10 telly films

Viceroy’s House Sky Cinema Premiere, 6pm, today

Lustrous period drama explores the 1947 partition of India from myriad perspectives.

Lord Louis Mountbatten (Hugh Bonneville) arrives in the sweltering heat of Delhi at the behest of King George VI to replace Archie Wavell (Simon Williams) as viceroy of India and oversee the transfer of power.

Johnny English Reborn

Channel 5, 6pm, today

Section chief Pamela Thornton (Gillian Anderson) wants Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) back at MI7 to help thwart an assassination attempt on the Chinese premier.

A gently effervescent spy caper, and Atkinson’s talent for physical humour delivers a couple of belly laughs.

Side Effects

Channel 4, 11pm, today

Asked to assess office worker Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara) after a failed suicide attempt, psychiatrist Jonathan Banks (Jude Law) prescribes a new medication to calm her nerves.

Later she commits an unspeakable act, and attention turns to Jonathan’s culpability in a tense Steven Soderbergh thriller.

How To Train Your Dragon Channel 4, 4.55pm, today

Viking child Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) begins to question everything he has been told about dragons.

A brilliantly executed and deeply touching animated action-fantasy about one boy’s friendship with the supposed enemy.

12 Angry Men

Film4, 2.55pm, Tuesday

Henry Fonda heads the cast as Juror Number Eight, who faces the seemingly impossible task of changing the minds of the 11 other men on a hung jury.

It might not sound much, but this is a masterpiece of movie-making with excellent performances from the dozen actors involved.

Harvey

Film4, 3pm, Wednesday

James Stewart is at his most charming – which is really saying something – as Elwood P Dowd, an amiable drunk who claims his best friend is a six-foot rabbit named Harvey that only he can see.

Stewart would later name this sweet-natured comedy as his personal favourite from his impressive CV.

A Walk In The Woods

Film4, 9pm, Wednesday

A delightful adaptation of Bill Bryson’s book.

Ken Kwapis’ film retains the writer’s wry sense of humour and episodic structure, and provides Nick Nolte with a peach of a part, wheezing and puffing in Bryson’s shadow as they wander the 2200 miles separating Georgia and Maine.

Wild

Film4, 9pm, Thursday

Cheryl Strayed (Oscar-nominated Reese Witherspoon) comes to terms with the death of her mother by embarking on a gruelling 1100-mile solo trek along the Pacific Crest Trail.

An emotionally uplifting drama that celebrates the endurance of the human spirit and the restorative power of a mother’s love.

Sleepy Hollow

5STAR, 9pm, Thursday

Director Tim Burton excels with his take on the legend of the Headless Horseman.

Calvary

BBC2, 11.05pm, Friday

Wicked black comedy. Brendan Gleeson gives a towering performance as priest James Lavelle.