Film Planner

Saturday March 16 ★★★ Dark Victory (1939) 3.10pm BBC Two

Bette Davis was Oscar-nominated for her fine performance as a woman coming to terms with an inoperable brain tumour. She is well supported by Offaly’s finest, George Brent, and Geraldine Fitzgerald, who hailed from Wicklow.

★★★★ Out of Sight (1998) 11.35pm BBC One

Classy adaptation of the Elmore Leonard thriller with George Clooney in fine form as the bank robber on the lam who finds himself drawn to the US Marshall (Jennifer Lopez) on his tail. David Holmes’ score is a gem.

★★★★ Dark Lies The Island (2019) 12.10am RTÉ2

Ian Fitzgibbon’s stark drama is a tale of small-town ennui that alternates between funny and grim. Adapted by Kevin Barry, it follows a group of disparate characters in a small Irish town. Charlie Murphy and Pat Shortt co- star.

Lá ‘le Pádraig ★★★★ The Snapper (1993) 9.30pm RTÉ One

Hard to believe this Irish classic is now 30 years old. Stephen Frears’ gem chronicles the tribulations of the Curley family when teenage daughter Sharon announces her pregnancy. Tina Kellegher takes the lead. Mr Burgess steals the show. Snip snip.

★★★ Dunkirk (2017) 11.50pm BBC Two

Christopher Nolan’s epic WWII drama retells the remarkable true story of how more than 340,000 besieged Allied soldiers were rescued from the eponymous French beach by a flotilla of small boats. The strong cast includes a trio of Irish actors, Kenneth Branagh, Barry Keoghan and Cillian Murphy.

★★★★ Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) 12.50am Channel 4

This true-life drama featured Melissa Mccarthy’s finest performance and offered Richard E. Grant his best role for years. Both were Oscar-nominated for this tale of a frustrated writer who found she could profit by selling the forged letters of well-known scribes.

Monday March 18 ★★★★ Dune (2021) 9.30pm RTÉ One

James Herbert mega-fan Denis Villeneuve proved to be the perfect director for this dense tale; and this is perfect timing as Part Two is currently on Irish screens. A synopsis of this epic space opera involves exotic planets, highly coveted spice, sand worms, heroes, villains and battles galore.

★★★★ The Long Good Friday (1980) 11.10pm Film4

John Mackenzie’s classic geezer gangster thriller finds Bob Hoskins in excellent form as the criminal entrepreneur out to exploit the opportunities that the London Docklands have to offer. Helen Mirren is also terrific as his moll.

★★★ Radioactive (2019) 12.15am BBC Two

Marjane Satrapi’s biopic is a fine take on the life and career of Marie Curie (Rosamund Pike). We get the full story of how the remarkable Polish émigré pioneered the study of radiation, but we also see the effects of these discoveries, both positive and negative.

Tuesday March 19 ★★★★ Oliver! (1968) 8.00am RTÉ One

Carol Reed’s rip-roaring musical features top-class performances from Ron Moody as Fagin, Jack Wild as Dodger, Shani Wallis as Nancy and Oliver Reed (the nephew of the director) as nasty Bill Sykes. The real star, however, is composer Lionel Bart and his cracking songs.

★★★★ The Hangover (2009) 9.00pm RTÉ2

No one needed another stag night in Vegas movie but Todd Phillips delivered a minor gem thanks to a fine cast (headed by Bradley Cooper), some cracking dialogue, strong set-pieces and Mike Tyson’s pet tiger.

★★★ Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) 12.55pm Film4

More Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula to be honest, as Gary Oldman dons fangs and a fright wig to chew the scenery and most of his co-stars, including Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves. Keanu’s English accent (‘’Is the caasel faaah?’’) is the scariest thing on offer.

Wednesday March 20

★★★★ O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

5.45pm Sky Cinema Comedy

George Clooney is terri c as one of a trio of convicts (with John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson) on the run in the Deep South. This Coen Brothers yarn is lled with quirky dialogue and memorable sequences plus many nods to Homer and Hollywood. ★★★★

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) 6.15pm ITV2

Alfonso Cuáron’s visually arresting lm is infused with quirky, magic realism. The story nds Harry on his guard when Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) escapes from Azkaban. Meanwhile, Dumbledore’s wand has been passed from Limerick to Dublin.

★★★★ Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

10.05pm Sky Cinema Drama

In this quirky drama from Charlie Kaufman, Jim Carrey plays a shy guy who discovers that his girlfriend (Kate Winslet) has paid to have him erased from her memory (don’t ask!) following the demise of their relationship. Thursday March 21

★★★★ The Man in the White Suit (1951) 11.00am Film4

Another chance to see Alexander Mackendrick’s terri c comedy in which bo n Alec Guinness invents a fabric that doesn’t stain, much to the chagrin of the mandarins of the clothing industry. This Ealing satire features a superb performance by Guinness, well supported by Joan Greenwood. ★★★★

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) 5.55pm ITV2

The biggest novel of the franchise became the best movie as Mike Newell ditched all the student banter in favour of some cracking set-piece sequences. The Quidditch World Cup Final (come on, Ireland) and the Triwizard tasks are spendidly delivered, but the highlight of the piece is the arrival of you-know-who.

★★★★ Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008) 1.30am Sky Documentaries

This documentary about two ftysomething rockers still harbouring ambitions of the big time while holding down menial day jobs would seem an unlikely gem, but Sacha Gervasi’s Spinal Tap- esque lm is a marvel. Friday March 22

★★★★ A Town Like Alice (1956) 11.00am Film4

In this powerful real-life yarn, Virginia Mckenna nds herself on a forced march when the Japanese sweep through Malaya in 1941. Filmed on location in Australia, the lm secured BAFTA awards for Mckenna and co-star Peter Finch and remains a rm favourite to this day. ★★★★

Man on Wire (2008) 7.00pm Sky Documentaries

The story of Frenchman Philippe Petit’s gobsmacking 1974 aerial walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center is a remarkable one. James Marsh’s Oscar-winning documentary follows Petit (and his small band of followers) as he realises his dream.

★★★ Anchorman (2004) 11.05pm Channel 4

Great Odin’s Raven, but this is oddball humour at its most deliciously daft. Will Ferrell is perfectly cast as 70s news anchor Ron Burgundy, aghast that a female employee (Christina Applegate) is threatening to take his job. Time to musk up.