TV FILMS OF THE WEEK

1

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Tonight, BBC1, 10.20pm

ONE of the best Marvel films to come out in recent years, this is an absolute hoot. Chris Pratt has no discernible superpower as Peter Quill, except to brilliantly wisecrack his way out of sticky situations after pilfering a mystical orb coveted by power-hungry alien Ronan (Lee Pace). When Quill learns the orb has the power to destroy the universe, he puts selfish desires to one side and aligns himself with a motley crew of renegades to repel Ronan. From its visually stunning opening set to the funky strains of Come and Get Your Love, James Gunn’s film is a blast.

2

JURASSIC WORLD Tomorrow, ITV, 5.50pm

CHRIS PRATT again, this time wisecracking as animal behaviour specialist Owen Grady, helping park executive and old flame Bryce Dallas Howard (pictured with Pratt) to find her nephews who have gone missing as dinosaurs run amok in Jurassic World. This is a muscular, rollicking romp and fans may note a third Jurassic World movie is now filming.

3

HEARTBREAK RIDGE Monday, ITV4, 9pm

BEFORE his retirement, Marine Sergeant Tom Highway (Clint Eastwood, left) asks to return to his old unit to train a new platoon ahead of the invasion of Grenada. But his no-nonsense, hard-drinking attitude rubs his younger colleagues up the wrong way. It’s a familiar plot, but Eastwood will have you rooting for his character, despite his flaws.

4

DISTURBIA Tuesday, Film4, 11.15pm

NERVE-shredding thriller with Shia LaBeouf, left, as a teenager who’s convinced his next-door neighbour is a serial killer. It’s expertly paced, with plenty of scares and a chilling turn from the thinking man’s psycho, David Morse. Director DJ Caruso sustains the tension well through the twists of this 21stcentury reworking of Hitchcock’s Rear Window.

5

APOLLO 13 Wednesday, ITV4, 9pm

TOM HANKS plays astronaut Jim Lovell, who is faced with a nightmare when the mission suffers an on-board explosion. He and his crewmates are left stranded in space with a dwindling oxygen supply while flight controllers and engineers in Houston try to find a way to bring them home. Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton, pictured with Hanks, also star.

6

THE BANK JOB Thursday, Film4, 9pm

A LONDON car dealer is persuaded by an old flame to rob a bank. The heist goes off without a hitch but leaves the crooks in possession of a safety deposit box containing top-secret information. Written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, the cast includes Jason Statham and Keeley Hawes (both pictured), Saffron Burrows and Daniel Mays.

7

LADY BIRD Friday, BBC2, 9pm

GRETA GERWIG’S sublime coming-of-age comedy, which she also wrote, stars Saoirse Ronan, left, as a sassy student, who yearns to escape her Catholic high school for the bright lights of New York. She insists on being called Lady Bird and clashes with her mother, Marion (Laurie Metcalf). Timothee Chalamet as Kyle provides the romantic interest.