TV FILMS of the week
1
TOY STORY 2 Today, BBC1, 3.15pm
Cowboy doll Woody (voiced by Tom
Hanks) is swiped by a toy expert, who recognises him as a rare collectible and plans to sell him to a museum. Buzz (Tim Allen) organises a rescue mission, unaware that his friend is starting to wonder if spending the rest of his days in a glass case might be a preferable alternative to going home to an owner who will inevitably grow out of playing with toys. Toy Story 2 is both funny and moving, and adds Cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack) to the gang. Don’t be surprised if you get something in your eye when she breaks into the heart-rending song When She Loved Me.
2
RADIOACTIVE Tomorrow, BBC2, 9.30pm
In this biographical drama, two-time Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie (Rosamund Pike, left) collapses while in Paris in 1934. Drifting in and out of consciousness, she recalls her first meeting with fellow scientist Pierre Curie (Sam Riley) in 1893. He offers her a place in his lab to continue her research, and they eventually marry.
3
KNIVES OUT Monday, Film4, 9pm
A wealthy crime novelist (Christopher Plummer) invites a motley crew of (all-star) dysfunctional relatives to an 85th birthday party at his mansion but festivities are cut short by arguments. Later that same night, the novelist apparently commits suicide. Can private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig, left) figure out what really happened?
4
ONLY THE BRAVE Tuesday, Film4, 6.25pm
Flame-scorched drama, based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, who lost their lives as they fought a deadly 2013 wildfire in Arizona. An ensemble cast of award winners effectively turn up the heat, led by Josh Brolin, left, as the risk-taking crew chief and Miles Teller as his self-destructive new recruit.
5
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY Wednesday, Film4, 9pm
Bryan Singer’s musical biopic is a greatest hits tribute to Queen frontman Freddie Mercury (an Oscar-winning Rami Malek, left). The film covers the 15-year period between guitarist Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and drummer Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) welcoming Freddie as lead singer of their band Smile, and Queen’s set at Live Aid in 1985.
6
A STAR IS BORN Thursday, BBC4, 10.50pm
This classic tale stars Judy Garland (left) as struggling singer Esther Blodgett, who catches the eye of fading matinee idol Norman Maine (James Mason). He gets her a contact with a film studio – which renames her Vicki Lester – but the more her star rises, the more Norman struggles with alcoholism and his waning career.
7
THE ACCOUNTANT Friday, BBC1, 10.40pm
In this thriller, Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck, left), investigates financial irregularities in criminal enterprises while the Treasury Department tries to expose him as shadowy figure The Accountant. Wolff is hired by a CEO to verify the findings of a number-cruncher (Anna Kendrick) who alleges over $60m of company funds has gone astray.