Starz And Encore To Air Marathons And More During Holiday Months

November 5, 2009 3:50 p.m. EST

Englewood, CO (CNS) - 'Tis the season for top quality films on cable programming, and the lineup for December and January will be sure to make viewers more than jolly.

Cable movie channels Starz and Encore and affiliates will feature a variety of top entertainment in months to come. The planned programming celebrates numerous facets of movies both new and old, highlighting the actors and filmmakers involved, as well as the seasonal theme.

Leading up to Christmas Day, Starz will continue its diverse showcase of recent hit movies, showing "Obsessed," "Confessions of a Shopaholic" and "Rachel Getting Married" during December. In celebration of the holiday, the Starz offshoot Starz Kids & Family will air a 24-hour marathon of "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" starting Christmas Eve afternoon.

The weekend premieres will continue in January with "The International," "Race to Witch Mountain," "Sunshine Cleaning" and "Hannah Montana: The Movie." The Starz original series "Crash" will continue airing second season episodes, as well, with the season finale airing December 11. The original film "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," a gladiator epic starring Lucy Lawless and John Hannah, will air January 22.

Encore will celebrate the glad tidings of the season in a different way. The Christmas weekend will play host to the channel's Big '80s Weekend, a three-day tribute to the decade and one of its most prolific filmmakers. "Don't You Forget About Me," a documentary about the late John Hughes, will kick off the festivities with interviews with Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Alan Ruck and others influenced by the director. Hughes films such as "The Breakfast Club," "Sixteen Candles" and "Weird Science" among the many '80s movies.

Encore will also air an all-day marathon of the "Rocky" film series on New Year's Day.

Encore's usual features will still be available in December and January, too. The series "Spotlight On?" will focus on actor John Cusack in December and Mel Gibson in January. A similar feature will air on Encore Westerns, with a "Six Gun Salute" to Lee Van Cleef on December 26.

For the full breakdown of all Starz and Encore channels, visit starz.com and encoretv.com.