The Herald - The Herald Magazine
THIS WEEK’S BEST FILMS
MONDAY
Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018) (Film4, 6.55pm)
TEN years after the Pan Pacific Defence Corps (PPDC) unleashed an army of Jaegers – 25-storey tall robots operated by mind-melded humans – former pilot Jake Pentecost (John Boyega) is contacted by Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi). She implores him to return to the PPDC to head off the threat posed by Liwen Shao (Jing Tian), chief executive of Shao Industries, who intends to replace the Jaegers with unmanned drones. Haunted by ghosts of the past, Jake eventually agrees to mentor a spunky 15-year-old cadet called Amara (Cailee Spaeny), whose family were crushed to death during one monster attack. The sci-fi’s gleaming hardware is impressive – hulking, digitally rendered robots cut a swathe through the toppling skyscrapers of Tokyo – even if the script could have done with an extra polish.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) (Film4, 9pm)
DIRECTOR Peter Weir’s swashbuckling adventure is a yarn torn from the pages of Patrick O’Brian’s novels. Captain “Lucky” Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) and the 197 crew of the HMS Surprise are ordered to intercept the French Privateer Acheron and “sink, burn or take her as a prize”. The first altercation between the two vessels leaves Aubrey’s ship badly damaged and many crew injured. Aubrey heads for the Galapagos Islands to replenish supplies while the ship’s doctor, Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany), tries his best to minimise the casualties. For sheer beauty and stunning action set-pieces, Master and Commander is head of the fleet.
TUESDAY
Super 8 (2011) (Film4, 6.45pm)
FROM director JJ Abrams and producer Steven Spielberg, Super 8 is a rollicking adventure set in 1970s rural America that pays homage to ET: The Extra-Terrestrial with echoes of The Goonies. In the sleepy industrial town of Lillian, Ohio, teenager Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) is struggling to come to terms with the death of his mother. The youngster invests his time in making a low-budget zombie film with his
friends including Alice (Elle Fanning). Just as the camera starts rolling on a night-time sequence, the youngsters witness a lorry drive on to the railway tracks and derail an oncoming freight train. As they make a hasty escape, the trespassing teens are oblivious to a monstrous creature crawling free from the twisted wreckage. The zombie film the children were making rolls at the end of the movie.
Commando (1985) (Film4, 11.20pm)
AFTER his daughter is kidnapped
by South American terrorists with whom he has old scores to settle, retired army colonel John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger) boards the next available flight and wages a one-man war against those who were foolish enough to harm his nearest and dearest. He takes the opportunity to unleash a formidable arsenal of weaponry in order to exact his violent revenge against a host of unsavoury characters. While Schwarzenegger does of course struggle with some of the dialogue, there’s nobody better when it comes to sticking it to the bad guys. Arnie has a field day as he fires rocket launchers, grenades, AK-47s and every other weapon he can lay his hands on in this entertaining action movie.
WEDNESDAY Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) (ITV2, 6.35pm)
WHEN we catch up with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint), they are still on the hunt for horcruxes, the objects in which Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has hidden parts of his soul to render him immortal. Unfortunately the dark lord has worked out what they’re up to and amasses his followers for one final showdown at Hogwarts. If you thought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 could have done with a little more magic and a little less teen angst, the brains behind the saga were saving up all the action for Part 2. Not only does it feature thrilling setpieces galore, it pulls off the even more impressive feat of bringing the boy wizard’s tale to a satisfying conclusion.
Notorious (1946) (Talking Pictures TV, 9.05pm)
THE screen positively crackles with electricity whenever real-life friends Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant appear together in this wartime thriller, their first collaboration. A radiantly beautiful Bergman stars as a Nazi’s daughter who is blackmailed into marrying ruthless German collaborator Claude Rains – only to fall madly in love with US undercover spy Grant, who is supposed to be making sure she keeps her mind on the job in hand. As their affair develops, look out for what must surely be one of the most passionate of all screen clinches. In truth, the tale is rather confusing, but thanks to the skill of director Alfred Hitchcock and the charisma of its stars, the movie somehow manages to turn out as one of cinema history’s most memorable films.
THURSDAY
Animals (2019) Film4, 9pm)
SISTERLY solidarity is tested to breaking point in a booze-soaked dark comedy adapted from the novel by Emma Jane Unsworth. Laura (Holliday Grainger) enjoys the nightlife in present-day Dublin with American best friend Tyler (Alia Shawkat). They often wake in the same bed and are inseparable as they chart a haphazard path through their early 30s. When Laura falls in love with classical pianist Jim (Fra Fee), she contemplates turning her back on the parties, drugs and debauchery to settle down. Tyler is deeply resentful of Jim and his hold over Laura. She schemes to break up the happy couple by tempting her best friend to stray with handsome writer Marty (Dermot Murphy). Tyler’s calculated effort to break Laura’s heart rather than sever their special bond could backfire spectacularly.
Rocky (1976) (ITV4, 11.40pm)
FORGET the increasingly overblown sequels – the original, Oscar-winning Rocky is a surprisingly sweet, low-key underdog story. Sylvester Stallone wrote himself his best role as Rocky Balboa, a struggling boxer from working-class Philadelphia who combines fighting with a day job running errands for a loan shark. His luck changes when heavyweight
champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) decides to celebrate America’s bicentennial by giving an unknown a shot at the title. With the support of coach Mickey (Burgess Meredith) and shy pet store employee Adrian (Talia Shire), Rocky sets out to prove he can go the distance. It’s impossible not to root for him, especially when Bill Conti’s stirring score kicks in.
FRIDAY
Rebecca (1940) (Talking Pictures TV, 2.25pm)
ALFRED Hitchcock’s wonderfully atmospheric version of Daphne Du Maurier’s gripping gothic novel stars Joan Fontaine as the timid new wife of widower Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier). His country estate Manderlay remains in the iron grip of the frighteningly efficient housekeeper Ms Danvers (the brilliant Judith Anderson) and the memory of the master’s late wife, Rebecca. As the new Mrs de
Winter struggles to win the approval of the staff, she can’t help but feel that her husband is also still pining for her glamorous predecessor – and Mrs Danvers is quick to exploit her new mistress’s insecurities. But was Rebecca really as perfect as everyone seems to believe?
True Story (2015) (BBC1, 11.35pm)
BASED on Michael Finkel’s memoir of the same name, True Story is a disturbing drama that plays out a battle of wits between a reporter and a suspected murderer. Reporter Michael Finkel (Jonah Hill) is sacked after his editors cast aspersions on the veracity of one of his stories.
With a stain on his reputation, Finkel returns to Montana to live with his wife Jill (Felicity Jones). Soon after, a journalist contacts the Finkels to let them know that police in Mexico have apprehended Christian Longo (James Franco), a man wanted for the murder of his wife and three children. Curiously, Longo was posing as Michael when he was arrested. Naturally, the journalist is intrigued and agrees to visit
Christian in prison. In exchange for writing lessons, Christian agrees to tell Michael the truth about the killings.