The Herald - The Herald Magazine
THIS WEEK’S BEST FILMS
in an industrial accident resulting in exposure to dangerous levels of radiation. Although it lacks the depth of director Neill Blomkamp’s thrilling first feature, District 9, this ambitious follow-up is distinguished by slickly orchestrated action sequences and a slam-bang finale.
WEDNESDAY
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) (ITV4, 9pm)
Missouri farmer Josey Wales
(Clint Eastwood, who also directs) vows revenge after his family is slaughtered by maverick soldiers during the American Civil War. While tracking down those responsible, he becomes an outlaw, much-feared by those who’ve heard of his ruthless ways. As time passes and the conflict ends, Josey becomes a wanted man, but despite his efforts to remain a loner, he unwittingly creates a new family involving a bunch of mismatched, disenfranchised souls.
Rough Night (2017) (Film4, 10.45pm)
When Jess (Scarlett Johansson) is taken off to party in Florida, it seems like the ideal chance for four friends to re-bond after a decade apart. However, in the midst of the drinking and drunken selfies comes the accidental death of a stripper. Instead of doing the right thing and calling the cops, Jess and her friends soon make a series of bad decisions. Lucia Aniello, who also worked on the TV series Broad City, cowrote and directed this Hangoverstyle comedy with Paul Downs, who can be seen as Johansson’s fiance, Peter.
THURSDAY
The Blues Brothers (1980) (ITV4, 9pm)
Everybody needs somebody in
John Landis’s classic 1980 action comedy, based on characters created
experience director Kathryn hopes there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Bears About the House (BBC2, 8pm)
Part two of two. Conservationist Giles Clark embarks on his biggest mission to date - taking on the illegal wildlife trade and helping to build a new bear sanctuary in Laos, south-east Asia. At the sanctuary, Mary the sun bear is now nine months old. Now growing in confidence, she is becoming extremely determined, and picks up a skill unique to a sun bear, jumping. Later, the sanctuary receives some shocking news when they discover there has been a break-in, and the distraught team have to come to terms with a theft. by actors John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd on the TV series Saturday Night Live. When Jake Blues (Belushi) is released from prison, he and brother Elwood (Aykroyd) pay a visit to the orphanage where they grew up, and learn the building is under threat of closure due to nonpayment of taxes. So the siblings concoct a hare-brained scheme to raise the money by reuniting their old band and staging a concert. En route, they cross paths with a deranged bandleader, the cops, and a host of famous faces in cameo