The Herald - The Herald Magazine
THIS WEEK’S BEST FILMS
SATURDAY
Queen of Katwe (2016) (BBC2, 3.30pm)
Queen of Katwe chronicles the incredible true story of a Ugandan chess prodigy who emerged from a slum in Kampala to proudly represent her country on the international stage. Scripted by William Wheeler and directed by Mira Nair, this joyful celebration of the human spirit deftly moves between characters whose fates are entwined in the capital city.
Ghostbusters (2016) (Channel 4, 9pm)
Director Paul Feig applies a gender reversal to an effervescent remake of the 1984 supernatural comedy about a quartet of parapsychologists. Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) hopes to secure tenure at Columbia University, but her academic future is thrown into disarray when childhood friend Abby Yates (McCarthy) peddles copies of their long-forgotten book on ghosts. It can’t match the original, but it’s more fun than the backlash suggests.
SUNDAY
War Horse (2011) (BBC1, 2.35pm)
When his drunken farmer dad Ted (Peter Mullan) comes home with a foal called Joey, young Albert (Jeremy Irvine) promises to train the animal to work in the fields. However, he doesn’t predict that Europe will go to war – or that Ted will sell Joey to Captain Nicholls. Based on Michael Morpurgo’s book, War Horse is a sweeping First World War drama that harnesses director Steven Spielberg’s virtuosity. Irvine is an endearing hero, but it’s the four-legged stars that canter away with our affections.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) (STV, 5.20pm)
Following the tragic climax of
The Goblet of Fire, Harry (Daniel
Radcliffe) is ready to fight back in earnest against the dark powers. Unfortunately, not only are some wizards refusing to believe his claims that Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has returned, but life at Hogwarts takes a sudden turn for the worse after the arrival of officious – and sadistic – new teacher Dolores Umbridge (the wonderful Imelda Staunton). With Dumbledore being pushed aside, Harry must begin training his fellow
students for the battle that is to come... The fifth Harry Potter film is a more mature and sombre affair than the earlier offerings.
MONDAY
Stalag 17 (1953) (Film4, 3.30pm)
The US inmates of a German Prisoner of War camp stage an escape, but when it goes wrong, they conclude that one of their number must have betrayed them to the Nazis. As far as most of the prisoners are concerned, there’s only one candidate – cynical wheeler-dealer Sgt Sefton (William Holden), who seems happy to strike deals with their captors if it gets him a few extra home comforts.
A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014) (Channel 5, 11.05pm)
When a shoot-out on the streets of 1991 New York City ends in senseless tragedy, booze-sodden NYPD officer Matt Scudder (Liam Neeson) hangs up his badge and embraces sobriety with the support of Alcoholics Anonymous. Adapted from Lawrence Block’s novel of the same name, A Walk Among the Tombstones is a gritty thriller, which establishes its grim tone from the disturbing opening credits.
TUESDAY
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) (Film4, 9pm)
In the aftermath of Black Monday, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) loses his job on Wall Street and is forced to sell penny stocks at a flyby-night operation in Long Island. Blessed with the gift of the gab, Jordan excels and decides to open his own firm, Stratton Oakmont, with salesman Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill). The dodgy business goes from strength to strength, but its ‘work hard, play harder’ mantra attracts the attentions of an FBI Agent who resolves to bring Belfort down.
Dr Strangelove - or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) (BBC4, 10.30pm)
Stanley Kubrick’s Cold War comedy captures the paranoid mood of its times perfectly and still backs a funny, unsettling punch today. The insane Gen Jack D Ripper (Sterling Hayden) becomes convinced the
Communists are trying to steal Americans’ bodily fluids and launches an attack on Russia, bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war. As the US president (Peter Sellers) and a British officer (Sellers again) try to avert the crisis, a former Nazi scientist (Sellers once more) prepares for life after the war.
WEDNESDAY
Starsky & Hutch (2004) (5STAR, 10pm)
Director Todd Phillips (who recently made a stir with Joker) is behind this comedy take on the much-loved 1970s TV show. In this version, cheerfully corrupt detective Ken Hutchinson (Owen Wilson) is horrified when he meets his new partner, by-the-book David Starsky (Ben Stiller). But with a local crime lord (Vince Vaughn) poised to unleash a dangerous new drug on to the streets of Bay City, the mismatched duo are forced to put their differences aside and work together to bring him to justice.
Beautiful Creatures (2013) (Channel 4, 12.50am)
Seventeen-year-old Ethan Wate is itching to escape the backwater of Gatlin for the big city. His restlessness is soothed by the arrival of Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert), the enigmatic niece of reclusive landowner Macon Ravenwood (Jeremy Irons). Alas, Lena is reluctant to let Ethan into her life because she is a witch and on her 16th birthday, she must take part in a ritual known as the Claiming, which will dictate whether she is destined for good or evil. Based on the first book in the Caster Chronicles series, Beautiful Creatures is a smart, sassy and entertainingly camp supernatural love story riddled with teen angst, mystical curses and ridiculous plot twists.
THURSDAY
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016) (Film4, 9pm)
Following the death of his grandfather Abe (Terence Stamp), grief-stricken teenager Jacob Portman makes a pilgrimage with his father Franklin (Chris O’Dowd) to Cairnholm island off the coast of Wales – population 93 – where Abe claimed he spent his formative years in a home for gifted children. Amongst the rubble of the derelict home, Jacob encounters an
enchanted girl called Emma Bloom, who leads the teenager through a magical time loop set to September 3, 1943, which is controlled by
Miss Alma LeFay Peregrine (Eva Green), headmistress of the school.
The Neon Demon (2016) (Film4, 11.30pm)
Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn’s hard-hitting psychological drama sharply divided critics when the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Viewers will be similarly shell-shocked by a script co-written by British playwright Polly Stenham that focuses on beautiful wannabe Jesse (Elle Fanning), who hopes to break into the cut-throat modelling industry in Los Angeles. As Jesse clambers up the career ladder, treading on anyone who stands in her way, she clashes with motel manager Hank (Keanu Reeves) and coldly rebuffs an amorous overture from makeup artist Ruby. When a good friend tries to warn Jesse about the pitfalls of fame, she ignores his sage words and pays a terrible price.
FRIDAY
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) (Film4, 9pm)
Starfleet is rocked by a terrorist attack in London masterminded by the mysterious John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch). Kirk (Chris Pine), who has been stripped of his captaincy and now serves under his mentor,
Rear Admiral Christopher Pike, becomes embroiled in the hunt for Harrison led by Admiral Marcus. Predictably, Harrison doesn’t intend to surrender, so Kirk gives chase flanked by Spock (Zachary Quinto) and the Enterprise crew.
The Purge: Election Year (2016) (Film4, 11.40pm)
This third instalment is set in a dystopian America which has legalised murder for 12 hours every March to sate the population’s bloodlust and reduce crime levels for the rest of the year. Eighteen years after her entire family was slaughtered on Purge night,
Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell) is poised to narrowly win the Presidential election by campaigning on a promise to end the annual cull – which has made her a target.