Film choice

Lucy (2014) FILM4, 9.00PM ★★★★

 In this brilliant, bombastic sci-fi romp from Luc Besson, Scarlett Johansson (always worth watching) plays a drug mule who is dosed with an experimental substance that increases her brainpower by an untold degree. Space-time becomes a flick book, and Lucy’s the girl to rifle through its pages. Besson described it as La Femme Nikita plus Inception plus 2001: A Space Odyssey: that’s ambitious, egotistical, and mostly right.

The Hurt Locker (2008) TCM, 9.00PM ★★★★

 Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break) won the Best Director Oscar (the first woman to do so) for her blistering drama about a bomb disposal unit leading a perilous existence in Iraq. Jeremy Renner is outstanding as a reckless maverick who delights in putting himself in harm’s way, while the jittery cinematography stokes up the suspense to almost unbearable levels. Ralph Fiennes puts in a nice cameo as a military contractor.

The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015) FILM4, 10.45PM ★★★★

 This startling debut by Marielle Heller shows the funny side of a teenager’s explorations into her sexuality as a 15-year-old wannabe cartoonist Minnie (Bel Powley) seduces her mother’s 35-year-old boyfriend Monroe (Alexander Skarsgard). Heller’s nimble direction and clever script ensure that the film never paints either Minnie or Monroe entirely as victim or predator.