Top films to watch on TV this week
THURSDAY
Beast (2017) Film4, 9p.m.
Shot partly on location in Jersey, Beast is a brooding adult fairy tale of female empowerment and sexual awakening.
Haunted by a shocking incident in her past, flame-haired shrinking violet Moll (Jessie Buckley) submits to a joyless life under the thumb of her domineering mother, Hilary (Geraldine James).
But then Moll encounters poacher and handyman Pascal (Johnny Flynn), whose wilful disregard for etiquette is a thrilling antidote to the starchy formality practised by her mother.
The misfits fall head over heels in lust - and then Pascal becomes a suspect in the hunt for the murderer of young women on the island.
Writer-director Michael Pearce’s impressive debut jangles nerves like a persistent itch you can’t quite reach, while Buckley and Flynn are an electrifying pairing.
FRIDAY
Trumbo (2015) BBC2, 11.20p.m. Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston) enjoys a charmed life with his wife Cleo (Diane Lane) and three children until waspish columnist Hedda Hopper (Helen Mirren) casts aspersions on his political leanings. Actor John Wayne (David James Elliott) weighs in on the argument and Trumbo is held in contempt by Congress.
While some people sever ties with Trumbo to protect their careers, lowbudget film-makers Frank (John Goodman) and Hymie King (Stephen Root) happily employ the venerated writer to polish their B-movies.
Leading man Kirk Douglas (Dean O’Gorman) also uses his influence to secure the writer a seat at the Spartacus table, despite protestations.
Based on the biography by Bruce Cook, Trumbo is a handsome period drama that relives an inglorious period in US history.
SATURDAY
Frozen (2013) BBC1, 6.20p.m.
As children, Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel) love to play together, taking full advantage of Elsa’s ability to create ice and snow from her fingertips.
When an accident almost ends in disaster, the King (Maurice LaMarche) agrees to wipe Anna’s memory so she forgets about her sibling’s hidden talents. At the same time, Elsa hides from the public gaze, fearful that she will hurt someone else with her powers.
When the King and Queen are subsequently lost at sea, Elsa reluctantly emerges to claim the throne. Unfortunately, on her coronation day, her gloves come off and the locals witness her skills...
Frozen is one of the best animated features to canter out of the Disney stable in years. Bell and Menzel add vim to their plucky heroines, the latter singing the film’s stand-out song Let It Go.
SUNDAY
Jaws (1975) ITV4, 9p.m.
It’s now 45 years old, but Steven Spielberg’s first blockbuster has lost none of its bite.
Roy Scheider heads the cast as Brody, a police chief on New England’s Amity Island whose relatively idyllic existence is turned upside down when a great white shark starts snacking on the locals.
The mayor is reluctant to close the beaches in case it scares off the tourists, so with the aid of a wealthy expert (Richard Dreyfuss) and a salty hunter (Robert Shaw), Brody heads off to find and kill the beast.
It’s a masterpiece of direction, combining genuine thrills with three-dimensional characters, and although the shark itself is a bit of a let-down, by the time we get a good look at it, we’re having too much fun to care. John Williams’ iconic score just adds to the tension.
Billy Elliot (2000) BBC1, 10.30p.m. Billy (Jamie Bell) is a shy 11-year-old living with his proud miner father (Gary Lewis) and older brother Tony (Jamie Draven) during the political and social unrest of the 1984 miner’s strike.
Determined to forge his son in his own image, Billy’s father sends him for boxing lessons with his pal George (Mike Elliot) but the lad is more interested in the ballet lessons run by the jaded Mrs Wilkinson (Julie Walters).
Beautifully observed and surprisingly free of mawkish sentiment, Billy Elliot is a heartwarming coming-of-age tale that juxtaposes Billy’s battle of wills with his father and the community’s struggles against the larger forces of the outside world. Walters picked up an Oscar nomination, while Bell makes a truly extraordinary film debut.