June 19, 2021

15 films on TV this week that will take your mind off the madness for a while.

Raging Bull   Sat   19/6   TG4 @ 21.35

Jake LaMotta. The Bronx Bull. A horrible person torn apart by psychosis and jealousy. A furious ball of ego who was only happy demolishing or being demolished in the boxing ring. A masterpiece shot in glorious black and white and led by a performance for the ages from Robert De Niro who deservedly won his second Oscar. This, his fourth collaboration with director Martin Scorsese, is a film that will stay with you forever.

Lala Land   Sat   19/6   RTE1 @ 21.40

Two young men fall in love. No wait, that's Moonlight. A man and a woman meet and fall for each other in the musically charged streets of the entertainment capital of the world. Will their romance transcend his smug love of jazz and her career problems? Aspects of the story may annoy but the set-pieces and the songs are without a doubt fantastic. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling work together wonderfully.

An Impossible Love   Sat   19/6   BBC4 @ 22.00

Phillipe is a scumbag. He had an affair with Rachel and then ran, leaving her pregnant and alone in an era where such a thing was intensely frowned upon. She sets out to make him acknowledge the life he helped create. This 2018 french film is a superb looking, mature and sophisticated watch that never shies away from the pain caused by not acknowledging your issues. Virginie Efira, Niels Schneider and Jehnny Beth do stellar work.

Kill List   Sat   19/6   Film4 @ 23.35

Two hit men find themselves in way too deep when they take on a new assignment. Ben Wheatley's 2011 horror thriller is a triumph but it's a movie that will be way too much for a lot of people. It's a brutal watch, intense as hell, horrifically violent and disturbing in a way that will get under your skin for a week after you watch it. Neil Maskell, Michael Smiley & MyAnna Buring are all on fire. Watch at your own risk and don't say you weren't warned.

The Fury   Sun   20/6   Talking Pictures TV @ 01.00

When his son is kidnapped by terrorists intent on exploiting his psychic powers, a former CIA agent goes all out to get him back. Brian De Palma's 1978 sci-fi/horror is a demented affair. A vicious but highly entertaining watch that contains the best ever bad guy death scene. Even 43 years later it will still take your breath away. Kirk Douglas is in full on tough guy mode and gets effective back up from Amy Irving and John Cassavetes.

How The West Was Won   Sun   20/6   BBC2 @ 13.50

Time for one of the most epic westerns ever made. The sprawling tale of one family set over several decades from the Gold Rush to the arrival of the railroads. 3 hrs of every western you've ever seen all rolled into one and with a cast that will astound you. James Stewart, Carroll Baker, Walter Brennan, Henry Fonda, Debbie Reynolds, John Wayne and too many others to even begin to name star in this enjoyable and beautiful looking story.

Lady Bird   Sun   20/6   RTE1 @ 21.30

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.

Farewell My Lovely   Mon   21/6   Great! Movies Classic (Formerly Sony Movies Classic) @ 15.00

3pm. It's quintessential slice of film noir time. Philip Marlowe has been hired to find a gangster's missing dame and before long he's hip deep in intrigue and danger. Hardboiled dialogue, voiceovers, bullets, sordid webs of danger and death lurking in every shadow. Farewell My Lovely has it all and Dick Powell's take on Marlowe is almost as good as Humphrey Bogart's. Almost. A class way to spend 90 minutes of your day.

Girl   Tues   22/6   CH4 @ 02.40

Lara's in a dire situation. Ballet is her life but she's also a transgender teenager awaiting reassignment surgery. Surgery that will require her to giving up her training and her life as she's known it up until now. A tough watch and in places it takes quite a simplistic view of an extremely complex issue but it gives audiences a semblance of an idea how hard life is for trans people. Victor Polster as Lara does superlative work.

Cocoon   Wed   23/6   CH4 @ 02.00

No, not that Cocoon. Nora is a teenager who doesn't fit in. She wants to but doesn't know why, choosing to live quietly in the shadow of her older popular sister. Her life in Berlin changes when she meets another teenager called Romy and things start to make sense for her. A slow-burning and poignant look at the difficulties of growing up when you aren't quite sure whats happening in your own head. Lena Urzendowsky is a unique lead.

The Earth Dies Screaming   Wed   23/6   Talking Pictures TV @ 21.05

Astronaut Jeff Nolan has arrived back to find the planet he calls home decimated. Aliens stalk the earth and use re-animated dead humans to do their nefarious bidding. Jeff is having none of it though. A 58 year old blend of horror, thriller and sci-fi that is absolutely bonkers. A story that feels like at least 5 films blended into one that manages to get everything done and dusted in just over one hour. Perfect. Willard Parker is decent in the mail role.

Anomalisa   Thur   24/6   Film4 @ 01.55

A man on a business trip meets an unusual stranger who slowly begins to pull him out of the humdrum existence he's found himself trapped in. Charlie Kaufman's stop motion animation is definitely the most unusual film you'll see in the next 7 days. It's pace means it won't be for everyone but stick with it for a rewarding experience. Jennifer Jason Leigh and David Thewlis both pour their souls into their work here. 

The Producers   Fri   25/6   BBC1 @ 22.35

Musical producers Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom set out to make their money from a disaster. This Mel Brooks comedy classic is about a very different type of musical. A very different one indeed. It's  uproariously funny, brilliantly tasteless and in places you won't quite believe what you're watching. Starring the late & much missed Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel. You'll laughing til the very end here.

Mississippi Burning   Fri   25/6   RTE1 @ 23.20

3 civil rights workers are murdered in a small town during the early 1960's and the FBI is sent in to investigate but will they find answers in a land and people bound tightly together by hate. Alan Parker's 1988 thriller is a brutal and unforgiving look at country seeped in bigotry that's never going to change it's stripes. Gene Hackman, Brad Dourif, Frances McDormand, Michael Rooker, Badja Djola and Willem Dafoe all work together magnificently. 

VS.   Fri   25/6   BBC2 @ Midnight

Foster care has taken it's toll on Adam but a move to a seaside town and a discovery of an underground  battle rap scene help him begin his own version of a healing process. If you've seen 8 Mile you'll have some bit of an idea of how things will play out but a quirky British edge to proceedings, some wicked rapping and heartful turns from Connor Swindells and Fola Evans-Akingbola will keep you interested throughout.

A retweet or two is always appreciated if you've discovered an old favourite or maybe even a new one. Cheers.


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