THE WEEK’S BEST FILMS

SATURDAY Iron Man (2008) (STV, 6.20pm) The Huntsman: Winter’s War (2016) (Channel 4, 9pm)

Inventor and playboy Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) is chief executive of global weapons manufacturing business Stark Industries. During a demonstration of the devastating Jericho missile near Bagram air base in Afghanistan, insurgents capture Tony and compel him to build another missile, this time to engage American forces. Instead, Tony orchestrates a daring escape wearing a crude, yet ultra-strong, suit of armour. He returns home a changed man and announces the immediate shutdown of the weapons manufacturing arm of Stark Industries. Unfortunately members of the board including Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) have other ideas.

The prequel (and sequel) to Snow White and the Huntsman sees scheming Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) ruling over her realm in the south. Her kind-hearted sister Freya (Emily Blunt) falls in love with the Duke of Blackwood (Colin Morgan) and becomes pregnant with his child. Shortly after the birth of a baby girl, the duke torches the infant in its crib, unleashing a wave of grief and fury in Freya that transforms her into the Ice Queen. She establishes her own kingdom and kidnaps children to mould into an army of heartless soldiers. But then two of her finest warriors defy her by falling in love.

SUNDAY War Horse (2011) (BBC1, 2.20pm)

When his drunken farmer dad Ted (Peter Mullan) comes home with a foal called Joey, young Albert (Jeremy Irvine) promises to train the animal to work in the fields. However, he doesn’t predict that Europe will go to war or that Ted will sell Joey to Captain Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston). Albert subsequently learns of tragedy on the battlefield and enlists in the Army to track down Joey and return the horse to the farm. Meanwhile, behind enemy lines, Joey is captured by the Germans and embarks on a momentous journey. Based on Sir Michael Morpurgo’s book, War Horse is a sweeping drama that harnesses director Steven Spielberg’s virtuosity to make perfect viewing in the run-up to Remembrance Day.

Hugo (2011) (Film4, 4pm)

Twelve-year-old Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is raised by his father (Jude Law), who has a passion for cinema and mechanical devices. The old man dies, leaving behind an intricate automaton, and Hugo is forced to live secretly in the railway station with his hard-drinking Uncle Claude (Ray Winstone), who maintains the clocks. When the bottle claims Claude’s life, Hugo continues to tend the clocks while stealing food from shopkeepers. An encounter with bookish Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz) signals a journey of self-discovery that Hugo hopes will lead to a message from his father. Martin Scorsese’s elaborate fantasy indulges the Oscar-winning director’s passion for cinema, lovingly recreating films of the era and paying homage to the early pioneers, including the Lumiere brothers.

MONDAY Kill Bill: Vol 1 (2003) (5Star, 10pm)

A female assassin (Uma Thurman) quits the