The Herald - The Herald Magazine
THIS WEEK’S BEST FILMS
Blindspotting (2018) (Film4, 10.45pm) Two friends reassess their loyalty to each other in an incendiary comedy drama musical directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada, which unfolds on the mean streets of Oakland. Collin (Daveed Diggs) and Miles (Rafael Casal) are best friends, who work alongside each other for a removal company. The job opens the men’s eyes to the gentrification of their home and reminds them of the divide between the haves and have-nots in a city where tension is rife between police and the black community. Ex-con Collin is just three days shy of completing a year’s parole and is determined to keep his head down. So, when he witnesses police brutality, he initially tries to forget what he has seen. However, his conscience has been pricked and Collin cannot stand by and allow men with badges to abuse their position of power.
THURSDAY
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) (Film4, 9pm)
More than 20 years after the fantasy adventure Jumanji starring Robin Williams, Jake Kasdan directs an action-packed new instalment, which pays affectionate tribute to the late actor while updating the narrative to the digital realm. Computer gaming nerd Spencer Gilpin is forced to serve detention alongside three fellow students: football jock Anthony Johnson, cheerleader Bethany Walker and painfully shy bookworm Martha Kaply. As part of their punishment, the teenagers clean out the school’s dusty basement, where they find an old Jumanji video game. Without warning, the teens are sucked into the game where they take on the guise of four heroic avatars played by Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan.
The Conjuring (2013) (BBC4, 9pm)
James Wan’s film opens in sunshine with the arrival of Roger Perron (Ron Livingston) and wife Carolyn (Lili Taylor) at a rundown farmhouse in Harrisville with their five daughters. The family dog Sadie refuses to enter the property and that first night, the clocks all stop at precisely 3.07am. Later, the Perrons experience increasingly violent episodes, which terrify Carolyn and her brood. In desperation, they turn to paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson, Vera
amount of money. When he starts carrying out his threat, Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood), a cop with a reputation for toughness, determination and a dislike for his superiors, is called in to deal with the situation. He crosses paths with Scorpio on a number of occasions, and gets into hot water for breaking the rules in an effort to bring the villain to justice. Dirty Harry remains one of the most brilliantly constructed cop thrillers ever made – no wonder it spawned not only several sequels, but several copycat movies. Some of those lines are unforgettable too.
Halloween (2018) (BBC1, 11.25pm)
Director David Gordon Green’s horror reboot bows its head to John Carpenter’s original, relying on solid jump scares to ensure a spiralling body count. As the 40th anniversary of the Haddonfield murders beckons, true crime podcasters Aaron Korey (Jefferson Hall) and Dana Haines (Rhias Rees) visit Smith’s Grove rehabilitation facility, home to notorious inmate Michael Myers (Nick Castle). Aaron and Dana attempt to bait the patient by brandishing his mask. Soon after, the bus which is transferring Michael to a new facility crashes and the hulking predator goes free. He heads to Haddonfield where Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), the one woman to survive Myers’ bloodbath, tries in vain to prepare her family for the coming storm.