The best films on the box this week
FRIDAY ALIEN (1979) (Film4, 9pm)
THIS seminal sci-fi horror pits the crew of an industrial space vessel against an ever-growing alien threat, brought on to the ship attached to doomed John Hurt. Director Ridley Scott’s stylish assault on the nerves is brilliantly sustained, while Sigourney Weaver is perfect as one of sci-fi’s few true heroines.
SATURDAY NAPOLEON Dynamite (2004) (Film4, 11am)
JARED Hess’ offbeat comedy centres on teen misfit Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder), who lives at home with his 32-year-old, internet-obsessed brother Kip (Aaron Ruell) and doddering grandmother (Sandy Martin). Napoleon is bullied at school but finds one loyal friend in new kid Pedro (Efren Ramirez), who stands against the most popular girl in school for class president. With Napoleon’s expert help, Pedro looks certain to secure at least two votes.
SUNDAY SHUTTER ISLAND (2010) (C4, 11.05pm)
THE lunatics are taking over the asylum, or that’s what Martin Scorsese’s psychological thriller would have us believe. But then perception and reality are completely blurred in this 1950s-set mystery, in which Leonardo DiCaprio plays a troubled US marshal sent to the Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane to investigate the disappearance of an inmate. Mark Ruffalo and Ben Kingsley also star.
MONDAY MORNING GLORY (2010) (Film4, 6.55pm)
BECKY Fuller (Rachel McAdams) accepts an offer from New York network manager Jerry Barnes (Jeff Goldblum), who needs a producer for the station’s ailing breakfast show. When Becky discovers that co-anchors Paul McVee (Ty Burrell) and Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton) are at loggerheads, she fires Paul and pursues Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) as a replacement. This frothy comedy boasts polished one-liners and a scenery-chewing performance from Ford.
TUESDAY CHARADE (1963) (Film4, 2.25pm)
AUDREY Hepburn and Cary Grant make a delightful pairing in this hugely enjoyable romantic thriller. Regina Lambert (Hepburn) is considering divorcing her husband, but before she can break the news, she discovers that he’s been murdered. What’s more, it turns out he was involved in a $250,000 robbery – and his accomplices think she can help them find the loot. Regina turns to a handsome stranger (Grant) for help, but can she really trust him?
WEDNESDAY MISSION TO MARS (2000) (Sony Movie Channel, 3.45pm)
WHEN the crew of Mars One, the first successful manned mission to the red planet, lose contact with mission control, Nasa hastily assembles a rescue team to search for survivors. What they find profoundly alters their beliefs and has massive repercussions for man’s place in the universe. A strong cast including Gary Sinise, Tim Robbins and Connie Nielsen do their best to make us care about the underdeveloped characters.
THURSDAY THE THREE MUSKETEERS (2011) (Film4, 6.45pm)
D’ARTAGNAN (Logan Lerman) seeks his fortune in the court of King Louis (Freddie Fox). En route, he encounters Porthos (Ray Stevenson), Athos (Matthew Macfadyen) and Aramis (Luke Evans), and earns the Musketeers’ respect by challenging Rochefort (Mads Mikkelsen), the head of the guards, to a duel. With the help of M’Lady (Milla Jovovich), D’Artagnan and the Musketeers learn of a dastardly plot masterminded by Cardinal Richelieu (Christoph Waltz). The Three Musketeers is a jolly romp, plying comedy, action and romance.