This week’s T.V. Guide….
Saturday
VERA CRUZ (1954)
12.50, BBC2
Before he brought us his haunting cold war film noir Kiss Me Deadly, Robert Aldrich directed this break-neck pace Mexican western staring Burt Lancaster and Gary Cooper. They star as ‘American adventures’ who are hired to escort a countess to the titular harbour destination, but find that the $3,000,000.00 in loot in the stagecoach may bear an even more tempting offer.
FILM 2007 WITH JONATHAN ROSS
14.20, BBC2
Featuring Kenneth Branagh’s new version of Sleuth, (in cinemas from 23rd Nov)
A SHOT IN THE DARK (1964)
16.45, FILM4
First and probably best of the sequels to the ‘Panther’ films, this sees Peter Sellers clumsy detective on fine form attempting to unravel a murder case that occurs at a country house. The catchy opening title score that plays during the pivotal murder will stick in your mind for weeks.
NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
17.10, FIVE
Hitchcock’s espionage suspense thriller still stands up today as exceptional cinema. Famous for Cary Grant’s encounter with a diving crop-duster, this ‘mistaken-identity’ affair boasts smart turns by James Mason as a typically charming antagonist, Eva Marie Saint as an icy blonde, one of Hitchcock’s most hilarious walk-on cameos himself as a city commuter who misses his bus, a literal cliff-hanger set piece dramatized on the edge of Mount Rushmore, Bernard Herrmann’s adrenaline-induced score and Robert Boyle’s luscious production design.
THE CULTURE SHOW
19.10, BBC2
Mark Kermode approaches Kenneth Branagh about his new version of Sleuth and The Magic Flute.
MOVIE NOW
21.10-21.30
Brad Pitt talks about his latest film, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Timothy Olyphant discusses his role as an enigmatic assassin in Hitman.
THE KING OF COMEDY (1982)
00.10, BBC2
Martin Scorsese’s scorching satire on the ineffable momentum of fame is brilliantly summed up in Robert de Niro’s touching, mildly chilling portrayal of persistent middle-aged stand-up joker Rupert Pupkin – an even more pertinent characterization in today’s instant celebrity society. Following a ‘chance’ encounter with late-night chat show legend Jerry Langford (an appropriately dead-eyed Jerry Lewis), Pupkin believes the time has come for a go at big time. But when Rupert’s chances are continuously thwarted he resorts to kidnapping the comedy king to force an opportunity to shine in the spotlight.
MASK (1985)
01.50, C4
Not the wacky Jim Carey comedy but Peter Bogdanovich’s touching, sentimental tale of Rocky, a severely deformed man, (Eric Stoltz, later to play Seth Brundle’s ill-fated son in The Fly 2), who’s confidence is boasted by both his over-protective mum Cher and love interest Laura Dern.
Sunday
HELP! (1965)
19.00, BBC4
Richard Lester attempts to follow up the success of A Hard Day’s Night with this second romp that features the fab four – this time pursed by a mysterious religious cult.
SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993)
21.00, ITV3
Liam Neeson stars as the true-to-life prosperous titular businessman who has a sudden change of heart during the Nazi reign and turns his factory into a refuge for Jews. Filmed in gritty black and white photography this monumental film went on to win Spielberg his directorial Oscar and bag numerous other awards.
CLUELESS (1995)
22.15, C4
Jane Austin’s Emma is given the 90s teen treatment with Alicia Silverstone perfectly cast as the spoilt, rich, popular clothes horse who slowly learns to use her social persona to help others deal with adolescent relationships and the like.
ELECTION (1999)
00.15, ITV1
The tables are turned on Matthew Broderick aka Ferris Bueller, who plays a school teacher who’s personal life becomes complicated when he gets involved in the student elections.
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (1935)
00.20, BBC2
Marx Brothers comedy involving the duos attempts to bring together two lovers, whose romantic endeavors seem doomed to failure. Criminally not out on Region 2 yet, this is the perfect late-night opportunity to capture some of the brothers zaniest routines.
MONDAY
A SHOT IN THE DARK (1964)
19.00, FILM4
Best of the sequels to the ‘Panther’ films, sees Peter Sellers clumsy detective on fine form as he attempts to unravel a murder case at a country house. That catchy opening title score will stick in your memory for weeks along with the hilarious pratfalls of Clouseau.
BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989)
22.10, MORE4
Oliver Stone’s controversial adaptation of anti-war veteran Ron Kovic’s startling biography. Tom Cruise stars as the paralyzed hero who decides to become a pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country he fought for.
PAYBACK (1998)
23.05, ITV1
An update to the classic 1967 Lee Martin revenge thriller Point Blank, this time staring Mel Gibson as Porter, a man betrayed and left for dead by his own wife and best friend. But Porter enacts a bloody revenge after he survives the ordeal.
THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY (1979)
23.10, FILM4
With the unwelcome remake in sight feast your eyes on the nerve wracking masterly directing original, with Bob Hoskins as the prosperous London based gangster whose latest venture and very reputation is under threat by a mysterious syndicate. Also staring Helen Mirren and look out for a whole host of British tv drama character actors in minor roles.
PLAY MISTY FOR ME (1971)
00.20, ITV4
Clint Eastwood directs and stars in this suspenseful psychological thriller that pre-dates Fatal Attraction. A one-night stand with an obsessed fan turns nasty for a radio DJ, when another women enters the picture.
TUESDAY
BATMAN RETURNS (1992)
21.00, E4
Tim Burton ups the gothic tones and villainous stakes in his highly entertaining sequel, pitting Michael Keaton’s, now decidedly diminutive Batman, up against a leather clad Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwomen, Danny Devito’s blood-sucking Penguin and Christopher Walken’s corrupt businessman Max ‘Nosferatu’ Shreck.
DEAD MAN WALKING (1995)
21.00, VIRGIN1
Led by the firm direction of husband Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon won an Oscar for her portrayal as a nun who resorts to protecting a convicted killer (Sean Penn) on death row.
THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE (2002)
22.10, MORE4
A bit of a vanity project for the infamously debonair actor turned producer who scored hits with Chinatown and The Godfather in the 70s. This glossy documentary, narrated by the man himself, is an interesting if incomplete insight into the movie mogul’s wayward career and drug infested social life.
PLAY MISTY FOR ME (1971)
23.05, ITV4
Clint Eastwood directs and stars in this suspenseful psychological thriller that pre-dates Fatal Attraction. A one-night stand with an obsessed fan turns nasty for a radio DJ, when another women enters the picture.
SERIAL MOM (1994)
23.20, FILM4
Typically distasteful John Waters’ comedy staring mum Kathleen Turner as an unlikely serial killer.
THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE
01.05, MORE4
A bit of a vanity project for the infamously debonair actor turned producer who scored hits with Chinatown and The Godfather in the 70s. This glossy documentary, narrated by the man himself, is an interesting if incomplete insight into the movie mogul’s wayward career and drug infested social life.
WEDNESDAY
MY COUSIN VINNY (1992)
21.00, FILM4
Whatever happened to Joe Pesci? He’s hilarious here as the mishap inexperienced ‘lawyer’, who takes on defending a mistaken murder case for his young nephew (former Karate Kid Ralph Macchi). Marisa Tomei famously won an Oscar for her performance as his tart-with-a-heart girlfriend.
THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES (1976)
22.00, ITV4
Set during the end of the Civil War, this underrated Clint Eastwood western (he directs and also stars) concerns a Missouri farmer who joins a guerrilla group after his homestead is destroyed and family brutally murdered. Fine committed performances from Eastwood and Chief Dan George (who was 77 at the time!) along with crisp visuals and a potent script – that’s not afraid to showcase a comic touch – make this film riveting and thrilling in equal measure.
HELLBOY (2004)
23.30, FIVE US
Probably the most intelligent comic book adaptation for some time, Pan’s Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro’s ensures an absolute triumph in effective storytelling and rich production design. With regular collaborator Ron Peaman cleverly cast as the demon horned hero who defends the earth against the forces of darkness.
THURSDAY
WINCHESTER ‘73 (1950)
13.45, C4
Continuing the season of Anthony Mann/James Stewart westerns, (following last week’s screening of The Naked Spur) this one has old blue eyes as a man who wins the titular rifle during a marksmanship contest, only for him to be led on a relentless quest to retain it after it is stolen by another contender. Co-staring Shelley Winters and featuring an early role for Tony Curtis.
HELLBOY (2004)
21.00, FIVE US
Probably the most intelligent comic book adaptation for some time, Pan’s Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro’s ensures an absolute triumph in effective storytelling and rich production design. With regular collaborator Ron Peaman cleverly cast as the demon horned hero who defends the earth against the forces of darkness.
PALE RIDER (1985)
22.00, ITV4
Clint Eastwood stars and directs this return to the western (after a nine-year hiatus) playing a nameless preacher who becomes a defiant savior to a small town that is being threatened by a corporate mining boss. Look out for former Bond henchman Richard Kiel aka ‘Jaws’.
FIGHT CLUB (1999)
23.10, FILM4
You know the drill: Edward Norton plays an office employee who, upon meeting an impressionable young soap salesman Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), discovers a porthole to fuel his aggression through the seedy underworld of a boxing club.
COOGAN’S BLUFF (1968)
00.15, ITV4
Predating Dirty Harry by a few years, Coogan is a wayward, supposed Texan cop, played by Clint Eastwood who is given the responsibility to transport a prisoner but loses him en route. Ordered home, Coogan takes it upon himself to track down the criminal in the big city to redeem his ailing reputation.
NARC (2002)
01.10, C4
Given his most pragmatic role since Goodfellas’, Ray Liotta shines as an enigmatic over-weight cop in this menacing crime thriller. Jason Patric is the suspended narcotics officer brought back in attempt to solve the murder of another undercover narc. Edgy, erupting with vengeful energy, this is a brooding mystery – along the lines of Touch of Evil – which is filtered with chilling wintry visuals.
THE PROPOSITION (2005)
01.50, FILM4
Set against the desolate outback of 19th Century Australia this contemporary western stars Guy Pearce and Richard Wilson as two fugitive brothers who are locked up for attempted rape by Ray Winstone’s Captain Stanley. Stanley offers Charley the ‘proposition’ that if he finds and kills infamous older brother Arthur (a cold, calculating Danny Huston) they both will be set free. Nick Cave contributes both to the screenplay and the score in this brilliant character study.
FRIDAY
PATRIOT GAMES (1992)
21.00, FILM4
Philip Noyce’s political thriller is the first and best screen outing for Harrison Ford’s CIA analyst Jack Ryan, who’s out to defeat an Irish militant (led by Sean Bean who bagged the Bond villain role in Goldeneye after this) after he targets the royal family for assassination. A cast of exceptional British acting talents (Sean Bean, Richard Harris, James Fox, Hugh Frasier) star alongside the likes of Anne Archer, Thora Birch, Samuel L Jackson and James Earl Jones in this break-neck pace thriller with a killer speedboat climax.
COOGAN’S BLUFF (1968)
22.00, ITV4
Predating Dirty Harry by a few years, Coogan is a wayward, assumedly Texan cop, played by Clint Eastwood who is given the responsibility to transport a prisoner but loses him en route. Ordered home, Coogan takes it upon himself to track down the criminal in the big city to redeem his ailing reputation.
THE HUSTLER (1961)
23.10, FILM4
Paul Newman stars as the self-destructive small time pool player ‘fast Eddie Felson’ who takes on the challenge of attempting to defeat the veteran ‘Minnesota Fats’ (an Oscar winning Jackie Gleason), in this engaging drama that packs a powerful punch. Paul Newman would reprise this role some 25 years later in Martin Scorsese’s The Colour of Money.
WORKING GIRL (1988)
23.35, BBC1
The shoulder padded business women are back in this over sentimental 80s drama, which pits Melanie Griffith up against a tyrannical Sigourney Weaver. When Griffith’s bright young secretary finds that her innovative ideas have been stolen by her said employer, she uses all her might to win herself back some much earned recognition. Also staring Harrison Ford.
HISTORY OF THE WORLD PART 1 (1981)
00.00, ITV4
Mel Brook’s own rendition of the history of world events is a mostly hilarious satire with some exceptional performances from regular collaborators Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman and Harvey Korman.
Marcus Vindictus: Don’t you know your right flank from your left flank?
Captain Mucus: I’m sorry sir, I flunked flank.
Marcus Vindictus: You flunked flank? Get the flunk out of here!
