April 14, 2018

10 films worth watching on TV this week


Big Game   Sat   14/4   CH4 @ 23.15

A young Finnish boy gets more than he bargained for when he comes across a downed plane one day as he is out hunting. This film is so much fun. Yeah, it's over the top and outright ridiculous in places but if you let yourself go with it you'll have a great laugh. Onni Tommila as the young chap is fine but Samuel L. Jackson and Ray Stevenson have a whale of a time

The Sea   Sun   15/4   RTE2 @ 00.50

Following the death of his wife, a grieving husband returns to the seaside town in Wexford where he spent his childhood summers in an attempt to find some kind of peace. The always reliable Ciaran Hinds is superb in the lead role of this touching and profound drama about the effects of grief and loss. It might be too slow moving for some but if you stick with it you'll be rewarded. Sinead Cusack, Charlotte Rampling and Natasha McElhone all ace it.

The Homesman   Sun   15/4  BBC2 @ 22.20

Two people, a man and a woman escort three women in need of help across the country. A harsh and starkly realistic depiction of how life was for women during the pioneering days of the American west. This is a dark stuff, and thankfully shot through with a vein of darker comedy and carried by some excellent acting from Hilary Swank and Tommy Lee Jones ( who also directed it ). Really worth a watch but make sure you are in the right mood for it.

Out Of The Furnace   Mon   16/4   CH4 @ 00.05

Living in America's Rust Belt is tough and two brothers dream of getting away from the misery but cruelly life always manages to get in the way of the best laid plan. Christian Bale and Casey Affleck make for a cracking pair of leads in this tough and violent thriller about a side of the American dream that rarely makes it to the big screen. Zoe Saldana and an evil Woody Harrelson round out a superb cast.

Monsieur Lazhar   Mon   16/4   Film4 @ 01.45

After tragedy strikes a Montreal school, an Algerian teacher named Monsieur Lazhar is hired to filled a vacancy. There's more to him than meets the eye though. A truly lovely movie and a deeply humane one that manages to be topical at the same time. It probably will upset you but this is really worth throwing in the planner. God only knows why it's on so late. Mohamed Saïd Fellag and Sophie Nélisse are aces.

Escape From New York   Tues   17/4   Syfy @ 21.00

Manhattan in the future is a walled off and scary place as Snake Plissken finds out when he's tasked to get in there and rescue the President who's plane has crashed. John Carpenter's cult thriller is a magnificent piece of escapism and while it may be dated ( the future is 2001) it's still brilliant fun and has a mighty cast including Kurt Russell, Adrienne Barbeau, Donald Pleasance and Lee Van Cleef who are all on form.

Trainwreck   Wed   18/4   RTE2 @ 21.00

A woman grows up taking the advice of her father far too literally and while she enjoys herself in the short term, she starts to wonder if listening to him has effected her life negatively. Amy Schumer is a super lead in this overlong but very entertaining comedy drama about taking stock of things and taking responsibility. Brie Larson, Bill Hader and John Cena all provide good back up and plenty of laughs.

Intruders   Wed   18/4   Film4 @ 23.35

Anna suffers from agoraphobia and lives in her childhood home. 3 men break in looking to ransack the place and due to her condition she can't run for help. The 3 then slowly realise they've made a big mistake. This is an effective, efficient and well acted thriller that despite going a bit off the rails at times is well worth a watch. Beth Riesgraf in the lead is one to watch in the future.

Turbo Kid   Fri   20/4   The Horror Channel @ 21.00

It's 9pm friday night so it's post apocalyptic thriller time! The Kid is a comic book obsessed scavenger in a desolate wasteland who much step up and fight evil when the time comes. A hilariously gory homage to the sci-fi flicks of the 1980's and one that's bursting with spirit and invention. If you can get past the blood and guts you'll really enjoy yourself. Munro Chambers as the kid is solid & Michael Ironside as always is a fantastic baddie.

Almost Famous   Fri/Sat   20/4   RTE2 @01.05

A young wannabe rock journalist blags his way into a concert to write an article about a rock band and soon finds himself very out of his depth. A masterpiece and probably my favourite movie of this century. Cameron Crowe's 70's set comedy drama is a glorious evocation of the period filled with unreal music and acting. Patrick Fugit plays the lead but Frances McDormand and Kate Hudson own the film.






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