FILM HIGHLIGHTS
MONDAY
BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985) RTE1, 1.55pm Christopher Lloyd and Michael J Fox star in Robert Zemeckis’s 1980s sci-fi classic. Teenager Marty McFly receives a message from his inventor mentor Dr Brown to meet him at the mall. What follows is a wild timetravelling adventure back to the 1950s, where Marty’s meddling stops his parents from meeting, so he has to go about getting history back on track, before he stops existing completely. BRAVE (2012) BBC1, 2.40pm Pixar’s colourful animation, featuring the voices of Kelly Macdonald, Emma Thompson and Billy Connolly. Princess Merida is unhappy about her mother and father’s decision to hold a competition that will decide her husband. In an act of defiance, she enters the contest, leaving the queen furious. Things take a turn when Merida reacts by wishing for something she shouldn’t, and her mother is struck by an ancient curse. CALVARY (2014) RTE1, 9.15pm Brendan Gleeson stars in John Michael McDonagh’s dark drama. Good-natured priest Father James is confronted out of the blue by a man who tells him he will return in a week to kill him. The confessional shakes him, as the priest has done nothing to merit such a punishment. What follows is his coming to terms with the world around him, and the effect that has on his family and those close to him.
TUESDAY
JOHNNY ENGLISH (2003) 3e, 1pm Rowan Atkinson stars in the silly spy comedy. The bumbling secret agent finds himself stumbling across an elaborate plot to steal the crown jewels and usurp the Queen of England. Following the death of every other government agent he is England’s only hope. Natalie Imbruglia also stars. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) BBC1, 1.35pm Steven Spielberg’s classic adventure, starring Harrison Ford. Doctor Jones is a history professor by day and a tombraiding archaeologist by night. Following a request from the US government, the good doctor is sent to track down the biblical Ark of the Covenant before a Nazi excavation locates it. The German forces may have a head start, but Indy is ready for anything. That is, until an old flame gets caught up in his plan. LABYRINTH (1986) Channel 5, 4.10pm Jim Henson’s fantastical adventure, starring Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie. A young girl is fed up with her noisy baby brother, and unknowingly wishes him away to the dangerous kingdom of Jareth the Goblin King, where she will have to summon up all her courage to save him. On her quest she faces many trials and meets many memorable characters along the way to her final showdown with Jareth.
WEDNESDAY
FANTASTIC MR FOX (2009) TG4, 4.55pm Wes Anderson’s quirky animation and the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Bill Murray bring Roald Dahl’s classic novel to film. Mr Fox promises his wife that he will give up his wild life as a farm raider, but after he sneaks out for one last haul, he barely escapes with his life from the wrath of three horrible farmers — and minus his beautiful tail. The farmers come looking for the entire fox community, but the crafty mammal hatches an elaborate plan for revenge. DATE NIGHT (2010) TV3, 9.30pm Comedy, starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey. Phil and Claire find their marriage stuck in a bit of a rut, so they try to introduce a little fire by heading out for an elaborate, romantic night on the town. However, a case of mistaken identity leads a gang of hitmen to think that the couple are their next targets, leaving a bewildered Phil and Claire on a manic adventure to clear their names. Mark Wahlberg, Kristen Wiig and Mark Ruffalo also star. UNFORGIVEN (1992) RTE1, 12.30am Clint Eastwood pulls double duty as director and star of this Oscar-winning western. Aging gunslinger Bill Munny had vowed to his wife that he would put his pistols down for good, but is given no choice to dust them off one last time to hunt the bounty on the head of a gang who disfigured a woman in a small town. He asks his old partner (Morgan Freeman) to tag along, but the two soon find they aren’t the only ones on the trail.
ThUrSDAY
GOLDENEYE (1995) RTE2, 3.30pm Pierce Brosnan stars in his first mission as super spy James Bond. Following the theft of a top secret Russian satellite weapon by the mysterious Janus Syndicate, 007 is sent to stop them. Teamed with a talented computer engineer with her own personal vendetta against them, their mission is a race against time. However, Bond is confronted with a ghost from his past once he reaches the top of the organisation. AMERICAN HUSTLE (2013) Film4, 11.10pm David O Russell’s Oscar- nominated drama, starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. Con artists Irving Rosenfeld and Sydney Prosser get taken in by the FBI, where agent Richie DiMaso offers them an ultimatum: if they want to avoid prison, they’ll help him take down a seemingly corrupt mayor. However, Irving’s wife is unpredictable, and threatens the entire mission from the moment she puts her nose where it doesn’t belong. LEONARD COHEN: I’M YOUR MAN (2006) TG4, 12.20am Lian Lunson’s documentary reflects on the life and career of the late singer. Examining the stories that influenced his greatest hits, the film unfolds to the backdrop of a tribute concert, captured in 2005 at the Sydney Opera House. It features covers of a number of his songs, including Sisters of Mercy, Chelsea Hotel No 2 and Tower of Song, by artists as diverse as Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker, Teddy Thompson, Beth Orton and U2, among others.
FrIDAY
WRECK-IT RALPH (2012) BBC1, 4.10pm Disney animation, with the voices of John C Reilly, Sarah Silverman and Alan Tudyk. Video game villain Ralph is stuck in a rut, feeling overlooked as ‘just the bad guy’ in a much-loved arcade game. One day he decides enough is enough, and he leaves on an adventure, looking for a fresh start. Chaos ensues in his absence, as he jumps from game to game, unaware of the mayhem being left in his wake. He settles down in a colourful world, but Ralph begins to suspect that not all is as it seems. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014) BBC1, 8.30pm Superhero action sequel, starring Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L Jackson. Steve Rogers’s allegiance with SHIELD is placed on shaky ground after Nick Fury is targeted by a highly skilled assassin known as the Winter Soldier. Unsure about who he can trust, Cap teams up with Black Widow to find out who is pulling the strings inside the agency, as the duo become the next targets of the mysterious elite killer. MRS BROWN’S BOYS D’MOVIE (2014) RTE1, 9.30pm Comedy, starring Brendan O’Carroll, Dermot O’Neill and Eilish O’Carroll. The shameless senior finds herself taking matters into her own hands when a shady property developer threatens to close down the market where she earns a living. The matriarch rallies her family and friends in a ridiculous battle to defend their turf.
SATUrDAY
IRON MAN 2 (2010) Film4, 6.35pm Action-packed adventure, starring Robert Downey Jr, Mickey Rourke and Gwyneth Paltrow. Tony Stark is facing increased pressure to hand over the blueprints for his Iron Man armour to the government. Eager to get him out of the way, Justin Hammer turns to Ivan Vanko for help, who creates his own suit with which to take Stark down once and for all. Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle and Sam Rockwell also star. THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998) Film4, 11.15pm The Coen Brothers’ classic comedy, starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman and Julianne Moore. A slacker who sees himself as a deep thinker becomes a victim of mistaken identity when a gang of thugs turn up at his house, demanding money. They ruin his favourite rug, so, seeking compensation, The Dude heads to the house of the man they should have bothered. It turns out he is a millionaire, and this meeting knocks into motion a bizarre series of events for The Dude and his bowling buddies. Steve Buscemi co-stars.