Films of the week

THE BIG MOVIE INCEPTION

(2010) 12 ◆

Monday, 9pm, ITV4 ★★★★ Director Christopher Nolan’s cerebral sci-fi thriller stars Leonardo Dicaprio (above, with Ellen Page) as a mercenary of sorts, who doesn’t so much steal things as add them – he implants ideas into unsuspecting people’s brains so that they can be manipulated. Mind-bending, literally. If this doesn’t make sense on paper, then it does in the film, which has the kind of confidence and ambition that goes with all of Nolan’s films – including his Dark Knight Batman trilogy and his most recent release, Tenet. What helps immensely isn’t so much the story, but the visuals – the stunning special effects of cityscapes folding, of imagined worlds made real. It’s spectacular stuff, best watched on the biggest screen possible.

CLASSIC FILM CHOICE ON THE TOWN

(1949) U ●

Saturday, 2.40pm, BBC2 ★★★★★ This Hollywood musical stars Frank Sinatra, Jules Munshin and Gene Kelly as a trio of sailors (above) on leave for 24 hours in New York – and intent on making the most of it – with Vera-ellen, Betty Garrett and Ann Miller lending a hand. It’s considered a landmark musical for a number of reasons, giving Kelly his break as a director (co-directing with Stanley Donen) and paving the way for the likes of Singin’ In The Rain. It’s unabashedly upbeat – this is a New York with no crime or angry cab drivers – and while Sinatra croons some fine tunes, for many, it’s the dancing that the film is best remembered for. You can watch Channing Tatum pay tiptapping homage to the film in a thrilling scene from Hail, Caesar! on Sunday (12 midnight, Ch4).