Ad Astra Sat 16/7 CH4 @ 21.00
It's the late 21st century. Earth is being struck by a strange power surge from beyond the stars and an astronaut heads into the great unknown in search of an answer. An answer to many things. James Gray's 2019 sci-fi drama opens on an epic scale and builds towards something far more intimate. It will annoy some but others will get sucked into it's strange quest. Brad Pitt, Limerick's own Ruth Negga and Tommy Lee Jones do fine work here.
Music Box Sat 16/7 Talking Pictures TV @ 21.05
Ann Talbot is troubled. She's a defense attorney and she's about to take on her hardest case. She'll be defending her father, the man she adores, a man who's just been accused of committing atrocity during World War II. An interesting and strongly acted look at the rippling effects of violence that continue long after the bloodshed has stopped. Jessica Lange and Armin Mueller-Stahl work well together.
Spanglish Sat 16/7 RTE2 @ 22.30
Flor has left Mexico looking for a better life for her and her daughter. She becomes a housekeeper for the Closky's. John is easy going, Deborah is the opposite. A rarity of a film, an Adam Sandler movie that's heartfelt and moving instead of mean spirited. A film about family and the joys of cross cultural friendship. Plus it has the recipe for one of the best sandwiches ever. Tea Leoni and Paz Vega are excellent too.
Little Women Sun 17/7 CH4 @ 18.50
Jo March is in New York struggling to get her first novel published. A novel very much influenced by her childhood and her family back in Concord, Massachusetts. Greta Gerwig's 2019 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's famous novel is an absolute success. Once you get used to the time skipping narrative you'll be pulled into a story that's 150 years old but still universal. Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern and Meryl Streep are all superb.
Blade Runner 2049 Sun 17/7 BBC1 @ 22.30
Los Angeles. 29 years from now. A Blade Runner called K follows a lead to a farm and discovers something that could change human/android relationships forever. No one expected a belated sequel to the 1982 original to be any good but it really gets the job done. Stylish, intriguing, brutal, upsetting and in places quite beautiful looking. Ryan Gosling, Ana De Armas, Edward James Olmos and Harrison Ford all hit their mark.
American Woman Sun 17/7 Film4 @ 23.05
A young mother has gone missing in a rural part of Pennsylvania and it's understandably taking it's toll on her mother Deb who's going out of her mind trying to figure out what's happening. A harsh watch about the parts of America you rarely if ever hear about and how poverty and lack of choice locks people into making terrible decisions. You won't enjoy it but a powerful turn from a never better Sienna Miller will keep you watching.
Buried Mon 18/7 CH4 @ 00.55
An American truck driver in Iraq is kidnapped and wakes up buried in a coffin. All he has is a cigarette lighter and a mobile phone. His air is running out fast. Can he escape in time? If you are in anyway claustrophobic I'd advise you avoid Buried like the plague but if you think you'll be able for it, it's a suspenseful and quite terrifying little tale. Ryan Reynolds carries the entire film on his shoulders and does a first rate job.
Destroyer Mon 18/7 TG4 @ 21.30
Undercover work years before has taken it's toll physically and psychologically on Erin Bell and when a face from the past appears she takes a chance to exorcise her demons once and for all. Oh man, this is a gruelling look at the dark underbelly of society but an extremely committed performance from Nicole Kidman will keep you going to the bitter end. A rotten Toby Kebbell and Tatiana Maslany do good things with their parts.
Chevalier Tue 19/7 Film4 @ 01.55
Six Greek men head out into the Aegean sea to fish and take part in a series of games that will prove who among them is the manliest of the bunch. A darkly funny and in places disturbing look into the male psyche and the ridiculous lengths men will go to to one up each other. I haven't a clue who any of the actors are but they fill the movie with naturalistic performances that compliment and sometimes ruin the beautiful scenery.
Seraphim Falls Tues 19/7 Great! Movies @ 22.50
The American civil war is coming to an end but the violence is far from over. A knifeman named Gideon is wounded and being chased across the wilderness by a gang of men out for revenge. Why are they chasing him though? Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan have gone on record saying this was the best time they ever had making a film and it shows. It's an entertaining watch, laced with dark humour and a welcome side of weirdness. Angelica Huston & Tom Noonan add to the stew.
Now, Voyager Thur 21/7 BBC4 @ 20.45
A repressed woman escapes her mother's influence and becomes a very different person. Bette Davis is fantastic in the lead role and turns in a far subtler and nuanced performance than some of her other better known roles. A film that's dark in places, complex and wonderfully acted and full of dialogue you will know even if you haven't seen it before. BTW it has the coolest cigarette lighting scene in film history too.
Spring Thu 21/7 The Horror Channel @ 22.40
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 create a nice chemistry.
Robocop Fri 22/7 ITV4 @ 22.05
After he's gunned down on his first day on the job a police officer is resurrected as a law upholding cyborg. His mission - to clean up Detroit. Paul Verhoeven's 1987 sci-fi thriller is still an amazing film. Darkly humorous, cynical, brutally violent and scarily prescient about the way society has evolved in the 35 years since it's release. Peter Weller as the man in the visor is perfect and Kurtwood Smith is a truly terrifying bad guy.
Lawman Fri 22/7 TG4 @ 22.30
A marshal arrives into a strange town to arrest the troublemakers who caused the death of an old man in his own 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.
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