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| Only The River Flows |
Only The River Flows, MUBI, streaming now
Bone dry humour is mixed with crime noir in Shujun Wei’s tale of a detective that begins to lose his mind. Ma Zhe (Zhu Yilong) is called in when an old woman – who becomes labelled “Granny Four” – is murdered. We witness the death from the killer’s perspective before Ma picks up the case, homing in on a tape found near her body and a “madman” she is said to have recently adopted. As the case evolves, Wei also makes terrific use of a derelict cinema Ma and his team have been relocated to. The plot is slippery, also involving trouble on the homefront, but if you’re the sort of person who likes mysteries that don’t easily resolve themselves then this is a twisty little treat that almost begs you to watch it again. Director Wei Shujun told us about the philosophy and psychology of the film.
Brooklyn, BBC4, 7.30pm, Thursday, May 15
John Crowley's achingly romantic drama charts the story of small-town Irish lass Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) who heads for a new life in New York and finds herself torn between the old and the new and between American Tony (Emory Cohen) and Irishman Jim (Domnhall Gleeson). With old-school romance pumping through its veins, fans of the genre will find this a pleasing indulgence that builds up a head of emotional steam. The film is also beautifully crafted, particularly in terms of the colour palette used by Odile Dicks-Mireaux in the costuming, which helps to underline the emotional transition of Crowley's heroine.
Pulp Fiction, ITVX, streaming now
Several of Quentin Tarrantino’s films are currently available to stream on ITV’s free service including this Palme d’Or winner. The deliberately pulpy plotlines that intersect feature a pair of petty criminals (Amanda Plummer and Tim Roth), a boxer (Bruce Willis) and, of course, killer duo Vincent and Jules (John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson). The hitmen’s boss (Ving Rhames) and his wife (Uma Thurman) and also thrown into Tarantino’s heady mix of comedy and violence. The running time might look long on paper but this moves at a pace and is fuelled by adrenaline, in more ways than one.
The Innocents, 11.10pm, Film4, Friday, May 16
There's a touch of The Midwich Cuckoos to the kids we encounter on a Nordic housing estate, with the sense of oddness only magnified by the bright summery setting. Ida (Rakel Lenora Fløttum) is less than sympathetic to her older sister Anna (Alva Brynsmo Ramstad), who has autism. That makes a friendship with the similarly aged Ben (Sam Ashraf) appealing... especially when he reveals he has special powers. Elsewhere on the estate Aisha (Mina Yasmin Bremseth Asheim) also has special abilities – including being able to talk to Anna. The sun stays bright but things turn dark for the kids in Eskil Vogt’s spinechiller, which is made all the more disturbing by the maintenance of the children's perspective.
Heat, 9pm, Legend Xtra (Freeview Channel 69), Saturday, May 17
Michael Mann's top notch thriller is as much a stone cold classic now as it was on release in 1995. It's achieved cult status since then, even inspiring the ultimate dissection – One Heat Minute, which you can read more about (and listen to) here. Propelled on release by the fact that it was the first time A-listers Robert De Niro and Al Pacino had shared the screen, it fortunately does not disappoint. Pacino takes on the role of serious career cop Vincent Hannah, who finds himself in a cat-and-mouse situation with De Niro's thief Neil McCaulley. There's a lot more to this than wham-bam action and with both actors - and their characters - at the top of their game, it's a riveting watch.
The Ugly Stepsister, Shudder, Sky Store, Apple TV and other platforms, streaming now
Jennie Kermode writes: Fairy tale reworkings come and go, with many offering little beyond a gory twist, but Emilie Blichfeldt's take on Cinderella has enjoyed festival success for a reason. Following the historically neglected character of the stepsister (Lea Myren), it looks at the extreme lengths that women often go to in order to manifest the beauty ideals on which the financial future of their families depend, along with the desperation that such dependency creates, and the way that some girls come to terms with all this by dressing it up in romantic delusions. These ideas take shape within an elegantly framed Gothic psychodrama, with gorgeous (and sometimes knowingly awful) costumes, wonderfully decaying sets and moments of deliciously dark wit. A web of tragedies from which barely anyone can escape, it's a piece of fiction with a lot to say about history and where we find ourselves today.
Juno And The Paycock, Plex, streaming now
Even though this is a long way from being peak Hitchcock, given that it's streaming free at the moment it’s worth a look for completists. It’s at least worth seeing for the central performance of Sara Allgood, who had already made the role her own in the stage version. She plays Dublin matriarch Juno, who has her work cut out trying to get by with little help from her workshy husband Jack (Edward Chapman), the “paycock/peacock” of the title. It’s also worth seeing for the presence of a very young John Laurie – who would become a household name years later as Dad’s Army’s Frazier – as a doomed youth and son of the household. The film also suffers from terrible racial stereotyping but it remains an interesting oddity that proves even great directors have to work to hone their craft.
This week's short is Questbound - Forbidden Ventures Of The Undead Soul by the Kitchen Knights collective.
