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

Nov. 18–20, 2016

Here are a few suggestions for what to watch on the upcoming weekend.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

Friday, Nov. 18- Freeform- 3:30 p.m.

The film based on the novel that started it all, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, kicks off Freeform's Harry Potter marathon in celebration of the silver-screen adaptation and debut of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, based on the author's 2001 book of the same name. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the title under which the film was released in the U.S. (compared to its original title, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone) follows 11-year-old Harry Potter, the boy who lived, through his first year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, wherein he discovers that he is a famous wizard while beginning his magical education.

The film generated $32.3 million in the U.S. box office on its opening day, breaking the single-day record previously held by Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, garnering $90.3 million during its first weekend and thus breaking the record for highest-opening weekend of all time, previously held by The Lost World: Jurassic Park. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger and was followed by seven sequels spanning the course of 10 years.

South Park

Saturday, Nov. 19- Comedy Central - 3:05 p.m.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone's raunchy, animated series began its parodic coverage of the U.S. presidential election at the commencement of its 19th season, which premiered Sept. 16, 2015 and ended Dec. 9 of the same year. The show recently premiered its 20th season with a storyline that carries over from where season 19 left off, comprising satirical commentary on matters ranging from the notion of a politically correct culture to the emergence of a president-elect Donald Trump. Executing its signature sass, crass and sardonic pizazz, South Park continues to hold no punches, as demonstrated in the first seven episodes that have aired thus far. Three episodes remain, with the eighth episode set to air Wednesday, Nov. 16.

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)

Sunday, Nov. 20 - TNT - 10:45 a.m.

Episode I, the American epic and space opera film written and directed by George Lucas, is the first installment in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, set 32 years before the original film (Episode IV). The film stars Liam Neeson as Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn, Ewan McGregor as Jedi apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi, Natalie Portman as 14-year-old Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo, Ian McDiarmid as Sen. Palpatine/Darth Sidious, Jake Lloyd as 9-year-old Anakin Skywalker, who would grow up to become the infamous Darth Vader, and Frank Oz as Yoda, the centuries-old leader of the Jedi Council who is apprehensive about allowing Anakin to be trained.

Famed film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave Episode I three-and-a-half stars out of four, calling the film "an astonishing achievement in imaginative filmmaking," further praising that "Lucas tells a good story." Despite generally mixed reviews, however, the film garnered significant financial success, breaking a number of box office records in its debut.

Ted (2012)

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Directed by Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, American Dad) in his feature-length, directorial debut, stars Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis, with Joel McHale and Giovanni Ribisi in supporting roles and MacFarlane providing the voice of the title character. Ted tells the story of John Bennett (Wahlberg), a Boston native whose childhood wish brings his teddy-bear friend, Ted, to life, but Ted prevents John and his love interest, Lori Collins (Kunis), from moving on with their lives.

The film is, at its core, a coming-of-age story, channeling sentiment from Judd Apatow's Superbad in that Ted positions its characters as mindless, self-indulgent characters that leverage these traits toward a deeper understanding of themselves and the people around them. It grossed a worldwide $549.4 million against a budget of $50 million and was Universal Pictures's highest-grossing film in 2012.

8-Mile (2002)

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I was skeptical before sitting down to watch 8-Mile, generally unconcerned with films encompassing the musician-to-actor crossover. However, 8-Mile, set in 1995 Warren, MI, is the account of a young, white, would-be rapper, Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith, Jr. (played by rapper Eminem), who lives in a mobile home park with his mother and young sister. The film follows Smith through his attempt to launch a rap career within a genre dominated by black artists. The film's title is derived from 8 Mile Road, a highway that coasts the border between lower-class, predominantly black Detroit neighborhoods and middle-class, predominantly white Oakland County and Macomb County suburbs.

Starring Mekhi Phifer as Future, Smith's closest friend and the rap battle host; Brittany Murphy as Alex Latorno, Smith's love interest, and Kim Basinger as Smith's mother, Stephanie, 8-Mile became proved a critical and financial success, with late film critic Robert Ebert praising Eminem's acting as "convincing without being too electric," that it "survives the X-ray truth-telling of the movie camera." Eminem went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Lose Yourself," a song regarded as iconic to the film.

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