The best films on the box this week
FRIDAY PAUL (2011) (ITV2, 9pm)
BEST friends Graeme (Simon Pegg) and Clive (Nick Frost) embark on a road trip across America, stopping at various sites associated with alien contact. En route, they encounter Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen), a pottymouthed extraterrestrial stranded on Earth, who is being hunted by mysterious special agent Zoil (Jason Bateman). The pals agree to help Paul return home, abducting Ruth (Kristen Wiig), the daughter of a Bible-bashing trailer park owner, along the way.
SATURDAY MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION (2015) (C4, 9pm) Premiere
CIA Director Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) succeeds in shutting down the Impossible Missions Force (IMF). Subsequently, the hunters become the hunted when a shadowy organisation known as the Syndicate, fronted by Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), targets IMF for extinction. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) covertly reunites with colleagues William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and computer hacker Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) to take on their foes.
SUNDAY MR HOLMES (2015) (BBC Two, 6.20pm) Premiere
THE year is 1947 and Sherlock Holmes (Sir Ian McKellen), now 93, is a shadow of the brilliant detective who once held court at 221b Baker Street. Holmes has retired to Cuckmere Haven, where he fusses over his bees and infuriates housekeeper Mrs Munro (Laura Linney) – until her son Roger (Milo Parker) inspires him to recall his one unsolved case.
MONDAY SCARFACE (1983) (ITV4, 10pm)
BRIAN De Palma’s violent, gripping drama chronicles the rise and fall of Tony Montana (Al Pacino), a lieutenant for powerful South Florida drug lord Frank Lopez (Robert Loggia) in the early 1980s. Tony harbours desires for Frank’s sultry mistress, Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer) – but as he rises up the Florida food chain and slowly succumbs to the product he peddles, his downfall is assured.
TUESDAY SOURCE CODE (2011) (Film4, 7.10pm)
HELICOPTER pilot Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes on a train, sitting opposite Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan). Confusingly, she calls him Sean and a visit to the bathroom reveals that he is trapped inside the body of a teacher called Sean Fentress. It transpires that Colter is reliving the real Fentress’ memory in order to identify a bomber who blows up the train. Each time Colter is transported back into the parallel reality, he gathers intelligence about his fellow passengers including businessman Max Denoff (Russell Peters) and student Derek Frost (Michael Arden).
WEDNESDAY DUE DATE (2010) (5STAR, 9pm)
WORKAHOLIC Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr) keeps in touch with prepares to fly home to be at pregnant wife Sarah’s (Michelle Monaghan) side for the birth. A bag mix-up with fellow passenger Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis), an aspiring actor, leads to both men being thrown off the flight, and Peter reluctantly accepts a lift from Ethan, who is travelling to Hollywood to seek fame and fortune.
THURSDAY THE LAZARUS PROJECT (2008) (Sony Movie Channel, 7.05pm)
WHEN ex-con Ben Garvey (Paul Walker) loses his job, he foolishly helps his no-good brother Ricky (Shawn Hatosy) with a robbery, only for the caper end in tragedy. As a result, Ben faces the death penalty and prepares to bid farewell to the people he loves – only to wake up in an eerie psychiatric facility. Did he dodge the lethal injection or has he become part of a twisted conspiracy?