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CONTACT (1997) 7 p.m. on Ovation. Based on the 1985 science-fiction novel of the same title by Carl Sagan, “Contact” yearns to bridge the gap between humanity and technological advancement. Jodie Foster plays Ellie Arroway, a scientist devoted to finding extraterrestrial life, who picks up a radio signal from another planet. This garners national attention, and as Ellie decodes the aliens’ message, she must protect her work from those trying to steal or discount it. Ellie and a young minister named Palmer Joss (Matthew McConaughey) engage in a debate throughout over science and religion — and Palmer also becomes a love interest. “But try as it might to convey a humanist, mystical message and to equate the search for extraterrestrial life with religious faith,” Stephen Holden wrote in his review for The New York Times, “‘Contact’ is much more convincing when worshiping at the cold shrine of technology.”

STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS 8 p.m. on CNN; 9 p.m. on CBS, ABC, NBC and FOX. President Trump will deliver his third State of the Union Address — the last of this presidential term. Mr. Trump’s first State of the Union Address focused on immigration policy, and his second — which was rescheduled because of a government shutdown over funding for a border wall — touched on looming Congressional investigations into his conduct. This year, the speech comes a day ahead of a final vote on his impeachment.

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