How To Be Single Sat 2/11 RTE2 @ 22.00
Alice and Robin are single and living the New York life. So is Tom & Meg and David and Lucy...... They bump into each other. A lot. A humorous and at times cutting look at people who march to the beat of their own drum. A decent cast that includes Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann, Alison Brie and Damon Wayans Jr do well but Rebel Wilson and the brilliant Jason Mantzoukas steal the show.
Brawl In Cell Block 99 Sat 2/11 Film4 @ 22.45
Bradley's in jail and he wants to get through it with his head down. Until a threat to his family forces him to put his skills to apt use. S. Craig Zahler's prison thriller is a genuinely unpleasant and gruelling watch but if you have the stomach for it all your jaw will be dropped regularly. A first rate cast including Vince Vaughn, Don Johnson, Jennifer Carpenter and genre movie star Udo Kier bring it all together nicely.
Election Sat 2/11 BBC2 @ 23.25
Tracy Flick is the perfect student. She can do no wrong. This gets under the skin of her teacher Mr McAllister something fierce. So much so that it starts to affect his life. Alexander Payne's 1999 comedy is an absolute scream. Reese Wetherspoon is superb as student you'll love to hate and Matthew Broderick does great work as a teacher who takes his work way too seriously. Chris Klein as dumb jock Paul is priceless.
Bradley's in jail and he wants to get through it with his head down. Until a threat to his family forces him to put his skills to apt use. S. Craig Zahler's prison thriller is a genuinely unpleasant and gruelling watch but if you have the stomach for it all your jaw will be dropped regularly. A first rate cast including Vince Vaughn, Don Johnson, Jennifer Carpenter and genre movie star Udo Kier bring it all together nicely.
Election Sat 2/11 BBC2 @ 23.25
Tracy Flick is the perfect student. She can do no wrong. This gets under the skin of her teacher Mr McAllister something fierce. So much so that it starts to affect his life. Alexander Payne's 1999 comedy is an absolute scream. Reese Wetherspoon is superb as student you'll love to hate and Matthew Broderick does great work as a teacher who takes his work way too seriously. Chris Klein as dumb jock Paul is priceless.
Disturbia Sun 3/11 BBC1 @ 00.30
A troubled young man is placed on house arrest after a school incident and while stuck in his home he begins to suspect his neighbour is up to something dastardly. This modern take on Hitchcock's Rear Window is a fun watch and is rather ingenious in the way it manages to stay fresh and exciting despite only taking place inside two houses. Shia LaBeouf is a likable lead and David Morse is a suitably sinister foil.
A troubled young man is placed on house arrest after a school incident and while stuck in his home he begins to suspect his neighbour is up to something dastardly. This modern take on Hitchcock's Rear Window is a fun watch and is rather ingenious in the way it manages to stay fresh and exciting despite only taking place inside two houses. Shia LaBeouf is a likable lead and David Morse is a suitably sinister foil.
The Vikings Sun 3/11 BBC2 @ 12.05
Eric and Einear are half brothers and vikings. Their life is an eternal competition and now they find themselves fighting for both land and the love of a good woman. This is the kind of sunday matinee that doesn't get shown anymore. Rousing, raucous & full of family friendly(ish) bloodshed. It's aged iffily in places but two mighty showings from Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis help keep things entertaining.
Argo Mon 4/11 TG4 @ 21.30
A group of Americans find themselves trapped during the 1979 Iranian revolution and a government worker comes up with an unorthodox way to rescue them. Ben Affleck's 3rd film as director is a thoroughly enjoyable and surprisingly funny film despite the serious subject matter. Affleck is solid as the main star but Alan Arkin and John Goodman are a joy and steal the limelight everytime they appear onscreen.
20 Feet From Stardom Tues 5/11 Film4 @ 00.55
An excellent documentary about a section of showbiz rarely seen. The female backup singers, to the famous faces, who perform live just out of the spotlight. So near to and yet so far from superstardom. Joyous in places and fierce frustrating in others but so worth watching. You probably recognise most of the music and it's lovely to be able to put a face to the voices you've been hearing for years. Merry Clayton is a standout.
Dr. Strangelove Tues 5/11 BBC4 @ 22.30
General Jack. D. Ripper is trying to start World War 3 and it's up to a war room full of egotistical politicians and soldiers to put a stop to everything. Stanley Kubrick's insane masterpiece is a film that lives up to the hype. Hilarious in places, surreal in others and downright terrifying all over. The cast is amazing and includes Peter Sellers, George C.Scott, Peter Sellers, Sterling Hayden, Slim Pickens and....Peter Sellers.
Strangers On A Train Thur 7/11 TCM @ 09.35
Two men meet on a train, talk ensues and one disturbed party takes the conversation a lot more seriously than the other. One of Alfred Hitchcock's most gleefully delightful movies. You get the sense he had a whale of a time making this. The tension is electric and Robert Walker as Bruno is a villain for the ages. Fairley Granger ain't too bad either. The tennis club scene will stay with you and watch out of course for the customary director cameo.
The Sound Of Fury Fri 8/11 Film4 @ 11.00
A pregnant wife and lack of a job is making life very difficult for Howard. A chance meeting leads to a job as a getaway driver and things are tipping along nicely until the day his life turns upside down. A harsh slice of film noir from 1950 that has aged well due to a topical turn half way through proceedings. Frank Lovejoy. Kathleen Locke and Lloyd Bridges especially do nice work in a story that's compulsively watchable.
Ulzana's Raid Fri 8/11 TG4 @ 21.50
Ulzana, sick of mistreatment by the US government has escaped from his reservation and him & his gang are murdering their way across the state of Arizona. Army Scout McIntosh is tasked with stopping him. Part of the raft of brutally dark Westerns made in the early 70's and influenced heavily by the Vietnam war this isn't easy going stuff but fine performances from Joaquín Martínez & Burt Lancaster will keep you watching til the very end.
The 'Burbs Fri 8/11 The Horror Channel @ 22.40
The Klopecks are an odd bunch and when they move into a quiet cul de sac the neighbours start getting suspicious, especially Ray and Art. Joe Dante's 1989 comedy is a nicely subversive watch that still hits the spot 30 years later. Tense, scary and flat out uproarious at times. Tom Hanks is as always the perfect everyman and gets deadly support from the late Carrie Fisher, a bonkers Bruce Dern and that staple of 80's cinema Corey Feldman.
Eric and Einear are half brothers and vikings. Their life is an eternal competition and now they find themselves fighting for both land and the love of a good woman. This is the kind of sunday matinee that doesn't get shown anymore. Rousing, raucous & full of family friendly(ish) bloodshed. It's aged iffily in places but two mighty showings from Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis help keep things entertaining.
Argo Mon 4/11 TG4 @ 21.30
A group of Americans find themselves trapped during the 1979 Iranian revolution and a government worker comes up with an unorthodox way to rescue them. Ben Affleck's 3rd film as director is a thoroughly enjoyable and surprisingly funny film despite the serious subject matter. Affleck is solid as the main star but Alan Arkin and John Goodman are a joy and steal the limelight everytime they appear onscreen.
20 Feet From Stardom Tues 5/11 Film4 @ 00.55
An excellent documentary about a section of showbiz rarely seen. The female backup singers, to the famous faces, who perform live just out of the spotlight. So near to and yet so far from superstardom. Joyous in places and fierce frustrating in others but so worth watching. You probably recognise most of the music and it's lovely to be able to put a face to the voices you've been hearing for years. Merry Clayton is a standout.
Dr. Strangelove Tues 5/11 BBC4 @ 22.30
General Jack. D. Ripper is trying to start World War 3 and it's up to a war room full of egotistical politicians and soldiers to put a stop to everything. Stanley Kubrick's insane masterpiece is a film that lives up to the hype. Hilarious in places, surreal in others and downright terrifying all over. The cast is amazing and includes Peter Sellers, George C.Scott, Peter Sellers, Sterling Hayden, Slim Pickens and....Peter Sellers.
Strangers On A Train Thur 7/11 TCM @ 09.35
Two men meet on a train, talk ensues and one disturbed party takes the conversation a lot more seriously than the other. One of Alfred Hitchcock's most gleefully delightful movies. You get the sense he had a whale of a time making this. The tension is electric and Robert Walker as Bruno is a villain for the ages. Fairley Granger ain't too bad either. The tennis club scene will stay with you and watch out of course for the customary director cameo.
The Sound Of Fury Fri 8/11 Film4 @ 11.00
A pregnant wife and lack of a job is making life very difficult for Howard. A chance meeting leads to a job as a getaway driver and things are tipping along nicely until the day his life turns upside down. A harsh slice of film noir from 1950 that has aged well due to a topical turn half way through proceedings. Frank Lovejoy. Kathleen Locke and Lloyd Bridges especially do nice work in a story that's compulsively watchable.
Ulzana's Raid Fri 8/11 TG4 @ 21.50
Ulzana, sick of mistreatment by the US government has escaped from his reservation and him & his gang are murdering their way across the state of Arizona. Army Scout McIntosh is tasked with stopping him. Part of the raft of brutally dark Westerns made in the early 70's and influenced heavily by the Vietnam war this isn't easy going stuff but fine performances from Joaquín Martínez & Burt Lancaster will keep you watching til the very end.
The 'Burbs Fri 8/11 The Horror Channel @ 22.40
The Klopecks are an odd bunch and when they move into a quiet cul de sac the neighbours start getting suspicious, especially Ray and Art. Joe Dante's 1989 comedy is a nicely subversive watch that still hits the spot 30 years later. Tense, scary and flat out uproarious at times. Tom Hanks is as always the perfect everyman and gets deadly support from the late Carrie Fisher, a bonkers Bruce Dern and that staple of 80's cinema Corey Feldman.
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