FILMS OF THE WEEK

THE BIG MOVIE

SKYSCRAPER

(2018) 12 ◆

Saturday, 9pm, Ch4 ★★★

This hugely enjoyable combination of action thriller and disaster movie offers a dream of sky-high living that is about to be blown to smithereens. Dwayne Johnson stars as Will Sawyer (above), a medically discharged Marine with a prosthetic leg, who now works as a safety and security expert. Hired to assess Hong Kong skyscraper The Pearl ahead of its grand opening, Will concludes that it’s the ‘safest super-tall structure in the world’, but we know, from ominous text messages sent behind Will’s back, that trouble is afoot. The special effects are spectacular, as are the action sequences that escalate by dizzying degrees, but it’s lovable Dwayne who’s the rock that anchors the wild thrills and dangerous spills of this slick, big-budget adventure.

CLASSIC FILM CHOICE

BLACK NARCISSUS

(1947) U ● Saturday, 1.15pm, BBC2 ★★★★★ The BBC’S three-part adaptation of Rumer Godden’s 1939 novel, about nuns setting up a convent in a former harem in the Himalayas, was a huge hit over Christmas (and is still available on BBC iplayer if you missed it). But here is the chance to see the much earlier version from celebrated British film-makers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, starring Deborah Kerr as the ambitious Sister Clodagh (above), Kathleen Byron as troubled Sister Ruth and David Farrar as general’s agent Mr Dean. The nuns believe their faith will keep them true to their mission, but the sights and sensations, the heat and vertiginous location – combined with the history and culture that surround them – will test them in ways they could never predict.