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| War Of The Worlds |
War Of The Worlds, 9pm, Film4, Monday, March 21
Steven Spielberg's tense take on HG Wells' much-adapted novel, unsurprisingly transports the action to America and does what he does best by embedding it within a domestic context and one of his favourite frameworks, a fractured family. Dock worker Ray (Tom Cruise) is the epitome of A Bad Dad and if it's not worrying enough that his ex has just dropped his sullen teenage son Robbie (Justin Chatwin) and 10-year-old daughter Rachel (Dakota Fanning) off to stay, there's also the small matter of a highly violent alien invasion to deal with. Spielberg takes us on the run with Ray and his kids as he tries to keep them alive in the face of overwhelming odds. While there's no mistaking the hand of Spielberg here - from his clever use of lighting special effects - a trick that works as well now as it did with the likes of Close Encounters - to his attention to the perspective of children, writers David Koepp and Josh Friedman also retain the flavour of the Wells' original, including a cellar scene that sings with anxiety. The production design is also fantastic, from the sinister, almost body horror nature of the red weed to the tripod invaders with their sinuous snake-like probes. Read our full review.
The Elephant Man, 12.15am, BBC2, Tuesday, March 22, then on iPlayer
Some of David Lynch's wilder flights of fantasy, such as Inland Empire, may have proved tough going for some audiences, but this early feature from his back catalogue, made between cult classics Eraserhead and Blue Velvet offers plenty of mainstream appeal. It tells the tragic tale of John Merrick (played with great nuance under a lot of prosthetics by the late, great John Hurt). Hurt lost out in the Oscar race to Robert De Niro for Raging Bull, but he would have been just as worthy a winner, bringing a soulful anguish to his portrayal of the disfigured Merrick, who is rescued by surgeon Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins, in a similarly strong performance). Watch it and weep.
Manchester By The Sea, 11pm, BBC4, Thursday, March 24, then on iPlayer
Casey Affleck deservedly took home an Oscar for his intense central performance in Kenneth Longeran's film as Lee, a janitor who finds himself thrust back into his home town by the sudden death of his brother and given the guardianship of his nephew (Lucas Hedges matching Affleck step for step). Affleck's performance - which he told us he knew would be "a challenging and scary part" - allows the pain at the core of his character to shine out from beneath the gruffness as Longeran gradually lets his tragedy unfold with a graceful and effective sweep. Read our interview with Longeran.
Jaws, 9pm, Wednesday, March 23, ITV4
Sometimes stories built on simple ideas - in this case a deadly shark terrorising a seaside town - are the best. Forget sharks that arrive on tornados, tunnel through sand or ski over mountains - what you really want to know is, is it safe to go back in the water? Yes, Bruce, the animatronic shark here may show signs of age, but Steven Spielberg's film is still a masterclass of tension underpinned by John Williams' iconic score and given its staying power by its well drawn trio of central characters, played with intensity by Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider and Matt Hooper.
Amazing Grace, 10pm, BBC4, Friday, March 25, then on iPlayer
She was known as the Queen of Soul and I defy her performance here not to lift yours, whatever you do or don't believe in terms of faith. The story behind this is amazing in itself. Filmed all the way back in 1972, Sydney Pollack (They Shoot Horses, Don't They?) turned his hand to concert directing, something he wasn't used to and he was given the job over the more experienced James Signorelli, who was originally in the frame. Presumably due to inexperience, Pollack didn't use clapperboards - which help synchronise the sound with the picture, so he ended up with some 2,000 bits of film and no idea how they married to the music and that wasn't fixed until a technical team tackled it in 2008. Then they couldn't find the contract with Franklin for the release and, when they ultimately did, she challenged it. Finally, after her death, her niece Sabrina Owens approved it and here we are. And what a place to be! The fact there were so many cameras has become a virtue in hindsight as there's a real sense of energy about the whole enterprise, Franklin's powerful performance somehow magnified more by the fact she's so quiet in between times. It's truly intimate because of the church setting and the fact that the crowd act not like music fans but in the way of a gospel congregation, jumping up to join in or euphorically clapping along. You feel both the warmth of her room and the heat of her spirit - cinema at its most joyful. If you get into the Aretha groove, also look out for short tribute doc Aretha Franklin: Respect, screening the next day on BBC2 at 8.05pm.
Spider-man: Homecoming, 10.35pm, BBC1, Friday, March 25, then on iPlayer
One of the more successful reboots of the Marvel universe, Tom Holland's Spidey is a likeable lad, with this entry in the franchise striking an enjoyable balance between crime-fighting/world-saving element and coming-of-age themes. Director Jon Watts steps up from the rock-bottom of Cop Car to CGI Central with the skill of a director (and co-writer) who remembers no matter how much web slinging or exploding is going on, character must come first. Holland, a younger actor than previous incarnations, finds it easier to slip under the skin of the teenager, while the supporting cast all make their mark, with Marisa Tomei, as Peter's Aunt May again reminding the world what a travesty is she doesn't get cast front and centre more often.
Photograph, 10pm, BBC4, BBC4, Saturday, March 26, then on iPlayer
Romance blooms across the class divide thanks to a camera in Ritesh Batra's slow-burn drama. The camera in question belongs to Rafi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), a street photographer struggling to make ends meet in Mumbai. One day he takes a snap of rich young woman Miloni (Sanya Malhotra), using it to concoct a story of romance for the gran pressuring him to wed. It's a clever set-up that sees him end up convincing Miloni to play along for the day - after which things get complicated. Batra carefully constructs his film around a strong sense of longing - from the simple pleasures of kulfi to the prospect of a fresh start. Warm hearted and generous to its characters, his film builds to a moving climax. "Every movie you make, you learn something more about yourself and about the business," Batra told us, you can read more of that interview here.
You'll have to pop over to Vimeo to log in and watch this week's short selection, Narrow Gauge, about a couple struggling to get pregnant who are haunted by a rat in the walls.
