Your guide to everything you should be watching this week…
SATURDAY
JESSE JAMES (1939)
12.45, BBC2
Timed to coincide with the cinematic release of the new version of the classic true-to-life-legend, this is one of the earlier adaptations of ‘The most Colourful Outlaw who ever lived’. Tyrone Power takes the lead in a powerful western that also stars Henry Fonda and Randolph Scott.
EYE OF THE NEEDLE (1981)
13.00, MORE4
This is the film that got director Richard Marquand his directorial stint on the third (but sixth) Star Wars film Return of the Jedi. It stars Donald Sutherland as a ruthless German spy who is trying desperately to get out of Britain to spread information about D-Day.
FILM 2007 WITH JONATHAN ROSS
Brad Pitt talks about his new film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
LIVE AND LET DIE (1973)
15.05, ITV1 (Continuing at 16.55)
Roger Moore’s first outing as the super suave spy is a groovy 70s affair with Bond attempting to infiltrate a heroin king (played by Alien actor Yaphet Kotto) in a Caribbean Island. Paul McCartney and ‘Wings’ provide the catchy title number, while Jane Seymour is the virginal Tarot card reader who helps him.
THE 100 GREATEST FILMS
21.00, E4
Commencing from number 40, this is the countdown conclusion to quite possibly the greatest films ever made. Featuring interviews with some of the cast and crew from the classics.
ADAPTATION (2002)
21.00, FIVE LIFE
Spike Jonze’s second feature, (following on from the wonderfully surreal heels of Being John Malkovich) is a bogus endeavour into a writer’s struggle to adapt a best seller. ‘Donald Kaufman’ had the extraordinary feat of being nominated for a Golden Globe despite being a fictional character. Nicholas Cage plays both Donald and the real life scribe Charlie Kaufman.
I HEART HUCKABEES (2004)
22.05, MORE4
Clever comedy about a husband and wife team (Lily Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman) who help others over come their existential fears of life and the state of the universe.
BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985)
22.25, ITV2
That adrenaline inducing mid 80s time-traveling classic, staring Michael J Fox as an adolescent who goes back to 1955 to convince a scientist that he invented a time machine in the future to help his parents re-bridge their relationship and to get himself back to 1985.
POSISON IVY (1992)
23.00, FIVE US
Drew Barrymore stars in this cult teen thriller about the powers of a seductive high school teen to weave her way into the lives of an introverted student’s wealthy family.
THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999)
01.10, C4
Love it or loathe it nobody can denial Blair Witch was a fundamental breakthrough in terms of cunningly contrived internet marketing. Overwhelmed by a local folklore about a prowling witch which haunts the forest, three documentary filmmakers journey into the woods, get lost and start hearing some strange noises. Agonizingly claustrophobic, this barbarically plays on the viewer’s most primal inner fears to evoke the true horror of the piece, over routine shock visuals.
SUNDAY
THE TRUE STORY OF JESSE JAMES (1956)
17.10, FILM4
Nicholas Ray’s take on the outlaw legend stars Robert Wagner as the famed but doomed outlaw, in one of the vintage adaptations, depicting the final 18 years of Jesse James’ life.
ELF (2003)
17.45, C4
The Christmas film season is almost upon us and so to get you into the mood C4 screens this contemporary festive tail. Will Ferrell stars as the adult elf who, as a boy, hid in Santa’s sack one Christmas only to find himself subsequently raised by elves. Now on the look out for his birth father he returns to New York in an attempt to locate him.
PRIZZI’S HONOR (1985)
21.00, ITV3
John Huston directed both his daughter Angelica and son in law Jack Nicholson in this mafia satire about a hit man who falls in love with a woman who is hired to kill him (Kathleen Turner). Will love concur all or kill them both?
DEAD MAN WALKING (1995)
22.00, 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.
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981)
23.10, ITV4
John Carpenter’s original science fiction masterpiece casts Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken, a former war hero sent to prison for robbery, who is released to rescue President Donald Pleasance from the hostile walled prison island of Manhatten. Tense, raw and real this is Carpenter (and Russell) firing on all cylinders.
CHOPPER (2000)
00.20, BBC2
Andrew Dominik (who is about to unleash his prestigious take on the legend of Jesse James) directs an ideally casts Eric Bana as the titular notorious Australian criminal (and novelist) in this sharp, shocking but often hilarious drama.
BATMAN RETURNS (1992)
22.00, 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.
MAD MAX 2 (1981)
22.00, ITV2
Superior sequel to George Miller’s original hit sees Mad Max Rockatansky take to the road in a post-apocalyptic future wasteland. Featuring a truly ace climatic chase sequence, this is a plot less but gritty action thriller that is a test of adrenaline-inducing endurance.
PRIZZI’S HONOR (1985)
01.35, ITV3
John Huston directed both his daughter Angelica and son in law Jack Nicholson in this mafia satire about a hit man who falls in love with a woman who is hired to kill him (Kathleen Turner). Will love concur all or kill them both?
MONDAY
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981)
21.00, ITV4
John Carpenter’s original science fiction masterpiece casts Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken, a former war hero sent to prison for robbery, who is released to rescue President Donald Pleasence from the hostile walled prison island of Manhattan. Tense, raw and real this is Carpenter (and Russell) firing on all cylinders.
THE DESCENT (2005)
22.00, C4
It may lose a considerable amount of its claustrophobic cinematic clout on the small screen, but this exceptional Brit horror from Dog Solders director Neil Marshall still retains an eerie and deliciously spooky ambiance. A group of female cave explorers get more than they bargained for when their latest caving expedition goes horribly wrong and they become hunted by a relentless breed of blood hungry predators.
GOODFELLAS (1990)
22.00, FIVE
Widely regarded (alongside The Godfather Part 1 & 2) as one of the quintessential gangster movies this, as we all know, should have been the movie that bagged Martin Scorsese that Oscar. One of those epic gangster pics that, despite the 145 minute running time, completely absorbs you from riveting start to hard hitting finish. The true rise and fall story of cocky small time gangster Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), who joins forces with a group of veteran mobsters to undertake some of the biggest heists to hit New York.
JAGGED EDGE (1985)
22.10, MORE4
Accused of the brutal murder of his wife, Jack Forrester (Jeff Bridges) hires the talents of tough defense lawyer Glenn Close. Chemistry begins to brew between the two in this archetypal 80s thriller with a killer twist.
THE THING (1982)
22.55, ITV4
Scientists in the Antarctic come under threat by a shape-shifting monster that can mimic the appearances of anyone it comes into contact. That rare breed of a remake that offers an interesting and audacious spin on previous proceedings, this is a cold claustrophobic horror that reinvents the titular monster to haunting special effect possibilities.
MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
01.00, C4
Jon Voight is the Texan rent boy who wants to make it big in The Big Apple. Befriending down and out con artist Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), the two attempt to hustle their way through the hostility of the city. Heart warming drama which presented Hoffman with the break through role he truly deserved.
TUESDAY
BRASSED OFF (1996)
21.00, FILM4
A coal mine in a Northern town faces closure by the authorities, but theres more than the miner’s jobs are steak, the village colliery band is also wavering. Can the presence of new recruit Tara Fitzgerald inject hope and new life into the band? This is a charming British drama which throws an almighty powerful political punch.
THE THING (1982)
22.00, ITV4
Scientists in the Antarctic come under threat by a shape-shifting monster that can mimic the appearances of anyone it comes into contact. That rare breed of a remake that offers an interesting and audacious spin on previous proceedings, this is a cold claustrophobic horror that reinvents the titular monster to haunting special effect possibilities.
FIGHT CLUB (1999)
23.05, 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.
THE FOG (1978)
00.10, ITV4
Not the soulless forgettable remake, but John Carpenter’s menacing original camp fire classic that centers around a small coastal town that is terrorized by a fog which breeds ghostly entities. This stars Carpenter regulars Adrianne Barbeau, Jame Leigh Curtis and original scream queen Janet Leigh.
THE PROPOSITION (2004)
01.45, 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.
WEDNESDAY
BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)
17.05, FILM4
Superior sequel. This involves Dr Frankenstein’s esteemed attempts to find Boris Karloff’s monster a mate. Gorgeously gothic, brimming with sexual tension and innuendo this is a daring sequel that deserves continued recognition.
THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN (2005)
21.00, ITV1
Better late than never…comedy staring Steve Carell as the virginal middle age man who lets it slip that he’s never done the deed. His friends embark on a mission to rid him of this life long chastity.
RISING SUN (1993)
22.00, FIVE
The star clout of Sean Connery suggests more than the usual run-of-the-mill thriller and this mystery doesn’t disappoint. The murder of a professional mistress at the offices of a Japanese corporation sparks the interest of skeptical former police captain and Japanese expect John Connor (Connery), who senses there’s more than meets the eye.
THE FOG (1978)
23.00, ITV4
Not the soulless remake, but John Carpenter’s menacing original camp fire classic, which centers around a small coastal town that is terrorized by a breed of ghostly entities. This stars Carpenter regulars Adrianne Barbeau, Jame Leigh Curtis and original scream queen Janet Leigh.
THURDAY
LIFEBOAT
13.40, C4
One of Hitchcock’s trademark confined set thrillers, this one plays out entirely on the titular vessel where a group of survivors from a torpedoed ship find themselves literally in the same boat of one of their perpetrators. A thrilling mystery that inventively uses its restricted space to evoke an overwhelming bout of suspense, and featuring one of Hitchcock’s truly inventive cameos.
THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)
14.15, FILM4
Superior sequel. This involves Dr Frankenstein’s esteemed attempts to find Boris Karloff’s monster a mate. Gorgeously gothic, brimming with sexual tension and innuendo this is a daring sequel that deserves continued recognition.
PRIMAL FEAR (1996)
01.40, FILM4
“Sooner or later a man who wears two faces forgets which one is real” The seemingly standard courtroom thriller that revealed the vicarious talents of Edward Norton. He propels the tension here as the accused would-be murderer who suffers from multi-personality disorder. Can Richard Gere’s high-powered lawyer win a seemingly doomed case?
FRIDAY
GHOSTBUSTERS (1984)
19.00, FILM4
When there’s something strange in your neighborhood who you gonna call? Well the exterminator would have been the original choice, but after spooks take Manhattan by storm there’s only one group up to the challenge. Hilarious and pretty dam scary in equally measure, this is the film that we were all raving about back in the early 80s.
SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS
01.20, FILM4
Preston Sturges’ magnificant take on Homer’s The Odyssey, sees Joel McCrea as the successful low brow movie director who decides to restore faith and feeling into his directorial resume by taking to the road to make a social trouble movie entitled ‘O Brother Where Art Thou?’.
MILLER’S CROSSING
23.10, FILM4
The Coen’s typically stylish unorthodox take on the gangster flick, set in Prohibition era 1930s. Albert Finney is the crime lord whose existence is under threat by Jon Polito’s rival gangster group. A layered labyrinth plot endues, which evokes allegiances to classic crime literature of the period while conjuring up a tale primarily focused on the wayward power of friendship.
