The Vanishing Sat 18/9 Film4 @ 21.00
Intrigue abounds on the Flannen isles, a small lookout far off the west coast of Scotland when a small boat crashes ashore and the three lighthouse keepers get very interested in the cargo they find. Based on a true life mystery from 1900 this thriller is shrouded in fog and a whole load of tension. A trio of committed performances from Connor Swindells, Gerard Butler and Peter Mullan keep things moving along nicely.
Chaplin Sat 18/9 TG4 @ 21.05
In the early days of Hollywood a moustachio'ed little oddball called Charles Spencer Chaplin ruled the roost. He was as unlikely a star as you could think of and yet stole the imagination of the world. Long before Iron Man Robert Downey Jr was mesmerising as the lead of a Richard Attenborough directed biopic epic. There's a lot to learn here and thankfully it doesn't ignore the darker side of it's main character either.
Nuts Sat 18/9 RTE2 @ 23.35
Claudia Draper has just killed a client in self defence but because she's a prostitute her parents want her declared insane to avoid a scandalous trial. She's having none of it and decides to prove she did nothing wrong in court. This talkative drama from 1987 might seem old hat these days but a stunner of a turn from Barbara Streisand will keep you going throughout. Richard Dreyfuss and the mighty Karl Malden offer fine support.
Timecop Sun 19/9 Great! Movies @ 01.40
Time travel has been invented and criminals are using it for nefarious purposes so the US government creates a new enforcement agency to police who can go back and forth. Max Walker is among the first to be offered a job. Jean Claude Van Damme's sci-fi actioner is as silly as films get but it's also exceedingly entertaining and crunchy and it's juxtaposition of past and present gives it a clever edge. Mia Sara, Ron Silver and Gloria Reubens prop up the acting side of things.
If Beale Street Could Talk Sun 19/9 RTE2 @ 21.00
Tish and Fonny are a New York couple who are deeply in love but their happiness is dashed when Fonny is accused of a crime he could not possibly have committed by a racist cop with a grudge. Tish will not rest until he's free. A beautiful looking, vivid and evocative indictment of institutionalised racism and the trail of horror it leaves behind. Kiki Layne, Stephen James and an Oscar winning Regina King are all amazing here.
All About Eve Sun 19/9 Talking Pictures TV @ 22.00
Margi Channing is worried that turning 40 will affect her acting career. She should be more worried about the fresh faced ingénue called Eve she's just taken under her wing. Eve's all sweetness and light. Nothing to stress about there. This 71 year old classic look at the lengths people will go to climb high still has a cutting edge today. It's performances still hit home too with Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, Thelma Ritter and a then unknown Marilyn Monroe all doing stellar work.
Boyz N The Hood Sun 19/9 BBC2 @ 22.45
Crenshaw. 1991. Tre Styles is trying to navigate the mean streets as well as he can and his father and friends are sharing his journey through his teenage years. John Singleton's 1991 drama is a masterpiece of African American cinema. A warm, compassionate, humane and ultimately heartbreaking look at life in a country that sees it's black citizens as second class. Cuba Gooding Jr, Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett and Ice Cube do brilliant work.
Coogan's Bluff Mon 20/9 TCM @ 23.05
Walt Coogan is feeling a little out of place lately, after travelling from Arizona to New York City to apprehend and return a murderer to his home state. It should be an easy collar but that would make for a boring film wouldn't it. The first of Don Siegel's films with Clint Eastwood might be set in the Big Apple but it's all western, and an enjoyable if dated take on the genre. Susan Clark, Don Stroud and Lee J. Cobb each bring something to the mix.
Platoon Mon 20/9 ITV4 @ 23.40
A new recruit finds himself torn between two sergeants in the earlier days of the Vietnam conflict. One represents hope and humanity, the other the horrors of war and the dark side of the human psyche. Oliver Stone's 1986 war drama was one that made audiences stare in horror at America's complicity in the atrocities of war and it's still a scathing watch 35 years later. Charlie Sheen. Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe bring their best here.
Silverado Tues 21/9 Great! Movies @ 18.25
A foursome of mismatched cowboys turns up in a small town run by an evil rancher and set out to change wrong to right. It's your quintessential western set up but it's so much fun and so well done that you can forgive any unoriginality. There's a superb cast in this too with Kevin Costner who always rocks it in this genre, Kevin Kline, Danny Glover and Scott Glenn all looking the part on horseback. Brian Dennehy's boo-hiss villain hits the spot too.
Charlie Says Tues 21/9 Film4 @ 23.25
The summer of 1969 was a bloody time in Los Angeles and Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Susan Atkins had plenty of it on their hands after being commanded to kill by their cult leader Charles Manson. This new take on an old story offers an interesting point of view on two of the most famous acts of crime ever committed and three meaty turns from Hannah Murray, Sosie Bacon and Marianne Rendón drive the films point home.
The Red House Wed 22/9 Talking Pictures TV @ 02.40
A teenage girl lives with her adoptive parents who've raised her since she was a baby. Now 15 years later she wants to explore the world and the building in the woods near her home that she's been warned away from has caught her eye. Edward G. Robinson, Allene Roberts & Judith Anderson provide serious heft to a murky and unsettling tale of past horror and it's rippling effects.
Whiplash Wed 22/9 BBC2 @ 23.15
A driven jazz musician is pushed to his limits by his obsessive teacher. An Oscar winning film that actually lives up to the hype and a potent study of how hard people will work on what they love. Powerful performances from Miles Teller and especially JK Simmons really sell the film. This is a stressful watch and one that will genuinely leave you shattered but wowed as the credits roll. That last 10 minutes is something else.
I Walk Alone Fri 24/9 Talking Pictures TV @ 00.55
Frankie and Noll, prohibition partners in crime. Promises are made of friendships forever but when Noll goes to jail Frankie moves on. Then when Noll gets out he finds out just how far on. This week's slice of film noir is the first film of many that Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster made together. A lean, economical watch filled with moody stares, hard boiled dialogue and a memorable showing from Lizabeth Scott as a gangster moll par excellence.
Mid90s Fri 24/9 Film4 @ 22.50
Stevie's twelve and he's just discovered the joys of skateboarding. With boarding comes new friends and new experiences but it's also a source of conflict between him and his mother and it's creating a rift between him and his older brother. Jonah Hill's directorial debut isn't perfect but it's harsh and frank look at coming of age in a place where innocence doesn't exist will get under your skin. Sunny Suljic's a strong lead and someone to look out for in the future.
A Monster Calls Fri 24/9 BBC1 @ 23.25
A broken boy is having a hard time. His Da is gone, school is miserable and his Mam is sick. And now something has begun to menace him. But it's not what you think. A slap in the face of a film, and a look at grief through a child's eyes that will floor you, fill you with fear and eventually leave you an emotional wreck. But in a great way. Lewis MacDougall, Felicity Jones and Liam Neeson all nail their parts.
Ghosts Of Mississippi Fri 24/9 RTE1 @ 23.25
In 1963 Medgar Evers was fatally shot in the back by a white supremacist called Byron De La Beckwith. It being the deep south the murderer was found not guilty but Medgar's widow Myrlie wasn't giving up on justice. This true life tale is a tough watch with James Woods very convincing (cough) as a hate filled bigot. Alec Baldwin leads the film as a prosecutor but it's Whoopi Goldberg's poignant turn as Myrlie that will stay with you.
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