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| Mud |
Jeff Nichols' 2013 film sees two teenagers try to reunite a fugitive with his long-term love. It marked something of a turning point for Matthew McConaughey, who had a serious run of good films after this, including Dallas Buyers Club, Wolf Of Wall Street and Magic Mike. Here he plays Mud, an offbeat charmer who befriends teenagers Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland), who, in turn, try to help the course of true love run smooth - with unintended consequences. A coming-of-age tale that is less about the loss of innocence than the gaining of knowledge, this is a modern descendant of Mark Twain's Huck Finn.
How To Have Sex, 9pm, Film4, Thursday, May 7
Molly Manning Walker delivers a satisfyingly complex coming-of-age drama as she whisks us away on a Greek island holiday with a trio of pals, Tara, Skye and Em (Mia McKenna Bruce, Lara Peake and Enya Lewis), who have just finished their GCSEs and have their minds set on partying from dusk till dawn. For Tara, that includes the possibility of a first go at sex. Manning Walker takes time to help us get to know these young women, as well as some other kids on the block including sweet goofball Badger (Shaun Thomas) and full-of-himself Jack the lad, Paddy (Samuel Bottomley). As Paddy hits on Tara, Manning Walker opens up a whole world of debate about the nuances of "consent", especially in this sort of hedonistic, febrile environment. Clear-sighted and compelling with a knock-out central turn from McKenna Bruce.
Breathless, 11.20pm, Talking Pictures TV (Freeview Channel 82), Thursday, May 7
Richard Linklater’s enormously entertaining Nouvelle Vague has, with a bit of luck, brought Jean Luc Godard’s classic to a whole new generation as it recounts the making of this French New Wave gem. Godard's film stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as a macho criminal-on-the-run and Jean Seberg as his American girlfriend who is debating if she loves him. Stylistically innovative, with its documentary-style observation of the Parisian streets and its use of jump cuts, the whole thing is achingly cool and offers a jazzy riff on young love.
The Dark Knight, 10.45pm, ITV, Friday, May 8
Jennie Kermode writes: The middle part of the Nolan brothers’ Batman trilogy sees the two relaxing into their respective roles and delivering a better balance of action and drama as a result, with some great set pieces and double-crosses. It also has that performance by Heath Ledger as the joker. Sadly overlooked by awards voters who were still hesitant about dipping their toes into genres and probably thought that the gifted young actor had many more great performances yet to come, it gave the superhero genre, always at risk of self-parody, a much-needed shot in the arm. There’s also nice work from Maggie Gyllenhaal, injecting some life into the love interest, and Aaron Eckhart gets a rare opportunity to play against type as Harvey Dent. Altogether, there’s a lot more life in it than in the current incarnation of the franchise. You can catch Batman Begins at 10.45pm on Thursday, and The Dark Knight Rises on Saturday at 9.20pm, both on ITV.
Brian And Charles, 4.15pm, Film4, Saturday, May 9
If there’s one thing writers of British comedies love, it's a lonely eccentric and one of the more absurdly enjoyable creations in recent years is Brian (David Earl), who originally featured in a short film but who now gets top billing in this feature. Not unlike another British favourite, Wallace, he’s a bit of a crackpot inventor, except that he doesn’t have a side-kick… yet. It’s his loneliness that spurs him to make a robot (played by Chris Hayward) to be his friend. The result, which Jim Archer wraps up in a mockumentary, has a rambling charm as robot Charles starts out as a naif before fast-forwarding to those difficult 'teenage' emotions while also falling foul of local bad guy Eddie (Jamie Michie). The stand-out performance, however, is from Louise Brearley as Brian's potential love interest Hazel.
Chicago, 8pm, Sky Arts, Sunday, May 10
It’s worth keeping an eye on the schedule for Sky Arts – Freeview Channel 36 – as they quite often have interesting documentaries or films pop up on their schedule. Among them this week is Rob Marshall’s stylish adaptation of the Kander and Ebb musical. Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) and Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) are murderers on the same cell block hoping to get cut loose with the help of lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere). There are no-holds-barred theatrics as the musical numbers take us into the world of their imaginations and whether you go with this or not is probably going to be down to whether you like the songs and there’s no denying Zeta-Jones and Zellweger are fabulous on the hoof.
ET: The Extra-terrestrial, streaming now on ITVX
I’m including this, partly because it’s an excellent family film whenever you choose to watch it and partly because I was slightly scandalised to discover this week that it only has a 72% rating from the general public on Rotten Tomatoes. Don’t listen to the nay-sayers, this is an enduring classic. Steven Spielberg’s trademark focus on children's experience is present and correct, as he takes the camera down to their level. The kids are considerably more all right than the adults and their taking on the world of largely uncaring grown-ups when a friendship blossoms between Elliot (Henry Thomas) and the little man from outer space. The message of peace, love and understanding is surprisingly sugar-free thanks to Melinda Mathison's snappy script that shows a sharp ear for the knockabout interaction between kids.
This week’s short selection is the Oscar-nominated Night Ride, directed by Eric Tveiten. You can read more about his work on his Instagram.
