Your Movie Planner

SATURDAY

Toy Story (1995) PG 5.15PM, BBC1 The first film in Disney-Pixar’s adorable toybox trilogy, about a high-tech action figure (Buzz Lightyear) whose arrival in the playroom causes ructions. Short film Toy Story That Time Forgot is on Ch4 tomorrow at 5.05pm. Grease (1978) PG 5.55PM, CH4 Ahead of comedian Alan Carr’s 1950s school prom-themed Grease night, here’s the musical hit that inspired it. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John are the mismatched teenagers finding summer lovin’ down at Rydell High. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) 12 7.45PM, ITV The aptly named Marc Webb is the man behind this energetic – but perhaps unnecessary – reboot of the Marvel franchise. This time round, Andrew Garfield pulls on the spandex, while Emma Stone (above, with Garfield) is his doe-eyed love interest, Gwen. Amy (2015) 15 9PM, MORE4 Asif Kapadia’s Bafta-winner is an emotional portrait of Amy Winehouse (below) – a talented woman who had too many demons to conquer. Through archive footage, including personal audio and video, her voice and music are made all the more haunting. The Expendables (2010) 18 10PM, CH5 The Expendables have made themselves indispensable at the box office, with a franchise that now stretches to four films. Sly Stallone (who co-wrote and directed this booming action drama) heads up a team of mercenaries who prove the value of age and experience. The Wedding Video (2012) 15 11.15PM, BBC1 A decent cast of British comedy stalwarts hams it up quite superbly in this affable Britcom from Nigel Cole (of Calendar Girls fame). Rufus Hound is the best man committing brother Robert Webb’s wedding to film – and committing a cardinal sin...

SUNDAY

Honey, I Shrunk The Kids (1989) U 1PM, FILM4 More fantasy fare from Joe Johnston, who has made a career out of utilising old B-movie themes to great effect. Rick Moranis (above, with Marcia Strassman) is the hapless scientist accidentally shrinking his kids to microscopic size. It could happen to anyone... Rear Window (1954) PG 1.30PM, BBC2 See Classic Film Choice (right). Finding Nemo (2003) U 5.30PM, CH4 One of Disney-Pixar’s biggest hits, this subaquatic spectacular was co-written and directed by Andrew Stanton – who also brought us A Bug’s Life and Wall-E. Nemo (left, with dad) is the little lost clownfish going on an awfully big adventure. Real Steel (2011) 12 6PM, BBC2 Scheduled to coincide with the reboot of Robot Wars, here’s an odd mix of family drama and sci-fi actioner that packs more of a punch than you might expect. Hugh Jackman tops the cast as a former boxer grabbing his ‘one last chance’ after he is sidelined by robots. McFarland, USA (2015) PG 8PM, SKY PREMIERE Typically glossy Disney true-life drama, with Kevin Costner adding a touch of class as the tough former American football coach taking on a high-school’s misfit team of runners. Cliched but heart-warming fare. The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013) PG 9PM, CH4 See The Big Movie (right). I Am Legend (2007) 15 10.15PM, ITV Will Smith (left) is on top form in this big-budget adaptation of Richard Matheson’s oft-told sci-fi saga. He is the last man in New York City, a military scientist who volunteers to stay in the quarantine zone after a mutant virus threatens to wipe out humanity.

MONDAY

Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban (2004) PG 12.45PM, SKY HARRY POTTER The third of the films based on J.K. Rowling’s books is a much darker affair, with thesp Gary Oldman chewing up the scenery as an escaped con with murderous intent. Daniel Radcliffe’s Potter, of course, is on the receiving end... Strangers On A Train (1951) PG 2.55PM, SKY SELECT Alfred Hitchcock heads off in pursuit of the ‘perfect crime’ again with a story of two men (tennis ace Farley Granger and mysterious Robert Walker, below) meeting by chance and swapping tales of woe. Walker suggests they swap murders, too, but Granger gets cold feet, and that’s when the fun really begins. Perfect Seduction (2015) PG 3.15PM, CH5 There’s certainly nothing perfect about Adrienne Frantz, and her style of wooing new colleague Jon Cor is even less edifying, in this generic made-for-TV afternoon thriller. Takers (2010) 12 10.50PM, 5STAR A big-name cast wrings every last drop of excitement out of an otherwise generic plot in this pacey crime caper. Matt Dillon (below) and Jay Hernandez are the cops on the trail of a band of Ocean’s Eleven types (Idris Elba, Paul Walker, et al) undertaking ‘one last job’. Lawless (2012) 18 11.20PM, FILM4 Murky Prohibition-era drama, doused in petrol and hard liquor, from the director of The Proposition John Hillcoat and his old writing buddy Nick Cave. Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf and Jason Clarke are the bootlegging brothers making hay while the moon shines. Crash (2004) 15 1.35AM, FILM4 Director Paul Haggis wrestles with issues that people don’t like to talk about to produce a deep and powerful observation of underlying tensions in LA. Chock-full of Hollywood stars, Haggis’s Oscar-winning race drama tracks lives intertwining to devastating effect.

TUESDAY

The Rugrats Movie (1999) U 11AM, FILM4 The first film spin-off from the popular series sees Tommy, jealous of a new arrival (above), enlisting his pals to help him to return his baby brother to the ‘hopsicle’. Pleasingly, there’s plenty to amuse parents, too, with some nice film parodies and top-notch voice cameos. Tomahawk (1951) U 11.10AM, MORE4 It might be an oldie, but this was also one of a new breed of westerns that tried to represent a fairer view of the Native American. Van Heflin plays a wholesome frontier scout. The Book Of Life (2014) U 1.20PM, SKY FAMILY There’s a touch of spice to this tasty treat, based on the myths and legends of Mexico, the homeland of writer-director Jorge R. Gutierrez and producer Guillermo del Toro. Manolo is a reluctant bullfighter; Maria (right) is his true love. But the lords of the spirit world have other plans for our young duo. A Bone To Pick: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery( 2015) PG 3.15PM, CH5 Aurora ‘Roe’ Teagarden (Candace Cameron Bure) is the librarian and amateur sleuth in this first of (so far) three films based on the books by True Blood writer Charlaine Harris. Tower Heist (2011) 12 6.55PM, FILM4 Brett Ratner’s crime caper is elevated by a set of fine performances. Ben Stiller is the fella hiring a professional thief (Eddie Murphy) to steal back his co-workers’ pension funds from the Wall Street shark who squandered them in this fun recession-flavoured comedy. Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995) PG 8PM, 5STAR Jim Carrey (left) is always a divisive star, but this chaotic sequel may even test the patience of his fans. This time, Carrey’s Dr Dolittle-style private eye is coaxed out of retirement to track down a rare bat.

WEDNESDAY

Pride And Prejudice (1940) U 12.10PM, BBC2 The first major version of Jane Austen’s classic stars box-office gold (at the time of filming) Greer Garson as Lizzie Bennet. An appropriate whimsy, co-scripted by Brave New World’s Aldous Huxley, this is all about the spectacle. Secret Liaison (2013) 12 3.15PM, CH5 Wholly signposted fare from the Lifetime channel. When her sister (Nicole LaPlaca) is charged with murder, a former DA (Meredith Monroe) pulls out all the stops to help her – but soon realises that there are an awful lot of things she doesn’t know about her young sis... The Full Monty (1997) 15 9PM, MOVIE MIX Writer Simon Beaufoy puts a clever comic spin on an otherwise depressing story, which is, sadly, still all too relevant. Robert Carlyle (above right) and Tom Wilkinson are two of the out-of-work Sheffield steelworkers coming up with a novel way to regain their self-respect. Stir Of Echoes (1999) 15 9PM, HORROR Kevin Bacon is an ordinary Joe who sees dead people after he is hypnotised. And it is Bacon’s convincingly creepy turn that makes this supernatural hokum worth a watch. (Freeview 70, Freesat 138, Sky 319, Virgin 149) Ghost Town (2008) 12 10.10PM, SKY COMEDY An unusual romantic comedy, with Ricky Gervais as a curmudgeonly dentist who acquires the ability to talk to dead people. One ghost (Greg Kinnear, above right, with Gervais) wants his help to break up his widow and her new beau. But what’s he to do when he falls for the lady himself? The Reader (2008) 15 1.35AM, CH4 Thought-provoking stuff, adapted from Bernhard Schlink’s bestseller. Michael (David Kross) plays a student who realises only much later the awful truth about his first love Hanna (Kate Winslet, right).

THURSDAY

The Thirty-Nine Steps (1959) U 10.55AM, MORE4 Another adaptation of John Buchan’s spy novel, and it’s every bit as gung-ho as you’d expect. Kenneth More plays Richard Hannay, the ordinary chap unwittingly caught up in an extraordinary espionage plot, this time round. Sunshine On Leith (2013) PG 12.45PM, FILM4 An uplifting transfer of the jukebox musical based on the songs of The Proclaimers. George MacKay and Kevin Guthrie are the soldiers on their way from misery to happiness. Dumbo (1941) U 12.50PM, SKY DISNEY The story of the little baby elephant with the big ears (below) is every bit as endearing to today’s kids as it was 75 years ago. Ridiculed by all but his best pal, Dumbo eventually soars to fantastic heights thanks to his unique gifts. Rosamunde Pilcher: The Unknown Heart (2014) PG 3.10PM, CH5 We’re on romantic terra firma with this Pilcher afternoon movie – though the stars in the cast (Greg Wise, Jane Seymour, James Fox) give it a bit of a boost. Following a heart transplant, Carolina Vera finds that her emotional heart lies somewhere other than with her family... Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) 15 6.55PM, MOVIE MIX Kathleen Turner is just great as Peggy Sue, an unhappily married woman magically whisked back to her 1960s high-school heyday, in Francis Ford Coppola’s unexpectedly nostalgic comedy. Nicolas Cage, long before he was reborn as an action hero, is her ‘sweetheart’. The Bourne Identity (2002) 12 9PM, ITV2 The fifth in the series inspired by the megaselling novels of Robert Ludlum – the imaginatively titled Jason Bourne – is in cinemas this week, so ITV is taking the opportunity to take us all the way back to the beginning. Matt Damon is Bourne, the amnesiac agent having an identity crisis, and setting off to find out who he really is.

FRIDAY

Big Eyes (2014) 12 3.50PM, SKY DRAMA You might not know who Margaret Keane is, but you’ll probably be familiar with her weird, doe-eyed paintings of the 1950s and 1960s. In Tim Burton’s oddball biopic, Amy Adams plays Keane; Christoph Waltz is her duplicitous hubby. Ladyhawke (1985) PG 4.15PM, MOVIE MIX Richard Donner’s fantasy stars Michelle Pfeiffer (below) and Rutger Hauer as lovers fated to be kept apart until the curse on them can be lifted. Hauntingly beautiful, this quintessential 1980s hit stays just the right side of incomprehensible. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) 15 6.55PM, FILM4 The perfect film for anyone who suffered the indignities of adolescence in the 1980s, from high-school movie ace John Hughes. Matthew Broderick is Ferris, the irrepressible teenager who makes an art out of goofing off school. The Nutty Professor (1996) 12 10.40PM, ITV An entertaining remake of the wacky Jerry Lewis comedy, with Eddie Murphy in his element in the dual roles of podgy Prof Sherman Klump and his lady-killing alter ego, Buddy Love. District 9 (2009) 15 12.10AM, CH4 Neill Blomkamp’s allegorical tale is one of the most original sci-fi films of recent years. Sharlto Copley is the protagonist who becomes an unlikely ally for the bug-like aliens ghettoised in Johannesburg since they first arrived on Earth. Tomboy (2011) U 12.35AM, BBC2 The emotional inner workings of youngsters continues to interest Gallic director Celine Sciamma (whose 2007 drama Water Lilies concerned the sexual awakenings of teens). This engaging tale follows Laure (Zoe Heran, above) – a little girl who decides she’d much rather be a little boy, thanks all the same.