Film Planner

Saturday April 27 ★★★★ Battle of Britain (1969) 3.20pm RTÉ One

In this stirring, ag-waving yarn, a who’s who of British acting talent come together to recreate Britain’s nest hour – the repellling of the Luftwa e. These include acting Knights Olivier, Richardson, Redgrave and Caine, plus Trevor Howard and Robert Shaw.

★★★★ Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001) 10.15pm RTÉ One

Renée Zellweger is in terri c form as the heroine of Helen Fielding’s seminal diaries; a chocolate-munching, Chardonnay-slugging, Mr D’arcyobsessed singleton involved with two men, neither of whom may turn out to be Mr Right.

★★★★ Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) 12.05am RTÉ One

This drama featured Melissa Mccarthy’s nest performance and o ered Richard E. Grant his best role in years. Both were Oscar nominated for this true story of a frustrated writer who discovers she could make money by selling the forged letters of well-known scribes.

Sunday April 28 ★★★ The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019) 1.50pm BBC One

The original 2016 animation focused on a terrier named Max and the secret life he spends with his human family and roster of fellow pets, including cats, rabbits and budgies. Three years on, Max’s story continues with the arrival of a newborn baby into his human family.

★★★★ West Side Story (1961) 3.10pm RTÉ One

Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer topline this landmark screen musical featuring the choreography of Jerome Robbins, the location cinematography of Daniel L. Fapp and the magni cent songs of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.

★★★★ Wild Rose (2018) 9.30pm RTÉ One

Jessie Buckley scooped a Bafta nod and proved herself a double-threat with her searing portrayal of a working class Glasgow country singer who dreams of making it big in Nashville. The strong supporting cast includes Julie Walters, Janey Godley and James Harkness.

Monday April 29 ★★★★ The Caine Mutiny (1954) 1.35pm Channel 4

This terri c adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Herman Wouk novel provided Humphrey Bogart with one of the nest roles of his career. Bogie plays Naval Captain Queeg, whose increasing mental fragility becomes a source of concern to his crew.

★★★★ Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) 3.55pm Film4

The greatest of all Ealing comedies has disa ected Dennis Price moving himself nearer his rightful inheritance by removing all those relations who happen to be closer to the money. Alec Guinness gets to play all eight of the D’ascoyne relatives in question.

★★★★ Philadelphia (1993) 12.30am Sky Cinema Drama

Jonathan Demme’s drama landed Tom Hanks the rst of his back-to-back Oscars. Hanks is the up-and-coming young lawyer who, red from his law practice when his bosses discover he has contracted AIDS, decides to take them to court for unfair dismissal.

Tuesday April 30 ★★★ Emma (1996) 8.00pm Sky Cinema Drama

This adaptation of the classic Jane Austen tale stars Gwyneth Paltrow as the busybody matchmaker whose mission in life is to pair o those around her. This includes a crackling supporting cast of characters – Alan Cumming, Jeremy Northam and Greta Scacchi.

★★★★ Air Force One (1997) 11.25pm Film4

Wolfgang Petersen’s high-octane drama features Harrison Ford as the US Prez who nds himself pitted against a bunch of nasty Russians (led by Gary Oldmanov) who hijack Air Force One but reckon without the resourcefulness of the First Citizen.

★★★★ Midnight Special (2016) 12.25am Sky Cinema Sci-fi

This quirky drama from director Je Nichols begins with Michael Shannon in a car anked by his buddy Joel Edgerton, with an unusual young boy sitting in the back seat. After that, you’re on your own, but strap yourself in for an original and memorable story.

Wednesday May 1 The Invisible Woman (2013) 10.00pm BBC Four

Ralph Fiennes and Felicity Jones topline this story of the secret relationship between Charles Dickens and Nelly Ternan, an actress thirty years his junior, whom the writer met while at the height of his fame. It’s a fascinating tale beautifully brought to life by top screenwriter, Abi Morgan.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2023) 10.25pm Sky Cinema Drama

This ne adaptation of Rachel Joyce’s best-seller is the life-a rming story of a retired man (Jim Broadbent) who heads out to post a letter to an old friend dying in a hospice, but suddenly decides to embark on a cross-country trek to comfort her in person.

Cape Fear (1991) 11.40pm BBC One

The original adaptation of this thrilling yarn, with Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum, was a standout. In Martin Scorsese’s decent remake, Robert De Niro plays the psychopath who sets out to exact vengeance on the lawyer (Nick Nolte) who put him away. Juliette Lewis co-stars.

Thursday May 2 Aisha (2022) 6.20pm Sky Cinema Drama

Frank Berry’s superb, ripped-from-theheadlines drama stars Letitia Wright as a young Nigerian woman seeking asylum in Ireland, who forms a tender friendship with an employee (Josh O’connor) at her residence.

The History Boys (2006) 10.00pm BBC Four

With echoes of Dead Poets Society, Alan Bennett’s entertaining yarn concerns a group of bright boys (including Dominic Cooper and James Corden) and the di erent approaches being taken by their teachers, as they prepare for life at Oxbridge.

A Beautiful Mind (2001) 10.05pm Sky Showcase

Following his Oscar-winning, macho turn in Gladiator the previous year, Russell Crowe really proved his acting chops by taking on the true role of maths whizz and economist John Nash, a Nobel laureate living with a personality disorder. Ron Howard’s drama scooped four Oscars.

Friday May 3

★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★

The Guns of Navarone (1961) 3.35pm Sky Cinema Greats

Based on Alistair Maclean’s best-selling WWII adventure, this nds Gregory Peck in terri c form as the leader of a crack squad sent to Greece to silence the German guns of the title. On hand are explosives expert David Niven, experienced sti -upper-lipper Anthony Quayle and rugged Anthony Quinn. nd ★★★★ ★★★ ★★★★

A Private War (2018) 9.40pm RTÉ2

Marie Colvin was a fearless war correspondent drawn to frontline con icts across the globe. Rosamund Pike was Golden Globe-nominated for her terri c performance in this biopic of the renowned journalist, supported by Jamie Dornan, Paul Conroy, Tom Hollander and Stanley Tucci. ★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★

Trading Places (1983) 1.20am Channel 4

Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd are both terri c in this hugely successful, high-concept comedy in which a commodity broker (Aykroyd) trades lives with a street hustler (Murphy). Recent Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis makes her mark as a streetwise sex worker.

★★★★★ Classic ★★★★ Excellent ★★★ Good ★★ Fair ★ Poor