By Ross Miller
There’s something for everyone on TV this week, whether you’re a fan of Sci-Fi blockbusters, thought-provoking documentaries or silly comedies. Here are our picks of what films are worth staying in for over the next 7 days.
Smokin Aces’ (2006)
Fans of crazy, over-the-top, throw logic straight out the window type action flicks will definitely want to check this 2006 effort out from The A-Team and The Grey director Joe Carnahan. The plot is simple: a Vegas magician turns FBI informant against a mafia boss and thus a $1 million bounty is put on his head. Cue the world’s top assassins descending on his seemingly impenetrable hotel room to collect their bounty. It’s ludicrous from start to finish and some may get annoyed by its stylistic ticks (flashy editing, use of music etc.) but if it’s your particular cup of tea then it’s an absolute blast.
When and what channel is it on? Monday April 28th, 10:35pm, ITV1
Star Trek (2009)
The Star Trek franchise had undoubtedly gotten stale until along came J.J. Abrams and rebooted it to great effect. The most important thing was getting the casting right and they did exactly that with the likes of Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Mr. Spock, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Karl Urban as Bones, Anton Yelchin as Chekov, John Cho as Sulu and Simon Pegg as Scotty all perfectly fitting their roles. It put a much needed slick and modern spin on the long-running franchise while still staying true to what die-hard fans love about it.
When and what channel is it on? Tuesday April 29th, 9:00pm, Film 4
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
We know him now as an auteur director obsessed with dialogue-driven set-pieces and eclectic music but back in the early ‘90s no one knew who Quentin Tarantino was. That was until he burst onto this scene with this blistering debut effort, a tale of a group of bank robbers whose latest job goes horribly wrong. Almost the entire thing takes place inside a warehouse as they wait for word from their boss while trying to figure out which of them might be a police rat, with flashbacks to fill in the blanks about who each of them are. It’s everything you could want from a Tarantino film and still remains one of his best more than two decades on.
When and what channel is it on? Tuesday April 29th, 10:00pm, Five USA
Big Fish (2003)
Director Tim Burton is often remembered for his collaborations with Johnny Depp but this 2003 film that doesn’t star him but rather Ewan McGregor is one of his absolute best. It chronicles the life of Ed Bloom (played by Albert Finny as the older storyteller and McGregor as the younger version in flashbacks) through the stories he told his son growing up. It’s a fantastical, visually creative ode to storytelling, particularly childhood fairytales, featuring a diverse cast alongside McGregor including Danny DeVito, Jessica Lange, Steve Buscemi, Marion Cotillard and Burtons’ other regular collaborator (and real life partner) Helena Bonham Carter.
When and what channel is it on? Wednesday April 30th, 6:35pm, Film 4
Mongol (2007)
This Russian-made, Mongolian and Mandarin language film explores the early life of Temüjin, or Genghis Khan as he would later become known. It stars Tadanobu Asano as the man himself, an actor most known to international cinema fans as the lead in Ichi the Killer but probably most known to Western audiences as one of the Warriors Three in the Thor movies. He is fantastic in the lead role here, really drawing us into the life of such an infamous warlord with his attention-grabbing performance at the centre of an epic historical retelling.
When and what channel is it on? Wednesday April 30th, 9:00pm, BBC4
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
Guillermo del Toro made the giant robots fighting giant monsters movie to end them all last summer with Pacific Rim but it’s not the only time he’s dipped his toes into the blockbuster pool. He made Hellboy in 2004 and followed it up with this underrated sequel which sees the red hero (played brilliantly once again by Ron Perlman) take on an army of mythical creatures, led by the powerful and ruthless Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), who want to rule the Earth. It’s well worth watching for its inventive CGI and production design, well choreographed fight sequences and del Toro’s trademark gothic weirdness. Oh and look out (or rather listen out) for a hilarious turn from Family Guy creator himself Seth MacFarlane as Johann.
When and what channel is it on? Thursday May 1st, 9:00pm, 5star
Senna (2010)
Just like last year’s Rush, you don’t have to be a fan of Formula One to enjoy this utterly compelling documentary about the life and career of superstar driver Ayrton Senna. Director Asif Kapadia has taken hours of race footage and created a fascinating and enthralling portrait of the man, telling of the thrilling long-time rivalry between him and fellow driver Alain Prost. What’s perhaps most impressive about it is, as I said, how it skilfully makes it appealing to both die-hard F1 fans and those who know/care nothing about the sport itself. This is documentary filmmaking at its most exciting.
When and what channel is it on? Thursday May 1st, 10:30pm, ITV4
Final Destination 3 (2006)
Among the many horror franchises out there that often outstay their welcome with their umpteenth sequel, Final Destination has always found a way keep things fresh along the way as the filmmakers come up with inventive new ways to kill off its characters. You don’t really need to have seen the first two to enjoy this, a typically over-the-top instalment which starts off with a roller coaster ride-turned bloodbath before jumping back to before the event as the main character tries to warn his fellow passengers about their imminent deaths. It’s a slasher franchise except the killer isn’t a real person but fate, or rather death, itself and it doesn’t like it when people escape its clutches. This one features one of the most effectively gruesome deaths of the entire series – I won’t spoil it but let’s just say you won’t ever look at a nail gun the same way again.
When and what channel is it on? Friday May 2nd, 11:05pm, Film4
Withnail & I (1986)
Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann star in this mid’80s classic about two struggling unemployed actors who decide to go stay at one of their uncle’s country cottage. It’s not exactly eventful but rather a film all about the witty dialogue exchanged between its wonderful array of eclectic characters and their hilarious misadventures as they try to get away from it all for a relaxing cottage break. Grant is particularly brilliant in his first ever film role as the unpredictable, entitled Withnail and there’s a memorable turn from the late-great Richard Griffiths as Uncle Monty.
When and what channel is it on? Saturday May 3rd, 12:30am, Channel 4
Rio Bravo (1958)
The legendary Howard Hawks directed this classic Western starring John Wayne, Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson. Wayne stars as a town sheriff who enlists the help of a ragtag group of men including a hotshot young gunfighter and a drunk to help him hold in jail the brother of a local criminal. It’s quite simply one of the great Westerns of that bygone Golden era of Hollywood cinema, with everything you could want from such a film with the added bonus of an iconic scene where Wayne, Martin and Nelson sit down and sing “My Rifle, My Pony, and Me.” Essential viewing.
When and what channel is it on? Saturday May 3rd, 6:00pm, Five USA
Blackfish (2013)
One of last year’s toughest watches, this anger-inducing documentary explores the effect of keeping killer whales in captivity, specifically focusing on Tilikum, a whale who killed three people including an expert trainer and the lawsuit against Sea World that ensued. It’s arguably a little one-sided in its approach as, for example, we never get an interview with a Sea World representative (although as we find out, they flat out refused to take part). But it’s undoubtedly a devastating watch, using emotional interviews and stock footage showcasing the horrific incidents to get its point across. Quite simply it will make you never want to visit Sea World.
When and what channel is it on? Saturday May 3rd, 9:00pm, BBC Four
District 9 (2009)
Some people were disappointed with writer-director Neill Blomkamp’s big-budget film Elysium last year but this, his debut film, blew away just about everyone who saw it. Based on his short film Alive in Joburg, it’s set in a world where an alien race, nicknamed “Prawns,” descended on Earth in 1982. Cut to almost 30 years later and man’s initial welcoming of them has faded, the Prawns now being kept in a slum-like Ghetto known as “District 9”. When one of the men sent to evict certain members of the alien population gets infected by their biotechnology, he must rely on help from the ones he used to fear and control. It’s essentially an allegory for apartheid but can also be enjoyed as the piece of intelligent sci-fi action that it is, featuring some truly impressive CGI despite its budgetary limitations.
When and what channel is it on? Saturday May 3rd, 10:55pm, Film 4
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
“If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball!” Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller go head-to-head in this hilarious sports comedy about an underachieving group of misfits who decide to enter a dodgeball tournament in Las Vegas in order to save their gym, Average Joe’s, from closure. Vaughn plays the likeable everyman while Stiller is on top comedic form as the arrogant White Goodman, the owner of the corporate fitness chain threatening the little guy, including creating his own elite team to make sure Average Joe’s doesn’t succeed. It’s very silly but also very funny with some of the most quotable dialogue of any Hollywood comedy in the last 15 years.
When and what channel is it on? Sunday May 4th, 11:10pm, Five
Babel (2006)
Alejandro González Iñárritu is known for his dramas that tell interlocking stories including Amores Perros and 21 Grams but this is arguably his best film, nominated for seven Oscars including Best Picture and Director. It tells the story of how a single terrible incident in Morocco sets off a series of events that effects four different families around the world. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett are both excellent but they are just two of many in a film that deftly and powerfully explores the idea that we’re not all that different despite location and language barriers. This is an epic yet intimate watch that will leave you pondering.
When and what channel is it on? Sunday May 4th, 11:45pm, Channel 4