The Herald - The Herald Magazine
THIS WEEK’S BEST FILMS
SATURDAY Mulan (1998) (Channel 5, 5.25pm)
DISNEY’S animated feminist fairytale is based on a fifth-century Chinese story and recounts the exploits of the only daughter of an honourable family who impersonates a man in order to take her injured father’s place in the national army. At first Mulan (Ming-Na) cannot compete physically with her fellow recruits but she soon puts them to shame, using her brain to win the day and make her family proud of her, aided by dragon sidekick Mushu (Eddie Murphy).
Taken (2008) (Channel 4, 9pm)
AT the time, Liam Neeson seemed an unlikely choice for leading man in this fast-paced jaunt through the French capital, but he proved himself to be a charismatic and convincing action hero. He stars as a merciless avenger who will stop at nothing to rescue his daughter from sex traffickers. The boulevards of Paris are littered with dead bodies by the end as the invincible hero relentlessly pursues his quarry, snapping arms as if they were twigs.
SUNDAY The Man Who Would Be King (1975) (BBC2, 1.55pm)
JOHN Huston’s lavish period adventure, based on the Rudyard Kipling story, chronicles the dubious dealings of two former British soldiers (Sean Connery and Michael Caine) in 19th-century India, as they travel to an unexplored land where one of them fools the natives into believing he is a god. However, his growing delusions of grandeur put him at loggerheads with his conscience-stricken comrade, leading them down a path that can only end in tragedy.
Notes on a Scandal (2006) (BBC1, 1.05am)
BARBARA Covett (Judi Dench) is a lonely schoolmistress at a London comprehensive. A new term heralds the arrival of art teacher Bathsheba Hart (Cate Blanchett), whom Barbara initially
views with suspicion but soon comes to regard as a treasure to be lured away from her family. When Barbara discovers that the object of her affection is conducting an illicit relationship with a 15-year-old pupil, the older woman agrees to keep the liaison secret, on the understanding that Sheba ends it. But when she keeps seeing the boy, Barbara sows the seeds of Sheba’s spectacular downfall.
MONDAY Anastasia (1956) (Film4, 11am)
THIS Oscar-winning drama was inspired by the story of Anna Anderson, a woman
who claimed to be Anastasia Romanov, daughter of the ill-fated Russian tsar. After rumours spread that the teenage princess was the only member of the family to survive their massacre in 1917, an opportunistic Russian businessman in 1920s Paris sees a chance to make some money by passing off a mysterious amnesiac (Ingrid Bergman) as the royal. But is there a chance he has somehow stumbled upon the genuine article?
Money Monster (2016) (Sony Movie Channel, 9pm)
LEE Gates (George Clooney), gregarious host of a financial television show, prepares to interview Diane Lester (Caitriona Balfe), chief communications officer of Ibis Global Capital, whose complex trading algorithm has just lost investors $800 million. No sooner has Lee delivered his opening monologue than Kyle Budwell (Jack O’Connell), whose entire life savings were wiped out in the crash, storms the set brandishing a gun. Lee is forced to don an explosives vest and, as viewing figures soar, programme producer Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts) tries to defuse the stand-off. Directed by Jodie Foster, Money Monster is a tense hostage thriller which unfolds largely in real time.
TUESDAY Dorian Gray (2009) (Sony Movie Channel, 9pm)
PAINFULLY naive Dorian Gray (Ben Barnes) arrives in London, unaware of the horrors that lurk beneath the glittering facade of 19th-century society. Lifelong hedonist Lord Henry Wotton (Colin Firth) happily takes Dorian under his wing and sets the newcomer on the path to sin, introducing the lad to sex, drugs and hopelessly smitten painter Basil Hallward (Ben Chaplin), who immortalises him on canvas. Every time Dorian succumbs to temptation, the painting decays. Relations between the bon viveur and his mentor also grow tense when Dorian sets eyes upon Lord Wotton’s pretty daughter, Emily (Rebecca Hall).
The Green Mile (1999) (More4, 9pm)
THE delicate equilibrium of a 1930s death row block is disrupted by the arrival of a gentle giant called John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), convicted of raping and murdering two 10-year-old girls. Over time, the new inmate befriends one of the guards, Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks), who has seen many guilty men pass through and who suspects that
Coffey may be serving time for a heinous crime he did not commit. The Green Mile is a heartbreaking drama which grows almost organically, building in pace and tension, and drawing to an earth-shattering close that could have viewers weeping on the sofa.
WEDNESDAY Crimson Tide (1995) (ITV4, 9pm)
A Russian nuclear missile base falls into nationalist hands and a US strategic submarine is ordered to prepare for a pre-emptive strike if the rebels begin fuelling their weapons. With the world on the brink of war, tensions are running high, and the vessel’s veteran captain clashes with his new by-the-book first mate over what course of action to take when they can’t confirm their attack orders. Tony Scott’s claustrophobic thriller has so much tension you could cut it with a knife. Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington are superb as the two US navy officers whose difference of opinion leads to mutiny and a life-or-death battle of wills over the crew.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) (Film4, 11.10pm)
BASED on American journalist Kim Barker’s memoir Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is a humour-tinged drama about one woman’s journey of self-discovery as a war correspondent. Kim (Tina Fey) yearns for some excitement in her humdrum life so she pursues an assignment during Operation Enduring Freedom. It is an eye-opening experience for Kim and she quickly forges friendships with some of the other international journalists, notably Australian correspondent Tanya Vanderpoel (Margot Robbie) and Scottish photographer Iain MacKelpie (Martin Freeman). As Kim settles into her role, she clashes with American commander General Hollanek (Billy Bob Thornton) and discovers there are harsh repercussions for her actions.
THURSDAY Charade (1963) (Film4, 4.40pm)
AUDREY Hepburn and Cary Grant make a delightful pairing in director Stanley Donen’s hugely enjoyable romantic thriller, which mixes stylish Hitchcock-esque intrigue with screwball comedy touches. Regina Lambert (Hepburn) is considering divorcing her husband but before she can break the news, she discovers that he’s been murdered. What’s more, it turns out he was involved in a $250,000 robbery – and his former accomplices think she can point them in the direction of the loot.
Regina turns to a handsome stranger (Grant) for help but can she really trust him? The impressive supporting cast includes Walter Matthau and James Coburn.
Ex Machina (2015) (Film4, 11.25pm)
NATHAN (Domhnall Gleeson) is a talented computer programmer at a hi-tech firm run by the enigmatic Caleb (Oscar Isaac). Out of the blue, Nathan wins a weekend at the CEO’s remote island retreat, where he learns he has been hand-picked by Caleb to take part in a ground-breaking experiment: to interrogate a functioning artificial intelligence prototype called Ava (Alicia Vikander). Nathan quickly grows emotionally attached to Ava and he is distressed when she warns him not to trust Caleb. Ex Machina is a disturbing thriller that explores the murky moral ramifications of creating a robot that could pass for human.
FRIDAY
The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011) (Film4, 6.50pm)
GUNG-HO reporter Tintin (Jamie Bell) buys a model ship and is plunged into a centuries-old mystery involving Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine (Daniel Craig). Ivan asks Tintin to name his price for the boat but the reporter refuses to sell, sensing the wooden vessel is far more valuable than it first appears. Sure enough, a cryptic conundrum lies within, revealing that “only a true Haddock will discover the secret of The Unicorn”. Blistering barnacles! Assisted by trusty pooch Snowy, Tintin searches for more clues, meeting booze-sodden Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis), whose family history holds the key to the mystery of a cursed shipwreck. Steven Spielberg’s animated film is a breathlessly entertaining spectacle, littered with eye-popping action setpieces that would simply be unthinkable as live action.
Nightcrawler (2014) (BBC2, 11.05pm)
LOUIS Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) is struggling to find direction in life until he pulls over on a road near a fatal accident and meets cameraman Joe Loder (Bill Paxton), who sells his gruesome footage to the highest bidder. Louis buys a small camera and approaches Nina Romina (Rene Russo), ratings-hungry editor of the graveyard shift at a news station, with amateurish footage of a victim fighting for life. After she pays up, Louis hires an inexperienced protege to capture murder and misfortune in close-up. Nightcrawler is a twisted media satire anchored by a creepy performance from Gyllenhaal.