Ace in the Hole (Cinemax Sunday at...

Ace in the Hole (Cinemax Sunday at noon), a 1951 film that is one of Billy Wilder’s personal favorites, is also known as “The Big Carnival.” It is a corrosive, furious look at an unscrupulous newsman (Kirk Douglas, in one of his greatest bad-guy roles), exploiting the plight of a trapped miner to advance his career.

The Ox (Bravo Monday at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.), a flawless 1991 Swedish film of strength and calm, marks the solo directorial debut of cinematographer Sven Nykvist. It centers on the direconsequences facing a young tenant farmer (Stellan Skarsgard) after he slays an ox belonging to his employer in order to feed his starving family.