The Herald - The Herald Magazine
THIS WEEK’S BEST FILMS
of Irene Kennedy, the CIA’s deputy director in charge of counterterrorism. She agrees to train Mitch under Cold War veteran Stan, who oversees a covert operation.
WEDNESDAY
Philadelphia (1993)
(Sony Movies Classic, 6.40pm)
Tom Hanks stars as razor-sharp lawyer Andrew Beckett, who’s fired from a prestigious firm after contracting the HIV virus. He’s keen to sue for wrongful dismissal and turns to down-at-heel lawyer Joe (Denzel Washington) for help. The latter isn’t exactly sympathetic to Andy’s plight, but agrees to defend him – and learns one or two lessons about prejudice along the way. Although criticised in some quarters for not probing the issues too deeply, Jonathan Demme’s emotional movie shed a lot of light on a subject many at time were happy to ignore. Hanks deservedly won an Oscar.
Mr & Mrs Smith (2005) (Film4, 10.55pm)
Doug Liman’s slam-bang actioner sees embittered duo John Smith (Brad Pitt) and wife Jane (Angelina Jolie) heading for marriage guidance counselling, hoping to rediscover their lost spark. And excitement is certainly what they get when they learn they are both assassins-forhire for rival firms – and have been contracted to kill each other. But as the bullets begin to fly, they decide to combine their expert skills in an effort to stay one step ahead of their employers– delivering a breathtaking blitzkrieg of explosive action and pithy one-liners along the way.
THURSDAY
The Dam Busters (1955) (Film4, 11am)
One of the greatest Second World War movies stars Richard Todd as
Wing Commander Guy Gibson, a skilled pilot ordered to assemble a crack squadron of fliers for a top-secret mission. After weeks of training, they will be dropping a new explosive designed to destroy three German dams, a dangerous task but one that is crucial to the war effort. Michael Redgrave is on fine form as Barnes Wallis, the man who created the bouncing bomb at the heart of the story. Despite knowing exactly how the mission panned out, this is still a tense tale, brilliantly told by director Michael Anderson.
Birth of the Dragon (2016) (Film4, 9.00pm) Premiere
In 1960s San Francisco, a young Bruce Lee (Philip Ng) is teaching martials arts – and takes the arrival of the rival expert Wong Jack Man (Xia Yu) as a potential threat to his status as the city’s master.
One of Lee’s students, gets drawn into their showdown, which he hopes to use to free his girlfriend, from a local gangster. Rather like the recent Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the film caused controversy among Lee’s fans, who, not unreasonably, were expecting a story about his legendary showdown with Man, and instead found that the iconic star had been side-lined by the fictional Steve and his sappy romance. But providing you know what you’re letting your letting yourself in for, Birth of the Dragon is a moderately entertaining martials arts movie.
FRIDAY
The Hangover (2009) (ITV2, 9pm)
Two days before he walks down the aisle, Doug (Justin Bartha) heads for a stag weekend in Las Vegas with pals Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Stu (Ed Helms) and eccentric future brother-in-law Alan (Zach Galifianakis). Upon arrival at the luxurious Caesars Palace hotel, several hours of heavy drinking ensue and in the morning, Phil,
Stu and Alan wake with pounding headaches and no memory of the night before. A trashed hotel suite and the presence of a baby in a closet are the first signs that something is wrong; the absence of the groom comes a close second.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) (Channel 4, 12.10am)
Conner Friel (Andy Samberg) and childhood buddies Lawrence Dunn (Akiva Schaffer) and Owen Bouchard (Jorma Taccone) achieved success as the trio The Style Boyz. However, it was clear to everyone that Conner was the glittering star. He went solo and the band disbanded. Following the rousing success of Conner’s debut LP, a documentary film crew shadows the pop icon in the days leading up to the release of the follow-up album. Its a tongue-in-cheek comedy, which gleefully lampoons music documentaries including Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.