Fargo Sat 13/11 TG4 @ 22.45
North Dakota. A snowbound plan to get out of financial difficulty comes undone when psychopaths and pregnant police officers get involved. This black comedy from The Coen Brothers is a wickedly enjoyable and viciously violent look at what happens when things get desperate. The cast is second to none with Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, William H. Macy and a terrifying Peter Stormare all put in a mighty shift.
Is Paris Burning? Sat 13/11 Talking Pictures TV @ 23.15
1944. Months after D-Day. The Allies are encroaching on Paris and the Germans are starting to worry. Their plan is to destroy the city's famous landmarks if failure is imminent but factions of French rebels in the city have other ideas. A big, exciting, epic, sprawling look at one of the most pivotal victories of World War II. The cast is astounding with Jean Paul Belmondo, Orson Welles, Alain Delon, Glenn Ford & Yves Montand being the stand outs.
Lost & Found Sat 13/11 RTE1 @ 23.55
Eddie begs for change for a trip. Sile is planning her special day. Paudge is mad to do up a pub no one likes. Daniel organises a life changing trip to Europe. Just some of the seven interconnecting stories in Lost & Found with the common denominator being a train station in the heart of Ireland. Limerick born director Liam O Mochain's film is a funny, tragic and whimsical blend of the good and bad parts of life. Aoibhin Garrihy, Liam Carney and Barbara Adair all give nice performances.
Strangers On A Train Sun 14/11 TCM @ 10.25
Two men meet on a train, talk ensues and one disturbed party takes the conversation a lot more seriously than the other. One of Alfred Hitchcock's most gleefully delightful movies. You get the sense he had a whale of a time making this. The tension is electric and Robert Walker as Bruno is a villain for the ages. Fairley Granger ain't too bad either. The tennis club scene will stay with you and watch out of course for the customary director cameo.
They Shall Not Grow Old Sun 14/11 BBC2 @ 21.00
A documentary about life in the trenches of World War 1 from director Peter Jackson getting a screening for Remembrance Sunday . Previously unseen footage has been digitally restored and colourised in a manner that does away with the dis-associative effect provided by B&W footage. It's an upsetting watch of course a very necessary one because we are seeing the results of forgetting history way too much lately.
Days Of The Bagnold Summer Sun 14/11 Film4 @ 23.20
Daniel's having a crap summer. He was supposed to be heading across to Florida with Dad but that fell through and he's stuck at home with mam for six weeks. Will his love of metal music and his friend KY get him through it? Simon Bird's directorial debut is a lovingly drawn and affectionate look at generational clashes between parents and children that might just make you want to roll up and die when you remember your own youth. Monica Dolan and Earl Cave are perfect in their roles.
The French Connection Mon 15/11 Talking Pictures TV @ 21.00
Two New York cops called Jimmy Doyle and Buddy Russo find out a massive shipment of heroin is due to hit the streets soon. The man bringing it in from Marseilles is Alain Charnier. He must be stopped at all costs. One of the grittier films to win Best picture at the Oscars, it's exciting, suspenseful, blunt and sometimes offensive but you'll watch every second of it. Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider both hit the spot.
Flatliners Mon 15/11 The Horror Channel @ 21.00
Five medical students, who really should know better in fairness, take part in an off the books experiment to see what happens when you die and let yourself be brought back to life. An agreeably spooky and quite atmospheric watch with a storyline that crumbles the moment you put any bit of thought into it. So don't think. Just enjoy. Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts and Kevin Bacon are a fine leading trio.
Tomb Raider Mon 15/11 TG4 @ 21.30
Lara Croft, a young woman without any real purpose in life after the disappearance of her father, finds a clue to his whereabouts and sets off to get him back. Her task isn't easy but when you're a dab hand with a bow and arrow it helps. This 2018 take on the famous video game franchise is a surprisingly faithful adaption, especially during its stealthier moments. Alicia Vikander is a decent Lara and Walton Goggins makes for a nasty bad guy.
The Ground Beneath My Feet Tues 16/11 Film4 @ 01.00
Lola has a laser focus on her job. She's a perfectionist and it transfers over to her personal life as well. Everything is ordered, everything is in it's right place. Everything except the secret she keeps about her family, a secret that's about to ruin her. Made in Austria in 2019, it is an intense one, a twisting, noir-ish, gripping and intelligently told story that lets a stellar turn from Valerie Pachner digs its claws into you.
Full Metal Jacket Tues 16/11 TCM @ 23.15
Stanley Kubrick's anti war masterpiece follows a soldier from the hell of basic training to the hell of warfare. There's no glorification of battle or military in his film. There's only viciousness, death and the stripping away of humanity. Matthew Modine gives a career best performance as Private Joker but everyone remembers Vincent D'Onofrio and R. Lee Ermey as a cracked trainee and an evil yoke of a drill sergeant. A stunning movie.
Hilary And Jackie Wed 17/11 Film4 @ 01.05
Two sisters, one a flutist and the other a cellist, love each other but have been subtly set against each other by a musician mother creating a rivalry that lasts their entire life time. An insightful and powerful film based on the lives of real life musicians Hilary and Jackie du Pré. It's a deeply humane film about love, sibling relationships and the insidious effect of resentment. Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths are both astounding.
Dead Of Night Thur 18/11 Talking Pictures TV @ 00.05
Andy has just arrived home from Vietnam and his family are overjoyed. It's an odd situation though because Andy died in Vietnam. So just have his family invited into their home? Bob Clark's 1974 horror is a cracker of a watch, a stark reminder that wishes coming true ain't all that and well crafted bit of slowburning creepiness that builds to a terrific ending. Richard Backus, John Marley and Lynn Carlin do affecting work here.
Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid Thur 18/11 TCM @ 23.25
Pat Garrett and William H. Bonney. Old friends and now new enemies. Garrett has taken the side of the law and he's chasing Bonney out of Lincoln county. Sam Peckinpah's 1973 western is a thing of beauty. A revisionist look at one of the Wild West's best known legends that never shies away from the brutality of outlaw life while paradoxically leaning into the romance of it all. Kris Kristofferson and James Coburn lead a cast absolutely packed with recognisable genre faces.
Demolition Man Thur 18/11 ITV4 @ 22.30
In San Angeles 2032 a good guy out of time is brought into action to deal with a bad guy out of time. A brilliantly entertainingly action comedy, one of the best of the 90's. Sylvester Stallone is in peak form as the hero, Sandra Bullock sparkles in an early role and Wesley Snipes has an absolute ball as the baddest man in California. A superb vision of what's to come too, a bright, clean, friendly nightmare of a future.
The Blue Lamp Fri 19/11 Talking Pictures TV @ 19.15
An elderly London copper who is due to retire takes on a new recruit who is more suited to the criminals of the day. Yes, it sounds like every cop film and tv show you've ever heard of but this came first, being made in 1950. Gritty for its time and accurately showing the slog of police work, it's a hefty slice of British noir buoyed by excellent acting from Jack Warner and Dirk Bogarde especially as the criminal of the piece.
Soulsmith Fri 19/11 RTE1 @ 23.40
A young writer named Ed is full of built up anger and his career has gone downhill rapidly. A family funeral forces him to head home and to confront the myriad ghosts of his past. A story that will ring a bell with a lot of young people who've moved far from home. There's plenty going on in this Irish film but it never feels rushed or clumsy due to solid writing and a believable performance from Matthew O'Brien.
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