The Missing Sat 29/7 RTE1 @ 23.35
A woman living on the 19th century New Mexico frontier and her estranged father go on the hunt when her daughter is kidnapped by rogue Apaches. Cate Blanchett is brilliant in the lead role, hardy as hell and well able to hold her own against the hardships of frontier life. Tommy Lee Jones as her Da is great as always. The film gives an authentic insight into Native American culture too & is a rare modern western where they aren't saints.
As Above, So Below Sun 30/7 Film4 @ 00.40
A group of explorers venture into the maze-like catacombs below Paris and they find strange unexpected things in the darkness. This is one full blooded horror film right here, claustrophobic, intense, jumpy & nerve shredding. If you are afraid of small spaces don't even bother with this. If you aren't then you'll enjoy it. Well no, enjoy is the wrong word but you'll be glad you watched. Perdita Weeks in the lead role is excellent.
Pride Sun 30/7 BBC2 @ 22.00
Gay activists & striking coal miners become unlikely partners in 1980's England when both find themselves suffering under the yoke of Margaret Thatcher. An excellent drama that's both upsetting and inspiring and is a cracking little history lesson to boot. Joseph Gilgun and Imelda Stauton amongst others are excellent but Bill Nighy is just superb in a true story that you'll be absolutely glued to.
Night Of The Hunter Mon 31/7 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. He's an utterly terrifying and malevolent presence. I hesitate to call this a horror film but it's definitely a dark and scary fairytale. A glorious looking one too. This is a film that will stick with you.
Harry Brown Mon 31/7 ITV4 @ 22.05
An elderly widowed man lives a miserable existence on a drug addled London housing estate. The death of a close friend is the final straw for him. Michael Caine brings immense gravitas to this grimy and nasty but very gripping modern day morality tale. Liam Cunningham and Emily Mortimer are very solid in support. This is tough stuff and will be too much for some people so be warned.
Excalibur Mon 31/1 RTE1 @ 22.35
A stylish, bloody and sexually charged retelling of the story of King Arthur and the knights of the round table. Definitely the best cinematic version of the famous tale so far. This one has an absolutely cracking cast of British & Irish actors led by Nigel Terry and Helen Mirren on top form. Keep an eye out for a very young Liam Neeson in one of his first roles too. A very entertaining film. Plus parts of this were filmed in Wicklow and Tipperary.
NB - There's a documentary about the making of this on RTE before it at 21.30. Many thanks to @JTMoomin for telling me about this.
Force Majeure Tues 1/8 Film4 @ 23.10
A Swedish family in the Alps find themselves in a very confusing situation after an unexpected reaction during an avalanche. A wry, biting look at masculinity and what can go wrong with it. Cringy, darkly hilarious, upsetting and mortifying at times, its hard to watch but you won't be able to look away. Top notch acting too with 2 superb performances from Johannes Kuhnke & Lisa Loven Kongsli. Great, original stuff.
Man Up Wed 2/8 BBC2 @ 21.00
A woman, sick & exhausted finds herself mistaken for a blind dateand decides to just go along with it to see what happens. A romcom but one that is likeable and not sickly, one about people you will actually care about and not want to see go up in flames. This is all down to the lovely Lake Bell and the hilarious Simon Pegg. Throw in a few big laughs and a few scenes you'll watch through your fingers and its a grand way to spend 90 mins.
Veronica Guerin Wed 2/8 RTE1 @ 21.35
A fearless journalist investigating the upper echelons of Dublin drug dealing finds herself & her family threatened when she gets too good at her job. Joel Schumacher's biopic is cracking stuff, gritty, frightening and superbly acted. Cate Blanchett in the lead role does a mighty job, showing both Veronica's strong and scared sides, plus her Irish accent is a good one. Gerald McSorley as John Gilligan is excellent too as evil personified.
Cliffhanger Thur 3/8 ITV4 @ 23.45
A mountain climber haunted by a tragic accident is jolted into action when he finds himself being hunted by criminals in the Rocky Mountains. One of my favourite action films of the 90's. Highly entertaining stuff, thrilling, vicious and packed with beautiful scenery and villains you want to see die screaming. Sly Stallone in the lead is solid but John Lithgow steals the film with a ridiculously hammy performance. Great fun.
South Park : Bigger, Longer & Uncut Fri 4/8 Dave @ 21.00
A small Colorado town's extreme overreaction to a cartoon leads to full scale war between North American and Canada. The feature version of the long running cartoon is brilliant fun. Full of profane poetry & big belly laughs while also being an intelligent and pointed attack on some of America's more confusing moral stances. All this and it manages to be a fantastic little musical at the same time.
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