The best films on the box this week
FRIDAY SHANGHAI KNIGHTS (2003) (BBC One, 11.05pm)
FOLLOWING their Wild West antics in Shanghai Noon, Chinese warrior Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) and hapless cowboy Roy O’Bannon (Owen Wilson) travel to London to catch the killer of Chon’s estranged father. There, they stumble on a plot to murder Queen Victoria, orchestrated by dastardly Lord Rathbone (Aidan Gillen). For sheer entertainment, Shanghai Knights is hard to knock, charging from one dazzling martial arts sequence to another.
SATURDAY IT COMES AT NIGHT (2017) (Sky Cinema Premiere, 2.25pm & 10.40pm) Premiere
IN THIS efficient psychological thriller, history teacher Paul (Joel Edgerton), wife Sarah (Carmen Ejogo) and their son Travis (Kelvin Harrison Jr) ride out the storm after a virulent contagion sweeps the globe. One night, the family are woken by a desperate man called Will (Christopher Abbott), who claims to be looking for water – and Paul reluctantly agrees to allow Will and his family to stay.
SUNDAY HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 (2015) (ITV2, 5.05pm) Premiere
THE great and the good of the monster world gather at Hotel Transylvania for the wedding of vampire Mavis (voiced by Selena Gomez) and her mortal beau Jonathan (Andy Samberg). Soon after, Mavis gives birth to an adorable son called Dennis (Asher Blinkoff ) – but her proud father Dracula (Adam Sandler) is devastated when the couple announce they are moving to California to raise the child among other humans.
MONDAY SIGNS (2002) (Sony Movie Channel, 9pm)
IN A close-knit Pennsylvanian community, farmer and ex-preacher Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) has raised his brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix) and children Morgan (Rory Culkin) and Bo (Abigail Breslin) since his wife died in a road accident. Overnight, he becomes a celebrity when giant crop circles appear in his cornfield. At first sceptical, Hess finds the truth more disturbing the deeper he digs. Signs gets beneath your skin as the shocks and scares gradually grow.
TUESDAY THE COUNSELLOR (2013) (Film4, 11.30pm)
A NAMELESS Counsellor (Michael Fassbender) has invested his fortune in a drug-trafficking operation across the Texas-Mexico border. When the deal goes bad, the Counsellor is marked for death along with two criminal associates – floral-shirted playboy Reiner (Javier Bardem) and swaggering cowboy Westray (Brad Pitt). Ridley Scott’s visually striking, erotically charged thriller might leave some viewers in need of therapy after two hours of twisted desire and treachery.
WEDNESDAY A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES (2014) (C5, 9pm)
PRIVATE detective Matt Scudder (Liam Neeson) is approached by fellow Alcoholics Anonymous member Peter Kristo (Boyd Holbrook) with an urgent request to help his brother Kenny (Dan Stevens), who paid a ransom for his kidnapped wife (Razane Jammal) – only for the culprits to murder her. A Walk Among the Tombstones is a gritty thriller, which establishes its grim tone from the disturbing opening credits.
THURSDAY THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY (1998) (5STAR, 10pm)
THIS riotous comedy stars Ben Stiller as loveable schmuck Ted, who misses out on a prom date with high-school honey Mary (Cameron Diaz) after an unfortunate bathroom incident. Thirteen years later, Ted is still obsessed with Mary and sets out to track her down with the help of slimy claims adjuster Pat Healey (Matt Dillon), who also falls for Mary and does everything to prevent her and Ted ever meeting again. The gross-out set-pieces are hilarious, while Stiller and Diaz add a touch of genuine sweetness.