The Herald - The Herald Magazine
THIS WEEK’S BEST FILMS
SATURDAY
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) (Channel 4, 9pm)
Chris Pine follows in the footsteps of Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck by taking on the role of soldier-turned-CIA analyst Ryan. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is an old-fashioned espionage thriller with some briskly edited action sequences. Pine is a likeable leading man but his on-screen chemistry with Keira Knightley is lukewarm at best.
Bridesmaids (2011) (STV, 10.45pm)
Annie (Kristen Wiig) used to own a bakery but she has fallen on hard times and now works as a jewellery saleswoman. Her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) reveals she is getting married and asks Annie to be her maid of honour. Without two pennies to rub together, organising a bridal shower to remember will be tricky for Annie, especially since one of the bridesmaids is socialite wife Helen (Rose Byrne), who splashes cash as if it is going out of fashion.
SUNDAY
Wonder (2017) (Channel 4, 4.25pm)
Auggie Pullman (Jacob Tremblay) is a 10-year-old boy with a rare genetic syndrome, which has necessitated 27 agonising operations to painstakingly rebuild his face. He has been home-schooled since birth by his mother Isabel (Julia Roberts) but she feels the time has come for her boy to venture into the classroom. Wonder is an exquisitely calibrated drama, which eschews mawkish sentimentality but still has us weeping uncontrollably by the end credits. Tremblay might be concealed behind Oscarnominated prosthetics but he conveys every flicker of Auggie’s raw emotions.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008) (BBC2, 11pm)
Based on the bestselling novel by John Boyne, this drama relives the horrors of the Second World War from the perspective of an eight-year-old German child, who is blissfully unaware of the vital role played by his Nazi officer father in the unfolding tragedy. The subject matter is incredibly bleak and the final act of director Mark Herman’s well crafted film sets in motion a chain of events that must, inevitably, culminate in tragedy.
MONDAY
Rebecca (1940) (Talking Pictures, 6.35pm)
Alfred Hitchcock’s wonderfully atmospheric version of Daphne Du Maurier’s gripping tale stars Joan Fontaine as the timid new wife of widower Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier). His country estate Manderlay remains in the iron grip of the frighteningly efficient housekeeper Ms Danvers (the brilliant Judith Anderson) and the memory of the master’s late wife, Rebecca, as the new Mrs de
Winter struggles to win the approval of the staff.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006) (Film4, 6.45pm)
New graduate Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) lands a plum job as second assistant to the fearsome Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), esteemed editor of Runway magazine. Andy hopes the position will be a stepping stone to serious political journalism and is unprepared for the immense challenges that lie ahead, catering to her tyrannical boss’s every whim.
TUESDAY
Tootsie (1982) (Sony Movies, 4.35pm)
Dustin Hoffman gives one of his finest performances in this terrific comedy. He stars as Michael Dorsey, a gifted actor who is so devoted to his craft that no one wants to hire him because he’s impossible to work with. After losing out at an audition for a cheesy soap opera, Michael takes drastic action and returns to the casting call in a skirt and wig as Dorothy Michaels.
Blade (1998) (ITV4, 11.40pm)
Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali is due to star in a new take on the Marvel Comic hero but the 21-year-old original movie still holds up pretty well. Wesley Snipes is on charismatic form as Blade, a half-man, half-vampire which means he has all of the undead’s strengths and none of their weaknesses. He intends to put his powers to good use by protecting humanity but his mission brings him into contact with Frost (Stephen Dorff), a renegade vampire who is on the brink of becoming an all-powerful god. Dorff makes for a rather bloodless villain but there’s great support from Kris
Kristofferson, and the action, special effects and score are all top-notch.
WEDNESDAY
Footloose (2011) (Film4, 6.40pm)
Ren McCormack (Kenny Wormald) arrives in the God-fearing town of Bomont three months after the deaths of five high school pupils on their way home from a dance. As a kneejerk reaction, local minister Reverend Moore (Dennis Quaid), whose son perished in the wreck, persuades the council to pass new laws imposing a 10pm curfew on minors and banning dancing within town limits. Ren vows to revive dancing in Bomont with the help of his friend Willard (Miles Teller), the reverend’s daughter Ariel (Julianne Hough) and her gal pal Rusty (Ziah Colon). Footloose follows the narrative arc of the 1984 classic, which immortalised Kevin Bacon as a teen rebel.
Daphne (2017) (Film4, 10.50pm)
Thirty-something singleton Daphne (Emily Beecham) is embedded in the ebb and flow of London life as a cook in a restaurant run by Joe (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor). She enjoys flirting with her married boss and also entertains romantic overtures from a handsome nightclub bouncer called David (Nathaniel Martello-White). During a day like any other, Daphne witnesses a brutal stabbing and in that instant her carefree attitude crumbles to dust. Her emotions go into a tailspin and she seeks solace in the bottle.
THURSDAY
Snowpiercer (2013) (Film4, 9pm)
Filmmaker Bong Joon-ho has been collecting plaudits for his South Korean satire Parasite, which has been nominated for four Oscars. So this is the perfect time to catch his English language debut, the dark fantasy thriller Snowpiercer, which boasts an impressive cast including Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell and Parasite’s Song Kang-ho. It’s set in the future where a failed experiment to end global warming has turned the Earth into an uninhabitable frozen wasteland.
Revolutionary Road (2008) (BBC4, 10pm)
Adapted from the acclaimed novel by Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road is the chronicle of the marriage of Frank (Leonardo
DiCaprio) and April Wheeler (Kate Winslet). To outsiders, they have the perfect life but in reality the couple have drifted apart and feel stifled by 1950s suburbia. Every day Frank endures the drudgery of his job and April cares for their home and children, all the while dreaming of something more fulfilling. Determined not to reach old age and wonder “What if?”, April convinces Frank that they can make a fresh start in Paris, but what begins as an exciting plan soon becomes another bone of contention in their troubled relationship.
FRIDAY
Last Vegas (2013) (Film4, 6.50pm)
Billy (Michael Douglas) lost the love of his life to best friend Paddy (Robert De Niro) and has been commitment-shy ever since. However, after proposing to his younger, trophy girlfriend on a whim, he summons his friends Archie (Morgan Freeman) and Sam (Kevin Kline) to a stag party in Las Vegas, where a sexy lounge singer called Diana (Mary Steenburgen) threatens to re-ignite the old rivalry between Paddy and Billy. It may be cut from the same frayed cloth as The Hangover, but Douglas and De Niro rebuild bridges with a deft touch that treats us and the characters with respect, while screenwriter Dan Fogelman delivers an array of snappy one-liners.
The African Queen (1951) (Sony Movies Classic, 6.50pm)
John Huston’s classic adventure, based on the book by CS Forester, is as wonderful as it was on its cinema release nearly 70 years ago. Humphrey Bogart won the best actor Oscar for his role as irascible Charlie Allnut, captain of the river boat African Queen. He is working in eastern Africa in 1914 when war breaks out and German troops attack a local mission, resulting in the death of the Reverend Samuel Sayer (Robert Morley). The holy man’s sister Rose (Katharine Hepburn) charters Charlie to take her away from the anguish and the sparks of attraction between them are evident from their first day on the water. En route, Rose persuades Charlie to help her attack a German warship using the African Queen – taking the enemy completely by surprise.