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| Creed |
Forget Rocky, it's Sly Stallone who proved he was one of the ultimate comeback kids with his Golden Globe-winning supporting turn in Ryan Coogler's Rocky sequel. The story might be a new one - Apollo Creed's illegitimate son wants his dad's old rival to train him up - but it draws on elements of the original, including the inevitable climactic fight, without being slavish to them. Michael B Jordan is no lightweight in the acting department either and brings plenty of nuance to his character as he trains himself up at the same time as he strikes up a romance with his neighbour Bianca (Tessa Thompson), who is facing challenges of her own. Coogler takes this seriously - and so will you.
Knives Out, 4Seven, 9pm, Wednesday, November 27
Rian Johnson's whodunnit murder mystery is very much in the Agatha Christie vein - complete with a sprawling country pile and a star-studded cast. When an author (Christopher Plummer) is found dead just as his family have gathered to celebrate his 80th birthday, everyone, of course has a motive, and there's also an unexpected detective (Daniel Craig) in attendance. Johnson is basically having a lot of fun, not to mention the field day Craig has with his accent, and you are likely too as well, even if mystery veterans are almost certain to be able to take a stab at the outcome quite a long time before it arrives.
Manhunter, midnight, Wednesday into Thursday, BBC1
From its moody colour scheme to the chilling performance from Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecktor - a masterclass in moderation - Michael Mann's adaptation of Thomas Harris' novel is a compelling watch. Silence Of The Lambs might go on to be a splashier affair but there's a subtler and just as satisfying psychological interplay at work between William Peterson's damaged FBI agent Will Graham and Cox's manipulative murderer as Graham faces a race against time to discover the true identity of another killer, known as the Tooth Fairy. Although a film regular these days, this role marked a step up for Cox - recommended to Mann for the role by Brian Dennehy - who had mostly been confined to the small screen before then.
Brian And Charles, 9pm, Film4, Thursday, November 28
British absurdity is firmly to the fore in this tale of a lonely and - of course - eccentric inventor (David Earl) who creates a robot (played by Chris Hayward) to be his friend. The result, which Jim Archer wraps up in a mockumentary, has a rambling charm as robot Charles starts out as a naif before fast-forwarding to those difficult 'teenage' emotions while also falling foul of local bad guy Eddie (Jamie Michie). The stand-out performance here, however, is from Louise Brearley as Brian's potential love interest Hazel.
Planes, Trains And Automobiles, 10.50pm, Film4, Thursday, November 28
I'm always tempted to put this in whenever it turns up on the schedules but this classic road trip charmer is arriving right on time for Thanksgiving this year. The same, of course, might not be the case for its main characters. Steve Martin and John Candy have a ball as Neal Page and Del Griffith, two men who meet as they're heading home for Turkey Day. A classic mismatched pairing - Del is a slob who just wants to be loved while Neal views the other man as little more than a means to an end, with John Hughes carefully shifting our sympathies. They find themselves hitting the road after a snowstorm, leading to an all-you-can eat buffet of comic complications. Hughes had previously established a name for himself in teen comedies but he is right at home with the sort of arrested developed adulthood represented by Neal and Del. News about a remake with Will Smith and Kevin Hart seems to have gone quiet, perhaps it's better if some things never arrive...
Django Unchained, 9pm, Film4, Friday, November 29
Leonardo DiCaprio offers a masterclass in villainy as a brutal plantation owner in Quentin Tarantino's blaxploitation-inflected western - both traditional and spaghetti. DiCaprio's Calvin Candie comes up against Jamie Foxx's Django, a freed slave who is out to rescue his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). From its lavish period design to its snappy dialogue that eviscerates racism, Tarrantino holds nothing back whether he's laying out an intricate piece of back and forth or simply laying on the violence. The ensemble cast is also excellent, featuring Christoph Waltz on Oscar-winning form as an eccentric dentist-turned-bounty-hunter and Samuel L Jackson as Candie's "Uncle Tom"-like right-hand man. Read what Tarantino and DiCaprio said about the film here, plus Jackson's thoughts and more from DiCaprio on playing the villain.
Luzzu, 11.55pm, BBC2, Saturday, November 30
A Maltese fisherman finds himself caught between the pull of his traditional fishing life and wanting something better for his newborn son in this measured and moving drama from Alex Camilleri. Non-professional Jesmark Scicluna - who is a fisherman in real life - brings a soulfulness to his performance as the film shows how the cut-throat nature of the corporate end of the fishing market leads many to dance on the edge of the law as a matter of necessity as much as choice. Camilleri doesn't sugar coat the situation, laying it out calmly as the eyes of Osiris painted on the fishermen's boats, watch on. Alex Camilleri told us that while researching the film: " I could tell that there was this enormous kind of heartbreak beneath the surface." he hooks into that and brings it to light.
The short film selection will return next week
