The Herald - The Herald Magazine
THIS WEEK’S BEST FILMS
which President Lyndon B Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) hopes to be returned to the White House. Martin Luther King Jr (David Oyelowo) entreats the President to right this democratic wrong but Johnson doesn’t consider voting rights to be high on his list of priorities. So, King and his team head to the community of Selma, Alabama, to lead a peaceful protest march. Selma is an impassioned biopic, which honours the memory of the leader of the US Civil Rights Movement. Oxford-born actor Oyelowo delivers a breakout performance replete with Georgia accent.
THURSDAY
The Babadook (2014) (BBC4, 9pm) Seven years after the death of her husband (Benjamin Winspear), care home worker Amelia (Essie Davis) is still haunted by memories of her beloved. To add to her stress, her young son Samuel (Noah Wiseman) is exhibiting the signs of ADHD and interrupts his mother’s sleep patterns with claims of monsters in his room. He’s particularly worried about a hideously gnarled spectre called The Babadook, a character in a sinister pop-up book that has found its way on to their shelves. She ignores his pleas and slowly, Amelia’s mental state unravels, causing deep concern for elderly next-door neighbour Mrs Roach (Barbara West). The Babadook is a deeply unsettling and impressive debut from writer-director Jennifer Kent, drawing emotional power from the strong performances of Davis and Wiseman.
Casino Royale (2006) (ITV4, 9pm)
Daniel Craig can currently be seen in his James Bond swan song No Time to Die, but here’s a chance to remember his debut. This time around, the secret agent is on the trail of Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), an international criminal planning to use a highstakes poker game as a means of funding terrorist organisations across the world. This offering was huge success and had fans who had been sceptical about Craig’s casting eating their words. Judi Dench is one of the very few constants between the Brosnan era and the
dawning of Craig. She brings the same dry wit and gravitas to the role of M, dismayed at her fledgling agent’s ability to bring her department into disrepute once again. Meanwhile, Mikkelsen is suitably creepy as the villain of the piece and Eva Green is memorable as 007’s love interest, Vesper Lynd.