Big screen

Opening Friday

The Dark Knight Rises (PG-13): Director Christopher Nolan brings his Batman trilogy to a triumphant close with this epic-length (nearly three hours) comic-book adventure that makes The Avengers and The Amazing Spider-Man seem like trinket toys. Christian Bale returns as millionaire Bruce Wayne, facing off against the villainous Bane (Tom Hardy), who wishes the hero great bodily harm. Series regulars Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are back, joined by newcomers Anne Hathaway as the Catwoman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a young police officer. Prepare to be gobsmacked.

Beasts of the Southern Wild (PG-13): A sensation at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the directorial debut of Benh Zeitlin turns out to be the real deal. Set in a post-Katrina New Orleans, the story focuses on a 6-year-old girl (Quvenzhané Wallis) trying to care for her ailing father. Magical, hallucinatory and unforgettable.

Take This Waltz (R): Actress Sarah Polley wrote and directed this comedy about a married woman (Michelle Williams) who becomes infatuated with her neighbor (Luke Kirby). Seth Rogen co-stars as the possible cuckold.

Rene Rodriguez

Small screen

Breaking Bad (10 p.m. Sunday, AMC) When this magnificently twisted series kicked off, protagonist Walter White (Bryan Cranston) was a desperate, dying high school chemistry teacher who hit on manufacturing meth to pay for his treatment. Five years later, he’s a narcotrafficking kingpin with a high body count that’s growing all the time. And the show, if it’s possible, is even more riveting.

Political Animals (10 p.m. Sunday, USA Network) Sigourney Weaver is spectacular as a first lady-turned-politician-turned-secretary-of-state. Sound like anybody you’ve ever heard of? For a full review, see page 1M.

Strange Sex (10 p.m. Sunday, TLC) Television’s most deviant documentary series is back for a second season. Most of the content can’t remotely be printed in a newspaper. (For example, Google the word hymenoplasty, but not while anybody is watching .) Yet this may be your only chance ever to see size 102ZZZ breasts. You are probably thinking I made up that number. You are wrong.

Sullivan & Son (10 p.m Thursday, TBS) Stand-up comedian Steve Byrne plays a corporate lawyer who quits to run a bar. Just wait until he finds out there are no bailouts! This sitcom is produced by Bryne, Cheers producer Rob Long, ex-Jennifer-Aniston-boyfriend Vince Vaughn and Peter Billingsley, most famous as the moon-faced little kid tormented by warnings of “You’ll shoot your eye out!” during his quest for a BB gun in A Christmas Story.

Glenn Garvin

Let Miami Herald TV critic Glenn Garvin program your TiVo! Just click on his best bets for the week at http://www3.tivo.com/tivo-tco/mix/index.do