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| Fire Will Come Photo: Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival |
Fire Will Come, 1.40am, Film4, Monday, May 26
I realise that, not for the first time in this column, this is not the most convenient time to watch a film but it’s well worth setting whatever amounts to ‘the video’ these days to catch it at your leisure. Oliver Laxe's slow-build Glacian-set drama may be quite light in terms of plot but it crackles with emotion. The film is largely constructed of shared moments between Amador (Amador Arias) – an arsonist who is newly released from prison – and his elderly mother Benedicta (Benedicta Sánchez). Almost everything here feels ambivalent – Amador's relationship with the local townsfolk and the natural environment, not to mention the effect that vet Elena (Elena Mar Fernández) may have on his life. The nature of humanity, as a power for construction or destruction is considered as we wait for that fire to come. Apart from being a great watch, it’s also a good time to catch up with Laxe’s back catalogue (this is his third feature) as his latest, Sirat, just shared the Jury Prize in Cannes.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, 9pm, ITV4, Tuesday, May 27
Any of Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns are worth catching but this third instalment of the Dollars Trilogy is arguably his finest hour. The man with no name (Clint Eastwood, still probably the only man alive to really rock a poncho) is taking on 'the bad' (Lee Van Cleef) and 'the ugly' (Eli Wallach) as the trio attempt to double-cross their way to a stash of treasure. The film is packed with great moments, from its opening gun battle to its sweaty Sad Hill Cemetery climax, all accompanied by Ennio Morricone's iconic score. A film that continues to be seminal – just this week I watched brand new short The Cowgirl, The Showgirl And The Pig out of Cannes, which owes it a debt. Be warned, all other westerns will pale in comparison after watching this. Read more about the score.
The Bourne Identity, 9pm, Great Movies (Freeview Channel 34), Wednesday, May 27
Doug Liman's thriller gallops its way across two hours and a fair swathe of Europe with Matt Damon's amnesiac Jason Bourne as the CIA operative tries to remember who he is while staying one step ahead of his former bosses. It may be formulaic to a degree, but Liman keeps his foot on the throttle and breathes some fresh life into old fashioned fight scenes and car chases along the way. The film is given additional gusto by Franka Potente as a smarter than usual potential love interest. The Great Movies online player has recently moved home and, although you need to dig through the filler for the gems, but if you’re looking for a place to start its current ‘Planet in Peril’ selection isn’t half bad and includes a slew of Star Trek movies and Annihilation.
The Power of the Dog, 11pm, BBC2, Friday, May 30
Jane Campion's western-inflected psychodrama might not be her best work – thanks largely to an exceptionally reverent approach to Thomas Savage’s original novel and weaker than usual female characterisation – it still generates plenty of tension by the time it reaches its climax. Benedict Cumberbatch gets a chance to test his range out on the range as a sullen and bath-avoiding cowboy, who takes against the new wife (Kirsten Dunst) and effete son (Kodi-Smit McPhee) of his brother (Jesse Plemons - who still isn’t being offered enough lead roles, if you ask me). It’s also beautifully shot with an eye for open spaces and erotic intimacy in unexpected places. It might be sacrilege to say this but the "chapter" storytelling device it uses also means that if you record it, you could split over a couple nights if you don't fancy taking on the two-hour running time in one sitting.
The Thing, 1.30am, Film4, Saturday, May 31
Jennie Kermode writes:Opening with now classic scenes of a lone dog running across a snowy waste, John Carpenter's reinvention of 1951's The Thing From Another World gave us one of the most terrifying and genuinely alien monsters in movie history as well as delivering on action and drama. It follows a group of scientists isolated at a remote Antarctic base when they discover a creature which has been dug out of the ice and allowed to thaw. With no help at hand, they must use all their resources to survive – but before they can defeat it, they need to figure out which member of their own team it has disguised itself as. Being outside in the snow for long is deadly in itself, so there's nowhere to run. The notion of unknown, ancient things lying in wait in the frozen ground has often been revisited in existential horror and as more of Antarctica sheds its snowy coat each year, it feels increasingly close to home.
Spartacus, 1pm, BBC2, Sunday, June 1
Sword and sandals epics don't come much more stylish than this tale of slave revolt in Rome from Stanley Kubrick. And heroes don't get much more iconic than Kirk Douglas' Thracian slave with a passion for freedom, with the declaration: "I'm Spartacus!" still holding cultural weight 60 years on. It's not just Douglas who grabs the attention, there's plenty of depth in the cast, from Peter Ustinov, who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for turn as gladiator dealer Batiatus (Douglas missed out on a nomination), to Charles Laughton and Laurence Olivier as scheming senators and Jean Simmons as the love interest. The gladiatorial scenes are where the film really grabs the attention, however, still gripping despite the passage of time and shot with verve by Russell Metty, who also won a cinematography Oscar for his efforts.
Inside Out, 2.30pm, BBC1, Sunday, June 1
Fans of Beano comic strip The Numskulls will find themselves in familiar territory with this Pixar animation that takes us into the brain of a young girl to meet the personifications of her emotions. After a house move it's no surprise that there's a lot of conflict up there between Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear but when Joy and Sadness find themselves accidentally evicted from the brain 'control room' they must head on an abstract adventure to try to get back. As with Pixar's later Soul, there are quite a lot of existential adult themes at play here but Peter Doctor and Ronaldo Del Carmen strike a sweet balance that delivers whatever age you are.
This week’s short selection is Red Room by Bryan M Ferguson – hop over to his site to see it along with several of his other short films. His feature Dysphonia is currently in development.
