Reviews

“Southwest of Salem,” Sat, 8pm, ID. A hard look at truth vs justice, this compelling documentary tells the story of four women accused of sexual assault and indecency against two young girls in 1994. The story is told with a degree of dispassion, although it’s clear eventually where filmmaker Deborah Esquenazistands on the case. — “Killing Reagan,” Sun, 8pm, Nat Geo. Likely to grab ratings as others in Nat Geo’s “Killing” series have, this re-creation of the attempted killing of President Reagan is a decent if somewhat wooden retrospective. The highlights are its portrayal of would-be assassin John Hinckley Jr.and its emphasis of how touchy the president’s medical situation really was. It’s also fun to watch the depiction of Alexander Haig( Patrick St. Esprit) attempting a power-grab. The controversies stirred up by Bill O’Reilly’s book on which the film is based include Nancy Reagan’s ( Cynthia Nixon) use of an astrologist after that day and whether or not doctors informed her that the president ( Tim Matheson) might never fully recover physically or mentally. — “Phi Slama Jama” Tues, 8pm ET, ESPN. Yet another fine “30 for 30” outing. It expertly weaves the stories of Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and Guy Lewisto describe the early 80’s resurgence of the dunk in college basketball; it was banned from 1967-76. – Seth Arenstein