FILM HIGHLIGHTS
MONDAY
THE KARATE KID (2010) E4, 8pm Remaking a 1980s cult hit such as The Karate Kid was always going to be a risky business, but director Harald Zwart carries it off with a film that pays respect to its origins while also carving out a take entirely of its own. Jaden (son of Will) Smith stars as a kid recently moved to China by his mum, who soon gets on the wrong side of a school bully. Thankfully, a maintenance guy (Jackie Chan) comes to his rescue, revealing himself as a kung fu master, and teaches young Dre to defend himself using the ancient art.
SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET (2007) TG4, 9.30pm The Tim Burton/Johnny Depp dream team reunited for the allsinging, all-dancing adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s bloodbath musical about a man out for vengeance on the corrupt judge who stole everything from him. Upon returning to London, a shamed barber takes up the name Sweeney Todd and begins a partnership with pie shop owner Mrs Lovett which sees him slicing throats and her turning the leftovers into her latest batch for the shop window, all to get to Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman).
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE (1996) 3e, 11pm Brian De Palma’s rebooting of the classic spy series may feel a little dated around the edges these days, but when you look at the behemoth of a franchise that it started — one that is still going strong 20 years later — it’s always worth revisiting this early chapter in the story of Ethan Hunt. When an IMF mission goes fatally wrong in Prague, it is up to Hunt (Tom Cruise) to assemble a renegade team of the best of the best to clear not only his name, but those of his fallen comrades. Things are made harder when it seems a mole is leaking information about Hunt’s plans.
TUESDAY
A THOUSAND WORDS (2012) RTE2, 9.15pm Eddie Murphy plays Jack McCall, a fast-talking literary agent who learns a valuable lesson about the words that come out of his mouth. Following a run-in with a New Age guru, he isn’t willing to change his ways, but when a magical Bodhi tree starts growing in his garden, Jack must choose his words carefully, as with every one spoken, a leaf falls from the tree, and once the final one falls, he will die.
WELCOME TO ME (2014) Sky Cinema Premiere, 10.05pm The always funny Kristen Wiig heads up this comedy drama about a manic-depressive woman who lives a fairly sheltered, middle-of-the-road lifestyle. That is, until she wins $83million in the lottery. With endless possibilities of what to do with the money, Alice decides to buy her own talk show to let the world know who she is.
WESTWORLD (1973) Sky Atlantic, 10.10pm Ahead of the arrival of the brand new gripping series starring Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris and James Marsden, relive the dark sci-fi drama that became a cult phenomenon, whispered about by genre fans for years. This original — one of sci-fi legend Michael Crichton’s handful of directorial outings — tells of a futuristic theme park, where adults can live out their Wild West fantasies. However, the robots who man the establishment begin to go rogue, and chaos soon follows.
WEDNESDAY
THE DETONATOR (2006) 3e, 10pm FBI agent Sonni Griffith (Wesley Snipes) has a sting operation fall apart around him. Now, tasked with protecting a vital witness in the high profile case against the Romanian Mafia, he must pull out all the stops in order to keep her alive, while the violent criminals are out to stop them making it to the trial. WELCOME TO NEW YORK (2014) Sky Cinema Premiere, 10.05pm This striking French drama, from the director of Bad
Lieutenant, Abel Ferrara, tells the story of Devereaux (Gerard Depardieu), a powerful French politician. His influence stretches far and wide and he is a potential candidate for the Presidency of France. However, his empire is put at risk when he is accused of sexual assault by a hotel maid in the Big Apple.
BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD (2007) Channel 4, 1.05am With a cast boasting the talents of Ethan Hawke and the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sidney Lumet’s gripping crime drama tells the story of brothers Andy (Hoffman) and Hank (Hawke) and their seemingly fool-proof plan to rob their parent’s jewellery store. With its ever-shifting narrative structure, the pair descend down a spiral of actions and reactions, all the time heading towards an inevitable conclusion.
THURSDAY
TED (2012) RTE2, 9.30pm This comedy from the mind of Seth MacFarlane — creator of Family Guy, American Dad! and
The Cleveland Show — tells the story of a young boy who makes a wish that brings his teddy bear to life. Now adults, John (Mark Wahlberg) and loud-mouthed Ted (voiced by MacFarlane himself ) are slackers, but the pair need to get their bad habits in check if John is to win back his girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis, right).
UNDER SIEGE 2: DARK TERRITORY (1995) E4, 10pm The wonderfully named Casey Ryback (Steven Seagal) is back in action, and instead of defending a navy battleship from terrorists, this time he’s saving the passengers of a speeding train from terrorists. It’s an “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” sequel that has Seagal doing what he does best, and although it doesn’t quite outdo the original, it’s still well worth a watch with popcorn.
MAN ABOUT DOG (2004) 3e, 10pm The comedy, starring Allen Leech, Ciaran Nolan and Tom Murphy, sees three Irish lads hightail it out of their quiet small-town lives to get away from their rather hefty gambling debts. Instead of turning over a new leaf, the trio decide to throw caution to the wind and embrace their new lives of debauchery. What could go wrong?
FRIDAY
BRAVEHEART (1995) More4, 9pm Mel Gibson’s somewhat historically inaccurate take on the story of William Wallace is still a masterclass in epic film making, 21 years after its original release. After the death of his wife, Wallace makes an oath to stop at nothing in his rebellion against the harsh English rule imposed on Scotland, and he soon becomes the figurehead of an entire nation.
HEAT (1995) RTE2, 10pm Michael Mann’s career best is another film that hasn’t lost anything since its release, with the outstanding performances from the likes of Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer as gripping as ever. LA is struck by a series of over-the-top heists, all at the hands of master con man Neil McCauley (De Niro). His days on top may soon be numbered, as top cop Vincent Hanna (Pacino) is always on his tail. The two enter a dangerous game of cat and mouse, neither resting until they bring the other down.
GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING (2003) BBC1, 11.40pm Telling the story of the young maid who would become the influence behind one of the most famous paintings of all time, Peter Webber’s gripping period drama highlights a young Scarlett Johansson, who proved that she had many great performances ahead of her.
SATURDAY
DIE HARD (1988) E4, 9pm Arguably the greatest action film of all time, John McTiernan’s popcorn flick not only raised the genre’s standard, but also made household names out of stars Bruce Willis and the late, great Alan Rickman. Hard-as-nails New York cop John McClane leaves the comfort of the city he loves to travel to Los Angeles — one he certainly doesn’t. He has been invited out by his wife for her big work Christmas party at Nakatomi Plaza, but little does he know that it will be far from boring once a German terrorist Hans Gruber and his men take the building hostage. Locked off from the outside world, John must become a one man wrecking machine if he is to take the bad guys down.
ZERO DARK THIRTY (2012) RTE2, 9pm Kathryn Bigelow’s Oscarnominated film stars the fantastic Jessica Chastain as a tenacious operative who must piece together the parts of the puzzle that make up the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Following the harrowing attacks on 9/11, Maya begins a journey that would take ten years to complete. Also stars Joel Edgerton and Chris Pratt.
KNIGHT AND DAY (2010) Channel 4, 10pm Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz pair up in this action flick about a woman who unexpectedly crosses paths with a CIA assassin, who is on the run from the organisation as they think he has gone rogue. He’s out to clear his name, and she unwillingly has to tag along until the smoke settles.