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| Good Night And Good Luck |
ITV's free streaming service continues to serve up a selection of quality films, including this black and white dissection on 1950s journalism. It marked the second time George Clooney had sat in the director's chair for a feature after Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind and proved he was a force to be reckoned with, netting six Oscar nominations. The screenplay, written by Clooney and Grant Heslov, charts the real-life on-air clash between Senator Joseph McCarthy and early broadcast journalist Edward R Murrow (David Strathairn). Although a historical drama the film had plenty to say about the current affairs of the period in which it was made and arguably also reflects America's recent Trumpian moment. With its impeccably presented adult themes and strong performances from a heavy-weight ensemble cast including Patricia Clarkson, Robert Downey Jnr and Frank Langella.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day, 9pm, ITV4, Monday, August 21
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 will go on to save humanity from - from another cyborg 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.
Bringing Out The Dead, 11pm, Talking Pictures TV (Freeview channel 82), Tuesday, August 22
Nicolas Cage’s performances don’t always match the material he is given but he fits like a hand inside a surgical glove into this film, which sees writer Paul Schrader reteam with Martin Scorsese. Cage plays paramedic Frank as a man who is so close to the edge, he may well already be over it. Although it didn’t attract the same critical heat as some of Scorsese’s other films, I think it’s one of his best, with New York, as in Taxi Driver, is a hell mouth and Frank is dancing on the brink.
Benedetta, 11.15pm, Film4, Sunday, August 27
Jennie Kermode writes: In recent years, Paul Verhoeven’s impressive outsider work has finally begun to garner mainstream acclaim, and this vividly crafted historical drama has already enjoyed considerable success on the festival circuit. Whilst much of the curiosity around it centres on it being a lesbian nun film, there’s a lot more to it than that, as it dramatises the story of a woman who may have been a con artist and may have been a saint – or both – but certainly understood power, and proved to be better at wielding it than almost anyone around her, defending a city from the plague and even taking on the might of the Inquisition. Verhoeven blurs reality with the fantasy world of his heroine’s imagination and the vivid erotic imagery of Medieval conventional writing.
Medusa Deluxe, MUBI, streaming now
If you missed this film when it had a blink-and-you'll-miss-it release in cinemas you can now catch up with it on MUBI, which is currently offering a month's subscription for a quid. Thomas Hardiman's debut is edited to give the appearance of a single-take as a murder mystery unfolds backstage at a hairdressing contest. After a stylist is found dead, gossip abounds and Hardiman makes good use of a strong ensemble cast as his tale of rivalries and complicated relationships unfolds, captured with fluid grace by cinematographer Robbie Ryan. Clare Perkins as a no-nonsense stylist working on a baroque barnet is the standout.
The Water Horse, 3.55am, Great! Movies (Freeview channel 34)
This family charmer which transports Dick King-Smith's tale of a young boy who befriends a creature from a magical egg to the big screen is showing at a very family-unfriendly hour but worth setting the record button for. Alex Etel, who was also fabulous in family film Millions, is terrific as the film's young lead and the Water Horse, named Crusoe, is well-realised. This is a gentle tale but one which builds an emotional but unsentimental resonance and is bolstered by strong support from Emily Watson, Brian Cox and Ben Chaplin.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife, streaming now on Netflix
An attempt to hit the reset button on the Ghostbusters franchise, this outing is set in the wake of the death of Egon Spengler (played in the original film by Harold Ramis, who died in 2014 and to whom this is dedicated). His estranged daughter Callie (Carrie Coon) takes her kids Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) to the dilapidated 'dirt farm' where he lives in the hope of easing her own debt. Soon the practical Phoebe befriends supernatural nerd Podcast (Logan Kim) and Trevor finds the good old Ectomobile in a shed. Soon they're all taking on something suspicious in the local mineshaft. Although the action elements work, the ironic humour that coated the original films is missing and director Jason Reitman lays the nostalgia on thick. Still it's an enjoyable enough way to spend a couple of hours and is a much more squarely family film than its predecessors.
This week's short selection is Nick Cross' Yellow Cake. He continues to work in the industry, most recently as a character designer for series Tig N' Seek
