The Herald - The Herald Magazine
PICK OF THE BEST FILMS
SATURDAY Casino Royale (2006) (STV, 9pm)
James Bond gets a gritty overhaul, with Daniel Craig taking over as 007. The secret agent is on the trail of Le Chiffre, who is planning to use a high stakes poker game as a means of funding terrorist organisations across the world. Judi Dench is one of the very few constants between the Brosnan era and the dawning of Craig. She brings the same dry wit and gravitas to the role of M, dismayed at her fledgling agent’s ability to bring her department into disrepute. Meanwhile, Mads Mikkelsen is suitably creepy as the villain of the piece and Eva Green is memorable as 007’s love interest, Vesper Lynd.
Goodbye First Love (2011) (BBC2, 1am)
A teenage romance ends in heartbreak in Mia Hansen-Love’s handsome drama. In 1999 Paris, 15-year-old Camille is madly in love with Sullivan and wants to spend every waking minute with him, but he feels slightly suffocated. Sullivan reveals that he’s leaving for a 10-month tour of South America, but promises to write regularly so they can continue their romance when he returns. Alas, the letters taper off and Camille is devastated to lose her soulmate. A few years pass and Camille finds herself gravitating towards divorced professor Lorenz, who seems to provide the security and stability she craves. Then Sullivan arrives back in Paris and a maelstrom of emotions boils over.
SUNDAY Red Army (2014) (Film4, 11am) Premiere
During the Cold War, the Eastern and Western Blocs spearheaded by the Soviet Union and the United States became embroiled in a stand-off that sparked a series of heated confrontations. This bitter rivalry also played out in the sporting arena, including ice rinks where the Soviet Union’s ice hockey team achieved global domination under coach Viktor Tikhonov. Under his control, the Soviets won gold at eight World Championships and also stood atop the winner’s podium at the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Winter Olympic Games. Gabe Polsky’s fascinating documentary relives the rise of the Soviet team and speaks to former players.
Role Models (2008) (Channel 5, 11pm)
Irresponsible energy drink salesmen Danny (Paul Rudd) and Wheeler (Seann William Scott) land in trouble after crashing the company truck. Hoping to avoid jail, they undertake community service, acting as mentors to two troubled youngsters – a painfully geeky teenager obsessed with live-action role play and a pint-sized, foul-mouthed youngster. Although you may feel like you know where this comedy is going – yes, the grown-ups do learn life lessons from the kids – it’s a lot of fun getting there. The gags are sharp, the leads are perfectly cast and Jane Lynch nearly steals the film as a youth counsellor who can’t stop bringing up her drug-addicted past.
MONDAY Joe (2013) (Film4, 11.15pm)
Nicolas Cage reminds us how good he can be in David Gordon Green’s touching tale of friendship. Joe centres on the titular ex-con (Cage), who toils long hours in the backwoods of Texas as foreman of a team of labourers. The local police hound Joe, hoping to goad him into an explosion of violence that will land him back in prison. One day in the woods, 15-year-old Gary approaches Joe looking for work. He is hired and Joe takes the youngster under his wing, becoming a surrogate father to the teenager. It transpires that Gary’s real father is a booze-sodden bully. When he beats up his son and steals his money, Joe struggles to withhold the urge to teach the abusive old man a lesson.
TUESDAY The Rewrite (2014) (Film4, 6.50pm)
Fifteen years after winning a Golden Globe for his script for Paradise Misplaced, screenwriter Keith Michaels (Hugh Grant) lands a teaching position at Binghamton University on the outskirts of New York. Keith’s young students hang on his every stuttering word, but it’s mature sophomore Holly (Marisa Tomei) who catches Keith’s eye. They spark a simmering attraction but the teacher’s insecurities threaten to derail the fledgling relationship. The Rewrite is a light, frothy if somewhat forgettable tale of second-chance love and self-acceptance, which plays to the leading man’s strengths, endearing us to his morally flawed character despite a propensity for the occasional fib and social faux pas.
WEDNESDAY All That Heaven Allows (1955) (Film4, 11am)
Following the success of Magnificent Obsession, director Douglas Sirk reunited with stars Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson for this visually stunning melodrama that contains some sharp social commentary. It follows a wealthy New England widow who breaks all the taboos of her restrictive social circle when she falls head over heels in love with her poor and much younger gardener. Her friends and grown-up children are shocked as she contemplates what they see as the unthinkable – marrying her lover. She is left with a dilemma – whether to fall in with what her friends expect of her, or to seek true happiness.
THURSDAY Hugo (2011) (Film4, 6.35pm)
Twelve-year-old Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is raised by his father (Jude Law), who has a passion for cinema and mechanical devices. The old man dies, leaving behind an intricate automaton, and Hugo is forced to live secretly in the railway station with his hard-drinking Uncle Claude (Ray Winstone), who maintains the clocks. When the bottle claims Claude’s life, Hugo continues to tend the clocks while stealing food from shopkeepers. An encounter with bookish Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz) catalyses a journey of self-discovery that Hugo hopes will lead to a message from his father. Martin Scorsese’s elaborate fantasy indulges the Oscarwinning director’s passion for cinema, lovingly recreating films of the era and paying homage to the early pioneers, including the Lumiere brothers.
FRIDAY The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) (ITV4, 11.15pm)
In 1881, the final year of Jesse James’s extraordinary life, the James Gang continues to rob banks and railroad owners. Evading capture and the enemies who would love to collect the bounty on his head, Jesse (Brad Pitt) is initially flattered by the attention of devoted fan Bob Ford (Casey Affleck) but soon grows concerned by the young man’s fixation. Hero worship sours into jealousy as Bob realises that he can never win the public’s affections in the same way as his charismatic idol. So when the authorities propose to kill Jesse, Bob steps forward... Affleck blows Pitt and everyone else off screen as James’s historically maligned assassin, with a performance of such naked intensity, it may take your breath away.