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| Sean Penn in All The King's Men |
Unstoppable, 9pm, ITV4, Monday, January 23
The runaway train went down the track and she blew...up? Not if Denzel Washington’s genius engineer and his young apprentice (Chris Pine) have anything to do with it, but they really have their work cut out for them in this non-stop adrenaline-fuelled actioner by Tony Scott. While bureaucrats bicker over the potential cost of losing the train, their focus is on trying to avoid lost lives, which proves a lot more complicated aqnd precarious than logic would suggest. There are no big surprises here, but plenty of entertaining stunts.
Vesper, Netflix, Tuesday, January 24
Rising star Raffiella Chapman plays a teenager struggling to support her ailing father in a degraded future world, in this bold new work from Kristina Buozyte and Bruno Samper. When a crashed vessel from the nearby city provides an unexpected opportunity, Vesper embarks on a journey which will change her perspective on everything. The film is notable for looking beyond the expected collapse of ecosystems and economic systems as we know them, and imagining what not-so-distant future generations will have to contend with.
All The King's Men, 9pm, Great! Movies, Wednesday, January 25
A second screen adaptation of Robert Penn Warren’s novel (following Robert Rossen’s 1949 version), this ambitious political drama stars Sean Penn as a wholesome and charitable door to door salesman who is used as a stalking horse candidate in an election but outwits the people who hoped to exploit him and goes on to win. With power comes opportunity, however, and it’s all too easy to slide into corruption. Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Mark Ruffalo and James Gandolfini co-star.
The Post, 6:45pm, Film4, Thursday, January 26
Steven Spielberg may well pick up an Oscar this year for The Fabelmans so this is a great time to look back at one of his other outstanding works, his contribution to a growing body of impressive cinema centred on the scandalous behaviour of the Nixon regime. Cast against type, Meryl Streep is superb as the accidental newspaper owner faced with a decision which nothing in life has prepared her for, and there’s great support from Tom Hanks and Bob Odenkirk.
Thelma & Louise, 11:30pm, BBC1, Friday, January 27
Before blockbusters routinely had female leads – way back in 1991 – Ridley Scott broke the mould with this unabashedly feminist and free-spirited road movie. Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon play the two best friends taking a trip to get men out of their hair. When an accidental killing raises the stakes, they find themselves outlaws. Strong central performances are offset by thriller elements including some spectacular chase scenes, plus there’s a cameo from the young Brad Pitt.
The Croods, 4:20pm, ITV2, Saturday, January 28
They’re the not-so-modern Stone Age family, and if worrisome patriarch Grug (Nicolas Cage) gets his way, that’s how things are going to stay. The animated tale of a clash between father and daughter in a world where very real dangers lurk around every corner, from volcanoes to sabre-tooth cats, this isn’t altogether successful as a film, but it’s full of great little visual gags which children will love, so if you’re looking for something to keep the kids happy over the weekend, it’s a great choice.
Highlander, 11:50pm, Legend, Sunday, January 29
A French Canadian (Christopher Lambert) playing a Scotsman, a Scotsman (Sean Connery) playing a Spaniard, and Clancy Brown playing, well, Clancy Brown, with added leather-jacketed scenery chewing, this tale of inexplicable supernatural derring-do helmed by music video impressario Russel Mulcahey and scored by Queen, is one of a kind. It follows a centuries-long contest between immortals bent on chopping off one another’s heads in a quest to win something suspiciously like the internet. There’s action, romance, mystery and some unforgettable lines.
