PICK OF THE TV MOVIES

SATURDAY

Toy Story 2 (1999) (BBC1, 3.15pm) Cowboy doll Woody (voiced by

Tom Hanks) is swiped by a toy expert, who recognises him as a rare collectible and plans to sell him to a museum. Buzz (Tim Allen) organises a rescue mission, unaware that his friend is starting to wonder if spending the rest of his days in a glass case might be a preferable alternative to going home to an owner who will inevitably grow out of playing with toys. Toy Story 2 has a plot that is both funny and moving, and also gives us Cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack), who is a fine addition to the gang. Don’t be surprised if you get something in your eye when she breaks into the heart-rending song When She Loved Me.

Darkest Hour (2017) (BBC1, 10.50pm)

On May 9, 1940, Clement Attlee (David Schofield), leader of the opposition Labour Party, demands Neville Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup) stands down as prime minister. King George VI (Ben Mendelsohn) subsequently invites Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) to form a government at a critical juncture in the fight against Hitler. Foreign secretary Lord Halifax spearheads senior figures within the Conservative ranks, who expect Churchill to agree to talks with the Germans – but they are gravely mistaken. Darkest Hour is a handsomely crafted character study, which elegantly dramatises the 27 tumultuous days that led to Churchill’s impassioned cry for the British to fight on the beaches. Concealed behind layers of make-up and latex, Oscar-winner Oldman conjures a mesmerising embodiment of the statesman.

SUNDAY

How the West Was Won (1962) (BBC2, 1.30pm)

Co-directed by king of the genre John Ford, this epic Western is rightly regarded as a classic. With an all-star cast, including James Stewart, John Wayne, Gregory Peck, Henry Fonda, Debbie Reynolds, Lee J Cobb and Richard Widmark, the sprawling tale follows three generations of a pioneering family as they endure a series of ordeals and adventures in their endeavour to build a new life for themselves on the American frontier in the 19th century. Over the years, the family experiences the key events of the nation’s history, including the Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the building of the railroads.

Radioactive (2019) (BBC2, 9.30pm)

In 1934 Paris, two-time Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie (Rosamund

Pike) collapses. As she drifts in and out of consciousness, Marie recalls her first meeting with fellow scientist Pierre Curie (Sam Riley) on the streets of the French capital in 1893. He offers her a place in his laboratory to continue her ground-breaking research, and they eventually marry. Pike’s stirring performance tightly embraces the character’s nervous tics and forthright manner to suggest how a rebel with a cause could prove her doubters wrong in the crucible of misplaced macho superiority. However, the decision to intercut fraught human drama with historical milestones fashioned from Marie’s discoveries – the 1945 Hiroshima bombing, the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor failure – feels unnecessary.

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) (GREAT! movies, 11.05pm)

He made a couple more films before retiring from the screen, but Gene Hackman’s last truly great role came in director Wes Anderson’s funny, touching comedy drama. Hackman brings a rascally charm to Royal, the estranged father of a trio of child prodigies who grew up to be emotionally dysfunctional adults (and are played by Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson and Gwyneth Paltrow). When Royal discovers his ex-wife Etheline (Anjelica Huston) is remarrying, he sets out to worm his way back into the family by pretending he is terminally ill. The supporting cast includes Owen Wilson (who co-wrote the terrific script) as the Tenenbaums’ childhood friend-turned-bestselling author

Eli and Bill Murray as Paltrow’s neurologist husband.

MONDAY

Knives Out (2019) (Film4, 9pm)

Wealthy crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) presides over a motley crew of dysfunctional relatives (played by, among others, Jamie Lee Curtis,

Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Chris Evans and Toni Collette) who have their eyes on his vast fortune. He invites his kin to an 85th birthday party at his large mansion and apparently commits suicide by slitting his throat after his doting carer gives him his medication. Detective Lieutenant Elliott and Trooper Wagner attend the scene,

accompanied by quixotic private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig, clearly have a blast). Knives Out pays loving tribute to Agatha Christie with a tongue-in-cheek country house whodunit, and writer-director Rian Johnson enjoys pulling the rug from under us.

TUESDAY

Only the Brave (2017) (Film4, 6.25pm) When the going gets tough, the tough stick together in Joseph Kosinski’s flame-scorched drama, based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, who lost their lives as they fought a deadly 2013 wildfire in Arizona. Only the Brave wears its patriotic heart on its Stars & Stripes-emblazoned sleeve but also contrives engaging human drama away from the inferno. Impressive special effects bring the wildfires to life but it’s an ensemble cast of award winners who effectively turn up the heat, led by Josh Brolin as the risktaking crew chief and Miles Teller as his self-destructive new recruit, who threatens to become the weak link in the Hotshots’ armour.

The Ladykillers (2004) (GREAT! movies, 9pm)

Joel and Ethan Coen transport the Ealing comedy classic to Mississippi, where a group of crooks rent a room from an elderly woman with the intention of tunnelling through her basement and robbing the casino next door. But they don’t count on their landlady constantly – if unintentionally – foiling their plans. Those who love the witty original may find the humour a bit too broad, while fans of the Coen brothers are unlikely to rank it among their best. However, for those who approach The Ladykillers with no preconceptions, there’s a lot to enjoy, especially the sight of Tom Hanks cast against type as an elaborately moustachioed criminal mastermind. Irma P Hall, Marlon Wayans and the always welcome JK Simmons are among the supporting cast.

WEDNESDAY

The Untouchables (1987) (Film4, 11.45pm)

A fresh-faced Kevin Costner made the jump from B-movie wannabe to A-list star with this blockbusting thriller. He plays Elliot Ness, the

FBI agent fighting underworld crime and police corruption in an effort to throw vicious gangster Al Capone (Robert De Niro) in the clink. Brian De Palma’s film may be one of the best gangster movies of all time, and there has never been a more stylish gunfight than in the stunning climax. But from the very start, this is a lesson in exquisite film-making, from the magnificent supporting cast (which includes Sean Connery, who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his turn as a no-nonsense cop) to the superb score, by way of some great dialogue and multi-layered characters.

THURSDAY

Judy (2019) (BBC4, 9pm)

Judy Garland (Renee Zellweger) is embroiled in an acrimonious tugof-war with third husband Sidney

Luft (Rufus Sewell) for custody of their children. Crippled by debt, Judy reluctantly agrees to a five-week run of shows at The Talk of the Town nightclub in London run by Bernard Delfont (Michael Gambon). Delfont assigns his despairing assistant the unenviable task of shepherding Garland to the stage each night. Unfortunately, flighty fiance Mickey Deans continually distracts Judy when she should be rehearsing. Adapted from Peter Quilter’s stage play End of the Rainbow, Judy is elevated beyond the pages of Tom Edge’s script by the luminous, Oscar-winning Zellweger.

A Star Is Born (1954) (BBC4, 10.50pm)

The second version of the classic Hollywood tale (it was remade again in 1976 and 2018) gave Judy Garland one of her best roles as Esther Blodgett, a struggling singer who catches the eye of fading matinee idol Norman Maine (James Mason). He manages to get her a contact with a film studio – which renames her Vicki Lester – and before long, her star is on the rise. However, the more successful she becomes, the more Norman struggles with both his alcoholism and his waning career. The leads don’t have the romantic chemistry of Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in the most recent version, but they are both incredibly moving. The fact that, in reality, it was Garland who was self-destructing makes it all the more poignant.

FRIDAY

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) (STV, 10.45pm)

Jonathan Demme’s terrifying 1991 treatment of the Thomas Harris novel is one of only three films to sweep the big five Academy Awards including Best Actor and Best Actress. Jodie Foster plays FBI trainee Clarice Starling, who is eager to please her superior, Jack Crawford. He implores Clarice to earn the trust of cannibal murderer Dr Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) in order to track down a serial killer known as Buffalo Bill, who kidnaps women then skins his victims. In a series of charged conversations Starling allows herself to understand the mind set of Buffalo Bill and anticipate where he might strike next.