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| Society Of The Snow |
Society Of The Snow, Netflix, streaming from Thursday, January 4
The eagle-eyed among you will notice we accidentally included this a few weeks ago and then had to change our selection - but this time you really can catch it! Netflix originals often get branded mediocre, but don't let this gripping Spanish language survival drama from JA Bayona pass you by. He takes on the story of members of a Uruguayan rugby team who, famously, managed to survive after crashing in the Andes in 1972, previously adapted into films Survive and Alive. Bayona's version benefits from the fact there are no big names in his ensemble cast, meaning it's much harder to immediately see who will perish or emerge as a hero. He also pays respectful tribute to the dead as the film goes along. All of which does not stop this being an often visceral piece of filmmaking, from the shocking brutality of the crash itself to a subsequent avalanche. Beyond the shock factor, it's a celebration of communal spirit and the sheer resilience of the survivors who refused to give up in even the most bleak of circumstances. Awards nods are surely on the way.
The Martian, 10pm, BBC3, Tuesday, January 2
Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) suddenly finds himself stranded on Mars, with supplies thin on the ground and hopes of rescue four years away. A born survivor, the astronaut throws himself into the business of starting from the ground up - with potatoes - and proves a resourceful everyman it's easy to root for. Director Ridley Scott brings the sort of stunning visuals he has built his career on, while keeping things pacy and Drew Goddard injects an impressive amount of humour into the script, emphasising the practical rather than the psychological, which helps the film to feel more grounded in reality and less ponderous than many other 'trapped in the outreaches of space' films. Read our interviews with Scott, Jessica Chastain, Damon and Goddard.
The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, 4.55pm, Film4, Wednesday, January 3
If you fancy sitting down to a slice of traditional storytelling with the family this week, this seafaring adventure should do the trick. Young Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley) and her brother Edmund (Skandar Keyes) are joined by their brat of a cousin Eustace (Will Poulter) in this sequel, which is concerned as much with the testing of the kids' inner strength as it is about the quest for magical swords they go on. Although this got a bit of a critical drubbing at the time - and ended up being the last instalment of CS Lewis' adventures that made it to film - it scores well in terms of swashbuckling even if it ends up being a bit heavy on message. Read what the cast, including Liam Neeson, said about the film here.
The Silence Of The Lambs, 10.45pm, ITV1, Wednesday, January 3
Let's be honest, a glass of chianti has never looked quite the same since Anthony Hopkins slurped his Oscar-winning way through a line about it in Jonathan Demme's crime thriller. Although Brian Cox had already put in a memorable turn as sadistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter (in that case, Lektor) in Manhunter, Hopkins put his own silky stamp on it with this intense performance that is reciprocated by Jodie Foster as FBI agent Clarice Starling, who finds herself embroiled in a psychological wargame with the incarcerated murder as she tries to snare another monster. Much darker than your average Academy Award winner, Demme knows exactly what to show and what not to show to generate horror and tension. Chillingly effective even on a repeat watch.
The Lady Vanishes, 12.45pm, BBC2, Thursday, January 4
Alfred Hitchcock neatly balances the thriller elements of this tale of a mysterious disappearance with a comedic tone as young socialite Iris (Margaret Lockwood) boards a train with a kindly old lady (Dame May Witty). When the older woman vanishes, Iris begins to doubt her own sanity after finding virtually everyone else aboard refuses to even acknowledge she existed but enlists the help of sparky academic Gilbert (Michael Redgrave) in the hunt. Hitchcock, as always, makes great use of his confined setting, which is stuffed to the carriage doors with fine character performances from the likes of Naunton Wayne and Basil Radford as a pair of cricketers to Philip Leaver as Italian magician Signor Doppo, somehow managing to seed in a darker mood with the lightest of touches.
Jour De Fête, 6.20pm, Talking Pictures TV, Thursday, January 4
Jacques Tati, who would go on to become one of France's most feted film comedians, made his debut with this whimsical tale about a country postman. He expanded his tale from short film School For Postmen, reprising the role of postie Francois, who decides to take a leaf out of the US postal service book. While he would go on to make more polished films like Playtime and Monsieur Hulot's Holiday, the physical comedy Tati became renowned for is still very much in evidence. The film's highlights are when it is at its simplest, involving site gags with Tati and a bicycle.
Sound Of Metal, 10.30pm BBC2, Sunday, January 7
Jennie Kermode writes: The winner of two Oscars for Best Sound and Editing, the ever-reliable Riz Ahmed was also nominated for his role in this film. His inspired performance is just one among many reasons to watch it. He plays a heavy metal drummer touring with his singer/guitarist girlfriend. They're both addicts who have stayed clan by supporting one another and they have an intense, passionate relationship, but their lives are turned upside down when the drummer discovers that he's going deaf. Coerced into rehab on an isolated farm, he initially does all he can to resist the embrace of the Deaf community there (its members all played by deaf actors in a film which is informed throughout by real Deaf people's experiences) but ultimately the change of pace alters the way that he relates to many aspects of life. Brilliant sound design will immerse you completely in a vivid story about communication, identity and independence.
This week’s short selection is Red, White And Blue, by producer-turned-director Nazrin Choudhury, which is short-listed for Best Live Short at the Oscars
