Happy Death Day Sat 1/8 Film4 @ 21.00
It's Tree's birthday and she's loving her college life. Until she's murdered. Then she wakes up again and has to relive her final day over and over again until she can change what's coming for her. This cross of Scream and Groundhog Day is very entertaining. It's tame for a horror movie but there's plenty of well earned scares and a wicked sense of humour running throughout. Jessica Rothe and Ruby Modine have a good time in charge.
Apocalypse Now : Final Cut Sat 1/8 BBC2 @ 21.30
A soldier is sent up river to exterminate a rogue army captain with extreme prejudice. But he's in Vietnam and there's a war on and there's surfing to do and French plantations to have dinner in. Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 classic comes in many versions but this is the definitive one. By turns terrifying, exhilarating, trippy, subtle and bombastic. If you haven't seen it by now prepare to have your mind blown. Martin Sheep, Marlon Brando and Robert Duvall are all phenomenal.
Dirk has a gift and porn director Jack Horner wants to share it with the world. He finds a new accepting family in the world of adult entertainment. Things are grand for a while, but it's the 80's and coke is everywhere... Paul Thomas Anderson's sophomore movie is still his best one. An epic look at the darker side of tinseltown powered by a brilliant cast including Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds and the much missed Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Honeymoon Sun 2/8 The Horror Channel @ 02.45
During their honeymoon in a secluded cabin by a lake, things start going odd for newlyweds Bea and Paul after a midnight walk. It's hard to talk about without giving too much away but this is a psychological/sci-fi/horror hybrid that's very potent indeed. And one that some people may find offputting but if you can stick with it you'll be rewarded with a tense little cracker. Rose Leslie & Harry Treadaway as the leads are both spot on.
Pete's Dragon Sun 2/8 RTE2 @ 18.00
Pete's a young boy. He has a friend called Elliot. Elliot kept Pete alive during a tough time. Elliot's a dragon but no one will believe this. Until one day.... Robert Redford's live action remake of the 1970's cartoon is an absolute joy, tender, touching, upsetting and funny in equal measure. A family film that won't insult your kid's intelligence. Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley and Redford himself will make you wish flying reptiles were real.
Dangerous Liaisons Sun 2/8 BBC1 @ 22.30
Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont are rich, decadent and bored. To fill their time they play games and when young Cécile de Volanges catches their eye things get rather complicated. Stephen Frears' 1988 drama is a fine watch, a sensual, complicated, mature drama about rich folk with too much time on their hands that's powered by stunning turns from Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer and Uma Thurman.
Raw Mon 3/8 CH4 @ 00.45
Justine has just arrived in college to begin her veterinary education. It's a whole new world for her. A hazing ritual designed to humiliate new students has a strange effect on her. Things get kind of disgusting. This 2016 French horror is a fantastic watch but it's definitely only suitable for those with an iron constitution as it's gore and dark sexuality are.......well things get explicit. Garance Marillier is a first rate lead.
O Brother Where Art Thou Mon 3/8 TG4 @ 21.30
3 prisoners escape from a chain gang during the 1930's depression. While they are on the run they realise the poor American south is a bit of a weird place. This Coen Brother's comedy drama is an enjoyable watch. Weird, hilarious, scary and packed full of class music. As usual with a Coen Bros production the cast is second to none. George Clooney, Jon Turturro, Holly Hunter, John Goodman & Tim Blake Nelson are perfect.
The Friends Of Eddie Coyle Tues 4/8 Talking Pictures TV @ 22.00
A career criminal's lifetime of offences is about to catch up with him and a long jail sentence is in his future. But Eddie can't face jail and so starts doing something about it. Something very dangerous for a man in his line of work. A very solid example of 70's crime cinema here, dark, nasty, biting, ironic and effortlessly carried by Robert Mitchum in a part that feels very different for him. Peter Boyle is mighty as one of the titular friends.
Lady Bird Wed 5/8 RTE1 @ 21.35
Sacramento, California is a dull place to grow up and Lady Bird McPherson can't wait to graduate and escape her mother's clutches. She has a lot of growing up to do first though. Greta Gerwig's drama is a stunner, a look at teenage life that will leave you an emotional mess. It's funny, it's painful and it feels alarmingly real. Saoirse Ronan is an amazing lead and her scenes with Laurie Metcalfe as her mother will blow you away.
The Purge Wed 5/8 ITV4 @ 22.40
In the near future, for one night a year all crimes are legal, and people use this night to settle all their scores. Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey find themselves and their family under siege and find themselves fighting back. An original (at the time) premise that will make you think about what you would do in this situation, convincing acting and some brutal action turn this into a intriguing and watchable thriller.
The Dressmaker Wed 5/8 Film4 @ 23.05
A very different kind of revenge thriller here. The strange, sad, unique, surreal and humorous tale of a woman returning to the small Australian town that spurned her and getting her own back. In her own very special way. Kate Winslet is great in the title role and pulls off an Oz accent that's pretty damn believable. Judy Davis as her mam is excellent too and Liam Hemsworth and Hugo Weaving do fine work in support.
What We Did On Our Holiday Thur 6/8 BBC4 @ 22.00
It's Gordy's 75th birthday and all the family are invited to his home in the wilds of Scotland. Abi and Doug are bringing the kids but they've got a large secret they want to keep but they have to rely on their kids to keep schtum. Uh-oh. A nice look at the interplay and dynamics that exist in the family unit. You might relate hard to what you see onscreen. Rosamund Pike, David Tennant and Billy Connolly work well together.
Interview With The Vampire Fri 7/8 BBC1 @ 22.45
A grieving widower in the antebellum south gets his wish of death. But unfortunately for him he's still alive. In the form of a vampire. And the man who bit him is Lestat, a real nasty bastard. Neil Jordan's 1994 gothic horror has aged superbly. A bloody, eerie, darkly amusing and sprawling look at how a man spends his couple of hundred years on earth. Brad Pitt is an effective lead but Tom Cruise owns this film. A baby faced Kirsten Dunst has fun too.
Filth Fri 7/8 CH4 @ Midnight
Bruce Robertson is a scumbag. A scheming, backstabbing cokehead sex addict. He's also a cop in Edinburgh who's pining for his wife and daughter who've been driven away by his demons. James McAvoy has a wicked time in this blackly comic adaption of the Irvine Welsh novel. You'll enjoy this one but you'll feel like you need a shower after it. Eddie Marsan, Imogen Poots and Jamie Bell all add to the goodness.
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