FILM HIGHLIGHTS
SUNDAY
ANTZ (1998)
Channel 4, 2.30pm
Animation, featuring Woody Allen, Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman. Worker ant Z feels that his life isn’t going anywhere, when he meets the hive’s princess, Bala. He falls for her, and to see her again he swaps places with his friend, soldier ant Weaver. However, the switch takes Z and Bala on an adventure that will change the colony forever. Sylvester Stallone and Christopher Walken also feature.
DESPICABLE ME 2 (2013)
ITV2, 4.30pm
Animation, with the voices of Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig and Benjamin Bratt. Former super villain Gru is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help them track down a master criminal. However, his unorthodox methods soon have them wondering if they have picked the right man for the job.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001)
ITV2, 6.35pm
The first instalment of Peter Jackson’s adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s iconic fantasy trilogy, starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen. Hobbit Frodo Baggins must leave his quiet life behind when he is entrusted with the powerful ring of the dark lord Sauron. He and his companions must take the weapon to the heart of Sauron’s domain if they hope to destroy it and bring peace to their world. Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean and Christopher Lee also feature.
TAMMY (2014)
RTE2, 9pm
Comedy, with Melissa McCarthy, Susan Sarandon and Kathy Bates. Down-on-her-luck Tammy is fired on the same day she finds out that her husband is cheating on her. She decides to set off on a road trip to Niagara Falls, but after her mum denies her the use of her car, she turns to her wildcard grandmother for help. Together they begin the wildest road trip of their lives.
MONDAY
SOUTHPAW (2015)
Film4, 9pm
Drama, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams and Forest
Whitaker. Champion boxer Billy Hope suffers a fall from grace after his hot-headed temper results in a personal tragedy. Now he must build back his fighting spirit from the ground up with the help of his old mentor.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3 (2006)
Sky One, 9pm
JJ Abrams’s entry into the espionage action franchise, starring Tom Cruise, Michelle Monaghan and Philip Seymour
Hoffman. Super spy Ethan Hunt’s latest mission sees him cross paths with sadistic arms dealer Owen Davian. The villain uses his influence to infiltrate Ethan’s life, leaving him in a fight for survival to save the ones he loves.
TUESDAY
DIE HARD (1988)
E4, 9pm
John McTiernan’s classic action, starring Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman and Bonnie Bedelia.
NYPD cop John McClane travels to Los Angeles to visit his estranged wife, where he attends her work Christmas party. However, a group of bank robbers, led by the resourceful Hans Gruber, crash the party. They take everyone hostage as they carry out their latest job, but John evades capture. It is now up to him to save the day.
TRAPPED (2002)
3e, 9pm
Drama, starring Kevin Bacon, Charlize Theron (right) and Courtney Love. A doctor and his wife are horrified to learn that their daughter has been abducted by a gang of kidnappers. The couple are forced to comply with the criminals’ demands if they want to see their daughter alive again. However, with the young girl’s health rapidly deteriorating, it becomes a race against time to find a way to save her and foil the kidnappers’ fiendish plan.
FAST FIVE (2011)
ITV2, 9pm
Action sequel, with Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne
Johnson. Brian, Dom and the gang have been on the run from the authorities, but get backed into a corner in Rio de Janeiro. They must now pull off one more heist if they are to be done with the Brazilian drug lord who holds all the cards. However, there is also the small matter of the relentless federal agent on their tail.
WEDNESDAY
DRACULA UNTOLD (2014)
FILM4, 9PM
Fantasy action, starring Luke Evans, Dominic Cooper, Sarah Gadon and Charles Dance. A young lord must find a way to save the lives of his people after his small kingdom comes under siege by a powerful Turkish army. However, his drive to find a solution leads him to make a deal with a devil that transforms him into something far from human.
HEAT (1995)
3e, 10pm
Michael Mann’s classic drama, starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro
and Val Kilmer. A game of cat-andmouse develops between a gang of criminals who focus on big-money targets, and the unhinged cop who has them in his sights. However, a vital slip up sees the case take a sudden turn that could engulf all involved.
LAST VEGAS (2013)
Film4, 10.45pm
Comedy, starring Robert De Niro, Michael
Douglas, Morgan Freeman and
Kevin Kline. Four old friends decide to head to Sin City when one of them announces that he is getting married. They plan to throw him a bachelor party that none of them will forget, which leads to a series of wild antics.
THURSDAY
WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005)
3e, 9pm
Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi, starring Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning and Tim Robbins. Struggling divorced father Ray is looking after his two young kids for the weekend when the Earth is hit by an unusual lightning storm. With it comes an extraterrestrial encounter that soon turns into an invasion. Now Ray must find a way to save his kids from the onslaught of the alien forces.
LAWLESS (2012)
Film4, 10.50pm
Crime drama, starring Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Jason Clarke and Guy Pearce. Three brothers living in Virginia during prohibition in the 1930s quickly become the biggest bootleggers in the region. However, this brings them into the crosshair of out-of-town Deputy Charles Rakes, who will sink to any vile depth to put them behind bars. Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska and Dane DeHaan also star.
FRIDAY
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN – PART 2 (2012)
E4, 9pm
The concluding chapter in the fantasy adventure,
starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. Bella and Edward are trying to live a quiet life with their young daughter, when an incident sees them reported to the vampire council, the Volturi. Now they will have to band their allies together to save their family from the impending fight.
THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN (2005)
ITV2, 9pm
Judd Apatow’s comedy, starring Steve Carell, Catherine Keener and Paul Rudd. Geeky Andy accidentally lets it slip that he is still a virgin at the age of 40 during a poker game with his friends. They now make it their mission to hook him up with someone, at the same time that he is romancing his crush.
INSTINCT (1999)
Channel 4, 12.10am
Thriller, starring Anthony Hopkins, Cuba Gooding Jr and Donald Sutherland. A young psychiatrist is given the case of a renowned anthropologist, who has been accused of murder. He must try and get through to the brilliant-but-distant doctor if he is to prove his innocence.
SATURDAY
MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (2013)
RTE1, 6.35pm
Disney and Pixar’s animated prequel, with the voices of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi and Helen Mirren. Monsters Mike and Sulley both begin their studies at a prestigious scaring university. Although they start off as rivals, they soon come to understand that they need to work together if they are to pass their classes.
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER (1994)
RTE2, 12.20am
Drama, starring Daniel DayLewis, Pete Postlethwaite and Alison Crosbie. A small-time thief is coerced by the police into confessing to an IRA bombing he had no part in. After his father is also arrested, it is up to a British lawyer to prove their innocence.