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| Diane Kruger reads from Lamarr's letters in Alexandra Dean's revelatory documentary Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story |
We've got a couple of suggestions for your "live" screening choice this week. Firstly, from left field, is a double delight from National Theatre Live. It took its production of Frankenstein - with Benedict Cumberbatch and Johnny Lee Miller putting in two performances in which they swap the roles of the doctor and his creature- into cinemas in 2011. Now you can watch Cumberbatch in the role of the creature from April 30 to May 7 and then catch Johnny Lee Miller in the role from May 1 to May 8 - for free. More details from the official site.
White Riot, Curzon Home Cinema, £4.99, Thursday, April 30
If you fancy a spot of more traditional filmmaking, then join Curzon Home Cinema for one of its regular Q&A screenings. This week White Riot director Rubika Shah will be dropping in for a chat about her feature debut documentary, which charts the beginnings of the Rock Against Racism movement. The film immerses us in the era that saw RAR rise to prominence against a backdrop of punk and anti-immigration rhetoric. Both a historic document and a call to action in the modern era. Read the full review here.
The live Q&A will begin at 8.30pm GMT with Curzon encouraging you to watch from home at 6.30pm. The film will be on the service from that morning.
Bombshell - The Hedy Lamarr Story - BBC iPlayer until May 23
It's a good week for streaming documentaries, with this little cracker available on the BBC iPlayer at the moment. Lamarr may be predominantly known for her acting career - and as the punchline to a running joke in Mel Brook's Blazing Saddles - but Alexandra Dean's comprehensive film also considers her contribution to the US war effort, through the development of technology and her lasting influence on everything from Catwoman to Snow White. Read our full review here and parts one and two of our interview with Dean.
God's Own Country, Film4 (Freeview Channel 14), 11.05m, Monday, April 26
Francis Lee's debut film charts the burgeoning relationship between young sheep farmer Johnny and Romanian hired hand Gheorghe who comes to help out with the lambing. A carefully crafted study of pent up anger and isolation slowing giving way to something else, Josh O'Connor and Alec Secareanu have chemistry to burn as the central pair. There's also great character acting support from Ian Hart and Gemma Jones as Johnny's no-nonsense dad and nan. Read our full review of the film here, plus interviews with Lee and O'Connor and Secareanu.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Talking Pictures TV (Freeview, Channel 81) Sunday, May 20
It might be the ultimate communal crowdpleaser, attracting audiences all over the globe to dress up as Tim Curry's Frank N Furter and throw rice at the screen and what you do in your own home at 1am on a Sunday is entirely up to you. Even if you don't decide to dress up and go the whole hog, Jim Sharman's film is still the perfect late-night repeat watch, as Brad and Janet (Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon) get more than they bargain for when they ask the residents of a strange house for assistance. Even if you decide not turn your living room into a rice and toast bombsite, you can still enjoy doing the Time Warp again. Read the full review here.
Paddington 2, BBC iPlayer, until May 9
There's just a few more days to catch this cuddly cracker over on the iPlayer and, even if you and your kids have watched the adventures of this small brown bear from Peru, break out the marmalade sandwiches and have a laugh all over again. Paul King's sequel sees our furry hero (voiced by Ben Wishaw) spend some time at Her Majesty's pleasure, alongside the almost equally furry Brendan Gleeson as the prison chef, and tackle bad guy Buchanan (Hugh Grant, in the form of his life). Every bit as good as the first instalment, if not, whisper it, even better. Read our full review here.
Locke, Film4 (Freeview Channel 14), 1.25am, Friday, May 1
Tom Hardy may have become a household name thanks to playing Bane in The Dark Knight Rises or the title role in Mad Max: Fury Road, but the actor also knows how to spot an interesting indie film part when he sees one. This taut drama, which took home a BIFA for best screenplay in 2013, makes a virtue of its limitations, focusing on a single drive by its leading character Ivan (Hardy) as he makes a series of phone calls from the wheel. As the stresses for his character mount - including work and home pressures - Hardy puts in a finely worked performance that grips from beginning to last. Read the full review here.
This week's short is especially for those missing their daily commute. DA Pennebaker's Daybreak Express invites you to hop aboard the New York subway for an early morning ride. "I wanted to make a film about this filthy, noisy train and it’s packed-in passengers that would look beautiful, like John Sloan’s New York City paintings," Pennebaker said, and he certainly achieves that. This film is pretty much the perfect marriage of soundtrack and visuals in my book, with Pennebaker's camerawork moving in harmony with the Duke Ellington soundtrack. Watch it and then watch it again, because I find once is never enough.
