Patch Picks: What to Watch on TV this Weekend

March 3–5, 2017

Here are this week's round of suggestions for what to catch on television during the upcoming weekend.

The Imitation Game (2014)

Friday, March 3 - SHO2e- 3:15 p.m.

The Imitation Game brings to light the story of Alan Turing, loosely based on the biography "Alan Turing: The Enigma" by Andrew Hodges. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Turing, the film focuses on the real-life British cryptanalyst who decrypted German intelligence codes for the British government during World War II.

The Imitation Game proved to be a critical and commercial success despite criticisms for inaccuracies in its portrayals of certain historical events as well as for Turing's relationships and character. Further, the Human Rights Campaign — an LGBT civil rights advocacy and political lobbying organization — honored the film for bringing Turing's legacy to a wider audience.

Watchmen (2009)

Saturday, March 4 - IFC - 9:30 a.m.

Director Zack Snyder brings the genius of Alan Moore to the silver screen in a neo-noir adaptation of DC Comics' Watchmen.

The film is dark, satirical take on heroism as we know it through the DC Universe, set in 1985 within an alternate historical timeline at the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. A group of American superheroes — Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley), Nite Owl II (Patrick Wilson), Silk Spectre II (Malin Åkerman) and Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) — investigate the murder of one of their own before unraveling an elaborate conspiracy, their morality challenged by the complexity of the circumstances.

Watchmen generated an estimated $4.6 million through its early showing on March 5 during the year it was released, twice as much as Snyder's previous comic book adaptation, 300. The film ultimately earned a worldwide total of $185.3 million against a budget of $130 million.

Déjà vu (2006)

Sunday, March 5 - STRZEN- 3:22 p.m.

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and co-written by Bill Marsilii and Terry Rossio, Déjà vu stars Denzel Washington as an ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) agent who travels back in time in an attempt to domestic terrorist attack in New Orleans and to save the life of a local woman (Paula Patton) who is unwittingly entangled in the machination.

Déjà vu premiered in New York City two days before its wide release in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with releases in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia in the subsequent months. It ran for 14 weeks in the Box Office top 10, generating a domestic box office earning of $64,038,616 and a worldwide total of $180,557,550.

Queen of Katwe (2016)

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The biographical sports drama — starring David Oyelowo, Lupita Nyong'o and Madina Nalwanga — depicts the life of Phiona Mutesi, a Ugandan girl living in Katwe slum, who learns to play chess and becomes a Woman Candidate Master following her performance at World Chess Olympiads.

Queen of Katwe is the adaptation of am ESPN magazine article and book, both written by Tim Crothers, and the film was screened at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, with a limited initial release in the United States. The film's critical success, coupled with a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 93 percent, culminated with a total box office earning of $10.2 million.

The Godfather (1972)

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Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather is one of my father's all-time favorite films — and he is not alone; The Godfather was the highest-grossing film of 1972, winning Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor (Brando) and Best Adapted Screenplay. Other nominations included Best Supporting Actor (Pacino, Robert Duvall and James Caan) and Best Director. The film was succeeded by The Godfather Part II (1974) and The Godfather Part III (1990).

Based on Mario Puzo's best-selling novel of the same name, The Godfather stars Marlon Brando as the titular character and Al Pacino as the leader of a fictional New York crime family. The story stretches from 1945 to 1955, chronicling the family under patriarch Vito Corleone (Brando) and highlighting Michael Coreleone (Pacino) in his transformation from reluctant outsider to ruthless kingpin.

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Photo credit: Ben Sutherland via Flickr.com