Your Movie Planner
SUNDAY
Dragonheart (1996) PG ● 1.55PM, CH4 HHH
Sean Connery is the voice of dragon Draco in this fantasy comedy, with Dennis Quaid (above, with Draco) as the slayer who forms a reluctant alliance with the scaly fire-breather. The visual effects were pretty good for the time, but seem a bit creaky now.
The Remains Of The Day (1993) U ● 3.10PM, RTé ONE HHHHH
Anthony Hopkins is terrific in this period drama as a butler for whom the job comes before everything else – including his feelings for the housekeeper (Emma Thompson).
Marley & Me (2008) PG ● 3.40PM, CH5 HHH
Marley is the rowdy Labrador pup whose owners weather his bad behaviour as they face life’s highs and lows. Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson star as Marley’s frayed but devoted custodians in a comedy drama that will make the hearts of dog-lovers melt in a puddle.
Mike Bassett: England Manager (2001) 15 ◆ 10.20PM, ITV4 HHH
This satirical football comedy sends up the management of the professional game from end to end. Ricky Tomlinson is perfectly cast as the stunned lower league manager who ends up leading the national team to Brazil for the World Cup.
Educating Rita (1983) 15 ◆ 12AM, BBC1 HHHH
Willy Russell’s sharply observed and beautifully acted drama about a workingclass girl called Rita (Julie Walters), who fights her insecurities to fulfil her passion for literature – and reignites jaded professor Michael Caine’s enthusiasm along the way.
L’Amant Double (2017) 18 ▲ 1.55AM, CH4 HHH French erotic thriller from director Francois Ozon. Artfully done, the sex scenes are still graphic, and are interspersed with twists and mind games. Marine Vacth (right) is the woman who falls for her psychiatrist and embarks on an affair with his identical twin.
MONDAY
Wagon Master (1950) PG ● 3.05PM, BBC2 HHHH
In John Ford’s strong and sturdy western, the wide-open spaces of Utah make for a stunning backdrop. Harry Carey Jr and Ben Johnson join a Mormon wagon train headed by Ward Bond’s Elder Wiggs, where they provide safety to the weary travellers.
The Equalizer (2014) 15 ◆ 9PM, ITV4 HHH
Murky, with shades of Taxi Driver, this reboot of the 1980s TV series stars Denzel Washington as the retired black-ops soldier who comes out of retirement to help a troubled teen (Chloe Grace Moretz, above) who is in too deep with the Russian mob.
About A Boy (2002) 12 ◆ 9PM, 5STAR HHHH
This slick adaptation of Nick Hornby’s book balances warmth and cynicism. Hugh Grant stars as the man-child with a case of arrested development, who befriends Nicholas Hoult’s lonely young boy (below, with Grant).
Split (2016) 15 ◆ 9PM, FILM4 HHH
The second film in M. Night Shyamalan’s dark, three-part twist on the superhero genre – beginning with 2000’s Unbreakable and concluding with last year’s Glass. James McAvoy’s villain has multiple personalities, few of them very pleasant.
There’s Something About Mary (1998) 15 ◆ 9.30PM, TG4 HHHH
The Farrelly brothers’ outrageous and very funny comedy stars Ben Stiller as a man trying to track down his prom date (Cameron Diaz) – but he’s not the only one.
The Warrior (2000) 12 ◆ 11.15PM, FILM4 HHHH
Showing as a tribute to Irrfan Khan, who died last month, this is the debut feature of Asif Kapadia, better-known for his films on Amy Winehouse and Ayrton Senna. Khan plays a warrior in ancient India, who lays down his sword and goes in search of peace.
TUESDAY
The Sky’s The Limit (1943) U ● 3PM, BBC2 HHH
Romantic comedy musical starring Fred Astaire as the ace pilot who ditches his morale-boosting duties in search of fun. In New York, he falls for Joan Leslie’s photographer (above, with Astaire), and woos her – in a rather roundabout way.
Are You Being Served? (1977) PG ● 5.30PM, TALKING PICTURES TV HHH Film released at the peak of the TV sitcom’s popularity. The Grace Brothers workers, including Mollie Sugden and John Inman, head to the Spanish resort of Costa Plonka, where chaos and misfortune rule the day.
The Gauntlet (1977) 18 ▲ 9PM, ITV4 HHH
Clint Eastwood stars as washed-up detective Ben Shockley, who has to escort a witness (Sondra Locke, above with Eastwood) from Las Vegas to Phoenix for a trial. Chosen because he’s expendable, Shockley has to keep them both safe.
Blade II (2002) 18 ▲ 11PM, 5STAR HHH
Horror maestro Guillermo del Toro infused the 1998 vampire hit with even more venom. Wesley Snipes is back as the half-human vampire crusading for justice, while pop-singing Bros twin Luke Goss is unrecognisably ugly as his hybrid bloodsucking foe.
Mona Lisa (1986) 15 ◆ 1.10AM, FILM4 HHHH
Bob Hoskins is excellent in Neil Jordan’s captivating romantic crime drama, as the low-ranking criminal tasked with chauffeuring a prostitute (Cathy Tyson, left, with
Michael Caine). As their animosity cools, they both find a much-needed ally.
WEDNESDAY
A Dangerous Date (2018) PG ● 2.15PM, CH5 HH
David Chokachi is the single dad whose teen daughter (Brianna Joy Chomer) introduces him to online dating. He thinks he’s met the woman of his dreams in Alexis (Jillian Murray), but his daughter suspects foul play.
Vivacious Lady (1938) U ● 3PM, BBC2 HHH
After a whirlwind romance, botanist Peter Morgan Jr and showgirl Francey (James Stewart and Ginger Rogers, below) get married. But getting his extremely conservative family to accept his new bride is easier said than done in this frothy comedy.
Kipps (1941) U ● 5.30PM, TALKING PICTURES TV HHHH
Charismatic Michael Redgrave is the shopkeeper’s apprentice who sets his sights higher than his humble workingclass origins in this drama directed by Carol Reed and adapted from a novel by H.G. Wells. A gentle, lyrical critique of the British class system.
Deep Blue Sea (1999) 15 ◆ 10PM, 5STAR HHH Enjoyably silly creature feature with lashings of technical wizardry to distract from the flimsy plot, involving the ‘brains’ at a mid-ocean research facility genetically engineering super-intelligent sharks. Smart move.
The Daughter (2015) 15 ◆ 11.45PM, FILM4 HHHH Emotionally tense family drama, based on an Ibsen play, in which Paul Schneider’s (right) recovering alcoholic returns home for the wedding of his father (Geoffrey Rush), and dark secrets crash into the open.