Film choice

Goldeneye (1995) ITV4, 9.00PM ★★★★★

 Pierce Brosnan’s first outing as 007 has dated well; this film, number 17 in the franchise, is one of the very best Bonds. From its bungee-jump opening to the explosive denouement in Cuba, it has thrills aplenty, as Bond and IT expert Natalya (Izabella Scorupco) try to stop former MI6 agent Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean) from looting the Bank of England. Brosnan slides easily into the role, and thanks to the rapid-fire action, it’s extremely slick.

Pulp Fiction (1994) 5STAR, 11.00PM ★★★★★

 Quentin Tarantino’s violent comedy thriller, which won the Palme d’or at Cannes, still feels exciting and witty: none of its imitators have achieved quite such shiny, hard-edged glory. The several storylines, smartly interwoven, include two hit men (John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson) chasing a briefcase, a boxer (Bruce Willis) looking for a watch, and two robbers (Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer) who take down a diner.

Inglourious Basterds (2009) ITV4, 11.40PM ★★★★

 In the end, it wasn’t quite a masterpiece. Still, the second Quentin Tarantino film of the day, his pastiche of both war flicks and spaghetti Westerns, is still rollicking good fun and has all the hallmarks of his style. Being a celebration of vengeance, it’s quite an audacious take on the Second World War. Christoph Waltz rightly won an Oscar for his incendiary turn as the “Jew Hunter”; Brad Pitt is very good as the chief Nazi-killer as well.