THE GREAT ESCAPE (1963)

Tuesday, 8 p.m., AMC

Steve McQueen ,who may have been the hottest man to ever hit the screen,stars in the true story of Allied fly boys stuck in a German POW camp.Together they engineer a breathtaking escape.The cast,including Charles Bronson and James Coburn,are so cool they give McQueen a run for his money.

PLATOON (1986)

Wednesday, 8 p.m., AMC

Oliver Stone ‘s gripping diary of a young, green soldier (Charlie Sheen) who patrols the jungles of Vietnam won a Best Picture Oscar.Two very different sergeants – a stoned humanist (Willem Dafoe)and a drunk pragamatist (Tom Berginger) – run the platoon,leading up to a My Lai-type attack on a village.Brilliant and tough.

E.T.(1982)

Saturday, 11 a.m., USA

Back when Steven Spielberg told tales that didn ‘t rely on pyrotechnics,there were the gems like this fabulous,fantastic fantasy of a homesick alien and the little boy (Henry Thomas)who loves him.

SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004)

Saturday, 10 p.m., MAX

Two British slackers (Simon Pegg,Kate Ashfield)are forced to take time out from drinking at the pub and lying on the couch to deal with flesh-eating zombies.Not wanting to be impolite by staring,or to be interrupted from doing nothing,they don ‘t fight the zombies until absolutely necessary.Dopey yet hilarious.