It's Complicated Sat 4/7 RTE1 @ 21.45
Jane and Jake have been divorced for a decade. Jake is remarried. Jane has a new man. So why would they make life hard for themselves and rekindle a lost love? This romcom is a highly enjoyable watch, full of heart and perfect comic timing. Old pro's like Meryl Streep & Alec Baldwin mix with newer faces like John Krasinksi & Lake Bell to fun effect. Plus Steve Martin rocks up. What's not to like.
Glassland Sat 4/7 TG4 @ 22.05
John is a young Dublin taxi driver struggling with financial problems and his mother who is rapidly drinking herself to death. To earn money to help his mother he finds himself in a very dark place. This 2014 film from Gerard Barrett is a tough, unsettling watch at the darker side of Irish society. It's far from enjoyable but worth watching for some superb acting from Toni Collette, Jack Reynor and Will Poulter.
What Doesn't Kill You Sun 5/7 BBC1 @ 00.30
Two life long friends from South Boston have been through it all. Drug addiction, crime sprees, new families. One tries to go straight but his loyalty to the other won't let him leave. Cliche abounds in this gritty crime thriller but two fine lead turns from Mark Ruffalo & Ethan Hawke, the palpable chemistry between them and a substantial, genuine feeling script means it will soon sink it's claws into you.
Local Hero Sun 5/7 Film4 @ 14.35
A representative of a huge American oil company arrives in the far reaches of Scotland looking to buy up an entire village. Small villages have a way of charming visitors though. A lovely little gem from 1983 full of fun performances, sly asides on the nature of big businesses & small communities and some glorious scenery. Burt Lancaster, Peter Reigert, Jenny Seagrove and a very young Peter Capaldi all add to the mix.
A Knight's Tale Sun 5/7 RTE1 @ 15.20
An absolute chancer decides to make an name for himself and reinvents himself as a knight and expert jouster. One of the most entertaining films of the 21st century. This is just pure fun. Heath Ledger in the lead rocks and Shannyn Sossamon is lovely as the woman who catches his eye. Add in a killer soundtrack and your have a super way to spend a rainy Sunday. The use of David Bowie's Golden Years is just perfect.
Cowboys & Aliens Mon 6/7 TG4 @ 21.30
The frontier town of Absolution is ruled by fear but it's populace and the people keepng them down must come together to face off against a threat from the skies. Yes I know it sounds utterly ridiculous and yes let's be honest it is but it's also an entertaining and surprisingly gritty western that despite it's subject matter feels pleasingly old fashioned. Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, Olivia Wild and Sam Rockwell all add to the fun.
Custody Mon 6/7 Film4 @ 23.20
Miriam and Antoine are divorced. Antoine is willing to change his life to be closer to his kids and his ex wife but his kids are rather uneasy around him. This 2017 french drama is a tough look at the effect the break up of a marriage can have on the psyche of a child. A watch that starts in a quiet fashion before painfully peeling back it's layers. The acting from Léa Drucker and Denis Ménochet is stunning.
Charley Varrick Mon 6/7 TCM @ 23.30
After a bloody but successful bank robbery a man and his friend go on the run. Things get scary when they realise they've robbed a mob run bank. One robber wants to lay low but the other......well....he doesn't. Don Siegel's thriller is a classic, a smart and well paced movie that crackles with giddy tension. Walter Matthau, Andy Robinson and a scary Joe Don Baker all do mighty work in a perfect example of 70's crime cinema.
The Reef Tues 7/7 The Horror Channel @ 00.55
While on his way to deliver a yacht to a buyer in Indonesia a man brings along a group of friends for the trip. While navigating a coral reef they crash and sink and soon realise they aren't the only apex species in the water. A well acted and exceedingly tense take on an age old tale that's filled with actors you won't recognise and therefore won't have any idea who'll make it to the end credits and who won't.
Ex Machina Tues 7/7 Film4 @ 23.15
Caleb, a young computer programmer is selected to take part in a secret experiment and finds himself working with a piece of ground breaking science. Alex Garland's sci-fi drama is a cracker, one of the best films of 2014. A smart and uneasy tale that will worm it's way into your head and stay for long after this film is over. Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander and Oscar Isaac are spot on in the lead roles.
To Each His Own Wed 8/7 TCM @ 01.05
Josephine is pregnant. But she's unwed and the Great War is in full flow. To avoid gossip she gives the child up for adoption but he's never far from her thoughts. A surprisingly direct, for the time, and unsentimental look at the pain and loneliness of giving up a child carried by an Academy Award winning performance from Olivia De Havilland (Whos still with us at the age of 104). Mary Anderson and Roland Culver work well in support.
Boyhood Thur 9/7 CH4 @ 01.25
A masterpiece a decade in the making. A simple story of a boy and his mother growing up over the course of 10 years. Done over a few days in each year it's a magical experience watching two people grow up and age before your eyes. The story is minimalistic but that's not what the film is about at all. Ellar Coltrane is solid in his debut appearance but Patricia Arquette owns the film with a masterful performance. A truly unique and absorbing movie.
Destry Rides Again Fri 10/7 TCM @ 09.55
The cattle town of Bottleneck is a shifty spot at the best of times and big man around town, Kent, thinks he runs the show. He didn't prepare for Tom Destry though. A gloriously entertaining slice of western escapism here. James Stewart, as always, does deadly work but Marlene Dietrich as Frenchie the singer steals the show big time. If you like Blazing Saddles her character will seem very familiar. A film to record and watch when you're in bad form.
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