The Herald - The Herald Magazine
THIS WEEK’S BEST FILMS
MONDAY
How Green Was My Valley (1941) (Film4, 4.45pm)
Director John Ford was best known for his Westerns, but in this classic, he turns his attention to South Wales. Based on the best-selling
1939 novel of the same name by Richard Llewellyn and starring Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O’Hara, Donald Crisp and Roddy McDowall, it follows the Morgans, a mining family whose way of life is under threat. In particular, it focuses on the youngest son Huw, who seems to have the best chance of building a different kind of life for himself. How Green Was My Valley won the Best Picture Oscar, famously beating out Citizen Kane and The Maltese Falcon, a decision which seems slightly baffling in retrospect, but it remains a touching, if occasionally maudlin, drama.
The Matrix Revolutions (2003) (ITV4, 9pm)
The final part of the blockbusting trilogy (or so we thought) finds the few survivors of the human race making a last stand against thousands of murderous squid-like robots. Meanwhile, in the computergenerated world we know as reality, freedom fighter Neo (Keanu Reeves) tackles arch enemy Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) who has infected the CG world with millions of copies of himself. Although suffering from pretentious dialogue and an over-complicated plot, this boasts stunning effects and great action scenes. Try not to think about it too hard. For anyone who thinks The Matrix series deserved to go out on more of a high, Reeves is returning for a belated fourth film.
TUESDAY
Night School (2018) (Film4, 9pm) Teddy Walker (Kevin Hart) dropped out of school a couple of credits shy of graduation. If he wants to secure a well-paid career and take care of his fiancee Lisa (Megalyn Echikunwoke), he must go back to school to pass his General Educational Development test (GED). Following an awkward conversation with Piedmont High School’s principal, Teddy enrols in night classes with a motley crew of misfits. The group’s no-nonsense teacher, Carrie (Tiffany Haddish),
warns that she will not tolerate time-wasters and Teddy realises he has finally met someone who is impervious to his slick patter. Night School is a watchable coming-ofmiddle-age comedy, although it’s a shame comic whirlwind Haddish isn’t given the material to achieve top grades.
High Plains Drifter (1973) (ITV4, 9pm)
The residents of a mining town hire three outlaws to murder their sheriff, who was about to inform the government about their illegal activities – and then frame the criminals for theft to ensure their secret remains safe. However, when they learn the felons are due to be released from jail and are undoubtedly plotting their revenge, the townsfolk secure the protection services of a mysterious gunslinger (Clint Eastwood), who turns out to his have his own agenda. Eastwood’s second stint in the director’s chair is a stylish, atmospheric and extremely violent Western with a twist at the end. Eastwood displays a lot of promise behind the camera, and there are plenty of scenes here that live long in the memory.
WEDNESDAY
Misery (1990) (Film4, 9pm)
When author James Caan is involved in a near-fatal car accident he is pulled from the wreckage by nice Kathy Bates who, it turns out, is his number one fan. But when she discovers that Caan is planning to kill off his most famous creation, Misery Chastain, in his latest novel, Bates reveals herself to a scenerychewing psychopath with a fondness for sledgehammers. Stephen King’s shocking thriller is ably directed by Rob Reiner with first-class performances from both stars – particularly the Oscar-winning Bates, whose mood-swinging character is quite terrifying. It also helped Caan (who was 12th in line for the role), who was in the midst of a comeback, prove he could do more than play gangsters.
All About Eve (1950)
(Talking Pictures TV, 9.05pm)
Joseph L Mankiewicz’s brilliantly
acerbic portrayal of ambition and greed nabbed a clutch of welldeserved Oscars including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay and Supporting Actor for the scenestealing George Sanders. There are also career-best performances from Bette Davis and Anne Baxter, although both were left emptyhanded at the awards, probably as a result of splitting the Best Actress vote. Davis plays aging Broadway star Margo Channing, who is targeted by bright young thing Eve Harrington (Baxter). The girl worms her way into Margo’s life and takes on the role of secretary-aide before doing everything within her power to usurp Margo from her pedestal. The dialogue fizzes wickedly as Eve schemes, plots and deceives her way to the top – and there’s also a wonderful early appearance by Marilyn Monroe.
THURSDAY
In the Heat of the Night (1967) (Sony Movies Classic, 9pm)
When a wealthy industrialist is found murdered in a Mississippi town, the racist local sheriff Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger) is quick to accuse black newcomer Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) who has been spotted in the town, only to discover that his chief suspect is actually a decorated homicide detective from Philadelphia. Despite this disastrous start, the pair work together to find the real killer, reaching a new respect along the way. Released in 1967 at the height of the US civil rights movement, director Norman Jewison’s drama boasts great performances and at least one truly iconic line from Poitier. No wonder it won the Best Picture Oscar in a landmark year, beating the era-defining likes of
The Graduate and Bonnie and Clyde.
Step Brothers (2008) (ITV4, 10pm)
Brennan (Will Ferrell) is 40 going on 14. He still lives at home with his mother Nancy (Mary Steenburgen) and openly nurtures resentment towards his boorish younger brother Derek (Adam Scott), who has a career, a family and a home of his own. During a medical convention, Nancy meets Robert (Richard Jenkins), who has his own adult son at home – Dale (John C Reilly) – and the lonely parents embark on a whirlwind romance. Wedding bells peal and Nancy moves in with
her new husband with disgruntled Brennan in tow. Step-sibling resentment quickly boils over, but Dale and Brennan unexpectedly discover common ground: favourite dinosaurs and their shared hatred of Derek. The humour won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but the rapport between Ferrell and Reilly powers the film.
FRIDAY
Baby Driver (2017) (Sony Movies, 9pm)
Director Edgar Wright’s Baby
Driver is a high-octane crime caper which gleefully burns rubber to a toe-tapping soundtrack. Ansel Elgort plays Baby, who has suffered from tinnitus since he was involved in the horrific car accident that killed his parents. To drown out the ringing, he listens to music at a deafening volume, which allows him to focus on his duties as a getaway driver for criminal mastermind Doc (Kevin Spacey). For his final drive, Baby must assist Buddy (Jon Hamm), his fiery girlfriend Darling (Eiza Gonzalez) and trigger-happy Bats (Jamie Foxx) in pilfering millions of dollars. As the plan takes shape, Baby kindles a romance with diner waitress Debora (Lily James), who is desperate to leave town. Baby’s cut from the robbery should give them a way out, presuming Doc’s plan doesn’t go awry...
Maps to the Stars (2014) (BBC2, 11.20pm)
Thirteen-year-old Benjie Weiss
(Evan Bird) is the pre-pubescent prince of Hollywood, whose upward trajectory is carefully managed by his mother Christina (Olivia Williams). Back at home, Benjie’s father, self-help guru Dr Stafford Weiss (John Cusack), realigns the chakras of wealthy clientele including fame-hungry actress Havana Segrand (Julianne Moore), who is pinning her resurgence on a remake of the film that made her mother a star. While Havana awaits news on the role, she employs a new personal assistant called Agatha (Mia Wasikowska), whose sardonic take on Hollywood attracts handsome limo driver Jerome Fontana (Robert Pattinson). Maps to the Stars is a relentlessly grim satire of ambition, greed and dark familial secrets anchored by Moore’s fearless and emotionally raw performance.