Your Movie Planner

BOXING DAY

GREASE (1978) PG ● 5PM, BBC1 HHHH High-school musical starring Olivia Newtonjohn and John Travolta as the hopelessly devoted couple bowing to peer pressure when term starts after a blissful summer.

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY (2018) 12 ◆ 6.40PM, BBC2 HHH Post-war drama starring Lily James (below) as the writer who visits the literary club of the title on the formerly occupied Channel Island. The stellar British cast also includes Tom Courtenay and Penelope Wilton.

CATS (2019) U ● 8PM, SKY PREMIERE HHH PREMIERE A host of stars, including Idris Elba, Judi Dench and ballerina Francesca Hayward, are given digital fur and tails to bring Andrew Lloyd Webber’s stage musical to the screen. Critics treated it with cat-like disdain, but the stage show was such a hit that this is sure to find a purring audience.

DUNKIRK (2017) 12 ◆ 9.05PM, BBC1 HHHHH PREMIERE See The Big Movie (right).

THE HOLIDAY (2006) 12 ◆ 10.45PM, ITV HHH Festive romcom starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet as the lovelorn women who swap homes and countries for the holidays; both meet new men – played by Jude Law (below, with Diaz) and Jack Black.

SUITE FRANCAISE (2014) 15 ◆ 10.50PM, BBC4 HHHH This wartime drama tells the story of a romance between a French villager and a German soldier during the early years of the Nazi occupation of France. Michelle Williams and Matthias Schoenaerts star.

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN (2013) 12 ◆ 12.40AM, BBC2 HHH Felicity Jones stars as Nelly Ternan, the secret lover of Charles Dickens (Ralph Fiennes), whose relationship with the writer was not known about for decades after his death.

SUNDAY

SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE (2015) U n 10.20AM, BBC1 HHHH Spun off from a hit TV series aimed at younger viewers, this Aardman animation is a ‘shear’ delight. Shaun and friends ditch their bucolic farm for a city break, where things are a lot bigger than they are used to.

GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (1953) U ● 12.45PM, MORE4 HHHH Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell sizzle in Howard Hawks’s marvellous musical comedy. They play showgirls on an ocean liner, one who swoons at the sight of sparkling diamonds (Monroe), the other at the sight of scantily clad male gymnasts (Russell).

THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965) U ● 3.45PM, BBC1 HHHHH This evergreen singalong classic stars Julie Andrews as the novice nun turned nanny (left) who finds that the hills are alive when she is sent to the home of widowed naval officer Georg von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) to care for his seven children.

PRIDE & PREJUDICE (2005) U ● 4.10PM, CH5 HHHH A confident, reasonably faithful adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic romance, starring Keira Knightley as the obstinate Elizabeth, with Matthew Macfadyen as her pompous Darcy. Donald Sutherland and Brenda Blethyn play Elizabeth’s parents.

JUSTICE LEAGUE (2017) 12 ◆ 7.35PM, ITV2 HHH PREMIERE The DC Comics heroes come together, with headline acts Batman and Wonder Woman recruiting the Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg to defeat an alien force. There’s also the small matter of bringing Superman back from the dead…

BILLY ELLIOT (2000) 15 ◆ 9PM, BBC4 HHHH Jamie Bell (right) is the boy from a northern mining community who loves to dance in this smash-hit British drama. Julie Walters is the teacher who takes him under her wing as he struggles to keep his love of ballet a secret.

MONDAY

BUGSY MALONE (1976) U ● 10.50AM, ITV3 HHHH This Prohibition-era gangster musical stars children and a lot of custard pies (a lethal combination). The youngsters were mainly amateurs except for Jodie Foster; Scott Baio went on to star as Chachi in Happy Days.

INSIDE OUT (2015) U n 1.20PM, BBC1 HHHH Smart animation about Riley, a lonely young girl who is struggling to get a grip on her emotions. Personified as five characters, Joy, Sadness, Anger (below), Fear and Disgust bumble about the control centre of Riley’s mind, causing well-meaning chaos.

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (1974) PG ● 2.10PM, BBC2 HHHH Sidney Lumet’s star-packed adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic, with Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot, and Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman and Sean Connery among the passengers. Peter Ustinov takes over as Poirot in Death On The Nile, which follows at 4.15pm.

THE JUNGLE BOOK (2016) PG ● 3PM, BBC1 HHHH Disney’s live-action version of the 1967 classic is pacey and funny, with the animals brought to life by big stars who make the characters their own – from Bill Murray’s Baloo to Christopher Walken’s King Louie.

MINORITY REPORT (2002) 12 ◆ 10.30PM, BBC1 HHHH This slick sci-fi thriller is set in a world where murders are stopped before they happen. Tom Cruise is the ‘pre-crime’ cop in the frame for homicide, with Colin Farrell as the former colleague (above) who must bring him in.

LIAM GALLAGHER: AS IT WAS (2019) 15 ◆ 11.20PM, BBC2 HHH PREMIERE Having found fame and notoriety with Oasis, Liam Gallagher has continued to make headlines since the band split – though less often for his music. This film follows him as he stages a solo comeback.

TUESDAY

HAPPY FEET (2006) U n 11.05AM, ITV HHHH Musical animation following a young emperor penguin as he finds his feet. Mumble (above) can’t hold a tune, which is a problem when singing is how your species attracts mates. But he needn’t panic – he can use his talent for tap-dancing to impress the ladies instead.

LOVE & FRIENDSHIP (2016) U ● 1.35PM, BBC2 HHHH Whit Stillman adapts the little-known Jane Austen novella Lady Susan in style. Kate Beckinsale is Susan, a scheming widow seeking rich husbands for herself and her reluctant daughter, Frederica (Morfydd Clark). With Stephen Fry and Chloe Sevigny.

ZOOTROPOLIS (2016) PG ● 1.55PM, BBC1 HHHH Lively animated animal antics as Judy Hopps (left), a plucky bunny cop, and Nick Wilde, a wily con artist fox, team up to expo se a plan to bring down predators. Smart, fast and enormously entertaining, this will please children and adults alike.

EMMA (1996) U ● 3.05PM, BBC2 HHHH American Gwyneth Paltrow honed her elocution for her breakthrough in this adaptation of the Jane Austen novel – the first in a series of English-accented roles for her. And she glows here as the pleasant yet pushy Emma Woodhouse, who nearly ruins her future with Mr Right (Jeremy Northam).

FROZEN (2013) PG ● 3.35PM, BBC1 HHHH Anna is the princess searching for her exiled sister, Elsa, who has unwittingly cast their kingdom into an eternal winter. Briskly paced and brimming with joyful, addictive tunes, this delivers an abundantly fresh new take on the winning Disney princess formula.

WONDER WOMAN (2017) 12 ◆ 7.30PM, ITV HHHH PREMIERE This thrilling origin story for the powerful, beautiful and compassionate Amazonian warrior princess (Gal Gadot, right) follows Diana from her home, the hidden island of Themyscira, to the First World War boardrooms, ballrooms and battlefields of Europe.

WEDNESDAY

TO CATCH A THIEF (1955) PG

● 1.05PM, BBC2 ★★★★

The first of this afternoon’s Alfred Hitchcock double bill is a sparkling French Riviera crime caper. Cary Grant is the former cat burglar assisting the police in finding a thief who is copying his methods – and being led a merry dance by jewel-encrusted Grace Kelly.

NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) PG

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2.50PM, BBC2 ★★★★★

This is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best-known and most-parodied suspense thrillers. From his run-in with a crop-dusting plane to the Mount Rushmore finale, Cary Grant’s advertising executive is perfectly flustered.

CALENDAR GIRLS (2003) 12

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3.45PM, CH5 ★★★★

A fun and frivolous take on the story of the now infamous ‘calendar girls’ – the WI women who produced a naked calendar to raise money for charity, and became a worldwide hit. Helen Mirren (above) and Julie Walters top the starry – and, game – cast.

DIRTY DANCING (1987) 12

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6PM, CH5 ★★★★

The first in a Patrick Swayze triple bill is this coming-of-age romantic drama with Swayze as the 1960s summer camp dancer who shows Jennifer Grey’s ‘Baby’ all the right moves. There’s more romance in Ghost at 8pm, while Road House completes the bill at 10.35pm.

FAST & FURIOUS 8 (2017) 12

◆ 8.30PM, ITV2 ★★★★

Charlize Theron is the villain who persuades Vin Diesel’s Dom to work against his old gang. Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson, above), Shaw (Jason Statham) and the rest race around at top speed to bring him back into the fold.

HIGHLANDER (1986) 15 ◆

11.30PM, BBC1 ★★★★

With a belting soundtrack by Queen, this fantasy is a real crowd-pleaser. Christopher Lambert is the immortal warrior passing the time by falling in love, learning swordfighting from Sean Connery and chopping off heads.

NEW YEAR’S EVE

HOME

(2015) U n 9AM, BBC1 ★★★

A human girl called Tip reluctantly teams up with an alien called Oh in this cute and colourful animation – and Tip’s podgy pet cat comes along for the ride. The voice cast is led by The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons as Oh and singer Rihanna as Tip (above).

STARMAN (1984) PG ●

11AM, HORROR ★★★★

The alien visitation plot is given a dusting off by John Carpenter, who is perhaps betterknown for horror fare such as Halloween and The Fog. Jeff Bridges tops the cast as the extraterrestrial traveller who comes in peace. (Freeview 68, Freesat 138, Sky 317, Virgin 149)

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017) PG ●

2.20PM, BBC2 ★★★★

This live-action remake of Disney’s 1991 fairytale animation is a treat. With a dark heart to match his beastly face, a cursed prince is transformed by the strong-willed Belle (Emma Watson, above, with Dan Stevens as the Beast), whom he imprisons in his castle.

PAINT YOUR WAGON (1969) PG

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3.30PM, BBC2 ★★★

Musical western, based on the 1951 Lerner and Loewe stage hit, starring actors who couldn’t exactly sing – namely Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood – as gold prospectors. Jean Seberg adds to the inventive casting.

KING KONG (2005) 12

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5.25PM, ITV2 ★★★

Peter Jackson directs this second remake of the classic monster movie. This has plenty of stunning creature effects, especially in the ‘lost world’ segments, but it’s the love story between ape and Naomi Watts’s satin-clad damsel that proves surprisingly touching.

WITHNAIL & I (1987) 15

◆ 11.15PM, FILM4 ★★★★ Cult British comedy starring Richard E. Grant as the self-absorbed and perpetually sozzled out-ofwork actor who heads to the Lake District with his flatmate (Paul Mcgann, right, with Grant).

NEW YEAR’S DAY

THE BOSS BABY (2017) U n 10.40AM, BBC1 ★★★

Fun animation with Alec Baldwin providing the voice of ‘the boss’, a suit-wearing, briefcase-carrying baby who pairs up with his older brother to stop a dastardly plot.

CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG (1968) U

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11.35AM, CH5 ★★★★

See Classic Film Choice (right).

HOWTOTRAINYOURDRAGON:THEHIDDEN

WORLD (2019) PG ● 2PM, BBC1 ★★★

PREMIERE The trilogy of animated fantasy films concludes in style. Hiccup and Toothless go in search of a secret safe haven for dragons, and Toothless finds his soul mate.

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN (2017) PG

● 5.30PM, CH4 ★★★★

Unashamedly uplifting musical confection starring Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum (above), a charming, upbeat fellow who builds his travelling circus from scratch, with loyal wife Charity (Michelle Williams) at his side.

MR HOLMES (2015) PG

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6.20PM, BBC2 ★★★★

In this portrait of fictional sleuth Sherlock Holmes, Ian Mckellen plays him as both an elderly recluse and a younger man (below), living in London and working on his final case.

BAD BOYS FOR LIFE (2019) 15

◆ 8PM, SKY PREMIERE ★★★

PREMIERE Back with the expected bang, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence hit the beat again as the mismatched cops for a third explosive and enjoyable action flick.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014)

12 ◆ 10.55PM, BBC1 ★★★★ Irreverent and colourful sci-fi hijinks following a raggle-taggle band of space misfits, including Chris Pratt’s Star-lord, Zoe Saldana’s Gamora, a raccoon and a tree.