 |
| A House Of Dynamite Photo: Eros Hoagland/Netflix |
A House Of Dynamite, Netflix, streaming now
Inevitably, because it’s Halloween week, there’s a fair amount of horror and ghost stories on the box this week – but arguably nothing more chilling than Kathryn Bigelow’s latest. There’s an almost clinical precision to the mood she generates as an ordinary day for government staffers and the president (Idris Elba) turns into a nerve-shredding nightmare after a nuclear missile is seen heading towards Chicago. Who fired it becomes less important than how – or if – to retaliate – a decision that is required in the 19 minutes the bomb takes to hit. A film that is low on bombast and high on deliberately restless unnerving camerawork, tension sings like a bullet through the air as we watch that time period unfold from different perspectives, each adding context to things we hear in the background.
Welded Together, 10pm, BBC4, Tuesday, October 28
Anastasiya Miroshnichenko’s raw and poignant documentary steps into the life of young welder Katya as she tries to reconnect with her estranged mother and baby half-sister. The 21-year-old was raised in an orphanage from the age of six after her father’s death because of her mother’s alcohol addiction. As she forges a tentative renewal of her relationship, Katya also finds camaraderie in an all-male workshop that respects her work ethic. Her mother’s problems run deep, however, and Katya soon finds her life dancing on the edge of chaos – her stoicism as she tries to find solutions making the situation all the more heartbreaking to watch. A moving film about the sort of unseen heroism in families that is rarely noticed.
The Night House, 11.25pm, Film4, Tuesday, October 28
Grief is a ghostly presence in David Bruckner’s psychological horror, which is built around a typically strong performance from Rebecca Hall as teacher Beth. She lets her character’s emotions dart between longing and fear after spooky things start to happen in the lakeside house she shared with her husband Owen (Evan Jonigkeit), who took his own life. Are the bloody footprints Beth sees and other traces of the supernatural real or in her mind? It’s a classic set-up but explored with some delicacy that hinges on Beth’s haunting and haunted performance.
Late Night With the Devil, 9pm, Film4, Wednesday, October 29
Jennie Kermode writes: If you know anything about live television, you'll understand that it's natural territory. Those amicable, smiling strangers you let into your living room and feel as if you know - like Jack (David Dastmalchian), a late night chat show host with a beige suit and an easy smile - are, behind the scenes, engaged in ruthless competition, the tension spiralling as they struggle to beat competitors' numbers, with little room for real humanity or moral concern. Late Night With Devil sees Jack at his most desperate (and Dastmalchian at his very best) as he presents the Halloween special which could make or break his career, and on which he plans to have a child supposedly possessed by a demon hypnotised live on stage. Directors Colin and Cameron Cairnes keep us guessing as to whether or not there's anything supernatural happening. We can never be sure how much is staged - but then there is the tremendous irresponsibility of it all, the exploitation, and Jack's crumbling mental health. It's an exquisitely composed tale in which no one escapes culpability - and that includes the audience.
The Others, 10.25pm, BBC4, Thursday, October 29
Alejandro Amenabar’s atmospheric ghost story loses little of its impact even if you’ve seen it before and know what’s coming. The tale is set in an old mansion, with plenty of dark corners that get to hold sway because the two children who live there, Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley), are very light sensitive and have to avoid the sun. They live with their brittle mum (Nicole Kidman), who is on edge from the start, not least because she is waiting for news from her husband (Christopher Eccleston), who has been off fighting the Second World War. Amenabar builds the mood with the staples of gothic horror, but his bumps in the night and creaking floors and doors never feel gimmicky or over-used and the underlying emotion of the script packs an unexpected punch no matter how many times you’ve watched it.
Shiva Baby, 12.10am, Channel 4, Saturday, November 1
Jennie Kermode writes: An exceptional young actor with a bright future ahead of her, Rachel Sennott shines in this shrewd, irreverent comedy about a shiva where people are keen to police one another's behaviour but everybody has a secret. Her character, Danielle, has two. There's the one her parents want her to keep: that she used to be in a relationship with another girl in attendance. And there's the one that she wants to keep: that he sugar daddy is there (along with his gentile wife and their shrill baby). She'd also like it if he didn't find out about what she's actually doing with her life, which is difficult when her mother wants to tell everybody everything about her as part of the process of finding her a nice young man. Meanwhile, her ex is frustrated by all the secrecy and questions whether she's serious about her sexuality, but it's clear that there's still something between them. There are plenty of stereotypes here, but they're deftly played, and the film entertains from start to finish.
Tremors, 10.50pm, ITV4, Saturday, November 1
Ending this week’s selection on a lighter note as creature features don't come much more endearing than Roy Underwood's horror comedy about a desert town under siege from giant sandworms. Screenwriters SS Wilson, Brent Maddock hit the sweet spot between scares and smiles and Kevin Bacon leads from the front as odd-job man Earl, affably riffing off Fred Ward as his pal Earl. Underwood understands what made all those Fifties B-movies tick and employs all the familiar elements here, letting the characters' relationships blossom as the tension mounts without letting the humour slacken.
We’re sticking with horror for this week’s short selection, which is Stefanie Abel Horowitz’s Sometimes, I Think About Dying – you can find out more about her current work on Instagram.
