Film choice

Topkapi (1964) BBC TWO, 2.00PM ★★★★

Jules Dassin’s heist film, based on Eric Ambler’s novel The Light of Day, is trying to be several things – crime caper, exotic thriller, genre spoof – and for the most part it succeeds. Maximilian Schell leads the group of thieves, including sultry Melina Mercouri and shuffling Peter Ustinov. They want the jewel-encrusted blade of Sultan Mahmud I – but the Turkish police are on their tail.

The Croods (2013) BBC ONE, 4.05PM ★★★

Tectonic shifts force Grug (Nicolas Cage) and his caveman clan to leave the safety of their cave and venture into the jungles of the unknown. A hip interloper called Guy, voiced by Ryan Reynolds, tags along. The same old lessons are learned while co-director Chris Sanders continues to be inspired by Avatar. Kids will love the snappy action sequences on offer, though, and Grug is a cartoon dad to remember.

A Monster Calls (2016) BBC ONE, 10.35PM ★★★★

The monster here is a spirit guide cooked up by a boy in need of a friend. Conor (Lewis MacDougall) is a bullied child struggling to come to terms with the fact that his mother (Felicity Jones) is terminally ill. His grandmother (Sigourney Weaver) is unable to provide much comfort; nor is his absent father. Should a child be shielded from such a painful event? The film tackles this with great skill.