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| The Lion King Photo: ©2019 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
Hopefully, all our readers are enjoying a bit of a seasonal break right now - and what better time to catch a few good films on the telly? We hope you've enjoyed the last 12 months of recommendations and would like to wish you all a peaceful and happy 2024.
The Lion King, 5.05pm, BBC1, Boxing Day
Jon Favreau had already tackled a live-action remake of The Jungle Book to great acclaim when he took on Disney's version of Hamlet. It might not reach the heights of Mowgli and his crew but this is a faithful adaptation of the original - even if the term "live action" seems somewhat weird given that we're looking at CGI creations. Nevertheless, as with Jungle Book, these animals look the business, as we watch Simba (JD McCrary then Donald Glover) struggle with guilt over the death of his dad (James Earl Jones). Soon he finds himself taking on his evil Uncle Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor) with the help of pals Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) and Timon (Billy Eichner). A solid family watch for alongside those leftover turkey and nut roast sandwiches.
The Courier, 10.30pm, BBC2, Boxing Day
Originally screened at Sundance under the title Ironbark in January 2020, this well-appointed Benedict Cumberbatch spy thriller gives the British star an opportunity to take centre stage. His businessman Greville Wynne finds himself unexpectedly recruited as a civilian go-between after a Soviet colonel (Mirab Ninidze) tells the West he wants to help stop a nuclear war. What the film lacks in general spy-craft it makes up for in general relationship drama as the two men forge an unlikely friendship in a bid to change the course of history. That makes for a gripping watch as the pair come increasingly under threat.
The Commitments, 11.25pm, Channel 5, Boxing Day
Roddy Doyle's book about a Dublin soul band trying to make it gets an lively and very funny big screen outing courtesy of an adaptation by TV veterans Ian La Frenais and Dick Clement - who had a track record of producing working-class comedy courtesy of everything from, The Likely Lads and Porridge to Auf Wiedersehen Pet. The follows a certain formula of auditions, rehearsals and gigs that you might come to expect, the earthy humour coupled with a quick-paced approach from director Alan Parker transforms it into an energetic treat. The soundtrack, which became a huge hit, features the likes of Mustang Sally, Chain Of Fools and Take Me To The River.
Catch Me If You Can, 10pm, Channel 4, Wednesday, December 27
The true story of serial fraudster Frank Abagnale Jr is brought to the screen with panache and plenty of Sixties styling by Steven Spielberg. Leonardo DiCaprio turns up the charm to stun as Abagnale, making it easier to believe he managed to get away with as much as he did, including impersonating a doctor and an airline pilot. Tom Hanks has the less showy role here, as the FBI agent who will stop at nothing until he gets his man and brings nice comic touches to the part.
Inside Out, 11.30am, BBC1, Thursday, December 28
Fans of Beano comic strip The Numskulls will find themselves in familiar territory with this Pixar animation that takes us into the brain of a young girl to meet the personifications of her emotions. After a house move it's no surprise that there's a lot of conflict up there between Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear but when Joy and Sadness find themselves accidentally evicted from the brain 'control room' they must head on an abstract adventure to try to get back. As with Pixar's later Soul, there are quite a lot of existential adult themes at play here but Peter Doctor and Ronaldo Del Carmen strike a sweet balance that delivers whatever age you are.
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, 9pm, Thursday, December 28
Jennie Kermode writes: The Jumanji films began with a board game and despite the upgrade this one retains a lot of that spirit. It sees four friends transported into a game where the choices they make could have fatal consequences – or see them permanently trapped. There’s a great spirit of adventure here that will appeal to viewers of all ages, and likeable teenage characters well handled by the adult actors who play them inside the game make it easy to get on side. Entertaining action sequences are nicely balanced by jokes that everyone who enjoys games will appreciate.
Amazing Grace, 1.35am, BBC2, Friday, December 29
If you've enjoyed The Commitments on Boxing Day, treat yourself to this wonderful performance by the Queen of Soul. 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. 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. You can catch biopic Respect earlier in the evening (of the 27th) at 9pm.
The Wolf Of Wall Street, 11.05pm, ITV4, December 29
Leonardo DiCaprio grabs the excesses of his dodgy broker Jordan Belfort – on whose memoir this is based – with both hands as Martin Scorsese shoves us headlong into his life of Wall Street profligacy in all its forms. Belfort follows in the footsteps of the likes of Gordon Gekko, greedily grabbing whatever he can, from cash to coke along the way, while the screenplay from Terence Winter and DiCaprio's performance refuse to give him a single redeeming feature or moment of remorse, which is oddly refreshing for this sort of feature. Although some may find its length also tends towards excessive and those who dislike swear words won't last two minutes, there's no mistaking the bite of its satire.
Petite Maman, 2.25am, Channel 4, Saturday, December 30
Celine Sciamma's short but perfectly formed fable comes at its story from a child's perspective. After Nelly's grandma dies, the eight-year-old goes with her mum Marion (Nina Meurisse) to help clear her gran's house. There, while out in the woods, she comes across a young girl of the same age... whose name also happens to be Marion and who, it seems, lives in the same house, although a different route is taken to it. Stitched carefully together by mutual understanding, this is time travel at its most subtle, as Sciamma explores parent and child bonds, while also celebrating the energy and acceptance of childhood. Like her earlier film Tomboy, it's filled with perfect shared moments - from the children (played by twins (Joséphine and Gabrielle Sange) messily making crepes or sharing their hopes and fears to Nelly nibbling on a cheese puff like a rabbit, while occasionally feeding her mum one as she drives the car. This is a film full of autumnal colour and that feels built entirely from love.
Paddington 2, 6pm, BBC1, Saturday, December 30
Is it even Christmas these days, if we don't include one of Paul King's modern Christmas classics? And, unusually for a sequel, this is arguably even better than Padders' first outing. Our furry Peruvian hero (voiced by Ben Whishaw) spends some time at Her Majesty's pleasure after he is framed for theft, alongside the almost equally furry Brendan Gleeson as the prison chef, a situation that sees them team up to tackle bad guy Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant, in the form of his life). You can catch up with the first adventure on iPlayer if you fancy a beary special double-bill.
Saving Mr Banks, 2.20pm, BBC1, Hogmanay
It may not quite have the perky charms of Mary Poppins, but John Lee Hancock's tale of how PL Travers' tale made it to the big screen is worth a look, not least for its powerful central performances from Emma Thompson as the author and the ever-reliable Tom Hanks as Walt Disney. There's more than a spoonful of sugar added to this retelling but the friction between Travers and Disney offsets it and Thompson's unfussy approach cuts through a lot of the gloss. If you want to catch up with the original film, it's available on Disney+
The Producers, 10.50pm, BBC4, Hogmanay
Mel Brooks hit the ground running with this, his debut movie - originally slated to have the name Springtime For Hitler. The always larger than life Zero Mostel teams up with Gene Wilder, in only his second film role, as a producer and accountant who plan to make millions - providing their show is a complete flop. Brooks cleverly builds on the yawning gap between Wilder's mousy Bloom and Mostel's rambunctious Bialystock, while the sight gags and one-liners keep coming. The writer/director's imagination knows no bounds, racing from tiny asides to big band numbers while barely pausing for breath - all while taking a sideswipe at the unlikely duo of Broadway and the Nazis.
The Wizard Of Oz, noon, Channel 5, New Year's Day
We're not quite sure how this holiday classic has escaped being in our Stay-At-Home Seven before, but it seems very overdue. Perhaps it's because there are few who don't know the story of how Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) is whisked from monochrome Kansas to the eye-popping land of Oz, where she hooks up with a trio of unlikely heroes in a bid to find her way home. Weird facts about the film abound, not least that Toto (actually a female dog) got paid twice as much as the Munchkins. Still, this film remains fantastical and fabulous family viewing.
In The Heat Of The Night, 11.50pm, New Year's Day
Opening in US cinemas in the months before the assassination of Martin Luther King, Norman Jewison’s is and was a stinging exploration of racial tensions in the country wrapped around a satisfying murder-mystery. Sidney Poitier’s Philly cop Mr Virgil Tibbs finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time as he is passing through Mississippi. Briefly arrested for murder, he finds himself working alongside racist cop Chief Gillespie (Rod Steiger, who won an Oscar) in order to catch the reall killer. Beyond the central performances, which spark off each other like flint off stone, Jewison creates an atmosphere that suggests a community whose problems run much deeper than a single murder.
Our short selection this week is a smart horror from Andrew de Burgh, Just One Drink, which involves a New Year's Eve party with a twist
