Documentary

Television critic David Bianculli reviews the season premiere of public television's documentary series, "P.O.V." It debuts this Tuesday night with "Absolutely Positive," Peter Adair's film about 11 people who have tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS.

Journalists Jon Alpert and Maryann De Leo. The two have filmed wars, crimes in progress, and homeless families living in garbage dumps. Their latest documentary, "Rape: Cries from the Heartland," will be shown on PBS.

Television critic David Bianculli reviews two new historical shows, one on PBS and the other on ABC. One is a documentary series, "Columbus and the Age of Discovery," and the other a docudrama about the Gulf War, "Heroes of Persian Gulf."

Television critic David Bianculli checks out two programs, NBC's six-hour mini-series about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, titled "A Woman Named Jackie;" and a Showtime documentary called "Hearts of Darkness," about the making of the movie "Apocalypse Now."

Television critic David Bianculli reviews two of the many specials commemorating the 50th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Tonight's two hour special on ABC, "Pearl Harbor: Two Hours That Changed the World," and Saturday's special on CBS, called "Remember Pearl Harbor."

Critic David Bianculli reviews "The Quiz Show Scandal," a new documentary that's part of PBS's "The American Experience" series. It's about the quiz shows that were fixed during the 1950s.

Television critic David Bianculli reviews two shows you should see, and one you should make certain you NEVER watch.

Television critic David Bianculli will preview this week's episode of the public TV science show "Nova." It's called "Can You Believe TV Ratings?"

Journalist Hedrick Smith. Smith has spent years covering the Soviet Union, as a reporter for the New York Times, as an author, and as a TV documentary producer and correspondent. He's just returned from the former Soviet Union, and his latest report, "After Gorbachev's U.S.S.R." airs this week on the public television documentary series, "Frontline." (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Television critic David Bianculli reviews "MGM: When the Lion Roars." It's an eight-hour documentary about the MGM studios. It premieres this Sunday on the TNT cable network (which by the way is owned by the same man who owns MGM, Ted Turner).

Anthropologist David Maybury-Lewis. He's the founder of Cultural Survival, an organization that that helps indigenous peoples whose ways of life are threatened by development. He's hosting a new PBS series called "Millennium," which starts tonight, and he's the author of the companion book, also called "Millennium." The series and the book seek to gain tribal wisdom for the modern world. (The book is published by Viking.)

TV Critic David Bianculli previews "Street Scenes: New York on Film," a new hour-long documentary on the AMC cable network.

Filmmaker Marlon Riggs. His film about gay black men,"Tongues Untied," was shown on PBS last year, and it unleashed a storm of outrage in powerful right-wing circles. Sen. Jesse Helms (R, NC) even put together and distributed a seven-minute tape of scenes from the film, which, taken out of context, completely distorted Marlon Riggs' intentions. The documentary is often used by Congresspeople as an example of what's wrong with public broadcasting, and why it shouldn't be federally funded.

TV critic David Bianculli previews public television's "P.O.V." episode called "Dream Deceivers," an analysis of a Nevada court case in which the heavy metal band Judas Priest was sued by the parents of two teenagers who shot themselves after listening to the band's music.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews a new documentary about the Beatles' classic album on the Disney Channel. He says it covers familiar ground -- but producer George Martin's segments breaking down each song's elements make it worth checking out.

TV critic David Bianculli takes another look at the documentary series. His only quibble is in the billing: unlike the broadcasting company, the show is only 18 years old.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews the forthcoming, election-themed "Frontline" episode, which airs tomorrow night. He says it's almost invaluable for voters trying to stay informed.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews the latest episode of the television documentary series, CBS Reports. This installment follows the famed Gulf War general as he returns to Vietnam for the first time in decades.

Documentary film makers Alan and Susan Raymond. They made documentary history with "An American Family," living for seven months with the Loud family, to film the life of a "typical" American family. The 12-part series was broadcast over PBS in 1973, and it turned out to be a portrait of a not-so-typical family, and of a family disintegrating before our eyes.

Also, T.V. critic David Bianculli reviews tonights "Frontline" about Lee Harvey Oswald.