TV FILMS of the week
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THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY Tonight, Channel 4, 6.20pm
Opening instalment of the movie trilogy based on JRR Tolkien’s novel. Director Peter Jackson begins his picture at Bag End with the elderly Bilbo (Ian Holm) penning a book to his cousin Frodo (Elijah Wood). We rewind 60 years to meet Bilbo (Martin Freeman) in the Shire as he encounters Gandalf (Ian Mckellen) and a 13-strong company of dwarves, who intend to reclaim their lost gold from the dragon Smaug in his mountain lair. After a sleepless night, Bilbo agrees to accompany dwarf leader Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and his troops on their perilous journey.
2
MONSTER-IN-LAW Tomorrow, Channel 5, 1.45pm
Jane Fonda takes the title role in this fun romcom. She plays a glamorous but nasty woman whose son Kevin (Michael Vartan) falls for dog-walker Charlie (Jennifer Lopez, pictured with Fonda). They decide to wed, but the matriarch isn’t impressed by her prospective daughter-in-law, so launches bizarre schemes to try to get rid of her.
3
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON Monday, GREAT! movies, 6.40pm
Ang Lee’s epic film centres on legendary warriors Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh, left) and Li Ku Bai (Chow Yun-fat) who are reunited when Li’s sword is stolen by his archenemy. Laying a trap for their adversary, Li and Yu cross paths with a governess (Cheng Pei-pei) and her ward (Zhang Ziyi), who is secretly betrothed to an outlaw (Chang Chen).
4
12 ANGRY MEN Tuesday, Film4, 1.10pm
Henry Fonda (left) heads the cast as Juror Number Eight, who faces the task of changing the minds of the 11 other men on a hung jury. They’re convinced a young boy is guilty of murdering an old man in his neighbourhood, but Fonda’s character believes there isn’t enough evidence to convict. A masterpiece of movie-making.
5
BEATRIZ AT DINNER Wednesday, BBC2, 11.15pm
Drama which mixes dark comedy with social commentary. Holistic healer Beatriz (Salma Hayek, left) visits the home of a client, Kathy (Connie Britton), who wants a massage before she hosts a dinner party. Kathy invites her to stay for the meal and Beatriz finds herself drawn into a battle of wills with her privileged fellow guests.
6
THE PINK PANTHER Thursday, Film4, 4.25pm
In this truly hilarious classic comedy, Peter Sellers (pictured) stars as Inspector Clouseau, an inept French police detective who heads to Switzerland in search of a suave and successful jewel thief who has designs on a valuable gem. Unfortunately, the bumbling officer’s attempts to foil the crime leave a trail of chaos in his wake.
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THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM Friday, ITV, 11.10pm
The third instalment of the thriller series sees a meeting with a journalist awaken former hitman Jason Bourne’s (Matt Damon, left) memories. He embarks on a deadly game of cat-and-mouse as he tries to uncover who he is, why he became embroiled in Project Treadstone and why the people who employed him now want him dead.