PICK OF TV MOVIES

SATURDAY

Gremlins (1984) (Channel 5, 4.40pm)

JOE Dante’s riotous comedy horror concerns Billy (Zach Galligan), who receives an unusual pet for Christmas in the form of a loveable Mogwai. However, the cute critter comes with a list of care instructions, which Billy fails to follow. To his horror, he finds his pet rapidly reproduces and creates a brood of murderous mutant monsters, which proceed to turn his hometown into a living hell. The film boasts great characters, hilarious animatronic puppets by Chris Walas and a wonderfully dark sensibility, which is most notably on display in the scene where Phoebe Cates’ character explains why she doesn’t like Christmas.

High Society (1956) (BBC2, 10.55pm)

A playboy jazz musician (Bing Crosby) tries to win back his socialite ex-wife (Grace Kelly) on the eve of her wedding to another man. To make the situation even more complicated, a cynical reporter (Frank Sinatra) and photographer (Celeste Holm) are attending the ceremony in search of a scoop. This musical is based on the play The Philadelphia Story and the subsequent 1940 film version, and some movie buffs may decide they prefer the less tuneful original - after all, the starring trio of Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and an Oscarwinning James Stewart is pretty hard to beat. But this film does boast some terrific songs from Cole Porter, including True Love and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, not to mention a chance to hear Crosby and Sinatra duetting on Well, Did You Evah?

World War Z (2013) (Channel 4, 11.15pm)

GERRY Lane (Brad Pitt) is a retired United Nations investigator who devotes his time to his wife Karin (Mireille Enos) and daughters Constance (Sterling Jerins) and Rachel (Abigail Hargrove). During a drive through Philadelphia, the Lanes witness the spread of a disease, which transforms people into merciless predators with a single bite. Gerry’s old boss at the UN, Thierry Umutoni (Fana Mokoena), guarantees Karin, Constance and Rachel safe passage on an aircraft carrier if Gerry agrees to travel behind enemy lines to discover the source of the outbreak. World War Z is a post-apocalyptic zombie action horror, filmed in Glasgow, which boasts a cracking opening 60 minutes. The final act, which was rewritten and reshot, feels out of kilter with the rest but does at least stem the hordes of undead.