FILM PICKS

Monday

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) (Film4, 9pm)

Director Peter Weir bravely sets sail with a swashbuckling adventure yarn torn from the pages of Patrick O’Brian’s novels. Captain “Lucky” Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) and the 197-strong crew of the HMS Surprise are ordered to intercept the French Privateer Acheron and “sink, burn or take her as a prize”. 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 truck drive on to the railway tracks and derail an oncoming freight train.

Wednesday

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. 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

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 reigning heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) decides to celebrate America’s bicentennial by giving an unknown a shot at the title.

Friday

Rebecca (1940) (Talking Pictures TV, 2.25pm)

Alfred Hitchcock’s wonderfully atmospheric version of Daphne du Maurier’s gripping tale stars Joan Fontaine as the timid new wife of widower Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier).