TV FILMS OF THE WEEK

1

INCEPTION Tonight, ITV, 10pm

HUGELY ambitious thriller. Brilliant thief Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his team infiltrate the minds of powerful men and women and plunder their subconscious of its priceless secrets. Powerful businessman Saito (Ken Watanabe) approaches Cobb with a proposition: to plant a single idea in the mind of rival Robert Fischer Jr (Cillian Murphy). Dom accepts and enlists the services of regular right-hand man Arthur (Joseph GordonLevitt), novice dream architect Ariadne (Ellen Page), forger Eames (Tom Hardy) and chemist Yusuf (Dileep Rao). However, the projection of Dom’s late wife (Marion Cotillard) threatens to sabotage the mission.

2

A MONSTER CALLS Tomorrow, BBC1, 10.30pm

FANTASY drama. Schoolboy Conor O’Malley (Lewis MacDougall, pictured) is in denial about his mother’s terminal illness and seeks refuge in his vivid illustrations. As darkness falls, a nearby yew tree morphs into a gnarled creature (voiced by Liam Neeson). The behemoth visits Conor and promises to share three parables, demanding just one thing in return: “Tell me your nightmare.”

3

PADDINGTON Monday, Film4, 5pm

LITTLE bear Paddington, pictured (voiced by Ben Whishaw), is raised in deepest, darkest Peru by his elderly aunt and uncle. When tragedy strikes, he’s dispatched by boat to London where he is taken in by the Brown family (Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Samuel Joslin and Madeleine Harris). Unfortunately, the bear also attracts the attention of a despicable taxidermist (Nicole Kidman).

4

FUNNY GIRL

Tuesday, Sony Movies Classic, 1pm

ROMANTIC musical. Comedienne Fanny Brice (Best Actress Oscar winner Barbra Streisand) escapes life in the Lower East Side of New York, to become one of the star performers at Ziegfield Follies. Showbiz success contrasts with her personal fortunes: her marriage to suave Nick Arnstein (Omar Sharif, pictured with Streisand) falters. Iconic songs here include People and Don’t Rain On My Parade.

5

LAYER CAKE Wednesday, Sony Movies, 11.20pm

THRILLER. Daniel Craig (pictured) stars as a drug dealer with an ambition to earn as much money as he can before quietly leaving the business. However, as we enter his murky world, we learn the peaceful existence he loves is about to be shattered when his boss hands him an assignment to track down the daughter of a crime kingpin. Sienna Miller, Michael Gambon and Colm Meaney also star.

6

WHISKY GALORE! Thursday, BBC2, 3.25pm

DELIGHTFUL Ealing comedy. When a freighter runs aground in fog on a Hebridean island, the locals are pleased to learn the boat is laden with cases of whisky, supplies of which have been depleted following wartime rationing. Sgt Odd (Bruce Seton, pictured) colludes with the islanders to conceal the booty, but Cpt Waggett (Basil Radford) from the Home Guard is determined to recover the alcohol.

7

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK Friday, BBC1, 6.40pm

ALL-ACTION archaeologist Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford, pictured) made the perfect debut in this hugely enjoyable adventure. He goes in search of the legendary Ark of the Covenant, encountering Nazis and his old flame Marion (the spirited Karen Allen) along the way. Ford is perfect as the hero, although he famously wasn’t the first choice for the role – it was originally offered to Tom Selleck.