Film choice

Sahara (1943, b/w) FILM4, 11.00AM ★★★★

 Zoltán Korda’s war film stars Humphrey Bogart as Joe Gunn, an American tank commander as no-nonsense as his name suggests. After the Libyan port of Tobruk falls to the Axis forces, Gunn and his men retreat, with their tank, across the desert. They pick up stragglers on the way, but need to find supplies before either the Nazis or Sahara finish them off. It’s a little preachy – there was a war on – but the story is still thrilling.

The Last Frontier (1955) FILM4, 4.30PM ★★★★

 In this Western, three trappers (Victor Mature, James Whitmore and Pat Hogan) are assailed by Indians, and rush to sanctuary at nearby Fort Shallan, an army outpost. Given jobs as scouts, they soon find themselves ensnared in secret romances and personal feuds. Among Anthony Mann’s films, this one tends to get overlooked – it lacks his usual star Jimmy Stewart – but the performances are all assured. A solid genre flick.

Superbad (2007) SONY MOVIE CHANNEL, 9.00PM ★★★

 A sporadically hilarious coming-ofage comedy in which two high-school misfits, diffident Evan (Michael Cera) and sarcastic, sex-obsessed Seth (Jonah Hill), try to get enough alcohol – they haven’t yet turned 21 – to fuel a wild end-of-term party. The script is by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, the latter of whom stars as a bumbling cop, and making her film debut is Emma Stone. It makes American Pie seem sophisticated, but it’s bawdy fun.