Undefeated
Saturday, HBO Canada, 7:45 p.m.
This 2003 HBO movie is directed by and stars John Leguizamo in a familiar tale of a boxer who fights his way out of poverty and family squabbles to success, only to find that he can't escape the ties that bind him to his past. Leguizamo plays Lex Vargas, a talented, driven boxer who is determined not just to win, but to find fame and riches beyond his Queens neighbourhood. Through a series of fights that are dramatized with particular attention to the voice of a murdered brother shouting at Lex in his head, he gets the wealth and fame but realizes that he's being preyed upon by people who really only want to ride on his coattails. He sees the corruption in everything. If this sounds like a cliché, it is, and familiar themes are delivered by the fistful here. For all that, it's a likeable male-fantasy movie and Leguizamo is so good you can't take your eyes off him.
FIFA Women's World Cup
Sunday, CBC, 11:45 a.m.
Get ready for this tournament to take over Canada during the next few weeks. Canada has qualified and is a strong contender to make the final, at the very least. The official opening game, between Canada and host country Germany, takes place at the Olympiastadion in Berlin with some 75,000 Germans braying for a German win. (The first game is Nigeria vs. France on Rogers Sportsnet at 8:45 a.m. on Sunday.) Every game will be shown live in Canada, on CBC or Sportsnet. For CBC, Scott Russell will host, joined in the studio by Clare Rustad and Jason de Vos. Rustad. On Sportsnet, which does a daily roundup at 11 p.m., former Canadian women's national team star, the great Kara Lang, will join Gerry Dobson for analysis. Today's game will be a testing one for Canada, as Germany is favoured to win the tournament. But Canada plays a stylish, possession type of game these days, one that could take it very far.
True Blood
Sunday, HBO Canada, 9 p.m.
The most frustrating, compelling and bewitching of cable series is finally back for another season. The show's strength has always been its wit, but that has been overwhelmed by the fantasy aspects. For a while in the new episodes it feels like the show has become lost. Sookie (Anna Paquin) spends a lot of time in fairyland and the special effects are a bit cheesy. Eventually, though, events are again anchored in the little town of Bon Temps, La., and the familiar cast of characters return in fine fettle. Sookie is still estranged from Bill (Stephen Moyer) and continues to deal with the fact that her blood, as she acknowledged last season, is "crack for vampires." Thus the impossibly handsome and smooth vampire boss, Eric (Alexander Skarsgard), keeps pestering her. Sookie is still the show's anchor, a gal next door who has this power she regrets having, given all the hassle it has brought her. By episode three of this season things are back on track, even as occult shenanigans ensue and a major witch figure (Fiona Shaw from the Harry Potter movies) tries to hog the spotlight.
The Marriage Ref
Sunday, NBC, CITY-TV, 10 p.m.
Much maligned last year, this show returns, keeping the format intact - celebrities act as judge and jury on the marriage disputes of ordinary people. Tonight, apparently, guests Jerry Seinfeld (who is also an exec producer), Ricky Gervais and Julianne Moore consider the case of a husband whose mother-in-law visits for extended periods; a wife whose husband is addicted to silly betting with his pals; and another woman whose spouse spends most of his time growing giant pumpkins. If it's all too crass for you, over on PBS there's Poirot ( Masterpiece Mystery, 9 p.m.) which has Hercule (David Suchet, again) trying to solve a case involving clocks, spies and "a lovely young stenographer." The corpses mount until Hercule cracks the case. A highlight is Hercule's outrage at being mistaken for a Frenchman.
Check local listings.