Movies Tackle Everything From Criminal Doings to Holiday Hopes

HBO, A&E;, Showtime and the “Hallmark Hall of Fame” are all presenting new movies this weekend, running the gamut from thrillers to mysteries to holiday cheer.

Tom Sizemore, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Forest Whitaker star in HBO’s “Witness Protection” at 8 p.m. Saturday. The drama deals with a criminal who agrees to spill the beans in exchange for a new home and identity.

Gene Wilder returns as Broadway director-turned-sleuth in the A&E; mystery “The Lady in Question” at 5 and 9 p.m. Sunday. This time around, his fiancee (Cherry Jones) and his detective friend (Mike Starr) try to solve the poisoning of a humanitarian (Claire Bloom).

William Baldwin and Peter Gallagher headline the Showtime thriller “Brotherhood of Murder” at 8 p.m. Sunday. The film chronicles the rise of “the Order,” a violent white supremacist group of the mid-’80s.

Carla Gugino, David Conrad and Patty Duke head the cast of the CBS “Hallmark Hall of Fame” holiday fable, “A Season for Miracles,” Sunday at 9 p.m.

Specials

Bravo presents Cirque du Soleil’s “Quidam,” tonight at 5 and 8.

CBS’ “Candid Camera’s Funniest Moments,” Friday at 9 p.m., pays tribute to the late Allen Funt, featuring the funniest clips from his long-running series.

“Spirit: A Journey in Dance, Drums and Song,” Friday at 9 p.m. on KCET, explores how Native American songs, chants and dances relate the story of a search for ancestral roots.

Julie Andrews hosts a “Great Performances” special at 8 p.m. Saturday on KCET featuring such Broadway leading ladies as Nell Carter, Jennifer Holliday, Priscilla Lopez, Andrea McCardle, Audra McDonald, Liza Minnelli, Bebe Neuwirth, Faith Prince and Elaine Stritch.

The popular Canadian singer and the founder of Lilith Fair performs her hits in a 1998 concert in “Sarah McLachlan: Mirrorball,” Saturday at 10 p.m. on KCET.

The five-man Dave Matthews Band performs songs from the albums “Under the Table and Dreaming” and “Crash” in a new concert Saturday at 11:30 p.m. on KCET.

E! Entertainment Television visits some wild and wacky “Vegas Weddings” Sunday at 8 p.m.

“Great Performances” presents “Burn the Floor,” a jumpin’ ballroom dance spectacular, at 8 p.m. Sunday on KCET.

Series

“National Geographic Explorer” looks at the endangered mountain gorillas in Rwanda at 8 p.m. Friday on CNBC.

Marina Sirtis of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” guests as the leader of a group of spiritual women on “Earth: Final Conflict” at 5 p.m. Saturday on KTLA.

“The E! True Hollywood Story” offers a two-hour profile of the ‘60s TV series “Gilligan’s Island,” at 9 p.m. Sunday.

Sports

ESPN supplies coverage of college football’s “Heisman Trophy Presentation” at 5 p.m. Saturday. Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne is the front-runner.