January 25, 2020

11 films for you on TV this week


The Good Girl   Sat   25/1   TG4 @ 23.00

Justine is trapped in a dead end job in a crappy aul town and she's not enjoying life with her husband. Until she meets an unusual co-worker called Holden. Holden has....notions. This is the film that made people realise there was far more to Jennifer Aniston than haircuts and mega famous sitcoms. A heartfelt and emotional movie with a couple of fine supporting turns from the always reliable John C.Reilly and a babyfaced Jake Gyllenhaal.

Halal Daddy   Sat   25/1   RTE1 @ 23.15

In his small Sligo town Raghdan is trying to start a halal business and social differences, his love life and his Da are among the things making life difficult for him. This one is great craic, funny in the way only an Irish film can be and full of charming little touches about cultural confusion. Nikesh Patel leads a lovely cast that includes Deirdre O'Kane (hilarious) , Colm Meany, Sarah Bolger and Mark O'Halloran.

Isolation   Sun   26/1   Film4 @ 01.45

Dan's a farmer with financial problems. He rents space on his farm out to a bio-genetics company who've plans to increase livestock productivity and before long things get weird. Imagine Alien but instead of space think Wicklow and instead of Xenomorphs think Freisian cattle. No, wait, it's better than you think. Some genuine scares, some wicked tension and a couple of nice turns from Ruth Negga and John Lynch make it work.

Wonder   Sun   26/1   CH4 @ 16.25

Auggie Pullman is a young boy with a facial deformity that's kept him out of school all his life. Now it's his time to enter the system and while Auggie is curious, his mother is terrified for him. 4pm on a Sunday...yeah that's a perfect time to cry. This enchanting movie will shake the tears out of you but also lift you high. Jacob Tremblay is a decent lead and Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson & Izabela Vidovic do nice work as his adoring family.

The Fits   Mon   27/1   BBC2 @ 00.30

A young girl named Toni joins her Cincinnati gym with dreams of being a boxer but before long she becomes enthralled by a local dance troupe training alongside her. She joins them and then things take an odd turn. This 2015 drama is a strange dreamlike watch. It's low on plot but high on mystery. It takes a while but you'll be hooked. The cast is made up of new faces but Royalty Hightower as Toni does super work.

American Made   Mon   27/1   TG4 @ 21.30

The story of Barry Seal, pilot, cigar smuggler, CIA spook, drug runner contracted to the Medellin Cartel and eventually gun smuggler for the Contras. This Tom Cruise led action thriller is a highly entertaining watch despite the subject matter. One of those films that would be considered far fetched if it was fiction. Strong turns from Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright and Alejandro Edda all add to the fun.

Cherry Falls   Tues   28/1   The Horror Channel @ 23.00

A serial killer is targeting virgins in a small town. The only way to survive? Lose your virginity as fast as possible. Sounds crass doesn't it? It's far from it. A humorous, intelligent and subversive satire on modern horror that really works if you go with the concept. The late Brittany Murphy is very solid in the lead and gets quality support from Michael Biehn and Jay Mohr. Totally ignored on it's original release but worth a re-evaluation.

Hobo With A Shotgun   Wed   29/1   Syfy @ 22.00

A homeless man turns up to a new city and within moments realises it's a venal cesspit filled with the worst of humanity. He decides to clean things up with his 20 gauge death bringer. If you are any way squeamish or easily offended I beg you to avoid this like the plague. But if you like your comedy pitch black and with a massive side order of gore then this is for you. Rutger Hauer in the lead just rocks.

Solaris   Thur   30/1   Film4 @ 00.35

A man is sent on a mission into deep space to investigate strange happenings on a space station. An almost 3 hour long Russian subtitled sci-fi film from Andrei Tarkovsky isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea but if you are willing to stick with it this is a very rewarding experience. It's a film that will scare you, make you think, reminisce about people from your past & generally do things to your head that most other films won't. Highly recommended.

Snowpiercer   Thur   30/1   Film4 @ 21.00

Climate change has destroyed the planet. The only people left are those living on a perpetually moving train that circles the globe. Rich and poor are onboard and tensions are rising. Bong Joon Ho's 2013 action thriller is a blistering watch. Class warfare, social commentary, brutal violence & a touch of the surreal all add up to a rather unique watch. Chris Evans leads a mighty cast including Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris, Jamie Bell & Alison Pill.

Revolutionary Road   Thur   30/1   BBC4 @ 22.00

April and Frank are a very unhappily married couple in 1950's America. The social mores of the day force them to keep their frayed marriage a secret and we bear witness to the darker side of the American dream. A tough and quietly devastating adaption of a 1960's novel of the same name. Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio reunite here and both give their all. This is as far from Titanic as you'll get though.




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