Fighting With My Family Sat 21/8 CH4 @ 21.00
The Knight's are a family of wrestlers and bouncing each other off the canvas keeps them close. That is until daughter Saraya applies to join World Wrestling Entertainment inc and gets accepted which leads to more than a bit of strife. The true story of wrestler Paige is a lot warmer and funnier than you'll expect. The usual sport movie cliches are there but the films energy and fizz will mean you won't care. Florence Pugh, Lena Headey, Nick Frost and Jack Lowden all go well together.
Lords Of Chaos Sat 21/8 Film4 @ 23.15
In the early 90's the young men of Oslo took their metal music very seriously and efforts to one up each other led to a crime spree that made worldwide news. At the centre of it all were musicians Øystein Aarseth and Kristian Vikarnes. A true story so bonkers it will seem like fiction, laced with treacle black humour and some almost unwatchable bloodshed. It's not for the faint of heart but great acting from Rory Culkin and Jack Kilmer add lightness to it.
The Drummer And The Keeper Sat 21/8 RTE1 @ 23.55
Gabriel is a drummer with a bipolar disorder. Christopher is a teenager with Asperger's. Thrown together at a football game as part of their treatment they form a bond. This Dublin set drama is a captivating look at the therapeutic power of friendship. It's a tough watch in places but it builds to a heart warming finish. Jacob McCarthy & Dermot Murphy lead a lovely Irish cast that also includes Peter Coonan and Niamh Algar. Warning - lego fans may be traumatised
The Straight Story Sun 22/8 Film4 @ 11.00
A health scare has given Alvin a fright and when his brother fails ill he decides to visit him. But he lives in Iowa, his brother is in Wisconsin and his only mode of transport is a little lawn tractor. David Lynch's road trip story from 1999 is a glorious slice of Americana. Sentimental but never mawkish, it's a film that laughs with but never at it's hero. Richard Farnsworth is just super as the man with the plan.
The Lady Vanishes Sun 22/8 BBC2 @ 13.15
While travelling on a train across Europe a young woman makes friends with an elderly lady who all of a sudden disappears from the train. No one else seems to know who the older woman was at all. One of Hitchcock's earliest thrillers is a doozy of a watch, full of suspense and so so watchable. So influential too. Margaret Lockwood, May Whitty and Michael Redgrave are all magnificent.
Of Mice And Men Sun 22/8 TG4 @ 16.35
The Great depression has American in upheaval and brothers George & Lennie are trying to survive whatever way they can. Gentle giant Lennie is often misunderstood and one day his behaviour is going to cause real trouble. Adapted from John Steinbeck's 1937 book it's a beautiful looking and brilliantly acted look at loneliness and the myriad forms of human interaction. John Malkovich, Gary Sinise and Sherilyn Fenn do wonderful work.
If.... Sun 22/8 Great! Movies Classics (formerly Sony Movies Classics) @ 22.00
English public schools. Vile places. Hotbeds of snobbery, torture and abuse. Three pupils have had enough of the school sanctioned violence carried out by older students and they decide to.... Lindsay Anderson's 53 year old satire of the English social class system was very controversial on release and still packs a hell of a punch. A funny, subversive and vicious watch lead by a wicked turn from a baby faced Malcolm McDowell.
Dance With A Stranger Mon 23/8 Film4 @ 00.45
An English woman named Ruth Ellis made history in 1955 and this film tells us her dark story. She ran a club frequented by the rich and shameless and her dalliances with the men she met never ended well. Miranda Richardson is amazing in the lead role, turning in one of those performances that make you forgot you're watching an actor at work. Ian Holm and Rupert Everett offer strong support in a film you'll need to psyche yourself up for.
Black Panther Mon 23/8 RTE2 @ 21.00
His father, the king of Wakanda, is dead and now T'Challa aka Black Panther must step up and lead his country against those that wish it harm. Arguably the jewel in Marvel's crown, it's a hell of a ride. Yeah it follows the usual comic book movie formula but it also steeps itself in African culture in a way rarely seen in western cinema and it's all the better for it. The late Chadwick Boseman is a mighty hero and Michael B. Jordan nails the bad guy(?) role.
Rough Cut Tues 24/8 Talking Pictures TV @ 02.55
Jack and Gillian. Partners in crime. Two successful jewel thieves who've decided to work together to get their mitts on millions in precious stones. Hopefully nothing romantic will happen to complicate matters. Burt Reynolds was always at his best in comedies and this entertaining and energetic Hitchcockian tale uses him well. Charming turns from Lesley-Anne Down and David Niven add to it's fun.
Hallam Foe Wed 25/8 Film4 @ 01.15
From his tree house in the woods Hallam loves to spy on people. He's a weird chap, he hates his stepmother and his problems stem from a tragedy in his past. A move to Edinburgh might be just what he needs. A dark and dreamy coming of age film that might give you the ick but Jamie Bell is so good in the lead role that you'll eventually be able to look past his damage and see the broken heart trying to fix itself.
Phil Lynott : Songs For While I'm Away Wed 25/8 RTE1 @ 21.35
72 years ago a mixed race boy was born to an Irish mother who returned to Ireland to raise him. He was an unusual sight in late 50's Ireland but he was happy and into music which eventually led him to Thin Lizzy. A well put together look at Philo, an Irish legend, laced with his fantastic music and contributions from friends and family. It's a bit too coy about his personal problems at times but if you're a fan you'll really like it.
Personal Shopper Wed 25/8 BBC2 @ 23.15
Maureen is a young woman working in the Parisian fashion world. She's also engulfed by grief and sorrow after a family tragedy and she's waiting for a sign connected to an oath she once took. An unusual and unsettling drama to say the least that's best watched knowing as little as possible. A restrained but very affecting performance from Kristin Stewart makes this a compelling watch.
Wind Chill Thur 26/8 The Horror Channel @ 00.55
On the day before Christmas eve a couple are heading home and decide to take a shortcut through the snowy wilderness. As you can probably guess things go sideways for them. Really sideways. Wind Chill starts off relatively normal before descending rapidly into a blast of surrealistic horror that's by turns bleak, terrifying and claustrophobic. It's not an enjoyable watch but it's an interesting one. Emily Blunt and Martin Donovan do well here.
Suddenly, Last Summer Fri 27/8 Great! Movies Classics (formerly Sony Movies Classics) @ 01.15
From the pen of Tennessee Williams comes a dark tale of a woman troubled by something she witnessed on holiday the year before and the lengths to which her aunt will go to hide what exactly happened. A dark, decadent and sultry slice of Southern Gothic melodrama that was X-rated on it's release 63 years later and still feels quite forceful today. Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift and Katharine Hepburn are unsurprisingly, all excellent.
Mean Girls Fri 27/8 ITV2 @ 21.00
The world of American high schools is a scary and complex place as 16 year old Cady Heron finds out when her family return from working in Africa and she goes to class for the first time in her life. Tina Fey's 2004 comedy is a smart, knowing and funny look at the hierarchies and horrors of what many people call the best times of their lives. The fools. Lindsay Lohan, Lizzy Caplan, Rachel McAdams, Amy Poehler and Amanda Seyfried all rock their roles.
Jimmy's Hall Fri 27/8 Virgin Media One @ 23.00
After 10 years in the United States Jimmy's come home and he's brought ideas with him. Ideas that don't sit well with a church run state or with the garda siochana who enforce the rules. When he starts opening people's minds he's a goner. Ken Loach directs an angry and caustic look at post civil war Ireland and the social mores that held us down for decades. Barry Ward, Simone Kirby and a vicious Jim Norton all hit the spot.
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