The Big Short Sat 15/12 BBC2 @ 21.00
Remember the financial crisis of 2007? Well here's the story of the men who contributed to it all starting told in 3 parallel tales. It's an entertaining but maddening & frightening watch as we look at the beginning of a global disaster set in motion by a group of risk taking fools. Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt all put in fine work in this blistering indictment of today's money men.
Ghostbusters Sat 15/12 CH4 @ 21.00
4 women band together to take on supernatural entities that are starting to pop up around Manhattan with alarming regularity. Everyone remembers this film for the screaming and whining from internet fanboys before it was released but it's actually a very entertaining and funny horror comedy that's as much about friendship as it is about ectoplasm. Melissa McCarthy, Kirsten Wiig & Leslie Jones are funny but Kate McKinnon is the star of this one.
Adam & Paul Sat 15/12 RTE2 @ 23.55
Two heroin addicted men roam the streets of Dublin, hoping for a bit of good fortune that seems to eternally evade them. Lenny Abrahamson's tragic comedy is a masterpiece of Irish cinema and a perfect example of that wonderful ability we have to create a story that will make you weep tears of mirth followed by tears of utter sadness. Mark O'Halloran and the late Tom Murphy as the titular duo are flawless.
Brooklyn Sun 16/12 BBC2 @ 20.00
A young woman finds herself torn between the modern ways of 1950's Brooklyn and her dull life in Enniscorthy. Which route will she choose? Saoirse Ronan is magnificent as the lead in this film adapted from Colm Toibin's novel. Your heart will break for her as she struggles to decide between taking one step forward or two steps back. Compelling stuff, well written & acted. Domhnall Gleeson & Julie Walters are great as always too.
Cardboard Gangsters Sun 16/12 Virgin One @ 21.00
Four young men with dreams of grandeur decide to try and take over the drug trade in Darndale. But the existing dealers don't suffer newcomers gladly. Mark O'Connor's thriller is vicious stuff. A terrifying,tense and unforgiving look at the underbelly of modern day Ireland. John Connors headlines the film and gives an immense performance full of so much rage you can feel him pulsating off the screen.
Point Break Sun 16/12 BBC1 @ 23.30
Johnny Utah, a young FBI agent, finds himself under with a pack of surfers looking for a group of bank robbers. The surfing life is enticing though, too much so. Kathryn Bigalow's 1991 thriller is still a deadly watch. Tense, fun, fast moving stuff that inevitably turns vicious near the end. An interesting look into a subculture still not well known over here. Keanu Reeves does his best Kean Reeves but Patrick Swayze as Bodhi is excellent.
Shane Mon 17/12 Film4 @ 16.35
A worn out gunslinger wants to retire and tend to a farm but as finds himself drawn into a conflict between a land owner and a rancher. One of the all time best westerns here and also contains one of the best bar fight scenes ever. You can't go wrong watching this. Alan Ladd is superb in the main role and gets solid support from familiar faces of the genre like Van Heflin, Elisha Cooke Jr and the brilliant Jack Palance.
Harvey Tues 18/12 Film4 @ 12.40
Elwood P. Dowd's best friend is a 2 metre tall rabbit called Harvey. He's the only one who can see it. Unsurprisingly his friends and family think he's gone insane. But that's far from the truth. Sort of. This 1950 comedy drama is a joy with an undercurrent of sadness. James Stewart is a fantastic lead in a whimsical, surreal, hilarious, bizarre, clever and very unusual story
The Last Boy Scout Wed 19/12 TCM @ 21.00
Joe Hallenbeck is an alcoholic private eye with a wife and daughter who hate him. He hates himself too until he finds himself drawn in a conspiracy involving blackmail, car bombs and American football. Tony Scott's 1991 thriller might be a little dated now but it's still a fierce entertaining action comedy. Fun turns from Bruce Willis & Damon Wayans are the icing on the cake.
The Strangers Fri 21/12 The Horror Channel @ 23.15
Kristen and James are a couple who decide to spend a holiday in an isolated holiday home. Always a bad idea. A worse idea is answering a knock on the door in the middle of the night. It's sounds cliched but this is a genuinely scary horror movie that relies more on atmosphere and a slow amping up of suspense than the usual blood & guts. Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman do well as the terrorised duo.
Soulsmith Fri 21/12 RTE1 @ 23.55
Ed is full of built up anger and his writing career has gone downhill rapidly. A family funeral forces him to head home and to confront the ghosts of his past. It's a story that will ring a bell with a lot of young people who've moved far from home. There's plenty going on in this Irish film but it never feels rushed or clumsy due to solid writing and a fine performance from Matthew O'Brien.
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