FILM PICKS

TONIGHT

Molly’s Game (2017) (BBC2, 10pm)

After an injury ends her skiing career, Molly (Jessica Chastain) lands a thankless job as a personal assistant to real estate wheeler-dealer Dean Keith (Jeremy Strong), who organises highstakes poker games for the Hollywood elite. Molly learns the tricks of the gambling trade and when Dean betrays her, she retaliates by setting up her own game, luring some of his best punters including celebrity Player X. As Molly’s reputation grows, along with her financial exposure, she attracts members of the Russian mafia to her table, which makes her a prime target for an FBI sting. Based on a true story.

MONDAY

Spotlight (2015) (BBC2, 11.40pm)

Down in the basement of the Boston Globe newsroom, Walter “Robby” Robinson (Michael Keaton) presides over the Spotlight investigative team – Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams) and Matt Carroll (Brian d’Arcy). The team uncovers an explosive story. An attorney claims to have documents that prove a cardinal knew about child abuse within the diocese and did nothing. As the reporters dig deeper, they find the situation is worse than they could have imagined. Fact-based, Oscar-winning drama.

TUESDAY

A Monster Calls (2016) (BBC2, 11.15pm)

Adapted by Patrick Ness from his awardwinning novel, this fantasy drama will strike a chord with anyone who has lost a loved one to terminal illness. Reclusive schoolboy Conor O’Malley (Lewis MacDougall) is in denial about the dark shadow hanging over his mother Lizzie (Felicity Jones) and seeks refuge in his vivid illustrations. As darkness falls, the yew tree that stands guard over the nearby church magically comes to life and morphs into a gnarled creature (voiced by Liam Neeson). The behemoth visits Conor and promises to share three parables. The creature demands just one thing in return: “Tell me your nightmare.” MacDougall is mesmerising as Conor, demonstrating a maturity beyond his years, while Jones and Sigourney Weaver offer sterling support.

THURSDAY

The Man Who Would Be King (1975) (Film4, 3.10pm)

John Huston’s lavish period adventure, based on the Rudyard Kipling story, chronicles the dubious dealings of two former British soldiers (Sean Connery and Michael Caine) in 19th-century India. They travel to an unexplored land where one of them fools the natives into believing he is a god. However, his growing delusions of grandeur put him at loggerheads with his conscience-stricken comrade-in-arms, leading them down a path that can only end in tragedy. This cautionary tale is as gripping now as it was on its release, and the on-screen pairing of cinema legends Connery and Caine is truly sublime.