TV FILMS of the week
1 Mission: impossible iii Saturday, channel 4, 10pm
Former special agent Ethan Hunt
(Tom Cruise) is called out of early retirement when a one-time trainee is taken hostage by a ruthless arms dealer. However, even the super spy can’t get it right every time and when the rescue operation goes wrong, the villain targets Hunt’s fiancée. Director JJ Abrams masterfully cranks up the tension with some standout sequences, including a thrilling base jump from a Shanghai skyscraper. Philip Seymour Hoffman is superb as the baddie, which may leave some viewers wishing he’d been given more to do. Michelle Monaghan and Ving Rhames also provide strong support.
2 the hobbit: An unexpected Journey Sunday, channel 4, 11pm
Opening instalment of Peter Jackson’s trilogy based on the JRR Tolkien novel. Hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman, left) meets the wizard Gandalf (Ian Mckellen) and a company of dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), who intend to reclaim their mountain home from a dragon. Bilbo agrees to join them on their quest.
3 A Beautiful DAY in the neighborhood Monday, film4, 9pm
Director Marielle Heller’s touching movie dramatizes the meeting of an emotionally bruised journalist (Matthew Rhys) and softly spoken children’s TV host Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks, pictured), who preached understanding and compassion for more than 30 years on his educational series Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.
4 raiders of the lost Ark tuesday, film4, 9pm
All-action archaeologist Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford, left) stars in this enjoyable adventure. He goes in search of the legendary Ark of the Covenant, encountering Nazis and his old flame Marion (Karen Allen) along the way. Ford is the perfect hero, although he wasn’t first choice for the role – it was originally offered to Tom Selleck.
5 rush Wednesday, BBC1, 10.40pm
Biopic charting the rivalry between F1 drivers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth, left) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl). At the 1976 German Grand Prix, Lauda’s Ferrari burst into flames, trapping him in the inferno. Just six weeks later, he emerges from hospital, determined to prevent Hunt from claiming the chequered flag at Monza.
6 the elephant MAN thursday, BBC4, 9pm
Freed from an East End freak show by London surgeon Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins), the severely disfigured John Merrick (John Hurt, pictured) becomes the subject of medical experiments and the obsession of 19th century high society. Directed by David Lynch, Hurt is on superb form as the title character.
7 Braveheart friday, BBC1, 10.40pm
Historical epic charting the life of legendary Scottish hero William Wallace (Mel Gibson, left, who also directs) and his efforts to defeat the tyrannical King of England, Edward I. The film is eye-wateringly violent, bloody and raw, and even though it received five Academy Awards, Mel’s Scottish accent still leaves a lot to be desired.