Blood And Wine Sat 4/12 Talking Pictures TV @ 21.00
Alex's life is gone off the rails and in an attempt to get himself out of debt he's decided to rob jewellery from one of the clients he sells wine to with the help of his safe cracking buddy and the client's maid who Alex is seeing on the side. Bob Rafelson's 1996 thriller has a whiff of modern day film noir off it and is carried by an amusingly cutting turn from Jack Nicholson who gets nice backing from Michael Caine, Judy Davis and a baby faced Jennifer Lopez.
The Killing Fields Sat 4/12 RTE1 @ 23.55
1973. A civil war is raging in Cambodia due to the Vietnamese war crossing the border. Dith Pran, a Cambodian journalist working with the American news agencies gets left behind when they are forced to leave and he has to fend for himself in a regime that hates his profession. A haunting, empathetic and vicious look at the aftermath of American intervention. Sam Waterson and John Malkovich are the faces you'll recognise but Haing S. Ngor as Dith owns the movie. He's phenomenal.
Spring Sun 5/12 The Horror Channel @ 21.00
A disastrous personal life has Evan in a tizzy so he does a legger from the United States to Italy and it's here he meets an unusual woman called Louise and a dalliance with her makes his existence back in America look rather normal. A film you want to watch knowing as little about it as possible. It's fun, atmospheric and it will lurk in your head for a while. The fact that it's on the horror channel will clue you in. Lou Taylor Pucci and Nadia Hilker work well together.
Last Orders Sun 5/12 Film4 @ 21.00
Jack has passed away and his friends are in mourning. He went out with a smile and one final wish - that his friends get together once more to reminisce and scatter his ashes over the beach he loved so well. An elegant, touching and humane look at the pleasures and hardships of lifelong friendships told wonderfully by director Fred Schepisi and a stunner of a cast that includes Michael Caine, Helen Mirren, Ray Winston, Bob Hoskins and Tom Courtenay.
Brighton Rock Mon 6/12 Talking Pictures TV @ 15.00
Pinky's the leader of a gang in pre-war Brighton. He's a nasty piece of work and a run-in with a journalist causes big problems for him and for a naive young waitress named Rose who's witness to what he has done. This 1948 adaption of Graham Green's celebrated novel is still a tense, nerve wracking and affecting watch 73 years later. A baby faced Richard Attenborough does memorable work in the lead role.
Farming Tues 7/12 CH4 @ 01.55
A young Nigerian boy is sent by his family to England in the 60's to be raised in a white household. It was a practice known as farming, an attempt to give poor African children a better chance at life. It left some of them with a very confused look at their own racial identity. Based on director Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's own life, it's a raw and disturbing coming of age story and a damning indictment of the British government's warped policies. Damson Idris is an excellent lead.
Tully Tues 7/12 Film4 @ 23.20
Marlo's struggling. Three kids are taking their toll on her and her marriage. A nanny is hired. An unusual nanny named Tully. A strange bond forms between the two women. Tully comes from the pen of Diablo Cody so it's no surprise that it delves into myriad aspects of womanhood rarely seen on screen and that paired with fine turns from Charlize Theron and Mackenzie Davis makes it really worth a watch
Catch And Release Wed 8/12 Great! Movies @ 03.30
On the day she was supposed to get married Gray finds herself at the funeral of the man she loved. She has no money and nowhere to live and has to move in with his room mates and soon finds out she didn't know him as well as she thought. This 2006 romcom is enjoyable if you can zone out Kevin Smith as one of the room mates. Jennifer Garner and Timothy Olyphant do good enough work together to help you ignore the eejit in the corner.
Free State Of Jones Wed 8/12 BBC2 @ 23.15
Alienated by the confederation, a soldier deserts his post during the American civil war and together with farmers and freed slaves creates a new state. Things do not go smoothly. Gary Ross's 2016 film is a vivid recreation of an era of American history that rarely gets mentioned. It's as brutal and ugly as you'd expect but superb acting from Matthew McConnaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw & Mahershala Ali eases the pain.
Another Year Thur 9/12 CH4 @ 01.00
Gerri and Tom are living a quiet, contented life and looking forward to the freedom that comes with retirement but their divorced and unhappy friend Mary is becoming an increasingly large presence in their lives. The second Mike Leigh film of the week is too no big surprise another cracker, a deep dive into the minutiae of everyday lives and loves that doesn't need fake drama to make its point. Ruth Sheen, Jim Broadbent and Lesley Manville are all impeccable.
The Manchurian Candidate Thur 9/12 BBC4 @ 21.00
Prisoners of war return from capture in the Korean War to America. But all is not well. To say anymore might spoil a magnificent piece of neo-noir. A truly suspenseful film, intelligent, inventive, paranoid, complex and deeply layered. Fabulous acting abounds. Frank Sinatra gives one of his best performances but the star of the show is Angela Lansbury. Her character is quite the creation, you won't be able to look away from her.
Lawman Fri 10/12 TG4 @ 21.05
A marshal arrives into a town to arrest the troublemakers who caused the death of an old man in his town. The townsfolk aren't going to make things easy for him though. A hoary old revenge story is the basis of this blistering western and it's one that effortlessly bridges the gap between the old fashioned westerns of the 60's and the dark and violent ones of the 70's. Burt Lancaster, Lee J. Cobb, Robert Ryan and Robert Duvall, all old hands at this genre, are all in fine form here.
Wild Nights With Emily Fri 10/12 Film4 @ 23.10
Not much is known about the personal life of Emily Dickinson, the 19th century American poet. She was long considered an eccentric loner by her neighbours in Massachusetts but Madeleine Olnek's 2018 romcom tells us a different version of her story. A surprisingly touching and warm look at how secrets are kept and how legends are created powered by strong turns from Molly Shannon, Amy Seimetz and Susan Zeigler.
The Leisure Seeker Fri 10/12 RTE1 @ 23.45
The Leisure Seeker is the name of Ella and John's RV and it becomes their home when they decide to drive from Boston to Key West in an attempt to revisit older, better times. A poignant watch that doesn't skimp on the realities of growing old while at the same time shows us a type of love and understanding that only exists after decades of being together. Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland work very well together as the leads.
If you find something and interesting or just an old fave a retweet is appreciated. Thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment