April 29, 2017

10 movies to watch on Freeview TV this week



Carol   Sat   29/4   Ch4 @ 21.00

2 women from very different backgrounds fall in love in New York in the 50's. As you can imagine all sorts of feathers are ruffled, especially the husband of one. A big gorgeous looking love story with cracking acting from Cate Blanchett and especially Rooney Mara. Kyle Chandler in support is good value as always. The slow pace may bother some people but this is worth sticking with til the end.

Calvary   Sat   29/4   BBC2 @ 21.30

A priest's life is threatened and he spends the next week trying to figure out  who his would be killer is. A dark and brooding comedy drama with a magnificent central performance from Brendan Gleeson as the parish priest who delves into his flock for answers. Cracking support from some very well known Irish faces too including Chris O'Dowd in fine form in a rare non comedic role. Superb Sligo scenery in this too.

The Fountain   Sat   29/4   TG4 @ 23.25

A film about love and life set in 3 time periods spanning 900 years. Starring Hugh Jackman in 2 different roles. Yes, Jackman has done films other than Wolverine. He is excellent in this as is Rachel Weisz, the love of his life who he will do anything for. It sounds a bit bizarre this this is great, absorbing stuff unique stuff that will draw you in and best of all, it's only 95 minutes long. You can't bate a nice short film.

Tucker And Dale Vs Evil   Sun   30/4   Horror Channel @ 21.00

Fun ensues when holidaying hillbillies find themselves staying near a bunch of partying students in the woods. This takes the tropes of 80's slasher films and turns them on their heads in hilariously gooey ways. Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk are good fun as a pair of initially gormless fools who then turn out to be anything but. You'll get the most out of this if you've seen Friday The 13th etc but its still great craic if you haven't.


Once Upon A Time In America   Mon   1/5   TG4 @ 21.05

Sergio Leone's film is an honest to god masterpiece while being a troubling and problematic watch too. A deep and complex tale of a man and his friends and their life of crime spanning 5 decades. This is a film that demands your attention and your time as it's nearly 4 hours long. Ya, its long but it's never ever boring. It's an experience. Robert De Niro is astounding in the lead role. He's utterly repellent but you can't look away from him. 

Margin Call   Mon   1/5   BBC2 @ 23.00

An excellent and quietly frightening look into the early days of a financial crash. Complicated stuff but all told in a way that gets the financial jargon across so as to not alienate the viewers. Super cast in this one and shout outs go to Kevin Spacey & Zachery Quinto but Stanley Tucci in a supporting role steals the film from all. In fairness he's usually the best thing in any film he's in. Thought provoking stuff.

The Night Of The Hunter   Tues   2/5   TCM @ 15.00

Southern gothic par excellence as two young children go on the run after their mother's murder with an evil preacher on their trail. Robert Mitchum is just excellent in this. Id go so far to say as it's a career best performance as an utterly terrifying malevolent presence. I hesitate to call this a horror film but it's definitely a dark and scary fairytale. A glorious looking one too. Definitely my film of the week. Odd time to be on though.

The Faculty   Wed   3/5   Syfy @ 22.00

Strange occurrences at a football obsessed Texas high school catch the attention of a group of students. No one believes them of course and chaos ensues. Highly entertaining stuff from the writers of Scream and has the same blend of laughs and scares but with a sci-fi tinge this time around. Good performances from Josh Hartnett, Elijah Wood, Clea Duvall and Jordana Brewster, all looking very fresh faced. 

The Lady From Shanghai   Fri   4/5   Film4 @ 11.00

Film noir heaven from director Orson Welles. Rita Hayward is stunning as a woman using her wiles to entice a man into a scam involving her husband. A convoluted Hitchcockian tale but at the same time immensely watchable. Hayward is great and the camera loves her. Welles himself is perfect as the male lead too. Super stuff with a memorable climax thats been imitated in so many films that it will ring a bell the second you see it.

The Last Stand   Fri   5/5   TV3 @ 21.00

A drug dealer on the run is looking to get back into Mexico through a quiet border town. And the sheriff of that border town? None other than a creaky old Arnold Schwarzeneggar. You can guess what happens. Great fun happens that's what! Arnie is old but still has the action chops. A highly entertaining Friday night film full of fun and inventively bloody action sequences. Good support from Luis Guzman and Peter Stormare.

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