PICK OF TV MOVIES

SATURDAY

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) (BBC2, 2.40pm)

The titular outlaws (played by Robert Redford and Paul Newman) realise their successful career of bank and train robberies may be about to come to an abrupt end when a seemingly unstoppable posse is formed to bring them to justice. The duo plan to flee America and start a new life in Bolivia, joined by Sundance’s schoolmistress lover (Katharine

Ross), but they find that staying ahead of the law is not an easy matter. The great success of this excellent Western, based loosely on real events, is due in no small part to the chemistry between Newman and Redford. The pair anchor the film with a sometimes understated portrayal of their characters’ curious relationship that is regularly lifted with bouts of banter and comedy. The late Burt Bacharach provided the Oscar-winning score, including the song Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head.

Oliver! (1968) (C4, 3.10pm)

Charles Dickens gets a musical makeover in director Carol Reed’s hugely enjoyable take on the classic tale of an orphaned boy who falls in with a group of child pickpockets on the streets of London. Young Mark Lester doesn’t have to do much more than look angelic in the title role (his singing voice was dubbed by Kath Greene, the daughter of the movie’s music arranger), but there’s colourful support from Jack Wild as the Artful Dodger, Oliver Reed as the menacing Bill Sikes and Ron Moody as Fagin, who steals the movie along with the odd purse. Lionel Bart’s terrific score includes Food Glorious Food, You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two, and As Long as He Needs Me.

EASTER SUNDAY

Easter Parade (1948) (BBC2, 12pm)

When his dance partner Nadine (Ann Miller) announces she’s going solo, a spurned Don Hewes (Fred Astaire) decides to prove he can make it without her by picking a chorus girl at random and transforming her into a star. As luck would have it, the girl he picks is Hannah Brown (Judy Garland) and she takes the act to new heights thanks to her great voice and girl-next-door charm. But will Don ever see her as anything more than a replacement for the glamorous Nadine? The plot is thin, but the stars are on compelling form and some of the big musical numbers - most notably A Couple of Swells and

Steppin’ Out With My Baby - are truly unforgettable.

Eternal Beauty (2019) (BBC2, 10pm)

Welsh actor Craig Roberts builds on the promise of his 2015 directorial debut Just Jim with a romantic comedy-drama informed by medical specialists in the field of mental health. In her early twenties, Jane (Sally Hawkins) was abandoned at the altar - a devastating betrayal that coincided with her diagnosis with paranoid schizophrenia. She takes medication to manage her condition, affording some semblance of an independent life from her parents, Dennis (Robert Pugh) and domineering Vivian (Penelope Wilton), and siblings Alice (Alice Lowe) and Nicola (Billie Piper). When Jane abandons her treatment plan, she feels more alive and sparks an awkward romance with aspiring musician Mike (David Thewlis). However, spiteful Nicola resolves to wreck the relationship and Jane’s chaotic world spins out of control.

EASTER MONDAY

Guys and Dolls (1955) (C4, 11.15am)

Famed New York gambler Sky Masterson (Marlon Brando) sets out to charm Salvation Army temperance crusader Sarah Brown (Jean Simmons) to win a bet - only to end up taking a genuine shine to her. Meanwhile, the man who made the wager, Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra), has problems of his own as he tries to find a venue for his floating craps game and fob off his fiancee Adelaide (Vivian Blaine), who is keen to finally set a date following a 14-year engagement. Guys and Dolls is one of the all-time great musicals, and although this film may disappoint die-hard fans of the stage version by changing some of the score, it retains enough brilliant songs to please everyone else. As you’d expect,

Sinatra does a great job as Nathan, but the real surprise is Brando, who is charismatic and tuneful as Sky - no wonder Sarah finds him hard to resist.

The Graduate (1967) (BBC2, 9.45pm)

Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) has just graduated from college and is back at his parents’ home for the summer, with his whole life ahead of him. His parents would like him to get into the plastics industry, but Benjamin isn’t sure. He’s more interested in getting into bed with sexy neighbour Mrs Robinson (Anne Bancroft), although it soon becomes clear that it’s her daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross) who holds the key to his heart. Director Mike Nichols’ comedy classic still stands the test of time.

Hoffman may have been technically too old to play the lead role, but he doesn’t look it; the film turned him into a star after years of struggle. The superb Simon and Garfunkel soundtrack alone is worth tuning in for.

TUESDAY

Galaxy Quest (1999) (Film4, 6.45pm) The cast of the cancelled sci-fi series Galaxy Quest now make their living from conventions and public appearances. But what the washed-up actors don’t know is that their biggest fans are an alien race who have mistaken the show for a historical record and used it as the basis of their entire civilization. Now they want their heroes’ help to defeat an evil warlord - can the thespians be as brave in real life as they are on screen? Although it’s clearly poking affectionate fun at Star Trek, you don’t have to be a sci-fi buff to enjoy this clever comedy. Even if you don’t recognise the cliches being satirised there’s also the terrific cast, led by Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman and Sam Rockwell, and plenty of smart jokes to keep you more than entertained.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016) (Film4, 11.35pm)

Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise), a former Major in the Military Police Corps, is living off the grid, embracing a nomadic lifestyle. En route to a faceto-face meeting with his successor, Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders), Reacher discovers she has been accused of espionage. When associates of Turner are slain before they can testify, Reacher realises he has stumbled upon a wider conspiracy involving overseas shipments of weaponry. Jack Reacher:

Never Go Back is a solid, polished and compact thriller that simmers pleasantly thanks to the on-screen chemistry between Cruise and Smulders. The latter rolls up her sleeves to inflict bruises in the accomplished action set pieces while Cruise turns back the years to perform his own death-defying stunts.

WEDNESDAY

Patriot Games (1992) (Film4, 9pm)

Having hunted down Red October and proven his credentials as one of the CIA’S best agents, Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) finds a family trip to London anything but relaxing when he is called upon to save the Royal Family from an IRA assassination plot. His intervention puts him and his family in the path of a vengeful terrorist who swears to make Ryan pay. There are very few similarities between the bookish Jack Ryan played by Alex Baldwin, and this all-action incarnation brought to life by Ford. But if you ignore the inconsistencies and don’t compare it to the novels, you’re in for a great ride. Tense and atmospheric, it sustains the attention despite the odd cliche.

Stronger (2017) (BBC2, 11.15pm)

On April 15, 2013, hundreds of lives were irrevocably altered in Boston when two home-made explosives detonated close to the finish line of the city’s marathon. The co-ordinated response to the terrorist attack and FBI-led manhunt were dramatised in the adrenaline-fuelled action thriller Patriots Day, starring Mark Wahlberg. Stronger relives the same shocking attack from the perspective of Boston native Jeff Bauman, who was a wellwisher in the crowd that fateful day and lost both of his legs in the blast. Adapted from Bauman’s memoir, David Gordon Green’s uplifting drama chronicles events before and after the race, capturing the unbearable toll on Jeff and the people around him. Jake Gyllenhaal delivers an powerful performance, bristling with raw emotion, as Bauman.

THURSDAY

Blazing Saddles (1974) (BBC4, 10.45pm)

Mel Brooks’ classic spoof sees a corrupt businessman (Harvey Korman) hatch a plan to destroy a small town standing in the way of his railroad plans. He starts by ordering the murder of the town’s sheriff, and then convinces the government to appoint a black railroad worker (Cleavon Little) to replace him, knowing the closed-minded villagers won’t be happy. But the new sheriff unexpectedly joins forces with an alcoholic ex-gunslinger (Gene Wilder) to fight the railroad and the bad guys. It’s hilarious and at times shockingly un-PC, but the laughs are a mile a minute thanks to the outstanding cast, which also includes Brooks himself and the Oscar-nominated Madeline Kahn. Keep an eye out for the infamous campfire scene - you’ll know why.

FRIDAY

No Time to Die (2021) (ITV2, 8pm)

James Bond (Daniel Craig) bids adieu to active service at MI6 under M

(Ralph Fiennes) following the capture of arch-nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christoph Waltz). A tranquil new life in Jamaica, nursing a broken heart apart from Dr Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux), is threatened by the arrival of CIA friend Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright). He needs Bond’s help to track down scientist Valdo Obruchev (David Dencik). The mission pits Bond against MI6 agent Nomi (Lashana Lynch) but fractious inter-agency rivalries are quickly put to one side to defeat Machiavellian mastermind Safin (Rami Malek).