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| Arnold Schwarzenegger in his iconic role in Terminator 2: Judgment Day |
Bucking the general trend for sequels, this is a bullet-proof second entry in the franchise from James Cameron, which sees Arnold Schwarzenegger's unstoppable killing machine return from the future in order to help Sarah Connor (Linda Miles) protect her son (Edward Furlong) – who, as the story has it, will go on to save humanity. This time there’s another cyborg, the superior T-1000 (Robert Patrick), on the block, which has been sent to annihilate him. The film adds more humour to the mix while the bleeding-edge special effects used for the deadly, liquid metal T-1000 are still impressive more than three decades along the line.
Sisu, 9.30pm, Film4, Monday, May 11
Jennie Kermode writes: They say it's the kind of courage that exists when nothing else remains. The old man has long ago lost almost everything that mattered to him – and to nobody's gain, as it turns out, because the Nazis have lost the war, and are travelling across the lonely tundra trying to loot what they can and amuse themselves with captives until the last of their power is gone. The old man is up there with his horse, his dog, and the gold he has found. He looks like an easy target. That's not the kind of mistake anybody makes twice. His relentless struggle, first for survival, then to take back what belongs to him, makes for a gruelling yet gripping action movie, full of inventive and desperate measures. Made by the Rare Exports team and with the same deliciously bleak sense of humour, it's a shaggy dog story with plenty of punches before the punchline.
Inside Man, 9pm, Legend, Tuesday, May 12
Jennie Kermode writes: There are heist films about action and heist films about emotion, and then there are heist films set out as puzzles. Spike Lee uses elements of the first two to present the finest example of the latter yet made. We enter it after the bank vault has been breached, after the hostages have been released, yet nobody seems able to discover who the perpetrators were – nor quite what it was that they took. Most of the story plays out in flashback en route to a beautifully realised final twist. Lee dazzles the eye like a master magician so that even after you've watched the film several times you'll find it hard to catch everything, but it's all there, immaculately worked out, not just in terms of what happens inside the bank but also the complex interactions taking place on the outside. Most importantly, he makes room for character development within all this. Both on superb form, Denzel Washington and Clive Owen create one of those detective/master criminal conflicts that ultimately brings them closer to each other than to anyone else.
Three Days Of The Condor, 11pm, Legend, Thursday, May 14
One of a raft of conspiracy theory thrillers that came out in the wake of Watergate it features Robert Redford at the peak of his box office prowess. He turns up his smile to stun as the anti-establishment Joseph Turner, who works for a bookish CIA backwater and is out buying lunch when his team are targeted by a murder squad led by Max Von Sydow's Joubert and finds himself cut adrift from his higher ups and on the run. Although the plot is a bit on the clunky side compared to the best of the genre and a romance with Faye Dunaway is borderline laughable in places, there's decent spark between Redford and Sydow and a welcome ambivalence more modern movies too often shy away from.
Sirât, MUBI, streaming from Friday, May 15
To say too much about Oliver Laxe’s Sirât would be to spoil a film that never quite unfolds in the way you think it can and is happy to give a double punch to the solar plexus. The plot sees dad Luis (Sergi López), his young son (Brúno Nuñex) and dog Pipa travelling to raves in the middle of nowhere in search of his missing daughter. On the hunt, they hook up with a rag-tag bunch of ravers as they head for their next destination – a journey nobody will forget. Beyond the surprising twists and turns, this is a masterclass in craft, from the throbbing, pulsating score from Kangding Ray to the apocalyptic landscapes captured by Mauro Herce. It’s nothing if not a trip
Mamma Mia!, 6am, ITV, May 16
This week’s selection has been big on action and drama and low on froth, but this little number is going to change all that. It might be following a well-worn template of will-they-won’t-they romance but the peppy Abba songs and Greek sunshine help to sell Phyllida Lloyd’s slice of feel-good escapism. Meryl Streep is terrific as Donna, whose daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is about to get wed but is desperate to know who her dad is. That’s the cue for comic complications, of course, as she invites all three of her mum’s former lovers (Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård and Colin Firth) to her nuptials. There’s some fabulously stage numbers and, most importantly, the good time the cast are having proves infectious.
The Lord Eagle and Ága, streaming on Klassiki now
Periodically, I like to recommend something on a streaming service and Klassiki may not be one you’ve come across. It specialises in Eastern European cinema, both classic and modern, which means it’s got a ton of titles you’ll find it hard to get your hands on elsewhere. They offer a free seven-day trial, so worth a look – I should add that I am not getting any sort of kickback from them to say this! If you’re looking for a place to start, then I’d recommend these two. Both films are shot in the northern Russian region of Yakutia, all gorgeous open frozen vistas and sky. Ága is a patient and moving tale about an elderly couple Nanook (Mikhail Aprosimov) and Sedna (Feodosia Ivanova) who long for reconnection with their daughter Ága (Galina Tikhonova). The Lord Eagle, meanwhile, takes us back in time to the same region in the Thirties, where another couple, Nikifor (Stepan Petrov) and his wife (Zoya Oppous), encounter an unexpected guest.
This week’s short selection is Unliveable, directed by Enock Carvalho and Matheus Farias. The pair are currently working on feature A Margem Do Rio and you can follow what’s happening with that here and on Farias’ Insta.
