, Jon Hamm and Jill Clayburgh in supporting roles. The film grossed $26 million in its opening weekend and eventually generated more than $288 million worldwide, becoming director Judd Apatow's top-grossing production to date.

Rocky (1976)

Sunday, Jan. 8 - AMC - 2 p.m.

Sleeper hit Rocky, the first of a franchise comprising six sequels over the course of more than three decades, was produced on a budget of little more than $1 million and shot in 28 days, eventually earning $225 million in global box office receipts. The film's iconic track, "Gonna Fly Now," composed by Bill Conti, secured the number-one spot on the Billboard magazine's Hot 100 list in 1977, and the American Film Institute placed the song on its AFI 100 Years...100 Songs. Winning three Oscars, Rocky became the highest-grossing film of 1976. It stars Sylvester Stallone as the titular character alongside Talia Shire, Carl Weathers and Burgess Meredith in the fictional tale of one Philadelphia man's journey from rags to riches.

American Beauty (1999)

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American Beauty follows Kevin Spacey as as Lester Burnham, a 42-year-old advertising executive who experiences a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend, Angela, played by Mena Suvari. Meanwhile, Lester's wife, played by Annette Bening, is as materialistic as his daughter, Jane (Thora Birch), is insecure. Directed by Sam Mendes (Road to Perdition, Skyfall, Spectre), the film won five Academy Awards at the 72nd ceremony: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Actor for Spacey.

Selma

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Written and directed by Ava DuVernay, the the first black, female director to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award, Selma garnered four Golden Globe Award nominations, which included Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director and Best Actor, winning Best Original Song. Selma is based on the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, led by Martin Luther King, Jr., James Bevel, Hosea Williams and John Lewis. The film stars David Oyelowo as King, Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon B. Johnson, Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King, Tim Roth as George Wallace and Common as Bevel. Selma holds a 99 percent rating on review site Rotten Tomatoes, with a singular critical consensus: "Fueled by a gripping performance from David Oyelowo, Selma draws inspiration and dramatic power from the life and death of Martin Luther King, Jr. — but doesn't ignore how far we remain from the ideals his work embodied."

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