June 10, 2017
10 Films worth seeking out on Freeview TV this week.
Now, Voyager Sat 10/6 BBC2 @ 14.15
A repressed woman escapes her mothers influence and becomes a very different person. Bette Davis is fantastic in this, and turns in a far subtler performance than some of her other better known roles. A film that's dark in places, complex and wonderfully acted and full of dialogue you will know even if you haven't seen it before. All this and it has the coolest cigarette lighting scene in film history too.
Silverado Sat 10/6 RTE1 @ 14.50
A foursome of mismatched cowboys turns up at a small town run by an evil rancher and set out to set wrong to right. It's your quintessential western set up but it's so much fun and so well done that you can forgive any unoriginality. Superb cast in this one. Kevin Costner who always rocks it in this genre, Kevin Kline, Danny Glover and Scott Glenn. A perfect rainy afternoon film.
Papillon Sun 11/6 RTE1 @ 00.15
A seasoned criminal wrongly accused of murder finds himself on a supposedly inescapable island prison and sets out to get his life back. Will he find the resolve to deal with life on the island while planning his escape? Steve McQueen is excellent in this harsh, grim but thoroughly exciting film. It's a long one but the time flies by and Dustin Hoffman is as usual, great in a supporting role as McQueen's fellow convict.
Captain America : The Winter Soldier Sun 11/6 BBC1 @ 22.30
Captain America returns in his second film and finds out that allies he once trusted have far reaching and sinister plans for the people of earth. For my money the best of all the films Marvel studios has released so far. Ya it's full of CGI and action but it feels considered and mature as well. And has more than a hint of 70's paranoia thriller to it. Chris Evans is great as Cap as usual and gets cracking support from Scarlet Johansson and Robert Redford.
The Blue Lamp Mon 12/6 TCM @ 15.00
An elderly London copper who is due to retire takes on a new recruit who is more suited to the criminals of the day. Yes, it sounds like every cop film and tv show you've ever heard of but this came first, being made in 1950. Gritty for its time and accurately showing the slog of police work, this a fine little noirish thriller buoyed by great acting from Jack Warner and Dirk Bogarde especially as the criminal of the piece.
Full Metal Jacket Tue 13/6 ITV4 @ 22.00
Stanley Kubrick's anti war masterpiece follows a soldier from the hell of basic training to the hell of warfare. There's no glorification of battle or military in this film. There's only viciousness, death and the stripping away of humanity. Matthew Modine gives a career best performance as Private Joker but everyone remembers Vincent D'Onofrio and R. Lee Ermey as a cracked trainee and an evil bastard of a drill sergeant. A stunner of a film.
Gilda Wed 14/6 Film4 @ 11.00
A small time crook is saved from certain death by a casino owner and they gradually become friends and colleagues until a woman comes between them. OF COURSE. The woman is Rita Hayworth though so its totally understandable. She's the star of this nice little noir drama. Lovely looking and surprisingly forward thinking in places this is well worth a watch. Stellar support from Glenn Ford too as always.
The Lost Boys Wed 14/6 SyFy @ 21.00
A family moves to a nice beach town to start a new life and finds the place has a far darker side than they could have imagined. A film that is as 80's as they come and one that is insanely entertaining. A scary, gooey, imaginative and flat out fun take on an old tale. Brilliantly 80s cast in this too with Corey's Haim & Feldman, Dianne Wiest, Jamie Gertz & Jason Patric but Kiefer Sutherland robs the film from all of them with a star making role.
Cold Mountain Fri 16/6 W @ 21.00
For my money, 1 of the most underrated films of this century so far. A man & woman divided by the American civil war struggle to survive in the hope they will meet again one day. A romantic, action packed &.... just a great film, full of people you want to see succeed & survive. Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, Brendan Gleeson & Philip Seymour Hoffman are all super but Renee Zellweger owns the film, she's so good in this. I love this film. Obviously.
The Butcher Boy Fri 16/6 RTE2 @ 21.30
Francie Brady is a strange sort of boy. And strange boys aren't tolerated in 1960's Monaghan. Eamonn Owens is amazing in the lead role. It's a tour de force performance and amazingly it was his first film. A film that's by turns hilarious, grim as hell, black as night and just utterly compelling. Super supporting cast too full of well known faces. A film not everyone will like but really worth sticking with.
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