Your Movie Planner

SATURDAY THE ADDAMS FAMILY

(1991) PG ● 1.55PM, ITV HHHH

Long-lost bald brother Fester is reunited with Gomez (Raul Julia), Morticia (Anjelica Huston) and the rest of the gang in a glorious,

ghoulish outing for the kooky clan. Sequel Addams Family Values is on Ch5 at 4.05pm.

THE GREAT WALL

(2016) 12 ◆

8.55PM, CH4 HHH

The scale of this Chinese-hollywood fantasy is awesome, but it has the feel of a folly. Matt Damon gets caught up in an epic battle with flesh-eating beasts on China’s Great Wall.

IT 9PM, ITV2 HHHH

(2017) 15 ◆

This blockbuster horror, based on the Stephen King novel, brings us a new generation of fear after the 1990 TV series starring Tim Curry as the creepy clown. Jaeden Lieberher is the kid who, with his friends, takes on the demon (Bill Skarsgard, above) who took his brother.

THE EXORCIST (1973) 18

s 10.40PM, BBC2 HHHH

See Classic Film Choice (right).

WORLD WAR Z

(2013) 15 ◆

10.55PM, CH4 HHH

Brad Pitt (below) stars as a UN investigator flying around the world as a zombie plague ravages the Earth. Ultimately, the message is one of hope, with nations co-operating to save the human race, but it is delivered alongside hordes of flesh-eating gnashers.

BAD NEIGHBOURS (2014) 15 ◆ HHHH

11.25PM, ITV

One-upmanship comedy with Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen as the couple who don’t want to grow up. After a move to suburbia, they resort to dirty tricks after a bunch of fraternity party animals – led by Zac Efron – disrupt their lives.

THE AWAKENING

(2011) 15 ◆

12.25AM, BBC1 HHHH

Classy ghost story set in a boys’ boarding school in the 1920s. Rebecca Hall is the debunker asked to get to the bottom of ghostly sightings in the school corridors.

SUNDAY GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN

(2018) PG ● 3.40PM, ITV HHH

PREMIERE Perfect Halloween viewing for kids who may be looking forward to trick-ortreating later. New in town, Sarah (Madison Iseman, above, with Slappy the Dummy) meets new friends – and monsters, too.

THE WITCHES (1990) PG

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3.40PM, CH5 HHHHH

Away on his holidays, nine-year-old Luke stumbles on a convention of witches – where the ‘sisters’ are planning to do away with children once and for all. This version of Roald Dahl’s classic tale is a Halloween treat.

THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS (2016) U

n 3.50PM, ITV HHHH In this lively and utterly adorable animation, New

York City pets have adventures when their owners are out of the house. Max is a Jack Russell (above) who gets a rather boisterous new flatmate and, once shut out of their home, has an incredible journey back.

BEETLEJUICE

(1988) 15 ◆

5.35PM, CH5 HHHH

Michael Keaton stars as an anarchic exorcist – of the living. Hired by kindly ghosts (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) to get rid of their dream home’s new owners, the couple get far more trouble than they bargained for.

WIDOWS (2018) 15

◆ 9PM, CH4 HHH PREMIERE See The Big Movie (right).

TEEN SPIRIT (2018) 12

◆

12 MIDNIGHT, BBC1 HHH

PREMIERE Musical drama, set on the

Isle of Wight, starring Elle Fanning as the shy teenager whose dreams of a singing career are given a boost from an unlikely mentor as she enters the talent contest of the title.

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN

(2008) 15 ◆ 12.05AM, BBC2 HHHH This acclaimed Swedish horror gave the vampire genre some fresh blood. Lonely and bullied schoolboy Oskar (Kare Hedebrant, right) makes an equally lonely new friend (Lina

Leandersson).

MONDAY A CHRISTMAS MISSION (2020) PG

● 2.15PM, CH5 HH

PREMIERE The schedules start gearing up for the festive season with a selection of cheery TV movies. This follows a workaholic who won’t be home for the holidays. Her exboyfriend is on a mission to change her plans.

HAPPY GILMORE

(1996) 12 ◆

9PM, ITV4 HHH

Adam Sandler (below, with Carl Weathers) stars as an ice-hockey player whose anger issues get him barred from the game. Then, he finds that his power drive is an asset on the golf course. Winning a spot on the PGA Tour, he gets the chance to score a big cash prize.

MERCURY RISING (1998) 15 9PM, PARAMOUNT

◆

HHH

When a nine-year-old autistic boy cracks a government supercode, sinister forces descend on his home to contain him –i.e., kill him. Luckily, the orphaned boy is soon under the protection of Bruce Willis’s lawman.

FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY (2019) 12 9PM, FILM4

◆ HHH

Inspired by a true story and written and directed by Stephen Merchant (The Outlaws, Monday, BBC1), this punchy comedy follows teenage wrestler Paige (Florence Pugh, below, with Jack Lowden) from Norwich to America, where she does battle in the ring.

DON’T EVER LEAVE ME (1949) U

● 10.50PM, TALKING PICTURES HHH British comedy starring Petula Clark as Sheila Farlaine, the teen daughter of a stage actor (Hugh Sinclair), who is abducted by an ageing criminal. The crook has second thoughts, but Sheila quite likes being kidnapped…

EXECUTIVE DECISION 11PM, ITV4

(1996) 15 ◆

HHH

The US President must decide whether to shoot down a hijacked and booby-trapped plane with 400 people on board – but only if special forces (led by Kurt Russell and Steven Seagal) cannot first thwart the terrorists (led by David Suchet).

TUESDAY HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940) U

●

11AM, FILM4 HHHH

This sparkling screwball comedy from Howard Hawks stars Rosalind Russell as the reporter who wants to settle down to a ‘normal’ life. Cary Grant (above, with Russell) plays the ex-husband and former editor who just can’t let her go – personally or professionally.

SHERLOCK HOLMES IN DRESSED TO KILL (1945) U

● 6.30PM, TALKING PICTURES TV HHH

In the last of 14 films to star Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr Watson, the duo chase a criminal who will stop at nothing to acquire three

music boxes. Patricia Morison also stars.

CON AIR (1997) 18

s

9PM, ITV4 HHHH Brash but enjoyable midair prison escape action, with a few quirky turns from its supporting cast. Nicolas Cage in a vest (left) and John Cusack are the main men, joined by John Malkovich, Ving Rhames and an especially creepy Steve Buscemi.

TRUE LIES

(1994) 15 ◆

9PM, 5STAR HHHH

Arnold Schwarzenegger is the secret agent whose bored wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) goes off in search of romance and adventure, and thinks she’s found it with Bill Paxton’s oily con man. In this action-packed spoof, their worlds are set to collide in spectacular style.

RANSOM

(1996) 15 ◆

11.20PM, ITV4 HHHH

A nimble thriller directed by Happy Days graduate Ron Howard. Rene Russo and Mel Gibson are the wealthy parents facing their worst nightmare when their son is kidnapped. The billionaire dad (Gibson) can afford to

pay, but wants to do things his own way.

SHAME

(2011) 18 s

1.25AM, FILM4 HHHH From Steve Mcqueen, director of Widows (see The Big Movie, right), this is a sombre drama about a man adrift. Michael Fassbender is Brandon (right), whose sex addiction means he struggles to form meaningful real-life relationships.