Film choice
Moonrise (1948, b/w) FILM4, 11.00AM ★★★★
A lesser-known film noir, perhaps, but a gem nevertheless and widely regarded as director Frank Borzage’s late period masterpiece. It tells the revenge tale of Danny Hawkins (Dane Clark), a ne’er-do-well haunted by the memory of his father who was hanged for murdering the doctor of a backwater town in the Deep South. There are tinges of German Expressionism, an ominous score and plenty of thrills.
American Pie (1999) ITV2, 9.00PM ★★★
The ultimate gross-out comedy, American Pie is so crude that it makes even Porky’s look tame but there’s a heart at its centre. Directed by Paul Weitz, it’s a coming-of-age tale about a group of friends – Jason Biggs and Chris Klein, among others – who make a pact to lose their virginity by prom night. Raucous jock Stifler (Seann William Scott) shows them the way. Be warned: it’ll make you view warm apple pie in a whole new light.
The Deer Hunter (1978) TCM, 9.00PM ★★★★★
Michael Cimino’s perturbing portrait of America during the Vietnam War stars Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken and John Savage as three steelworkers who enlist in the US Airborne Infantry. Atmospheric and, at times, terrifying, the film looks at how war affects people in different ways, and it still remains one of the most fascinating films on Vietnam. It won five Oscars, including Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Walken.