11 films worth watching on TV this week

Men & Chicken   Sat   12/5   Film4 @ 23.15

Ok, this week's first one sounds odd but it's a genuinely entertaining bit of quirkiness about two brothers who find out some biological truths about themselves and suddenly everything they know is suspect. Mads Mikkelsen as one of the brothers plays his role completely straight which makes the madness going on around him even funnier. A perfect introduction to Danish cinema.

I Used To Live Here   Sat   12/5   RTE2 @ midnight

Irish film time. A grieving girl and a troubled boy from Tallaght start having confusing and dark thoughts after witnessing a barrage of emotion during a local tragedy. Director Frank Berry's film debut is a bit of a stunner and one that will rattle around your head for days after due to it's frank look at psychological issues facing young Irish people today. Jordanne Jones & Dafhyd Flynn are both excellent leads.

Eddie The Eagle  Sun   13/5   CH4 @ 21.30

Calgary. 1988. The Winter Olympics. A young and inexperienced English man called Michael Edwards is taking part in the ski jump. Slowly he becomes a very unlikely sporting hero. Based on a true story this is absolute fluff but it's very entertaining fluff and the perfect antidote to the sunday night fear. Taron Egerton is fun in the lead but Hugh Jackman (in a very fictional role) as his coach Bronson is great craic,

We Are What We Are   Sun   13/5   The Horror Channel @ 22.50

The Parker's are a very close knit family and they have a very good reason for being so. They are good at keeping secrets until mother nature starts intervening. Oh this is a dark one. If you are anyway squeamish i'll advise you avoid it but if you have a solid constitution you'll find a lot here to....well not enjoy ...but like. Julia Garner and Ambyr Childers as a pair of sisters do fine work.

Eve's Bayou   Mon   14/5   TG4 @ 21.30

Louis Baptiste is a well respected doctor in early 60's Louisiana. But Louis is a weak man and when one of his mistakes is witnessed by his daughter things start going wrong for his family. Kasi Lemmon's drama is a cracker, and one so shrouded in southern atmospheric that it will make you melt. Jurnee Smollett and Samuel L.Jackson as daughter and father are both fantastic.

The Hunted   Mon   14/5   3E @ 23.00

An ex soldier haunted by memories of the atrocities he saw in Kosovo goes rogue in the Pacific north west and the only person who can take him down is the man who trained him. Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro are very convincing in this lean, sparse and vicious action thriller from William Friedkin. The final confrontation in this is one of the best one on one fight scenes in modern movies.

Anatomy Of A Murder   Tues   15/5   TCM @ 16.10

When an army lieutenant is accused of murder a straight laced lawyer takes up his case. But there's far more to the case than meets the eye. A very controversial film on it's initial release and pretty problematic in this more enlightened age. It's a very compelling and intriguing watch though and one filled with superb performances from the likes of James Stewart, Lee Remick and Ben Gazzara.

The Last Days On Mars   Wed   16/5   Film4 @ 23.10

In the near future a group of astronauts on Mars are coming to the end of their research trip when one of them stumbles across something interesting. And in movie land interesting is never good. Liev Schreiber headlines this atmospheric sci fi/horror that may wear it's influences on it's sleeve but it's still a film thats gripping throughout and genuinely unnerving in places. 

The Descendants   Thur   18/5   CH4 @ 01.45

On the Island paradise of Kauai a hardworking lawyer tries to reconnect with his children after an accident places their mother in a coma. George Clooney stars in this 2011 film which was one of the best of that year. A bittersweet comedy drama that will both make your laugh and slay you with it's emotional honesty. Shailene Woodley is excellent in a career making role as an elder daughter.

Sullivan's Travels   Fri   18/5   TCM @ 11.40

A comedy director longs to make a drama and be taken seriously in his profession so he sets off in disguise to find out what suffering means in an effort to inspire himself. This Preston Sturges comedy is a true classic. One that's moving in places and hilarious in others and one that moves like a racehorse. Joel McCrea and the lovely Veronica Lake do superb work.

The Hunting Party   Fri   18/5   TG4 @ 22.00

In the early 70's relaxed censorship rules & the influence of Spaghetti westerns lead to a spate of extremely brutal and grim westerns being released. This is one of the better ones. A rancher's wife is kidnapped and he sets out to get her back. A well made & well acted film but also fierce nasty and one that may upset you. This is a film without heroes. Everyone is a scumbag. Gene Hackman & Candice Bergman are great as always.

Reeling In The Years. Cinema style. 1930.

1930 was the start of a tumultuous decade for Hollywood. Movies with sound were being adopted across the board and silent Hollywood was dying leaving actors and directors struggling with the future. The studio system was taking off and a handful of major film studio's were making virtually every film and a series of scandals in the 1920's issued in a puritanical stance that would tame films for the next 4 decades.

Here's a few film related facts and figures from 1930 with a wee treat lobbed in at the end for your viewing pleasure.

John Wayne and Jean Harlow both make their breakthrough this year. Wayne in a western called 'The Big Trail' and Harlow in none other than Howard Hughes 'Hell's Angels'. Sadly Jean would be dead within 7 years while Wayne became an embodiment of America for the next 50 years. Other noticeable debuts this year were James Cagney and Maureen O'Sullivan.

Tom Sawyer is the biggest earning film of the year with $11 million.

All Quiet On The Western Front wins best picture. One of the greatest anti war films ever. The below clip says it all. Probably best not to watch it if you haven't seen the film though.

Clint Eastwood, Tippi Hedren, Sean Connery & Gena Rowlands are born this year. All four are still going strong. They built them tough back then.

Howard Hughes war film Hell's Angels pushes the boundaries of just what a film can do. 88 years later it's still amazing and far more impressive than any CGI. Watch the below clip with the sound off.



The Hays code is introduced. A series of scandals including the Fatty Arkbuckle trial scandalised Hollywood during the 20's and forced studios to come up with a plan to bring back a family friendly image. William H. Hays was brought in to draw up a list of do's and dont's for film. It doesn't fully come into effect until 1934 but it straight away curtails the use of sex & overt violence in films. This code was the reason married couples in black and white films slept in separate beds and we didn't hear the F-word in an American film until 1970. The film was M.A.S.H. btw.

Clara Bow, one of the first movie "It" girls became embroiled in a Hollywoodland sex scandal and had her career ruined as a result. An early example of a woman being destroyed by the celebrity machine.



Greta Garbo was the star of the year and one of the very few actors who successfully made the transition from silent to talking picture.

Now for your treat, a true 1930 classic for ye to watch. The type of film that if you bring it up in conversation you'll look like a full on cineaste. Luis Bunuel's L'Age D'Or. A massively controversial movie back in the day and still a pretty full on watch.

Enjoy.



Next up : 1931

Tully

I've no kids. Very few of my friends have them. Only one of the women I'm friends with has had children and she lives 5000 miles away. I've no idea how to hold a baby or change a nappy. And after watching Tully I never want to. COS IT LOOKS LIKE A PAIN IN THE HOLE.

I jest of course. Sort of...

Marlo is a woman ran into the grounds by the demands of motherhood. She's 9 months pregnant with her third child. She hasn't slept in forever. Her son might be on the spectrum and her husband is more interested in playing Gears Of War 4 than going near her. She's at the end of her tether when help arrives in the form of Tully, a night nanny who will look after the babby so she can sleep. Things look up the second she appears.

I really liked this. It's a starkly honest and in places painfully frank look at the toll motherhood places on women both physically and mentally. It's very far from the glowing cinematic depictions of maternity we usually see. Marlo loves her kids and she loves her husband but she's bone tired and seeing others around her coping better isn't helping matters. She's also pining for her lost youth and running into an old friend from her former life is a catalyst for the story. A story like this full of complex roles needs strong performances and we get those in spades from the leads.

Charlize Theron plays Marlo with a searing bravery. She's just fantastic here. The last time she was this good was 15 years ago and she won an Oscar for it in 2003's Monster. Here she transforms herself physically again and the results are immense and I hope she gets recognised for it. Despite her suffering she still makes Marlo very likeable with shards of warmth poking through her pained exterior. She just wants to be happy again. Her husband Drew is played well by Ron Livingston. Again he's a nice guy but one torn between wanting to be a good Da and using games and his job as an escape, something Marlo can't do.

Mackenzie Davis is Tully, the night nanny. She's like Mary Poppins, she can do anything. When she appears the stress of the earlier parts of the film evaporate. But so does some of it's honesty. Tully comes a bit too close to being a manic pixie dream girl. A character like this can rapidly drain a story of it's dramatic tension. Then you remember this is written by Diablo Cody and she's too clever of a writer to let this become predictable. The film is far from over. Some may take issue with the way the story plays out but for me it worked perfectly. It's satisfying and those moments in the film that stood out as odd earlier will suddenly make perfect sense.

As a man I'll never experience the problems and hardships motherhood can bring beyond being told about them but big credit to this film for shining a light on things that are rarely spoken of, especially not in Hollywood movies. With this, Juno and Young Adult, director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody have made a loose trilogy about the aspects of womanhood that tend to be whispered about. They work very well together and I hope we don't have to wait too long for their next collaboration. And fingers crossed Charlize Theron is along for the ride.

The Strangers : Prey At Night

In 1981 a family called the Sharpes rented a cabin in the Keddie Resort in northern California. On the 12th of April one of the daughters returned home from a sleepover and found her mam and two brothers tied up and murdered and her sister missing. 37 years later this case has never been solved. This horrible story inspired 2008's The Strangers and now 10 years later The Strangers : Prey At Night.

Mike and Cindy are parents at their wit's end about what to do with their rebellious daughter Kinsey. They decide to send her to boarding school in the hope that her behaviour will be sorted out. Before this they go on one last trip to spend time together so with their son Luke they head off to a trailer park owned by family. There's other people at the park too....

I was expecting nothing from this but wanted to see it as I genuinely enjoyed the first film in the series. Horror sequels tend to be a pointless exercise in repetition and belated sequels in any genre nearly always end up bad so imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a pretty damn effective exercise in terror like it's predecessor. Like the original film the first thing the movie does right is give us a group of protagonists we can identify with. Slasher films are nearly always populated with teenage muppets who you want to see cleaved in half so it's refreshing to see characters onscreen you don't want to see die. Here we get a mam, dad, son and daughter, all struggling with normal family problems using recognisable family dynamics. We know people like these, with these issues so of course we don't want to see them die onscreen. When a horror film can do this it's winning already.

Characters aside there's lots to like about this. It has an oddly timeless feel due to some very effective uses of classic 80's music from Kim Wilde, Tiffany and Bonnie Tyler Moore. At moments during the film you wouldn't be faulted for thinking the film was set in the early 80's until you are jarred by the sight of a modern car or a smartphone. It creates an unsettling mood. A swimming pool scene scored by Total Eclipse of the Heart is a cracker. The camera cutting between underwater turmoil and the serene surface and the 80's atmosphere bringing to mind similar scenes from Cat People and Rosemary's Killer. The tone is heightened by nods to other horror classics of the period like Halloween and Friday The 13th. The camp by the lake, certain things worn by bad people and musical cues that really bring the work of Sean S. Cunningham and John Carpenter to mind. Director Johanne Roberts and writer Bryan Bertino obviously have a love of the genre and that love is plain to see onscreen.

And then of course there's the scares. Here's where the film really shines. It's properly old fashioned in its depiction of horror. The slowburn feeling of "somethings not right here", the relative lack of overt blood and gore ( the violence in this is tough but it's not graphic and exploitative) and the lack of cheap shocks and jump scares which is always appreciated. During scenes you'll see things in the background that will put the willies up you (oo-er) straight away because you know something is coming but the people onscreen don't. It works so much better than the loud noises horror of other modern movies. Then there's the baddies and their motivations. The reason behind what we see happening might be a cop out to some but the more you think about it all the scarier it gets. It's all rather nihilistic.

I liked this. The cast do a fine job, Christina Hendricks and Bailee Madison especially. They succeed in making you give a shit about events onscreen and the fact that all this happens in under 90 minutes is even better. Horror fans will get a lot out of this but there's something here for everyone even if you haven't seen the first film. It's a fine friday night movie.

I Feel Pretty

In 1988 Penny Marshall made Big. 30 years later it's still a highly entertaining film and Tom Hanks is just brilliant in it. It's the story of someone not happy with themselves and wishing to be different and when they get what they desire they find out it's not all it's made out to be. I Feel Pretty owes a pretty damn massive debt to Big and we even see a clip of that film in this. Like Big it boasts an excellent lead performance but a few odd decisions mean it's just not the same quality.

On paper Renee Bennett is living the dream. She lives in Manhattan. She has solid friends that she can rely on and she works for a make up company she adores. In reality she hates herself and her job is deeply unsatisfying. All she wants is to be beautiful and confident like her boss and the models who advertise her company's make up. One day during a burst of self improvement she has an accident and wakes up feeling ultra confident. But ultra confidence has it's downsides too.

I liked this but it's not all successful. Parts of it soar but a lot of it falls on it's arse too. It's a story all about learning to accept yourself and your body that feels the need to constantly make fun of it's leading lady and her looks. Mixed messages like this dilute the importance of its message straight away. It's painfully silly in places and really struggles to fill a needlessly overlong running time. When will Hollywood remember that it's a rare comedy that needs to be over 100 minutes. It also asks us to believe that Amy Schumer is ugly. She's not, she's far from it but because she isn't a size zero like other actresses we are asked to believe her appearance will make babies cry (this actually happens). It's an overused and pretty offensive movie trope that needs to be put down.

But Amy Schumer is a super lead. She's funny and she's fearless and not afraid to let her face fill the frame. In the earlier parts of the film she's instantly recognisable to anyone who struggles with insecurity and as things take off for her she's a joy to watch. As we've previously seen in her other film Trainwreck she's not averse to being unlikeable either and although this 12A film smoothes off the edges we know she's capable off she'll still manages to make you cringe in the right places. She saves the film. In less confident hands this could have went totally arseways.

The film's heart is in the right place too, mixed signals aside. It shows the pressures placed on women by society to look and act a certain way and the doubt that comes with not living up to perceived ideals. Even the characters who you think have it together are shown to be struggling. Michelle William's character Avery is a prime example of this btw, overcoming what is initially a very comic facade to become a rounded person and Williams is as always excellent. The men in the film are shown to be facing their own struggles too btw. It's a small touch but a notable one as we aren't usually allowed to have feelings or show self doubt.


I Feel Pretty is not a bad film at all, but it's one hobbled by it trying to have it's cake and eat it too in regard to its treatment of its main character. Amy Schumer though is great and well worth watching.

10 films worth watching on TV this week

Goat   Sat   5/4   Film4 @ 23.15

After suffering a serious attack a rattled teenager heads off to university and joins the same fraternity as his older brother. He thinks things will be easy but..... A dark and in places rather disturbing insight into the mind of young men and their need for acceptance and belonging. A scary and well acted film (especially by Ben Schnetzer as the lead) that will put you off ever sending your sons to college.

Parked   Sun   6/4   RTE2 @ 00.15

After years away a man named Fred returns to Dublin and finds himself in financial trouble and living out of his car. Things are looking bad until he makes a new friend. Colm Meaney is, as always, on fire in this story of the recession and what it did to the normal people of Ireland. Dark and grim in some places, hilarious in others and well worth a watch. Good support from Colin Morgan too.

The Last Detail   Sun   6/4   TCM @ 23.15

While on their way to bring a young thief to the brig, 2 naval officers decide to show him one last good time before he starts his sentence. One of Jack Nicholson's most enjoyable and free wheeling films, this is profane fun from start to finish. It's also a deceptively deep film and a nice commentary on the state of America at the time. Nicholson rocks it and Randy Quaid in only his 3rd film plays a very sympathetic part.

Sing Street   Mon   7/4   RTE1 @ 21.30

A teenage boy in 1980's Dublin who is struggling with growing up and his family finds an escape when he forms a band with his schoolmates. It was a tough time to be different though. A fantastic film, entertaining as hell and bursting with heart and energy. If you don't enjoy this you are probably dead. A cracking Irish cast lead by Ferdia Walsh- Peelo & Lucy Boynton is the icing on the cake.

Papillon   Mon   7/4   BBC2 @ 23.00

A seasoned criminal wrongly accused of murder finds himself on a supposedly inescapable island prison and sets out to get his life back. Will he find the resolve to deal with life on the island while planning his escape? Steve McQueen is excellent in this harsh, grim but thoroughly exciting film. It's a long one but the time flies by and Dustin Hoffman is as usual, great in a supporting role as McQueen's fellow convict.

The Howling   Mon   7/4   The Horror Channel @ 22.55

After a traumatic incident a reporter goes to a mountain resort to relax and recover and here she discovers things are far from normal. An 80's horror classic that starts off creepy and ends up terrifying. Dee Wallace is a brilliant lead and the film is an absolute treat for film fans as it's packed full of injokes and famous faces from genre films. Plus Rick Baker's special effects rival any CGI you see in modern movies.

Hercules   Wed   9/4   ITV2 @ 21.00

After completing his twelve famous labours, Hercules and his merry gang are tasked with a quest more dangerous than anything they've faced before. This new and knowing twist on an old fable is very agreeable and far more satisfying than reviews would have you believe. Dwayne Johnson as Hercules does his usual thing but the supporting cast just rocks especially Ian McShane as a weary warrior who can't wait to die.

The Diary Of A Teenage Girl   Thur   10/4   Film4 @ 23.15

In 1970's San Francisco a teenage girl called Minnie embarks on a voyage of discovery that could very well damage her relationship with her family forever. A superb coming of age film that may offend some with it's frank scenes but a rewarding one that's well worth sticking with. Bel Powell as Minnie is marvellous and gets fine support from Kristin Wiig and a very sleazy Alexander Skarsgård.

Shaun Of The Dead   Fri   11/4   RTE2 @ 21.30

Shaun is sleepwalking through life and ignoring his responsibilities until one day an apocalyptic event kicks him into action. Edgar Wright's loving homage to George A. Romero's living dead films is a delightful blend of comedy and horror that will make you laugh as much as it makes you squirm. Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran and Kate Ashfield are all perfect.

Buried   Fri   11/4   BBC1   00.25 (sat morning)

An American truck driver in Iraq is kidnapped and wakes up buried alive in a coffin. All he has is a cigarette lighter and a mobile phone. Can he escape in time? If you are anyway claustrophobic i'd advise you avoid this but if you think you'll be able for it, it's a very suspenseful and quite terrifying little tale. Ryan Reynolds carries the entire film on his shoulders and does a first rate job.

Edie McClurg. Another unsung hero of film & TV.

Edie McClurg is the very definition of a character actress. In the vast majority of her appearances on film and tv she's played the exact same part, the happy, good natured character with just a little edge and a very endearing accent. She's graced our screen for over 40 years since her bespectacled debut in Brian De Palma's Carrie and she's always a welcome presence the second she pops up onscreen. It's great when you see someone who will guarantee you a giggle.

She's been roared at by Steve Martin, pulled way too many pencils out of her hair in a Chicago high school, been crushed to death by an angry telekinetic school girl, dealt with both Robin Williams' goo and Nash Bridges flirtations. Been set on fire by one half of America's most notorious serial killing couple and added her dulcet midwest tones to the films of both Pixar and Studio Ghibli. She's been a dinosaur, been a nurse to little old Sophia Petrillo, ruled over Cheech & Chong, chased after Elvira and looked after both little Arnold Jackson and big Bruce Banner. A vast and varied career that you can check out here 

Greatest hits

Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Grace, the school secretary and the last line of defence between Ed Rooney and his pupils. Only a small role but she wins the film with that accent, her joyous phone manner and her unusual storage habits.

Trains, Planes and Automobiles. In a film packed with hilarity Edie gets the funniest and sweary scene as a car rental agent who has to deal with a supremely pissed off Steve Martin. Gets to say the scenes killer punchline too.

Natural Born Killers. Mrs Knox. Mother to an abused daughter and one who knows what's going on but who chooses to look the other way. Gets her just desserts in an extremely dark and fiery moment.

Previous heroes

Barry Shabaka Henley           
Raymond Cruz                        
Reg E.Cathey                          
Elizabeth McGovern               
John Amos                              
Bruce Greenwood                  
Mary McDonnell                     
Gerald McSorley                       
John Rothman                        
Margo Martindale                   
Kurtwood Smith                     
Paula Malcolmson                 
Luis Guzman                          
David Morse                           
Linda Hunt                              
Keith David                             
Zeljko Ivanek
Fiona Shaw
Xander Berkeley
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
C.C.H Pounder
William Forsythe
Beth Grant
Sven-Ole Thorsen
Regina King
Ric Young
Mark Rolston
Illeana Douglas
Jeanette Goldstein
Al Leong
Allan Graf
Bill Nunn
Thomas Rosales Jr

The film characters that will haunt your dreams

The most memorable characters in films are rarely the heroes. They tend to be bland and forgettable goodie two shoes who vanish from your memory 10 minutes after the film has finished. No, the ones we remember are the nasty bastards, the ones who scare us and repulse us. We like to be scared and seeing these people on screen lets us enjoy them and their horrible antics at a safe distance.

Below are 8 of the best(worst).

Poltergeist 2

The Reverend Henry Kane. The kind of character who will make you close your eyes when he pops up on screen in the hope you can block him and his horrific smile out. A devout preacher who's actions and words do not match. As a sequel it's a pale version of the first film but this chap is genuinely unsettling. Julian Beck was dying in real life when he made this which explains his drawn and terrifying appearance.

Rosemary's Baby

Minnie Castevet. Rosemary's seemingly kind neighbour that slowly shows her malevolent side when she drugs Rosemary and........well if you've seen the film you know what she is capable off. Shudder. Watch the film again. Even when she's being nice just take note of how off she feels. A superb performance from Ruth Gordon. You'll never look at a chocolate mousse the same way again because of her.

Happiness

Bill Maplewood is your neighbour. Bill is the chap you chat to when you are cutting your grass. Bill is the fella you spill your guts to. Bill is a paedophile. Bill is one of the scariest characters you'll ever come across in film. That normal facade covering that horrific interior. We see nothing of his crimes but imagine everything. Bill will make you want to cleanse yourself in scalding water with a brillo pad. A very brave performance from Dylan Baker.

Basket Case

Belial. Belial looks stupid and so he should. He's a cheap piece of rubber in an early 80's b-movie. But there's just something just deepy offputting about him. He's one half of a conjoined set of twins that were separated at birth. Belial got the raw side of the deal. He's deformed. He's evil. He has very questionable tastes. He's the type of character who'll make you feel queasy and on edge the second he appears.

Pet Semetary

Zelda. The sick sister of Rachel Creed and star of the flashback scenes that make up the scariest parts of this film. Time and distance has distorted her into a monster in her sister's memory but that knowledge doesn't make her any less scary. In a film about monstrous children and pets rising from the grave it's a sick child locked in a backroom that will play on your mind long after the film is over.

The Human Centipede 2

Martin Lomax. A wheezy, moist maniac who likes to do unspeakable things to himself with sandpaper and to others with a staple gun and barbed wire. The kind of character who will make your want to scrub yourself all over when you see him on screen. His onscreen antics in this film got it banned in England, Australia and New Zealand. Do yourself a favour and don't watch this. 

 Henry : Portrait of A Serial Killer

Otis. The man who makes Henry Lee Lucas look half way normal. John McNaughtons's 1986 crime drama is a film that will get under your skin for days after you see it. Michael Rooker as Henry is the lead but Tom Towles as Otis is the role that will disturb you. A murderous, incestuous, necrophiliac predator who likes to murder entire families and record himself doing so. His death will make you breath a sigh of relief.

Wild At Heart

Bobby Peru. One of the antagonists of David Lynch's 1990 masterpiece. A nasty scumbag and a deeply unpleasant individual, both mentally and physically. Just look at those teeth and that pencil moustache. Shudder. The stuff of nightmares. A man that thrives on misogyny and hatred. Gets one of the all time bloodiest screen demises too and one that's fully deserved. Even thinking about him makes me itchy.

Who are the characters that haunt your dreams?

Making The Grade

Sometimes when I go to the cinema I want to see explosions and people getting shot in the head while the good guy fires off witty one liners. Other times I want to be scared out of my wits. And often I go cos I just need a good laugh. What I rarely see these days is a film that makes you feel warm after watching it. Making The Grade made me feel like that today and it was just lovely.

It's an Irish documentary about learning the piano, from the point of view of both the teachers and the pupils and it's about the rapport and relationships that are built between those pupils and teachers. That might sound boring to some but it's anything but. From the young girl being taught Crockett's theme from Miami Vice by her father to the 40 something metal fan taking up the piano in a bid to get out of a musical slump, it's all about the joy of teaching and learning and the power of music and how important it is in life. We start with a very young boy beginning at grade 1 and meet a great cross section of Irish society as we move our way all the way to grade eight.

When you think of piano playing you instantly think of rich people tickling the ivories in stuffy rooms but it's far from that. It's all very inclusive, taking in people from all walks of life and from all over Ireland. From a young prodigy in Northern Ireland who's so good she makes her teacher cry to an older woman who knows she's not the best but who thoroughly enjoys the entire process anyway. The Lithuanian woman who splits her time between teaching and kickboxing to the Kylemore Abbey nun who sings the praises of the Toyota Yaris. The film also reminds us what a rich mixture of accents with have on our little Isle and we hear them all here. Those unmistakable Cork, Derry and Waterford twangs stand out and we get the odd Nigerian or Eastern European accent added in. It makes for a great hotchpotch. It's not a comedy either by any means but there's a lot of humour here. Pupils thinking they are fooling their teachers. A healthy bit of sibling rivalry. The sheer amount of dogs owned by Irish families and in one very funny moment, a brutally honest critique by a teacher who doesn't hold back on saying what she means.

Like life it's full of little triumphs and moments of sadness. A mother who went back to piano after decades away during a family crisis is especially affecting. "I seldom play because I only play when I'm happy." A line that's devastating in it's simplicity when you think about it but you can see that returning to music is therapeutic for her. Or the young woman with cerebral palsy who will not let her condition take over her life. The struggles people face every day that we don't hear about. It's all quite moving and it blends sadness with happiness in that way only Irish films seem capable of.

There's no big reasons here or agendas being pushed. It's just a selection of snapshots of life with all 8 grades of piano learning being the common theme linking them. It doesn't need to be anything else. There's no fake drama generated and the most stressful parts of the learning process take place behind closed doors. It's nice and simple and lovely. Director Ken Wardrop has made something that everyone will enjoy, no matter what their age is or what their musical preferences are. It shows that learning is a life long process and that's something that can be universally appreciated.

Supremely watchable stuff that will have you floating out of the cinema on a happy little cloud.

10 films worth watching this week on TV

Grabbers   Sat   28/4   RTE2 @ 21.35

Residents of an island off the west coast of Ireland find themselves under attack by man eating aliens. They devise a very Irish way to defend themselves. Similar to Tremors, in that it's a great mix of laughs and scares and gooey bits plus it has characters you don't want to see ending up as monster munch. Ruth Bradley as the Garda in charge leads a nice cast of familiar faces.

Horns   Sat   28/4   Film4 @ 23.05

One morning a young man wakes up with horns growing from his head and the ability to get people to admit their darkest secrets. Daniel Radcliffe shakes off his Harry Potter persona to star in this gory and surreal tale that will upset you in places and make you snort laughing in others. A genuine oddity of a film but one thats both original and interesting. Juno Temple James Remar & Kathleen Quinlan all shine in supporting roles.

Run And Jump   Sun   29/4   RTE2 @ 00.40

Vanetia is an Irish woman struggling to look after her family after her husband Conor has had a stroke. An american medical researcher comes to stay with them to study his behaviour and him and Vanetia become close. A nice little drama about family dynamics, dysfunction and understanding. Maxine Peake in the lead role is as always superb and Will Forte as the yank plays a fine part.

Filth   Sun   29/4   Film4 @ 23.35

Bruce Robertson is a cop in Edinburgh. He's as dodgy as they come. An utter scumbag. A drug and sex addict who'll stab anyone in the back to get his way. And yet...... A tour de force performance from James McAvoy carries this extremely dark but very entertaining film from the pen of Irvine Welsh. Be warned, some will find this film quite offensive. Jamie Bell, Kate Dickie and Eddie Marsan are all excellent in support.

Cool Hand Luke   Mon   30/4   TCM @ 21.00

Luke is a young man from the south with a serious attitude problem. He winds up in jail and realises that attitude is going to cause him a lot of problems. An honest to goodness classic and one of the films that made Paul Newman a star. Packed full of classic moments and dialogue that you will recognise even if you havent seen the movie. Newman in the lead is a star and George Kennedy as a fellow inmate is just awesome.

A Dangerous Method   Mon   30/4   TG4 @ 21.30

David Cronenberg steps away from the body horror he built his career on with this story of a woman who finds herself hospitalised and under the care of not just Sigmund Freud but also Carl Jung. An intriguing and well acted (ok in places its quite OTT) film that gives us some insight into the birth of psychoanalysis. Keira Knightley, Michael Fassbender and Viggo Mortensen all do solid work as the leads.

Stoker   Tues   1/5   Film4 @ 23.20

After her father dies, a young woman and her mother are visited by an uncle they never knew existed. Slowly she begins to realise all isn't what it seems. Mia Wasikowska is great as the lead in a slow burn thriller that breaks free of it's Hitchcockian roots to become something very compelling, lurid, darkly funny and quite unique. Matthew Goode is good as the mysterious man and Nicole Kidman gives solid backup.

Evil Dead 2   Wed   2/5   Syfy @ 22.00

Ash Williams returns to the cabin in the woods in this brilliant sequel that is probably the most fun horror film ever made. A group of friends on a holiday find an ancient book and make the mistake of reading from it. Bedlam ensues. Director Sam Raimi delivers an amazingly inventive film that mixes the slapstick of Looney Tunes cartoons with gallons of blood and the end result just rocks. Bruce Campbell greatest role.

Psycho II   Thurs   3/5   The Horror Channel @ 22.45

Norman Bates is released from prison 20 years after his original murder spree. He's determined to be a good boy this time around. But weird things keep happening. OK bare with me. This sequel to the 1960 classic is actually a cracking watch and far far better than it has any right to be. It's clever, twisted and surprisingly sympathetic to it's main character. Anthony Perkins in the lead nails it and Vera Miles makes a fun reappearance too. 

The Grey   Fri   4/5   CH4 @ Midnight

A planeful of oil refinery workers crashes in the Alaska wilderness and the survivors realise that cold, exposure and hunger are the least of their problems. The best film of the recent Liam Neeson resurgence by far. This is a mature, well acted and quite frankly terrifying thriller that pin you to your chair. Neeson is spot on in the lead and gets fine back up from Frank Grillo and Dallas Roberts.