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| Trolls |
Aliens, 9pm, ITV4, Monday, January
Charged with creating a sequel to Ridley Scott’s genre-defining surprise hit, James Cameron knew he couldn’t compete on the same territory, so he made a war film. In the process, he gave Sigourney Weaver the chance to build upon her already impressive heroine in a way that broke new ground and paved the way for every action heroine we see in Western cinema today. With great performances all round, a cracking script and some truly terrifying moments, Aliens remains every bit as thrilling today. Just remember that if they can’t hear you scream in space, your neighbours still can, so bear in mind the lateness of the hour and try not to get carried away.
Lola, 11:40pm, Film4, Tuesday, January
Two sisters in Forties England build a machine which can pick up radio broadcasts from the future in this underground indie hit, whose low budget is more than compensated for by the ideas and talent on display. 20th Century feminism, often treated reductively today, becomes a celebrated thing, but equally important are other aspects of cultural change which point the way to a more liberated and joyous existence – until the women’s secret schemes to support the war effort backfire, and a much darker world becomes possible. The simple but tightly woven story is considerably enhanced by Neil Hannon’s marvellous musical creations.
Thunderball, 9pm, ITV4, Wednesday, January
It may not be the biggest name in bond films, but Terence Young’s Thunderball contains many of the elements that made the franchise fun: a sinister scheme hatched by SPECTRE, a great set of gadgets and unusual vehicles, a stonking theme tune and, of course, Sean Connery. It also features one of the first ever cinematic sequences with a jetpack, plus a scene that pits 007 against sharks (and, due to an accident on set, allows viewers a glimpse of genuine terror in the process). There’s an underwater battle scene which stretched the limits of what was possible at the time and still looks good today, even if it’s a wee bit overlong, but as for the handling of nuclear missiles, well, don’t try it at home.
Zulu, 9pm, Legend Xtra, Thursday, January
In between the days of jingoistic adventure tales about the glory of the British Empire and the later, brutal admonishments of colonialism’s true legacy, there was Zulu. Launching the career of the young Michael Caine, it’s more successful as a drama than as a war film, but it properly gets inside the heads of the soldiers on each side of a clash of civilisations, as an isolated British unit makes a desperate last stand and a larger Zulu force recognises that even as it may win the battle, it’s losing the war. Stephen Dade’s cinematography gives it a stunning sense of scale, yet also captures something surprisingly delicate as, in opposition, the two groups develop mutual respect.
American Gangster, 9pm, 5star, Friday, January
One of Ridley Scott’s lesser-known works but a good deal better than anything he’s turned out recently, this 2007 film provides a gem of a role to Denzel Washington, whose character is loosely based on real life Harlem kingpin Frank Lucas. It charts his rise to power and the dogged pursuit undertaken by Russell Crowe’s stubbornly decent cop, finding parallels between the two which call deeper aspects of the society within which they live into question. The supporting cast is to die for and the world that Scott creates, in both New York and Chiang Mai, is beautifully detailed, giving it an authenticity and weight that makes the smallest actions matter.
Plan 9 From Outer Space, 12:35, Talking Pictures TV, Saturday, January
Was Ed Wood’s 1959 cult favourite the worst film ever made? We try to maintain a certain level of quality in our recommendations, and on this occasion, the alternative was Baz Luhrmann’s Australia. Plan 9 is, at any rate, a must for fans of horror legend Bela Lugosi, though sadly he died halfway through filming, which is why his character suddenly becomes shorter and starts walking around holding a cloak over his face. It’s little touches like this, the unlikely behaviour of the resurrected dead and the use of curtains for flying saucer airlocks that make this a charmer, a piece of cinema brought to life against the odds by a director whose love of the medium shone through even when talent did not.
Trolls, 4:25pm, ITV2, Sunday, January
As filmic inspirations go, toy ranges have historically fared little better than theme park rides, so the success of this simplistic but endearingly perky film is something special in itself. A lot of this is thanks to the vocal talents of Anna Kendrick, who gives the small, pink Princess Poppy the perfect balance of sweetness and feisty spirit. A party girl who has never really learned how to listen, Poppy is one of just a handful of her kind who manage to escape when a band of marauding ogres come looking for dinner, so she takes it upon herself to save the day in a quest that involves a heavy dose of rainbows, glitter and Eighties pop tunes. Even if you don’t think of yourself as that kind of person, it’s oddly likeable, and fun for viewers of all ages.
