Film choice

Johnny English (2003) E4, 8.15PM ★★

 This tired, asinine spy spoof is made somewhat bearable by Rowan Atkinson’s natural comic timing. He plays the eponymous secret agent whose job it is to track down the crown jewels, which he suspects have been stolen by John Malkovich’s sly entrepreneur. Atkinson’s performance, however, is not enough one to make us laugh all by itself, and Peter Howitt’s film often repeats the same gag over and over again.

Along Came Polly (2004) COMEDY CENTRAL, 9.00PM ★★★

 A timid risk analyst (Ben Stiller) and a flighty bohemian (the likeable Jennifer Aniston) hit it off in this inconsistent comedy, which never seems to make up its mind whether it wants to be family friendly or sniggeringly crude. The film was a box-office success, no doubt due to its cast – Aniston’s mix of zany energy and comic timing is the best thing here. Philip Seymour Hoffman is among the co-stars.

Elysium (2013) 5STAR, 9.00PM ★★★★

 Neill Blomkamp’s intelligent sci-fi thriller has a fire in its belly and stars a brawny Matt Damon as a factory worker who scrapes out a living on the Earth’s crust. He’s involved in an accident but the medical care he needs is on space station Elysium. Blomkamp focuses on faith, capitalism and private healthcare – in lesser hands, the film might have played out like a Lib Dem manifesto with spaceships.