Your Movie Planner

EASTER SUNDAY

Casablanca (1942) U ● 2PM, RTé ONE ★★★★★ In case you don’t remember this, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman (above) star in the much-loved wartime drama as a cynical owner of a Moroccan nightclub and the old flame who walks back into his life.

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971) U ● 2.35PM, UTV ★★★★ Gene Wilder is the eccentric sweet-maker opening the doors to his psychedelic factory in this musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book about the perils of too much sugar.

Bumblebee (2018) PG ● 5.45PM, CH4 ★★★★

Enjoyable Transformers prequel, with more heart and humour than the usual clamour and chaos of Michael Bay’s deafening franchise. The yellow Autobot of the title (left) is stuck on Earth in 1987, where Hailee Steinfeld’s teenage outcast takes the wheel.

Passengers (2016) 12 ◆ 9.30PM, RTé ONE ★★★ Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt’s chemistry keeps this sci-fi adventure in orbit. They play two travellers on a journey to a distant planet, who are woken up from their hypersleep 90 years too early.

Rough Night (2017) 15 ◆ 10.55PM, CH4 ★★★

Bachelorettes behave badly in this raucous comedy as a group of women, headed by Scarlett Johansson’s bride-tobe, unleash their wild sides on a trip to Miami.

Effie Gray (2014) 12 ◆ 11.15PM, BBC2 ★★★ Romance written by Emma Thompson, and inspired by the real-life Victorian love triangle between art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise), artist John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge) and Ruskin’s wife, Effie (Dakota Fanning, above).

EASTER MONDAY

The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957) PG ● 2.15PM, CH5 ★★★★★ David Lean’s Second World War-set triumph won seven Oscars – and it’s easy to see why. Best Actor Alec Guinness (below, with Sessue Hayakawa) is the British colonel showing dignity in the face of adversity.

The Robe (1953) U ● 3PM, BBC2 ★★★ Richard Burton acts his sandals off in Henry Koster’s handsomely staged, but also overblown, biblical epic. The story follows the path of Jesus’s robe after he is crucified. Jean Simmons and Victor Mature also star.

Jurassic World (2015) 12 ◆ 6.35PM, ITV2 ★★★★ Chris Pratt stars in this thrilling reboot of the dinosaur-powered film franchise. With the park under new ownership, Bryce Dallas Howard’s operations manager welcomes her young nephews for a visit. What can possibly go wrong?

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) 15 ◆ 9PM, CH4 ★★★★

This slick and obsessively styled action comedy stars Colin Firth as upstanding spy Harry Hart. Taron Egerton is the new street kid on the block who must prove he has what it takes when Samuel L. Jackson’s villain unleashes a dastardly and deadly plan.

Michael Collins (1996) 15 ◆ 9.30PM, RTé ONE ★★★★ Liam Neeson (above) takes the title role in Neil Jordan’s historical drama exploring the life of the Irish radical who became a hero to the people, while also alienating many of his allies. Julia Roberts also stars.

Basic Instinct (1992) 18 ▲ 10PM, 5STAR ★★★★ Paul Verhoeven’s well-executed erotic thriller doesn’t skimp on the sauce. Michael Douglas is the detective hunting a sexual predator, with Sharon Stone as the ice maiden and object of his desire.

TUESDAY

The Long Ships (1964) PG ● 3.15PM, BBC2 ★★★ Six years after Richard Fleischer’s fantastic hit The Vikings (see Wednesday) came another Norseflavoured adventure. Sidney Poitier (above) plays a Moorish king searching for a mythic bell, who enlists the help of Richard Widmark’s Norseman.

The Man Who Would Be King (1975) PG ● 3.25PM, RTé ONE ★★★★★

Sean Connery and Michael Caine team up for John Huston’s classic adventure. A British soldier in 19th-century India is mistaken for a god – and lets it go to his head.

Paddington 2 (2017) PG ● 5.30PM, CBBC ★★★★ The marmalade-loving bear with the big heart (voiced by Ben Whishaw) returns for a new comedy adventure, finding friends in the most unlikely of places. With Hugh Grant, Joanna Lumley and Brendan Gleeson.

The Ritual (2017) 15 ◆ 9PM, FILM4 ★★★

British horror, set in Sweden, following four friends on a hiking trip six months after the death of the fifth member of the group. As they head into dense woods, the trail is littered with ominous signs. Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier and Sam Troughton star.

Girl With Green Eyes (1964) U ● 10PM, TALKING PICTURES TV ★★★★ Offbeat social drama, set in Ireland and based on Edna O’Brien’s novel The Lonely Girl. Rita Tushingham stars as Kate Brady, a convent school girl taking her first, unseasoned steps in romance with an older man (Peter Finch) – to the disapproval of her Catholic father.

Hannibal (2001) 18 ▲ 11PM, 5STAR ★★★ In this sequel to The Silence Of The Lambs, cannibal killer Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins, right, reprising the role from the original) is on the loose, and continuing his twisted flirtation with FBI agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore, in place of Jodie Foster).

WEDNESDAY

Lethal Admirer (2018) PG ● 11.20AM, CH5 ★★ Karissa Lee Staples stars in this thriller about a woman who moves across the country following the death of her boyfriend. She’s pleased to run into an old colleague, but he is not exactly what he seems.

The Vikings (1958) PG ● 3.20PM, BBC2 ★★★★

Battle-scarred Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis are the estranged Viking halfbrothers battling each other for the throne of Northumbria in this actionpacked historical adventure. These Vikings (above) might be neatly groomed, but they can still pack a punch.

The Stranger (1946) PG ● 7.05PM, TALKING PICTURES TV ★★★ Not a masterpiece like Citizen Kane, but this Orson Welles noir effectively saved his career after he struggled with the box office and his reputation for being difficult. Welles plays a Nazi war criminal in hiding, who is pursued by Edward G. Robinson’s steadfast agent (above).

Brassed Off (1996) 15 ◆ 9PM, FILM4 ★★★★ The brass band plays on as the fate of the local coal mine is decided in this comedy drama starring Pete Postlethwaite (left). The Grimethorpe Colliery Band featured in the film were due to perform at a cancelled screening tonight at the Royal Albert Hall.

Welcome To The Punch (2013) 15 ◆ 1.30AM, CH4 ★★★ Thriller starring James McAvoy as cop Max Lewinsky, chasing Mark Strong’s crime boss Jacob Sternwood, who has been hiding away in Iceland. When Jacob’s son is shot, Max grabs his chance to take him down.

THURSDAY

Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines (1965) U ● 3.05PM, BBC2 ★★★★

Robert Morley’s newspaper magnate decides to prove to the world that Britain rules the air by launching a race from London to Paris. The motley collection of participants includes Terry-Thomas’s marvellous cad (above).

Sing (2016) U 5.50PM, ITV2 ★★★

This exuberant animated comedy sees koala Buster Moon (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) staging a singing contest to raise funds to save his failing theatre. Listen out for Scarlett Johansson as a punk porcupine among an excitable lineup of anthropomorphic animal performers.

The Commuter (2018) 15 9PM, 5STAR ★★★

A double bill of Liam Neeson movies starts with this frantically paced actioner. Neeson plays a businessman who is forced into accepting a deadly mission. In grim thriller A Walk Among The Tombstones, which follows at 11.05pm, he’s a disgraced cop.

Fargo (1996) 18 10.40PM, ITV4 ★★★★

The Coen brothers’ virtuoso comedy thriller, about a kidnapping plot gone wrong, has a great ensemble cast (including Mrs Joel Coen, Frances McDormand) and is horrifying, funny and touching – often at the same time. It inspired the TV series of the same name.

Pretty Woman (1990) 15

11.05PM, CH5 ★★★★

A twist on the traditional rags-to-riches tale, this romantic comedy stars Richard Gere as the cool corporate shark revealing his softer side when he falls for the charms of a sassy Hollywood prostitute, played by Julia Roberts (above, with Gere).

FRIDAY

Swallows And Amazons (1974) U ● 3.45PM, BBC2 ★★★★

Adaptation of Arthur Ransome’s book, first published in 1930, capturing the timeless, boundless energy of children’s imaginations. The untrained young stars bring their adventurous spirit to the fore, alongside Virginia McKenna and Ronald Fraser.

Detroit (2017) 15 9.45PM, RTé2 ★★★

Kathryn Bigelow’s drama explores an incident which occurred during the 1967 Detroit riots. Star Wars actor John Boyega (above) heads the cast as a security guard drawn into a violent showdown.

Cold In July (2014) 15 11.20PM, BBC2 ★★★★

Mean and heady Texas-set thriller, starring Michael C. Hall as Richard, a husband and dad who shoots dead an intruder in his home. A shocking event opens up a dark rabbit hole that a desperate Richard tumbles into. Don Johnson and Sam Shepard co-star.

Border (2018) 15 11.20PM, FILM4 ★★★★

This dark Swedish film is part fantasy, part romance. It follows customs agent Tina (Eva Melander, in heavy facial make-up), who describes herself as an ‘ugly strange human’ and has a superhuman sense of smell. Into her life comes a kindred spirit.

The Taking Of Pelham 123 (1974) 15 u 11.45PM, RTÉ ONE ★★★★

Forget the Denzel Washington remake – the original thriller is still the best. Walter Matthau stars as a transit detective trying to ensure the safety of passengers on a hijacked train.

The Sapphires (2012) PG ● 11.55PM, BBC1 ★★★

Australian musical drama about a 1960s Aboriginal girl group singing their way to the big time, via Vietnam. Chris O’Dowd (above) is their manager. Bops along nicely.

SATURDAY

Moana (2016) PG 6.35PM, RTé ONE ★★★★

Dwayne Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho lend their voices to this enjoyable Disney adventure. It’s the tale of a Polynesian teenager who sets out on a mystical quest to save her island from a blight.

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) 12 9PM, C4 ★★★★

Benedict Cumberbatch stars as the villainous Khan (above), an alien supersoldier whom Trek fans will know from both the 1982 film and the original TV series. The pace and scale here are satisfyingly fast and grand as Kirk, Spock and the rest face a moral dilemma.

Hail, Caesar! (2016) 12 9.15PM, RTé ONE ★★★★

The Coen brothers take on 1950s Hollywood in this star-studded comedy. Josh Brolin plays a studio fixer dealing with a host of problems – including a Roman epic’s kidnapped leading man (George Clooney, above).

Sideways (2004) 15

10PM, TG4 ★★★★★

Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church are terrific in Alexander Payne’s comedy drama about a pair of friends on a winetasting tour of California. Virginia Madsen and Killing Eve’s Sandra Oh co-star.

The Conversation (1974) 12

u

11PM, BBC2 ★★★★

One of the most innovative thrillers of the 1970s, written, directed and produced by Francis Ford Coppola. Gene Hackman is the surveillance man making it personal.