Michael Wilmington

PREMIUM CABLE "Freedom Writers" *** 6:55 p.m., Showtime Hilary Swank gives a powerhouse performance as a maverick teacher in this gripping drama taken from the real-life story of a new...

PREMIUM CABLE "The Interpreter" *** 5:30 p.m., HBO Sydney Pollack's political thriller, shot largely in and around New York's UN headquarters, is a polished, exciting treat, with beyond-duty's-call work by...

PREMIUM CABLE "Blood Diamond" *** 9 p.m., Cinemax Set in civil war-torn Sierra Leone, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou (as a villager who finds a rare pink...

SATURDAY BASIC CABLE "Storm Cell" 8 p.m., Lifetime It's got the Emerald City and a twister ... but no, this drama isn't "The Wizard of Oz." A storm chaser discovers...

PREMIUM CABLE "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" *** 6:15 p.m., Cinemax Harry's fourth movie, set again in author J.K. Rowling's amazingly well-imagined Hogwarts witchcraft school, is the best...

PREMIUM CABLE "Blood Diamond" *** 6:30 p.m., Cinemax Set in civil war-torn Sierra Leone -- with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou as a villager who finds a rare...

PREMIUM CABLE "MYSTIC RIVER" **** 7 p.m., HBO2 Clint Eastwood's powerful movie takes us on a voyage almost to the end of the night. Based on the 2001 crime novel...

PREMIUM CABLE "THE INSIDER" *** 10 p.m., STARZ Viewers get a behind-the-scenes look at the decision-making process of the TV news media. This first-class muckraking melodrama covers the making of...