Your Movie Planner

SUNDAY

Topkapi (1964) U

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2PM, BBC2 HHHH

Melina Mercouri stars as Elizabeth Lipp (above), our sultry guide to this sparkling crime caper. Enchanted by an emerald dagger at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Miss Lipp determines to make it hers. Maximilian Schell and Peter Ustinov assist.

Mutiny On The Bounty (1962) 12

◆ 2.10PM, RTé ONE HHHH

Marlon Brando and Trevor Howard take on the roles of Fletcher Christian and Captain Bligh in the oft-filmed tale of a ship’s crew who rise up in revolt against their cruel commander.

Hot Pursuit (2015) 12

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9PM, RTé2 HH

Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara do their best to keep this odd couple comedy afloat. They star as an uptight police officer and a gangster’s widow forced to go on the run to avoid hitmen and corrupt cops.

A Monster Calls (2016) 12

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10.30PM, BBC1 HHH

In this dark fairytale, 13-year-old Conor (Lewis MacDougall) is the dreamer caring for his terminally ill mother (Felicity Jones). As he struggles to cope with the thought of losing her, he is visited by a monster whose stories offer comfort and healing as his mum’s health deteriorates.

Kon-Tiki (2012) 15

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11.30PM, BBC2 HHH

Norwegian drama – in Norwegian and English – dramatising the 1947 expedition from South America to Polynesia by

Thor Heyerdahl (Pal Hagen). Setting off on a makeshift raft to travel more than 4,000 miles, Thor has a theory to prove.

Enough Said (2013) 12 ◆ 12.10AM, CH4 HHHH This zippy romantic comedy explores love in middle age, with all the baggage attached. Julia Louis-Dreyfus (right) and James Gandolfini star as the divorcees getting together, with Catherine Keener and Toni Collette among their co-stars.

MONDAY

Paddington (2014) PG

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5PM, FILM4 HHHH

The marmalade-loving bear from Peru arrives in London, where he charms (most of) the Brown family. Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins and Nicole Kidman star, but the film belongs to the bear, voiced perfectly by Ben Whishaw.

Notting Hill (1999) 15

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9PM, 5STAR HHHH

A feel-good Richard Curtis comedy with Hugh Grant as a London book shop owner who, inexplicably, embarks on a romance with a visiting Hollywood actress – played by a fabulous, full-beam Julia Roberts (above).

The Girl On The Train (2016) 15

◆ 9PM, RTé2 HHH

Emily Blunt (below) stars in this thriller as an alcoholic who thinks she may have vital evidence in a missing person case. However, the gaps in her memory mean she’s an unreliable witness.

Revolver (2005) 15

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9.30PM, TG4 HH

Guy Ritchie’s muddled crime drama stars Jason Statham as a gambler out for revenge on the malevolent former boss who landed him in jail. He’s helped in his quest by a pair of enigmatic loan sharks.

The Krays (1990) 18

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10PM, ITV4 HHHH

This gritty crime biopic – starring Spandau Ballet’s Gary and Martin Kemp – was a big hit. The real-life brothers star as Ronnie and Reggie Kray, the violent, cruel gangster kings of London’s East End. The grim tale is revisited in The Rise Of The Krays at 11pm on Ch5.

Thelma & Louise (1991) 15

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11.35PM, 5STAR HHHHH

Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon are the captivating friends who are forced to go on the run in this mood-enhancing road movie. Harvey Keitel is the cop who doesn’t want to catch them.

TUESDAY

Killer Grandma (2019) PG

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2.20PM, CH5 HH

Daytime TV movie thriller in which Kelly Sullivan is the mum whose idyllic family life comes under siege from her motherin-law (Nana Visitor, above). More than just interfering, this granny has a desperately sinister plan.

The Man In The White Suit (1951) U ● 3.25PM, BBC2 HHHH

Ealing comedy starring Alec Guinness as shy inventor Sidney Stratton, whose long-lasting and dirt-resistant fabric is not met with the hoped-for enthusiasm.

Nanny McPhee And The Big Bang (2010) U

● 5.50PM, ITV2 HHH

Emma Thompson (left) writes and stars in this sequel to her Mary Poppinsstyle 2005 hit, and it has all the warts-toriches magic of the first film. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays the mum who is struggling to keep the family farm afloat – enter Ms McPhee.

The Gambler (2014) 15

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9PM, FILM4 HHHH

Mark Wahlberg is excellent in this thriller as a college professor who hits selfdestruct by gambling his life away.

It’s a remake of the 1974 film with James Caan, which retains the lengthy, nihilistic dialogue, but takes a few unexpected twists.

My Life As A Courgette (2016) PG ● 1.05AM, FILM4 HHHH Touching stop-motion animation (in French with subtitles) that follows blue-haired nine-year-old Icare (nicknamed Courgette, right) as he finds friends and inner strength at his new foster home.

Monsters: Dark Continent (2014) 15 ◆ 1.35AM, CH4 HH

The sci-fi sequel picks up the action 10 years after the original film, as US soldiers are sent to deal with monsters and insurgents in the Middle East. Johnny Harris stars.

WEDNESDAY

Fatal Friend Request (2019) PG

● 2.15PM, CH5 HH

Bree Williamson (below) stars in this thriller as Vanessa, a young mother who happily shares her life online and is thrilled when she gets her 10,00th follower. Sadly, what she doesn’t know is that her new virtual friend is the biological mother of her adopted daughter, and is using social media to track the family’s movements.

The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953) PG ● 3.25PM, BBC2 HHHH

Stanley Holloway stars in this Ealing comedy, an upbeat celebration of the English notions of pluck and eccentricity. It follows the efforts (not all of them strictly legitimate) of a group of villagers who rally together to save their local branch line – and the age of steam. George Relph, Godfrey Tearle and Sid James co-star.

Mad Max (1979) 18

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9PM, TCM HHHH

George Miller’s original and visionary sci-fi road movie stars Mel Gibson (below) as the former cop in a lawless dystopian Australia, fighting for scraps and fuelled by vengeance.

And Soon The Darkness (1970) 18

▲ 10.05PM, TALKING PICTURES TV HHH Twisty thriller starring Pamela Franklin and Michele Dotrice as two English friends, on a cycling holiday in France, who encounter a handsome stranger (Sandor Eles) as danger looms. It was remade in 2010, with Karl Urban and Amber Heard.

Harry Brown (2009) 18

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11.45PM, 5STAR HHHH

A powerful indictment of modern society from first-time director Daniel Barber. In one of his finest performances, Michael Caine stars as the old soldier turning vigilante, striking back against the gangs on his estate.

THURSDAY

The House Of Magic (2013) U

n 12.35PM, FILM4 ★★★

An adorable ginger cat (above) is the hero of this animated film. After being abandoned, Thunder finds shelter in a mansion, owned by a magician and overrun with contraptions. Thunder comes to the rescue when his new home, and friends, come under threat.

Casper (1995) PG

● 5.55PM, ITV2 ★★★ Or ‘the friendly ghost’, as he is otherwise known. Young Christina Ricci is the star (left), a ghost whisperer’s daughter who strikes up a rapport with Casper and saves him from exorcism. An enchanting family fantasy comedy, based on the character that first appeared in 1939.

Smokey And The Bandit (1977) PG ● 8PM, ITV4 ★★★★

The critics may not have liked it, but Alfred Hitchcock apparently regarded this good-natured caper as one of his favourite films. Burt Reynolds is the trucker hired to transport a stash of beer across the US – with Jackie Gleason’s sheriff hot on his heels.

GoodFellas (1990) 18

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10.05PM, ITV4 ★★★★★

Martin Scorsese’s modern classic is a beguiling and bloody sprawl through the rise and fall of mobster Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) – a dizzying look inside the insulated world of violence and excess that stalks New York gangsters and their extended families.

As Good As It Gets (1997) 15

u 11.25PM, 5STAR ★★★★

Helen Hunt gives Jack Nicholson sass in the story of a grumpy, misanthropic writer (Nicholson), his gay neighbour (Greg Kinnear) and the waitress (Hunt) who draws him out of himself. Hunt and Nicholson both won Oscars for their performances.

Carry On Matron (1972) PG

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12AM, VIRGIN THREE ★★★

Sid James, Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques lead the Carry On regulars in this comedy. This one finds a group of crooks planning a raid on a maternity hospital.

FRIDAY

Hop (2011) U

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5.15PM, ITV2 ★★★

Biblical epics aside, Easter has fewer themed films than Christmas, with this as a notable exception. Next in line to become the Easter Bunny, E.B. (below, voiced by Russell Brand) has other ideas, and heads to Hollywood. In his place, a plucky chick fancies his chances.

Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) PG

● 6.40PM, BBC1 ★★★★

Whip-wielding, snake-hating archaeologist Indiana Jones’s first adventure is a corker. Harrison Ford is the stubbly action man who takes on the Nazis intent on harnessing the biblical power of the Ark of the Covenant.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) U

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9.10PM, TG4 ★★★★★

James Stewart, Lee Marvin and John Wayne star in John Ford’s classic Western. A US senator attends an old friend’s funeral and reminisces about his dealings with a gunslinger.

A Few Good Men (1992) 15

u

9.35PM, RTé2 ★★★★

Tom Cruise (above) stars as a navy lawyer defending two Marines accused of murder in Rob Reiner’s drama, which is based on an Aaron Sorkin play. However, it’s Jack Nicholson who steals the show.

The Theory Of Everything (2014) 12 u 10.15PM, UTV ★★★★

There are plenty of ‘eureka’ moments in this biopic of celebrated physicist

Stephen Hawking (Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne), told from the point of view of first wife Jane (Felicity Jones), whom he met at Cambridge.

Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016) 15 u 10.40PM, BBC1 ★★★★ Sloshing plonk out of their glasses, Patsy and Edina (Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders) are back – and in trouble. Fleeing to France after a disastrous night out, they continue to disgrace themselves.

SATURDAY

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) (12)

u

6.25PM, BBC1 ★★★★

The intrepid archaeologist travels to India, where he battles to retrieve sacred stones in the possession of an evil cult. Action adventure, starring Harrison Ford and Kate Capshaw (both above).

A Dog’s Purpose (2017) PG

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6.35PM, RTé ONE ★★★

A dog is reincarnated many times over several decades, but he’s fated to be reunited with his first owner. Dennis Quaid leads the human cast, while Josh Gad provides the voice of the four-legged stars.

The River Wild (1994) 12

u

10.35PM, UTV ★★★★

There’s a rare chance to see Meryl Streep in action mode in this thriller. She stars as a white-water rafting expert (above) who is forced to help two murderous fugitives make their escape down a raging river.

Clouds of Sils Maria (2014) (15)

u 11PM, BBC2 ★★★★

A famous actress reflects on the changes in her life as she prepares to return to the play that made her career. Drama, starring Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart.

GoodFellas (1990) 18

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11.30PM, RTé ONE ★★★★★

Martin Scorsese’s gangster masterpiece follows Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), who dreams of being a mobster. An Oscarwinning Joe Pesci (above, left, with Liotta) co-stars as his volatile friend Tommy.