Woman In Gold Sat 13/5 BBC2 @ 20.30
A woman flees nazi's in prewar Austria and leaves everyone she knows and everything she owns behind. 50 years later she decides to get some of her belongings back, including one very famous piece of art. A fantastically acted legal drama with a super cast including Daniel Bruhl, Tatiana Maslany, Ryan Reynolds and the magnificent Helen Mirren. Far more gripping and interesting than it sounds, and a decent history lesson to boot.
Basic Instinct Sat 13/5 TV3 @ 22.15
A woman is suspected of murdering a rock star and the cop investigating her gets a little bit too close to her. While having issues of his own. Everyone remembers this one for its sex scenes & dubious undertones but its actually a very atmospheric thriller with more than a touch of Hitchcock to it. In fact if Alfred had been making films in a less censorious time he'd probably have made this. Sharon Stone steals this film with a great femme fatale role.
A Bronx Tale Sun 14/5 RTE1 @ 00.30
A young man growing up in the Bronx in the 60's finds himself torn between his hard working father and the glamorous allure of the local gangsters. Robert De Niro's directorial debut is a charming, nostalgic, authentic and absorbing film with a super soundtrack. De Niro is solid as always as is Chazz Palminteri. Sadly Lillo Brancato who played the lead decided the life of crime was for him in real life and was sent to jail for murder. The muppet.
Half Of A Yellow Sun Sun 14/5 BBC2 @ 22.00
2 sisters with opposing ideologies find themselves drawn together during civil unrest in 1960's Nigeria. This film wasn't well reviewed on release but I genuinely liked it. Some of Britains finest actor's probably help the film's case too. Thandie Newton (so good recently in Line Of Duty), Chiwetel Ejiofor and John Boyega are all great as usual and the film will give you an insight into an area of history we rarely hear about in the west.
Rio Grande Mon 15/5 Film4 @ 14.00
Set after the American civil war, a Lieutenant deals with training his son to fight the Apache and with his estranged wife who wants her son to have no part in war. John Wayne is a natural in these roles and Maureen O'Hara is great with a complex layered performance not usually seen in these films. Dated depiction of Native Americans aside this is a deep, rich, romantic, epic film. Great musical score too.
Society Tues 16/5 Horror Channel @ 22.45
A young Beverly Hills teenager feels quite different to the rest of his family and friends but can't figure out why. Until one night he finds out. And it isn't good. It isn't good at all. A gloriously dark piece of social commentary that's in turn hilarious, highly original, sickening, jawdropping and tbh insane. This is the very definition of a cult film and one that you will not forget anytime soon.
The Debt Thur 18/5 Ch4 @ 01.25
3 Mossad agents who took part in covert operations in cold war Germany find themselves haunted by their actions decades later. A cracking little thriller that cuts between action in the 1960's and the 1990's. A old fashioned, suspenseful and in places quite dark film that will keep you hooked for 2 hours. Super cast too all in good form, second film of the week for Helen Mirren, also Ciaran Hinds, Jessica Chastain and Tom Wilkinson.
The Prisoner Of Second Avenue Thur 18/5 TCM @ 18.55
A happily married well off couple in Manhattan find their lives turned upside down after a run of bad luck during a recession knocks them on their arses. But they aren't going out without a fight. From the pen of Neil Simon and starring Jack Lemmon & Anne Bancroft, both great, this sounds depressing but it's anything but. A darkly hilarious comedy drama that still resonates in this age of uncertainty.
The Three Muskateers Fri 19/5 Film4 @ 16.25
The 1973, and for me, the definitive version of the famous Alexandre Dumas tale of a young man who comes to Paris to join the Kings guard. Brilliant swashbuckling fun ensues. Plus hilarity, bucket loads of it. Unreal cast in this one, Michael York, Oliver Reed, Spike Milligan, Raquel Welch, Charlton Heston and the much missed Christopher Lee all on fine form. Hopefully Film4 will show the sequel soon.
Grabbers Fri 19/5 RTE2 @ 21.40
Residents of an island off the west coast of Ireland find themselves under attack by man eating aliens. They devise a very Irish way to defend themselves. Yup, an Irish monster film and every bit as entertaining as it sounds. It reminds me of Tremors, in that it's a great mix of laughs and scares and gooey bits plus it has characters you don't want to see ending up as monster munch. Ruth Bradley as the Garda in charge leads a great cast.
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