The Herald - The Herald Magazine
THE WEEK’S BEST FILMS
SATURDAY Bend It Like Beckham (2002) (STV, 10.40pm)
Gurinder Chadha’s unabashedly feel-good comedy is a hugely entertaining mix of East Is East and Billy Elliot, about a young woman striving to realise her dreams on and off the soccer pitch. Eighteen-yearold Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) is a hardworking Indian girl with one abiding passion: David Beckham. More than anything, she wants to join her idol on the football pitch, but her parents (Anupam Kher, Shaheen Khan) will never accept it. Nagra makes us fall in love with plucky Jess from the get-go, and there’s strong support as Jules from Keira Knightley. But Khan and Juliet Stevenson steal the movie as the girls’ mothers. Countless belly laughs, laced with tears for the rousing finale.
The Eagle (2011) (Channel 4, 10.45pm)
In 120 AD, the entire Ninth Legion disappears in Scotland and its standard, a golden eagle, is lost, to the eternal shame of Rome. The commander also vanishes and 20 years later, his son, Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum), accepts a posting in southern Britain to learn the truth about his father’s demise. The young soldier is badly injured and recuperates with his uncle (Donald Sutherland) and slave boy Esca (Jamie Bell). Once he regains his strength, Aquila goes in search of answers accompanied by Esca. Kevin Macdonald’s film hinges on the rapport between the leads and Tatum is impressive, bringing a brooding physicality to his role.
SUNDAY Robots (2005) (Channel 4, 1.30pm)
Rodney Copperbottom (Ewan McGregor) is a young robot growing up in a suburb of the bustling Robot City, who longs to work with his hero, the inventor Big Weld (Mel Brooks). En route to Robot City, Rodney encounters an obsolete gang of street-smart robots called the Rusties, one of whom, the maniacal Fender (Robin Williams), becomes Rodney’s best friend. Rodney and his new chums set out to make their dreams come true, but corporate snake-in-the-grass Phineas T Ratchet (Greg Kinnear) and his monstrous mother Madame Gasket (Jim Broadbent) have other ideas. Co-directed by Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha, Robots is a rollicking, feel-good family fantasy promoting a message of individuality and originality in a world obsessed with conformity.
Thor (2011) (Channel 4, 6.50pm)
Kenneth Branagh directs this Marvel adventure. In the fantastic realm of Asgard, ruled by Odin (Anthony Hopkins), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is an arrogant heir to the throne. He acts first and thinks later, endangering the lives of his companions by launching an attack on the Frost Giants. Odin strips his son of his powers and his legendary hammer, and sends him to Earth as punishment, where the fallen god befriends scientist Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard), protegee Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and intern Darcy (Kat Dennings). Without his powers, Thor must face the same trials as any mortal, while also finding a way to defend his new home from his evil brother Loki (a scene-stealing Tom Hiddleston).
MONDAY Predestination (2014) (Film4, 9pm)
Based on a short story by pioneering science fiction author Robert A Heinlein, Predestination is a stylish futuristic thriller that employs a staple of the genre – time travel – to give the characters an almighty headache. A Temporal Agent (Ethan Hawke), who ricochets through time to prevent major crimes, is injured in his pursuit of a terrorist known as the Fizzle Bomber in 1970s New York. His face is badly damaged and he recuperates in the guise of a bartender in the Big Apple, where he hopes to gather intelligence on his elusive prey. An androgynous customer, called simply The Unmarried Mother (Sarah Snook), offers to tell his story over a drink and the customer reveals his formative years as an orphaned girl called Jane.
TUESDAY Black Narcissus (1947) (Film4, 11am)
Powell and Pressburger’s classic, visually stunning drama follows a group of nuns under the control of a newly promoted mother superior, Sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr), as they travel to the remote Himalayan community of Mopu to establish a convent in a derelict palace once used as a harem. The intoxicating and exotic sights and smells test the moral resolve of Sisters Briony (Judith Furse), Honey (Jenny Laird), Philippa (Flora Robson) and Ruth (Kathleen Byron), who hanker for home. They also face suspicion from the locals, especially the General (Sabu), and when the General’s handsome envoy Mr Dean (David Farrar) arrives, the repressed emotions threaten to reach fever pitch.
WEDNESDAY Spring in a Small Town (1948) (Film4, 1.25am)
Fei Mu’s celebrated 1948 drama is set during the Chinese depression of 1946. Liyan (Wu Jun) and his loyal wife Yu Wen (Hu Jing-fan) retire to what remains of their decimated community. He claims to be suffering from a strange illness which confines him to the house and she tends to his every need, as well as looking after his sister Xiu (Lu Si-si). Springtime arrives early when Liyan’s childhood pal Zhang (Xin Bai-quing) comes for a visit. Now a doctor, Zhang helps Liyan to rediscover his spark and brings happiness back into Yu Wen’s menial existence.
THURSDAY Good Will Hunting (1997) (Film4, 11.20pm)
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon wrote an Oscarwinning screenplay and earned themselves spots on the Hollywood A-list with his moving drama. Will Hunting (Damon) is a troubled maths genius who chooses not to use his gift, preferring to work as a university caretaker and spend his time drinking with his friend Chucky (Affleck). When he solves a puzzle that’s been set for graduate students, Professor Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard) takes the young man under his wing – and that includes sending him to see psychologist Sean Maguire (an Oscar-winning Robin Williams) to get to the bottom of his selfdestructive behaviour.
FRIDAY Fright Night (2011) (BBC One, 11.55pm)
This full-blooded remake of the 1985 cult horror stars Christopher Mintz-Plasse as geeky Ed, who warns his best friend Charley (Anton Yelchin) that his new neighbour, hunky drifter Jerry (Colin Farrell), is a vampire. Charlie is sceptical, but when Ed then vanishes, he starts to wonder if Jerry might be responsible. As the teenager investigates, he imperils his divorced mother, Jane (Toni Collette), and girlfriend Amy (Imogen Poots). Thankfully, selfanointed vampire expert Peter Vincent (David Tennant) has some handy tips on defeating the creatures of the night. As well as featuring a sexy, swaggering Farrell and a very funny supporting turn from Tennant, the movie delivers some strong set pieces that should stop fans pining for the original.