FILM HIGHLIGHTS
SUNDAY
Free Willy (1993) RTE1, 1.40pm Family adventure, with Jason James Richter, Lori Petty and
Michael Madsen. Rebellious kid Jesse is caught vandalising a marina. His social worker manages to get him off the hook as long as he spends time tidying the area up. This is when he meets Willy – an orca whale who was separated from his family and is now housed at the marina. The two form a bond, which is tested when the aquarium owners look to get rid of Willy.
Shark Tale (2004) TV3, 3.40pm Animation, with the voices of Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renee Zellweger, Jack Black and
Angelina Jolie. The underwater underworld gets a serious shakeup when the son of a notorious mobster shark is found dead. It emerges that bottom-feeding fish Oscar was near the scene when the crime was committed, so he decides to start telling everyone who will listen that he killed the mobster. However, this quickly comes back to bite him.
Circle of Friends (1995) TV3, 10.05pm Romantic drama, starring Chris O’Donnell, Minnie Driver and
Geraldine O’Rawe. Best friends Benny and Eve start their studies at university in 1950s Dublin. It is there that their lives face a series of ups and downs, including a reunion with their childhood friend Nan Mahon, who has developed a reputation as the college belle. Benny also meets charming Jack, who she quickly falls in love with.
The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) Channel 4, 12.15am Period drama, starring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana and Jim Sturgess. King Henry VIII is on the throne of England, and with it comes power. Knowing this, two sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn, compete for the king’s affections, knowing that only one of them will get the ultimate prize.
MONDAY
Casper (1995) TV3, 2.00pm Family adventure, starring Bill Pullman, Christina Ricci, Cathy Moriarty and Eric Idle. The scheming Carrigan receives a relative’s old mansion from his will and discovers that it holds a great treasure somewhere inside. However, there is a catch — the house is haunted. She calls in paranormal expert Dr Harvey, who moves into the house with his daughter Kat, in the hopes of communicating with the spirits. Three of them refuse to play along, but one, the friendly Casper, soon befriends Kat.
Batman Begins (2005) TV3, 9pm Christopher Nolan’s first entry in his comic book trilogy, starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Liam Neeson. Billionaire Bruce Wayne, traumatised by the crime and corruption of Gotham City, travels the world to find a way to fight it. He learns from the mysterious League of Shadows, but after discovering its plot to destroy his home, he returns, taking up the role as the Caped Crusader, to stop them. Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman also feature.
The Inbetweeners movie (2011) E4, 9pm Comedy, starring Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison and Joe Thomas. Four friends look to celebrate the end of their time in secondary school with a mad lads’ holiday to Malia. However, what they expect to be a booze-fuelled party quickly gets side-tracked by their ridiculous antics and poor decisions.
Skyfall (2012) RTE1, 9.30pm Espionage action, starring Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris and Judi Dench. Superspy James Bond is left wounded and unfit for duty after his latest mission goes wrong. However, he insists on going back into the field after M is targeted by a ghost from her past. Now Agent 007 must find a way to stop the sinister Silva’s revenge plot, despite the fact that the villain always seems to be a step ahead.
TUESDAY
Legend (1985) Film4, 7.10pm Ridley Scott’s fantasy adventure, starring Tom Cruise, Mia Sara and Tim Curry. The evil being known as Darkness looks to cover the world in eternal night by slaying the last unicorn and marrying a fairy princess. However, he doesn’t predict that young Jack is the one person who can stop him, and that he’s already begun his quest to do so.
UNSTABLE (2009) TV3, 9.05pm Thriller, starring Shiri Appleby, Kathy Baker and David Alpay. A woman who has just escaped from an abusive relationship meets and falls for a new man. They marry, but it isn’t long before strange events begin to occur, including things that she cannot remember. Now she must figure out if she is losing it, or if someone is sabotaging her new life.
WEDNESDAY
The Rewrite (2014) Film4, 6.50pm Romantic drama, with Hugh Grant. Oscarwinning writer Keith Michaels has hit a slump in his career and personal life, so decides to move away from Hollywood and relocate to the East Coast. He takes a job teaching screenwriting at a college, where he meets and falls for a single mother.
Criminal (2016) Film4, 9pm Action thriller, starring Kevin Costner, Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot and Tommy Lee Jones. Time is running out for a CIA team, whose mission faces failure after the death of an operative. However, using state-of-theart technology, they manage to place his memories, secrets and abilities into the body of a deathrow inmate, who they must trust to complete the mission.
THURSDAY
The Other Woman (2014) Film4, 9pm Romantic comedy, starring Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Kate Upton and Nikolaj Costerwaldau. Carly thinks that things are going well with her boyfriend Mark. However, she discovers that he is actually married to another woman. She goes to confront her, but they soon find common ground when a third woman is revealed. Together, the trio decide to show him that there’s nothing more dangerous than women scorned.
Destination Wedding (2017) TG4, 12.40am Romantic comedy, starring Alexa Pena-Vega. Ellie has gone to great lengths to plan her sister’s destination wedding. Arriving at the beach paradise, she teams up with the best man, who also happens to be her ex. Together they think they have it all sorted, until neither the bride or groom turn up. Keeping the other guests in the dark, they have to figure out what to do next.
FRIDAY
The Town (2010) TV3, 9pm Crime drama, starring Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall (left), Jon Hamm
and Jeremy Renner. A team of criminals plot their next heist, but their leader finds himself distracted when he falls for the bank manager who worked for the place they hit during their last job. Allegiances questioned, and with the FBI on their trail, the crooks need to get on the same page if they are to succeed.
The Impossible (2012) RTE1, 9.35pm Thrilling, moving drama, with Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor and Tom Holland. A family get caught up in a fatal tsunami that ravages Thailand during their vacation there. Separated and injured, they must somehow find a way to reunite with each other.
real steel (2011) BBC1, 12.25am Sci-fi action, starring Hugh Jackman and Evangeline Lilly. In the near future, struggling promoter Charlie hopes to make it big in the sport of robot boxing. However, it isn’t until he and his son find a discarded robot that they can fix up that they think they are in with a chance of going all the way.
SATURDAY
MALEFICENT (2014) BBC1, 6.05pm Angelina Jolie stars in Disney’s live-action Sleeping Beauty re-imagining. A powerful fairy, betrayed by a fantastical kingdom, seeks vengeance by cursing its princess. However, she soon learns that the young woman is the key to restoring peace across the land. Elle Fanning and Sharlto Copley also feature among the cast.
CONCUSSION (2015) RTE2, 9.15pm Biographical drama, starring Will Smith, Alec Baldwin and Albert Brooks. Accomplished pathologist Dr Bennet Omalu makes a ground-breaking discovery regarding the serious brain damage that American Football players can suffer as a result of concussions. However, he faces friction from the powers-that-be when he looks to take the game-changing news public.