TV FILMS OF THE WEEK
1
DR DOLITTLE Today, Film4, 3pm
IN THE late Sixties Rex Harrison starred in one of the most expensive musicals ever made. Based on Hugh Lofting’s heart-warming tales of a doc who could talk to the animals, the movie went down like a lead balloon, despite achieving something of a cult following in the years since. Such financial follies didn’t deter a new generation of film-makers from updating the tale for a 21st century audience and with Eddie Murphy piping hot property after The Nutty Professor, this seemed to make sound financial sense. Ossie Davis and Oliver Platt (from A Time To Kill and The Three Musketeers) co-star in an enjoyable fantasy for the whole family.
2
THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL Tomorrow, Film4, 6.35pm
WIDOW Evelyn (Judi Dench) is determined to start anew, so abandons Britain for the balmier climes of Jaipur and a retirement home called The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. En route, she meets six other retirees bound for this “luxury development for residents in their golden years”. However, when the travellers arrive, they find a building in disrepair run by an inexperienced manager (Dev Patel).
3
TITANIC Monday, Film4, 5.10pm
OSCAR-WINNING love story set aboard the doomed ocean liner. Rose DeWitt Bukater, a 101-year-old survivor of the tragedy recalls her burgeoning romance with artist Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio, pictured with Kate Winslet as the young Rose) aboard the ship. Her jealous fiance (Billy Zane) schemes to drive a wedge between the sweethearts but fate – and an iceberg – intervenes.
4
KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE Tuesday, Film4, 9pm
BASED on the comic book series, this fast-paced spy caper is about an elite group of secret agents with sharp wits and attire. Gary Unwin (Taron Egerton, pictured), known to his friends as Eggsy, is spiraling into a life of crime despite an impressive IQ. He is dismissed as a hopeless cause by everyone except agent Harry Hart (Colin Firth), who believes Eggsy can cut it as a crime-fighting operative.
5
TAXI DRIVER
Wednesday, Sony Movie Channel, 11.30pm
EX-MARINE turned cab driver Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro, pictured) lives on the fringes of society, ill-equipped to communicate with the outside world. When a fledgling romance with political campaigner Betsy (Cybill Shepherd) withers and dies, Travis becomes fixated with 12-year-old prostitute Iris (Jodie Foster). He resolves to save the child from her horrific situation.
6
MR TURNER Thursday, Film4, 11.20pm
GLORIOUS period piece that offers us a glimpse behind the canvasses of a misunderstood maverick. The film opens with artist J.M.W Turner (Timothy Spall, pictured) capturing the rising sun over fields in Belgium. He returns to London and the home he shares with his father William (Paul Jesson). Turner channels his energy into his work, which continues to raise eyebrows at the Royal Academy Of Arts.
7
THE CONJURING Friday, ITV2, 9pm
ROGER Perron (Ron Livingston) and wife Carolyn (Lili Taylor) arrive at a rundown farmhouse in Harrisville with their five daughters. The family dog refuses to enter the property and the Perrons experience increasingly violent episodes, which terrify Carolyn and her brood. In desperation, they turn to paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, pictured).