PICK OF TV MOVIES

SATURDAY

Hancock (2008) (Channel 4, 9.00pm)

IS it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a superhero like you’ve never seen before. Indestructible John Hancock (Will Smith) has the power of flight, super-strength and invulnerability. However, there’s a problem – he’s a reckless, self-loathing drunk. While he should be the saviour of Los Angeles, the residents hate him for his habit of causing mayhem and destruction wherever he goes. He gets a break when he saves the life of PR guru Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), who sets about helping Hancock clean up his act and improve his image in the eyes of the public. However, Embrey’s wife Mary (Charlize Theron) harbours serious misgivings. The film starts out as a comedy but takes a more dramatic turn in the second half. Smith is fantastic throughout, with great support from Bateman and Theron.

Minority Report (2002) (Film4, 9.00pm)

LEADING man Tom Cruise and director Steven Spielberg prove to be a blockbusting combination in this stylish sci-fi thriller based on a novella by Philip K Dick (the writer who also inspired Blade Runner and Total Recall). In 2054, cop John Anderton (Cruise) heads up Washington DC’s ‘pre-crime’ division, arresting people before they have a chance to offend based on the predictions of three psychics, known as pre-cogs. Unfortunately, he ends up with more than just his career on the line when one of the pre-cogs predicts that Anderton is going to commit a murder in just 36 hours. So, the cop goes on the run and in the process, begins to questions whether the pre-crime system is as infallible as he’s been led to believe.

SUNDAY

Saving Private Ryan (1998) (Channel 5, 10.00pm)

STEVEN Spielberg’s thoughtful Second World War tale tells the story of a platoon of American soldiers (led by Tom Hanks), who are ordered to scour the battlefields of France in search of a missing infantryman, the titular Private Ryan (Matt Damon), who has been granted permission to return home because his brothers have been killed in the conflict. Spielberg is a true modern-day master of film and it came as no surprise when Saving Private Ryan scooped five Oscars in 1999. The opening scenes depicting the Normandy invasion are harrowing to say the very least and are among the most realistic ever made. This superb film is capped off by some impressive performances from Hanks and Damon.

Thelma & Louise (1991) (BBC1, 10.30pm)

BORED housewife Thelma (Geena Davis) and downtrodden waitress Louise (Susan Sarandon) plan to leave their humdrum existences behind during a weekend road trip. Unfortunately, the break turns out to be more life-changing than they could ever have imagined when Thelma is attacked by a would-be rapist, and they end up shooting him in selfdefence. Instead of going to the police, they make the fateful decision to run from the law, and end up in even more trouble. Ridley Scott’s terrific drama puts an engaging, feminist spin on the buddy road movie thanks to Callie Khouri’s excellent script. There are strong supporting performances from Brad Pitt as a dashing criminal and Harvey Keitel as a sensitive cop, but this is the ladies’ film all the way, with Davis and Sarandon making the most of their meaty roles.

MONDAY

Commando (1985) (Film4, 9.00pm)

AFTER his daughter is kidnapped by South American terrorists with whom he has old scores to settle, retired army colonel John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger) boards the next available flight and wages a one-man war against those who were foolish enough to harm his nearest and dearest. He takes the opportunity to unleash a formidable arsenal of weaponry in order to exact his violent revenge against a whole host of unsavoury characters. While Schwarzenegger does struggle with some of the dialogue, there’s nobody better when it comes to sticking it to the bad guys. Arnie has a field day as he fires rocket launchers, grenades, AK 47s and every other weapon he can lay his hands on in this hugely entertaining action movie.

The Conjuring (2013) (BBC3, 9.00pm)

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, who immediately sense a malevolent force. For the Vatican to authorise an exorcism though, Ed and

Lorraine must gather incontrovertible evidence of this powerful demonic entity – and so they begin their terrifying research into the dark history of the farmhouse.

TUESDAY

Witness (1985) (BBC1, 11.25pm)

A murder takes place at a city railway station, witnessed by a young Amish boy. Cop John Book is charged with protecting him and his recently widowed mother. After reluctantly taking the case, Book mixes business with pleasure as the assignment ends in an unscheduled bout of romance with the youngster’s mother. Director Peter Weir’s thought-provoking comparison between two very different cultures is a refreshing take on the thriller genre, and Witness is also littered with fantastic performances. Harrison Ford shines as Book, deservedly gaining an Oscar nomination (his only one to date) for his efforts. Kelly McGillis is perfectly cast in the female lead.

WEDNESDAY

Captain Phillips (2013) (ITV4, 9.05pm)

CAPTAIN Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) kisses his wife goodbye and takes charge of his cargo vessel, the Maersk Alabama, bound for Mombasa, Kenya. Somali pirates led by Muse (Barkhad Abdi) board the vessel and Phillips conceals his crew below deck in the engine room while he takes charge of the situation. Faced with threats of violence from Muse, Phillips puts himself in harm’s way to ensure the safety of every man on board, but the stand-off spirals out of control. Based on the book by

Richard Phillips and Stephan Talty, Captain Phillips is a nerve-racking thriller that fully deserved its six Oscar nominations. Hanks is flawless and Abdi delivers a striking supporting performance, adding depth and complexity to a role that could easily have been a caricature.

Eaten by Lions (2018) (BBC2, 11.45pm)

HALF-BROTHERS Omar (Antonio Aakeel) and Pete (Jack Carroll) are orphaned at a young age when their parents’ romantic hot air balloon getaway crash-lands in the lion enclosure of a safari park. The boys’ grandmother takes them in and encourages Omar and Pete to look out for each other. When she dies, the half-siblings are condemned to the questionable care of their acidtongued aunt Ellen and her husband Ken. They propose adopting Pete but not Omar because, in Ellen’s words, “You’re not our side.” Desperate to find a place he belongs, Omar ventures to the coast to track down his biological father, with Pete in tow.

Eaten by Lions is a bittersweet, multicultural buddy comedy.

THURSDAY

Bridge of Spies (2015) (Film4, 6.15pm) RUDOLF Abel (Mark Rylance) is arrested in 1950s New York and labelled a Soviet spy. Lawyer James B Donovan (Tom Hanks) is asked to mount a credible defence for the sake of appearances, even though the odds are stacked against a fair trial. Sure enough, Abel is convicted, but then a US pilot, Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell), is shot down over the Soviet Union. Consequently, Donovan travels to Berlin to broker a covert deal to exchange Abel for Powers. Scripted by Matt Charman and the Coen brothers, Bridge of Spies is a slow-burning tale of intrigue and bluff, and director Steven Spielberg’s fingerprints are evident on each assured set-piece. Hanks brings his natural warmth and likability to Donovan.

Florence Foster Jenkins (2016) (BBC4, 11.35pm)

AMATEUR operatic soprano Florence Foster Jenkins became a cause celebre in 1930s and 1940s New York precisely because she was unable to hold a note during her infamous recitals. This reallife story of triumph against sniggering cynicism provides rich inspiration for Stephen Frears’ rollicking comedy drama, anchored by tour-de-force performances from Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant. Florence (Streep) is determined to further her musical ambitions with the help of her second husband and doting companion, St Clair (Grant). Cosme McMoon (Simon Helberg) lands the position of Florence’s pianist and gradually falls under his employer’s spell, acknowledging that she is just following her dream. But when Florence decides to perform at the world-famous Carnegie Hall, will the rest of audience be as willing to humour her?

FRIDAY

Underwater (2020) (Film4, 9.00pm)

NORA Price (Kristen Stewart) is a mechanical engineer at the Kepler drilling station, located seven miles beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean close to the crescent-shaped Mariana Trench. A tremor causes catastrophic failures to the station’s integrity and most of the crew perish as the structure implodes. Nora seeks temporary safe haven with Captain Lucien (Vincent Cassell), who proposes a daring course of action: slip into pressurised body suits and undertake a perilous one-mile walk in the dark along the bottom of the ocean to neighbouring Roebuck Station. In the inky void, something unspeakable lurks, waiting to attack... Underwater is a sci-fi horror, which soaks up inspiration from the Alien franchise and The Abyss.