The Herald - The Herald Magazine
THIS WEEK’S BEST FILMS
SATURDAY
Star Trek (2009) (Channel 4, 9pm)
A prequel to the hit TV series, this sci-fi adventure sees the birth of James T Kirk, his tearaway youth and eventual enlistment into Starfleet in an attempt to make sense of his life. However, as he crosses paths with a few familiar faces, Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy and Uhura to name two, it’s his uneasy alliance with half-Vulcan Spock that forms the backbone of the drama. Chris Pine is a great Kirk, but Zachary Quinto is uncanny as a young Spock.
Victoria & Abdul (2017) (BBC2, 9.15pm)
In 1887 Agra, two lowly men, Abdul Karim and Mohammed, are chosen by the British to present Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) with a gold coin for her golden jubilee. They travel to Windsor Castle and receive a crash course in royal etiquette, but when Abdul catches Victoria’s eye he is rapidly promoted to be the monarch’s spiritual adviser or “munshi”. A relationship of mutual appreciation blossoms between Victoria and Abdul, to the consternation of her son Bertie.
SUNDAY
Bumblebee (2018) (Channel 4, 5.45pm)
The robots in disguise receive a welcome and sweetly sentimental reboot in the sixth instalment of the Transformers franchise. Optimus Prime dispatches energetic recruit B-127 to establish a base of operations. But during a skirmish B-127 loses his vocal processor unit and his core memory is damaged, and only just manages to transform into a yellow Volkswagen Beetle shortly before his circuits shut down. Teenager Charlie salvages the car from her local scrapyard and is stunned to discover the truth.
A Fish Called Wanda (1988) (BBC1, 10.30pm)
Stuffy English barrister Archie has his well-ordered world thrown into chaos when he meets Wanda, a sultry American thief who wants to know where his client George has hidden a stash of diamonds. However, while being seduced by Wanda for inside information may have its upsides, Archie finds himself getting entangled with her thuggish lover Otto, who is also busy terrorising George’s hapless, pet-loving sidekick Ken. It’s one of
the finest Britflicks ever committed to film, largely thanks to energetic and hilarious performances from the leading players. John Cleese and Michael Palin are both great, but Jamie Lee Curtis and Kevin Kline nearly beat the Pythons at their own game.
Rough Night (2017) (Channel 4, 10.55pm)
Jess Thayer (Scarlett Johansson) is looking forward to walking down the aisle with her sweetheart. But before she settles down, she and her college pals spend a raucous, booze-fuelled weekend in Miami. The women hit the town, then make a rash decision to hire a stripper. One of the women leaps on top of him and accidentally kills the guy. Elation turns to panic as the five women formulate a plan of action.
MONDAY
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) (BBC1, 6.40pm)
At an airfield in 1957 Nevada, Indiana (Harrison Ford) and pal Mac encounter Soviet agent Irina Spalko and her gun-toting goons. Indy whip-cracks and wisecracks his way out of trouble, before a chance encounter at the railway station with a rebellious greaser called Mutt propels the archaeologist on a quest to locate the legendary Crystal Skull of Akator.
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) (Channel 4, 9pm)
Tearaway Gary Unwin (Taron Egerton) lets off steam by joyriding and ends up in a police cell. Dapper secret agent Harry Hart (Colin Firth) secures Eggsy’s release because he believes the young man has untapped potential as a crimefighter. Hart enrols his protege in a gruelling training programme for an elite secret service, where Eggsy shines brighter than the supposed creme de la creme.
TUESDAY
The Ritual (2017) (Film4, 9pm)
Laced with Nordic mythology and laddish banter, it’s a grim tale of four hapless thirtysomething college pals who reunite for a trip to the Scandinavian forest, only to realise they are lost – and then come face to face with a malevolent force that drives them to the brink of despair.
Can they make it out alive? It’s certainly not a movie for the fainthearted, as the tension builds and the blood begins to flow...
Trainspotting (1996) (Film4, 10.55pm)
Believe the hype, this is one of, if not THE best movies of the 1990s. Ewan McGregor stars as one of a group of Edinburgh drug addicts who, in a series of both funny and horrific vignettes, says more about life, love, choices and friendship than a mountain of Hollywood fodder. Packed with brilliant performances (from Johnny Lee Miller’s Sean Connery-obsessed Sick Boy to Robert Carlyle’s psychotic Begbie), the script is bristling with honesty and insight and Danny Boyle’s direction mixes the surreal with the real to produce a style all his own.
WEDNESDAY
The Vikings (1958) (BBC2, 3.20pm)
Grizzled Norse warrior Einar sets out to claim the Northumbrian throne, but faces opposition from slave Eric, who also intends to become ruler. Their rivalry intensifies when they both fall for the same Welsh princess, but what neither of them knows is that they’re actually half-brothers. If you’re after historical accuracy, then you’ve come to the wrong place.
Kirk Douglas makes an impressive Viking, and the rest of the cast also attack their parts with gusto.
Brassed Off (1996) (Film4, 9pm)
Pete Postlethwaite gives one of his most powerful performances as Danny, the ailing leader of a South Yorkshire colliery brass band who is determined to see his members compete in a prestigious competition. He’s so obsessed, he fails to see why most of his musicians, including his cash-strapped son Phil, are more concerned with the news that the pit is closing. But at least new recruit Gloria provides a distraction for tenor horn player Andy.
THURSDAY
Fargo (1996) (ITV4, 10.40pm)
Debt-ridden car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) gets two thugs Carl and Gaer to kidnap his wife so they can demand a ransom from her rich father.
But then en route back from the kidnapping, Carl and Gaer are pulled over by a suspicious cop who
the silent but clearly psychotic
Gaer kills. Then, when the murder is witnessed by two passing motorists, he executes them too. The killings bring the heavily pregnant local police chief, Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) into the frame, and despite her wholesome good humour, she’s like a dog with a bone when it comes to getting her man. This is writer-directors the Coen brothers at their darkly funny best – and McDormand’s Oscar-winning performance gives the film the kind of heart that is sometimes lacking in their work.
Pretty Woman (1990) (Channel 5, 11.05pm)
Julia Roberts gives a truly starmaking performance in the rags-toriches fairy tale of prostitute Vivian, who is plucked off the streets of LA by handsome and commitmentshy businessman Edward Lewis (Richard Gere). After agreeing to become his paid companion for the week, Vivian’s relationship with Edward threatens to become more than just business.
FRIDAY
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) (Film4, 9pm)
Posh English Charles (Hugh Grant) seems destined always to be the best man at weddings and never the groom. However, he finally finds the stirrings of true romance after a onenight stand with beautiful American Carrie (Andie MacDowell). After going their separate ways, he realises he wants to be with her but fate seems to intervene at every turn. This hilarious romantic comedy makes full use of Grant’s charm.
Cold in July (2014) (BBC2, 11.20pm)
Cold in July is a grimy and bloodspattered portrait of the secrets that fester in small communities. Richard Dane (Michael C Hall) lives with his wife. Late one night, she wakes to sounds in the living room and Richard creeps down the corridor and shoots dead an intruder. Sheriff Ray Price assures Richard that he did nothing wrong and discloses that the intruder was a wanted man with a long history of felonies. Richard is haunted by his actions and when he crosses paths with the dead man’s father (played by Sam Shepard), the two strangers are drawn into a terrifying game of cat and mouse.