Monster's Ball Sat 20/8 TG4 @ 22.40
A bigoted white prison guard falls in love with a black waitress in the American south and an unknown past connection between them gives their relationship a cruel and unusual twist. A desperately grim film but a beautifully acted one about the myriad horrors of racism, inherited hate and fatherhood. You won't leave this happy but a trio of storming performances from Halle Berry, Billy Bob Thornton and Heath Ledger ease the pain.
Breakfast On Pluto Sat 20/8 RTE1 @ 23.15
A young transgender woman called Kitten leaves her small Northern Ireland town and moves to London to find both her mother and herself. Neil Jordan's comedy drama is one of his best. Hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure and a story that just flies by way too quickly. Cillian Murphy is superb as Kitten and the cast is a veritable who's who of Irish talent. There's way too many to name.
The Vigil Sat 20/8 Film4 @ 23.20
When a member of the Orthodox Jewish community dies another member of their community must stay with their body overnight. Rubin has passed and Yakov is the man tasked with what's known as overwatch. Things do not go to plan. A creepy tale that's best gone into cold and a look into a section of society usually overlooked in movies and definitely in horror movies. Dave Davis is a strong lead here.
Queen & Slim Sun 21/8 RTE2 @ 00.15
Queen and Slim have just had an awkward first date and when he's dropping her home a cop stops them for no reason. Blood is shed and soon the pair are on the run and fearing for their lives. A powerful and electric look at the trials and tribulations of being black in a country that will forever look at you out of the corner of its eye. Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith create fire together onscreen.
The Edge Of Seventeen Sun 21/8 BBC3 @ 21.55
High school life is miserable for Nadine and it gets worse when her best friend starts dating the most popular kid in school, her brother Darian, the ultra jock. This is teen movie par excellence. The angst, stress and awkwardness of your teen years is captured by pitch perfect performances from Hailee Stanfield, Haley Lu Richardson and Woody Harrelson. All this and it manages to be warm and in places very funny too.
X+Y Mon 22/8 BBC2 @ 00.15
A young autistic man finds his closed in world opening up when he takes part in an international mathematics competition. It's not exactly a comprehensive look at the condition but it gives us an idea of what people with it and their families go through. There's great acting from Asa Butterfield and Sally Hawkins as son & mother and Rafe Spall & Eddie Marsan are always a pleasure to see onscreen.
Mystic River Mon 22/8 TG4 @ 21.30
A young girl is found murdered in South Boston and it sets in motion a sequence of tragic events concerning her father and his friends. Clint Eastwood's adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel is a magnificent movie. Heartbreaking, gripping and a complex look at the effects of violence and all it's tentacles of consequences. Sean Penn, Laura Linney, Kevin Bacon and especially Tim Robbins are all fantastic.
Spiderman : Into The Spiderverse Tues 23/8 Film4 @ 18.45
A teenage graffiti artist is bitten by a radioactive spider and discovers a whole new range of powers. And a whole new world of alternate universes. Move over Peter Parker, you've had your time, now it's Miles Morales's turn. An awesome piece of work, 117 mins of animation that will blow your mind, even if you aren't a comic book fan. IMO the best film version of a Marvel comic. Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali and Jake Johnson supply superior voicework.
The Workshop Tues 23/8 BBC2 @ 23.15
In a once prosperous French seaside town a writing class is set up to help ease teenagers into the world of work. Olivia, a writer, runs the class and is intrigued by a young man who's work seems to tell a troubling story. This fine 2017 drama uses a microcosm of French society to delve into the problems endemic in France as a whole and it does it well. Marina Foïs & Matthieu Lucci do wonderful work as the leads.
Gas-s-s-s Wed 24/8 Talking Pictures TV @ 03.15
A pair of hippies called Cilla and Coel go on the run when a gas leak in Texas starts killing everyone over the age of 25. The further they run the more widespread the leak becomes. Civilisation breaks down and soon things are weird. Really weird. Roger Corman's black comedy might be 54 years old but it still nails the absolute state of the American dream with unerring accuracy. Robert Corff and Elaine Giftos have fun headlining.
The Taking Of Deborah Logan Wed 24/8 The Horror Channel @ 21.00
A documentary crew is following the life of Deborah Logan, an elderly woman with a degenerative disease. The things they are filming her doing though..... science can't explain what's happening. So they dig deeper. Yes, it's a found footage horror film but it's well done and builds its scares up properly instead of relying on schlocky jump moments. Jill Larson does effective work as the eponymous character.
The Apartment Thur 25/8 BBC4 @ 21.50
C.C. Baxter has a cunning plan to get ahead in his job. He lets his apartment out to the executives at his work as a place where they can have their affairs safely. He's hoping he can get ahead but lately he's starting to feel used. Billy Wilder's 1960 comedy drama is a stunner, a comedic, believable and upsetting look at a man's realisation that he's nothing more than a cog in a machine. Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray are all on fire here.
The Nice Guys Thur 25/8 Film4 @ 23.20
The death of a porn star and the case of a missing woman bring two very different private investigators together in 1970's Los Angeles. Shane Black's 2016 film is a touch overlong and a little bit muddled but it is amusing and surprisingly violent and held aloft by two solid performances from Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe who bounce off each other well and Crowe especially displays some hitherto unknown comedy chops.
Odd Thomas Fri 26/8 The Horror Channel @ 21.00
Thomas is a young man with a gift. Not a very nice gift. When a stranger turns up in his small town he is forced to use his unique skill to defend himself and those he cares about. A quirky and entertaining adaptation of a Dean Koontz novel. It's fluff, a watch once affair but you'll have a lot of fun during it. Thomas is well played by the much missed Anton Yelchin. There's nice support from Addison Timlin and Gugu Mbatha-Raw too.
A Bump Along The Way Fri 26/8 RTE1 @ 23.20
Pamela's 44 and in a spot of bother. After a night out a rendezvous in a van in the hills above Derry sees her facing a pregnancy she doesn't want and one that her teenage daughter Allegra's mortified by. A genuinely heartfelt Irish film that's upsetting in parts and hilarious in others due to a winning and believable combination of performances from Bronagh Gallagher and Lola Pettigrew
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