7 films worth seeking out for the week ahead.

Sat 14th Film4 @23.15

Blue Ruin. A man returns to where he grew up for a spot of revenge. That's all you need to know. A gripping little lo-fi thriller full of tension, nasty violence and super acting from a cast of faces you won't recognise at all. The same director made last year's excellent Green Room. I expect his next film will be called Red House or something!

Sun 15 RTE 1 @00.05

Gangster Squad. I'm in the minority here it seems but I thoroughly enjoyed this brutal, pulpy and entertaining story of cops vs gangsters set in post war Los Angeles. John O'Mara ( My Da's name, I got a great kick out of this) played by Josh Brolin, in full on tough guy mode, builds a team of hardy cops to take down arch criminal Mickey Cohen. Bullets, blood and hard boiled dialogue fly across the screen. A fun way to pass 2 hours.

Sun 15th RTE 2 @14.25

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Michael Caine is at his hilariously slimy best in this genuinely funny comedy about con artists on the French riviera. Steve Martin is his rival/partner who teams up with him to trick a rich heiress played by Glenne Headly. Things do not go to plan. A perfect Sunday afternoon movie.

Mon 16th TCM @23.00

Mad Max 2. Action film nirvana. In an apocalyptic future water and petrol are precious commodities and people are willing to kill and die for them. A drifter helps defend the innocent from a pack of lunatics. A brilliantly entertaining and inventive movie with some of THE best stunts ever. Mel Gibson barely talks but carries the story with aplomb.

Tues 17th Film4 @12.50

My Darling Clementine. I'm a sucker for the old westerns and this 1946 John Ford directed version of the story of Wyatt Earp & Doc Holliday & the OK Corral shoot out is a fave. It's in black and white, it's 71 years old but seems fresh as a daisy and moves like a freight train. Henry Fonda's performance as Earp is still the best, slow, deliberate and the exact opposite of Victor Mature's fun performance of Doc Holliday. I love this film.

Wed 18th More 4 @11.00

The Flight Of The Phoenix. The original and best version of the tale of a group of survivors of a plane crash in the Sahara and their plans to escape their predicament. A tense, sweaty, compelling and absorbing film with a super cast; James Stewart, Dicky Attenborough and well known tough guys like Ernest Borgnine & George Kennedy. It's 2.5 hrs long but it flies by. Unlike the plane! Sorry.

Fri 20th RTE 1 @23.55

Postcards From The Edge. Meryl Streep is on top form as a film star trying to rebuild both her career and her relationship with her mother after a cocaine overdose nearly kills her. The late great Carrie Fisher wrote this funny and moving film from her own novel which was kinda sorta based on her own life. Great supporting cast too including Shirley Maclaine, Gene Hackman & Richard Dreyfuss.