TV FILMS of the week
1 PET SEMATARY Tonight, Channel 4, 10pm
ADAPTED from Stephen King’s 1983 novel, this horror thriller tells the story of Louis Creed (Jason Clarke), wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz) and their children, Ellie (Jete Laurence) and Gage (Hugo and Lucas Lavoie), who relocate from Boston to the sleepy rural community of Ludlow. They move into a property surrounded by acres of lush forest including a spooky burial site for the town’s pets. When Ellie’s beloved cat Church is killed by a passing juggernaut, Louis accompanies elderly neighbour Jud Crandall (John Lithgow) into the mystical swampland to bury the feline. Later that night, Church slinks back into Ellie’s closet with a mean, vindictive spirit. When a second tragedy then befalls the Creeds, Louis faces an agonising moral dilemma.
2 TULIP FEVER Tomorrow, BBC2, 10pm
ORPHAN Sophia (Alicia Vikander, left) is raised by the nuns of St Ursula in 17th century Amsterdam. She reluctantly accepts a marriage proposal from merchant Cornelis Sandvoort (Christoph Waltz), who commissions local artist Jan van Loos (Dane DeHaan) to paint a portrait of his blissful union. The painter soon falls under Sophia’s spell.
3 ELIZABETH Tuesday Film4, 11.05pm
SHEKHAR Kapur’s film examines the early life of Elizabeth I (the excellent Cate Blanchett, left), whose relatively care-free existence comes to a sudden halt when her Catholic half-sister, the childless Queen `Bloody’ Mary (Kathy Burke) realises it’s likely her sibling will inherit the throne and try to restore Protestantism to England.
4 MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION Wednesday Film4, 9pm
WITH the IMF disbanded, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) encounters a new threat called The Syndicate, which wants to establish a new world order via terrorist incidents. Hunt gathers his team and joins forces with disavowed British agent IIsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson, pictured with Cruise) in this fifth instalment of the franchise.
5 MIDNIGHT RUN Thursday Film4, 11.05pm
COMEDY thriller starring Robert De Niro, left, as bounty hunter Jack Walsh. He is hired to track down mob accountant Jonathan Mardukas (Charles Grodin). Finding his man doesn’t prove that difficult – it’s bringing him back to Los Angeles that’s the problem, as the number cruncher refuses to get on a plane.
6 WHEN HARRY MET SALLY Friday, BBC1, 10.50pm
CLASSIC rom-com. Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan, left) meet as recent college graduates who share the drive from Chicago to New York – and fail to hit it off. After more brief encounters, they become friends in their 30s when they’re both recently out of relationships. Will they take a chance on being more than just mates?
7 WHEN WE WERE KINGS Saturday, BBC2, 10pm
LEON GAST’S Oscar-winning documentary charting the challenge of an ageing Muhammad Ali for George Foreman’s World Heavyweight title held in Zaire in 1974. The film explores the impact of Ali’s visit to Africa before focusing on the `Rumble in the Jungle’, left, which has gone down in history as one of the greatest fights of all time.