Game Night Sat Sat 9/10 BBC1 @ 22.35
Every week a group of friends meet up for a night of chat, wine and boardgames. One night real life adds a shocking twist and the friends find themselves up to their necks in all manner of trouble. This is an entertaining Saturday night watch, a wacky blend of screwball madness, weird neighbours, sibling rivalry and competitive friendship. Rachel McAdams, our own Sharon Horgan and a delightfully odd Jesse Plemons all do well.
Call Me By Your Name Sat 9/10 RTE2 @ 23.45
Elio, a teenager lives a carefree life in the early 80's Italy. Until he meets Oliver, an American man hired to work with his father and his life gets rather complicated when he starts to feel attracted to him. Lead Timothée Chalamet does his drippy thing as usual but here it suits the film. It's a heartfelt look at the pain and angst and discovery of your formative years. Michael Stuhlberg and the actor we don't talk about anymore also do strong work.
Train To Busan Sun 10/10 Film4 @ 01.40
A zombie apocalypse hits South Korea and a father and daughter find themselves fighting for their lives on a train out of Seoul. Yes it's another zombie flick......no no come back......but seriously it's a wicked watch. It's full of heart, you'll genuinely care about the characters being menaced, it's really clever and the attack scenes are absolutely astounding. Yoo Gong & Su-an Kim as Dad and Daughter are aces.
Valerie Sun 10/10 TCM @ 16.45
Set during a murder trial in the old west, three very different testimonies are heard but which one is the truthful version? An unusual blend, a mystery western noir with a touch of Rashomon would be one way to describe it. Sterling Hayden and Anita Ekberg as the leads are mighty, Hayden his usual briary persona and Ekberg as a woman who isn't what she seems. OR is she? Or is he? Or are they? What? Who knows? A bleak, compelling and surprising film.
The Last Tree Sun 10/10 CH4 @ 23.30
Femi is struggling to find his place in life. As a child he was fostered and grew up in the idyllic rural surroundings of the English countryside but as a man he's gone home to London to live with the woman who bore him. A stirring, glorious looking and moving look at what it means to be black in modern day Britain. Sam Adewunmi is a powerful lead and an actor to keep an eye out for in the future.
Countess Dracula Sun 10/10 The Horror Channel @ 23.00
Countess Elisabeth has discovered the secret to eternal youth. Instead of radox bubble bath she's been using the blood of virginal women to bathe in and the increasing amount of missing villagers is starting to be noticed. This Hammer horror take on the legend of Elizabeth Bathory is trashy but intriguing look at the lengths people will go to to defy the aging process. Ingrid Pitt is potent in the lead role.
Kiss Of Death Mon 11/10 Talking Pictures TV @ 21.00
After a failed bank robbery a thief gets jailed and keeps his mouth shut to protect his accomplices. When one of them betrays him he decides to help the cops as his way of getting revenge. But he didn't reckon for Tommy Udo. Richard Widmark's Udo set the bar for screen psychopaths back in the 40's when this film noir was released and his performance is still unsettling 74 years later. A lean and mean thriller that will grab you fast.
The Glass Castle Mon 11/10 TG4 @ 21.30
Jeanette Walls had an unconventional childhood. Led by her nomadic & arty parents, life as a child was tough & sometimes poverty stricken. Decisions she makes as an adult disappoint them. Brie Larson does satisfying work as the lead in an often upsetting story that takes a rose tinted look at the mistakes parents make when they put their own desires before that of their family. Woody Harrelson and Naomi Watts make for a very effective pair of muppets
The Little Stranger Mon 11/10 Film4 @ 21.00
Just after the second world war a doctor is called to a crumbling country mansion to tend to a patient. It's a mansion his family has been long connected to and there's secrets lurking behind the walls of the old family home. Irish director Lenny Abrahamson's 2018 gothic chiller is a sedately paced affair but it's atmospheric twists and finely tuned turns from Domhnall Gleeson, Ruth Wilson and Will Poulter will hook you in quickly.
The Mother Tues 12/10 BBC4 @ 21.00
When her husband dies May takes a leap into the unknown and reinvents herself instead of fading away as her family expects. She even takes a lover. One half her age. All is well until people start noticing her smile again. A touching, intelligent and provocative look at a relationship you rarely see portrayed onscreen. Anne Reid creates a wonderfully drawn lead character and gets able support from Daniel Craig and Steven Mackintosh.
Blindspotting Wed 13/10 Film4 @ 22.45
With 3 days left on his probation Colin is nervous. He's a black man in a land of trigger happy police, his best friend is prone to instant trouble and the town they called home is being gentrified by coffee shops and vegan diners. A comedy drama about friendship that also manages to be a burning, angry look at race relations and the state of modern day america. Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal rock the leads.
The Conjuring Wed 13/10 BBC2 @ 23.15
The Perron's have moved into their new home but all is not well. They hire a pair of paranormal investigators to cure the sickness in their house and it isn't long before all hell breaks loose. A really effective old school haunted house film that's grounded by some superb showings from Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston and Vera Farmiga. This is one to record for Halloween and watch in a dark, quiet room with the curtains pulled.
The Caine Mutiny Thur 14/10 Great! Movies Action @ 16.45
The U.S.S Caine is a minesweeper sailing the Pacific during WWII. It's captain is Francis Queeg. Captain Queeg is acting a bit off and Lieutenant Marik is feeling the pressure. A tense and claustrophobic story of madness, bravery and doing the right thing despite the outcome. Humphrey Bogart is as always excellent as Queeg and Van Johnson does fine as Marik. A highly influential movie here, you'll recognise plenty of it even if you haven't seen it before.
Mulholland Drive Fri 15/10 TG4 @ 00.05
A fresh faced ingénue looking to be a star and an amnesiac woman recovering from a car crash meet and lean on each other to find answers in a sinister Hollywood. David Lynch's startling LA set drama/horror/thriller is a film you'll either love or despise but it's one that will worm it's way into your head and set up camp for days. Laura Harring and Naomi Watts lead a stunning cast. Don't watch this one while imbibing in any mind altering substances. If you do say goodbye to your weekend.
Primal Fear Fri 15/10 RTE2 @ 21.45
A Chicago arch bishop has been butchered and the prime suspect is a quiet young man with psychiatric problems. Flashy lawyer Martin Vail wants to prove the youth is innocent but he hasn't a clue what he's dealing with. Edward Norton's film debut is what will stick with you from this solid legal thriller. It's the very definition of a career making role. Richard Gere and Laura Linney add good things to the mix too.
The Mission Fri 15/19 RTE1 @ 23.35
Jesuit priests head in the Amazon rainforest in an attempt to convert the tribes within to Catholicism. They want to bring civilisation but to no one's surprise civilisation brings with it pain and destruction. Remembered as the film that gave us Gabriel's Oboe, Roland Jaffe's 1986 drama is a amazing looking and beautiful sounding look at man's inhumanity to man led by a couple of hefty turns from Jeremy Irons and Robert De Niro.
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