If ever a dark force could compel...

If ever a dark force could compel a visit to a blockbuster, the loud and boisterous 1995 comic book confidential, Batman Forever (NBC Sunday at 8:30 p.m.), is such. The evildoers of the moment--Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face and Jim Carrey as the Riddler--are tirelessly over the top, but its often-neglected heroes turn out to be the most entertaining characters on-screen. Val Kilmer effectively takes over for Michael Keaton, Nicole Kidman brings a noticeable erotic charge to the proceedings, and equally effective is Chris O’Donnell as the tormented Robin.

The best thing about Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 Pulp Fiction (KTLA Tuesday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 11:30 p.m.), an anthology of stories about gangster fun and games in Los Angeles, are its words. They flow in hip torrents that are both idiosyncratic and familiar from lowlife characters who love to talk and can erupt in entertaining riffs on any subject. Memorable star turns by John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson.

Star Trek: Generations (Fox Tuesday at 8 p.m.) shows that going boldly where no one has gone before is not what it used to be. Contentedly settled into a prosperous middle age, the “Star Trek” series now seems more comfortable retracing its own footsteps.

The Silence of the Lambs (KTLA Thursday at 8 p.m.), Jonathan Demme’s scary, witty Oscar-winning 1991 film of Thomas Harris’ harrowing, mesmerizing book about an institutionalized psychopath used to identify a serial killer, focuses on a duel of wits and wills between Jodie Foster’s young FBI trainee and that paradigm of evil, Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins). Although Demme does not dwell on the gore, it’s definitely there, making it a film not for the faint of heart.

L.A. Story (KTLA Friday at 8 p.m.) is a wiggy yet deeply romantic movie about infatuation with women--and with Los Angeles. Mitch Jackson, the Brit who directed from Steve Martin’s script, offers a whirligig of familiar L.A. locales, transformed by the filmmakers’ ardor. Martin’s TV weatherman, miserable in his job, soon finds his life transformed fantastically--and captivated by a newly arrived reporter from the London Times.