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| Pokemon Detective Pikachu Photo: Warner Bros |
Pokemon Detective Pikachu, Netflix
They once had the slogan: "You gotta catch them all!" - and there's a fresh chance to catch this one on Netflix this month. Enjoyably reminiscent of the likes of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Zootropolis, it sees the estranged son of a detective forced to team up with his dead dad's Pikachu to find out the truth of what has happened. Cue fun with the usual detective tropes and some added laughs courtesy of the humans' various Pokemon partners, not least a Psyduck, whose head threatens to explode every time it gets stressed - we've all been there. The film hits that sweet spot of having plenty of parent appeal - Ryan Reynolds riffing as cuddly Pikachu, like a PG-rated Deadpool, nicely worked gags playing on the detective stuff, plus lots for kids and nostalgia fans who will know before it is 'revealed' in the film what each of the Pokemon's special powers are. The story is occasionally a bit on the scrappy side but there's plenty of humour and action to keep it on the rails. Read our full review
Deadpool, 9pm, Film4, Tuesday, November 23
If Pokemon: Detective Pikachu has put you in the mood for Ryan Reynolds' wisecracking, then he has, arguably, the best time anyone has had in a superhero suit as the mercenary at the heart of Tim Miller's comic book caper. Subversive and slick, this origin story sees Reynolds' Wade Wilson being subjected to the rogue experiment that leads to his super-healing powers but you're here for the banter not the plot as Reynolds deftly delivers snark carefully crafted snark by scriptwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, merrily skewering action cliches as they zip and zap across to time frames with ease. It's testimony to just how good Reynolds is at this that, by the end, you won't just be laughing, you'll care about what happens. Read our full review here.
Iorram - Boat Song, BBC iPlayer until next month
Jennie Kermode writes: A tribute to the rich culture of the Hebrides and an important archive as traditional ways are threatened by climate change and external economic forces, Iorram is a film built out of songs and the rhythms of island life. It's a Gaelic language work full of details of day to day life past and present, with a ready wit and a seemingly endless supply of stories. Some tell of fabulous beasts; some are laments for unlucky children or men lost at sea. Others are tales of trickery and mischief, of unlikely escapades and of the strangeness of the world discovered by those who had cause to venture south. These are not old relics but a living, evolving part of life in the isles, and Alastair Cole's film illustrates them with a mixture of archive footage and stunning present day photography, capturing a place dominated by an ever-changing sea. If you know something of this culture, you'll find the film a delight. if you don't, it will really open your eyes. Read our full review.
Sauvage, 1.10am, Film4, Friday, November 26
Jennie Kermode writes: A very direct, immersive picture of life on the fringes of society, this film is notable for its incredibly raw, vulnerable central performance. Félix Maritaud plays Léo, a young man who is homeless, in poor health and probably illiterate, who sleeps where and when he can and scrapes a living through sex work, immediately spending his earnings on the food he desperately needs or the drugs which, for a short while, make him feel okay. His most serious problem is loneliness, and it doesn't help that he's hopelessly in love with a friend who cannot return his affections. Director Camille Vidal-Naquet shows an understanding of this type of sex work that is vanishingly rare onscreen. Most of the men Léo meets are perfectly pleasant to him, but for them it's just a brief transaction, money for services, and their total lack of interest in who he is as a person wounds him every time. Can he recognise the affections of the young man who longs for him before he self-destructs? Following his chaotic life over the course of a few days, Vidal-Naquet reminds us of the underclass which exists in most of our cities, largely out of sight and, all too often, out of mind. Read our full review.
Parasite, 10pm, Channel 4, Saturday, November 27
Jennie Kermode writes: Following the exploits of the scheming Kim family as they inveigle themselves into the lives of the wealthy Parks through various acts of deception, Bong Joon-ho's witty social satire is far more astute than it might seem at first glance. Though it plays out as a farce - often hilariously - it's anything but superficial, teasing out the complexities of South Korea's class system while asking viewers to reflect on the construction of morality and how much easier it is to be nice if one never has to struggle. A sharp analysis of privilege acknowledges that the Parks are, to an extent, innocents, simply benefitting from a system which they understand even less, and Bong carefully balances our sympathies en route to a spectacular final act. While his arguments might not be new, they're assembled in a way that is both elegant and succinct, and they never distract from the human side of the story or its increasingly dark humour. As a director, he shifts registers with ease to reflect traditional Korean techniques used in depicting poverty whilst making the Parks' world look like a series of glossy high-end advertisements. The film is a superb example of craft applied for a purpose. Read our full review.
The Third Man, BBC iPlayer until next month
Carol Reed's stone cold classic is worth catching no matter how many times you've seen it - even if you are likely to have Anton Karas' zither-led Harry Lime Theme in your head for a week afterwards. It boasts a sharp script from Graham Greene (with notable additions from Orson Welles) and a plot that feels as off-kilter as Robert Krasker's camera angles, as Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton), an old friend of recently deceased Harry Lime (Welles), finds himself increasingly suspicious as to what has caused his pal's death. As the black market and grey morality begin to come to the fore, you're likely to find yourself gripped by this noir again and again. Read our full review.
Silent Running, 1pm, Horror Channel, Wednesday, November 24
This sweet little slice of measured science fiction considers an Earth that has been left without plant life due to ecological disaster - something that has come much more sharply into focus since Douglas Trumbull's film was made in 1972. Bruce Dern plays Freeman Lowell, who is charged with looking after one of the last remaining biodomes of plant life and finds himself holding out against an instruction to destroy the thing he cares about most. Although some parts of it, and in particular, the music, have not dated well, this is beautiful to look at and crafted around the character of Freeman and his determination to preserve something for the future at the same time as trying to battle his own isolation with the help of his cute service drones Huey, Dewey and Louie. Read our full review.
This week's short, In A Pig's Eye, directed by sees porcine problems on a farm
わからないブタ（和田 淳） / In a pig's eye (Atsushi WADA) from GEIDAI ANIMATION on Vimeo.
