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| Porcelain War Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute |
Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev’s Oscar-nominated documentary considers resistance by the artistic community in Ukraine as they strive to protect their culture at the same time as repelling the Russian invasion on the ground. A film that is as in touch with nature as it is with craft, it shows Leontyev and his life partner Anya Stasenko working in tandem to create delicately painted porcelain creatures, both mythical and real. The artworks are shown to give those on the frontline a much-needed boost in a film that while acknowledging the constant threat of war also celebrates courage in the face of it.
Beast, 9pm, Film4, Wednesday, September 3
Baltasar Kormákur's safari thriller is a beast of a B-movie, lifted by Idris Elba's central performance as Dr Nate Samuels. He is on a trip to South Africa with his teen daughters Mere (Iyana Halley) and Norah (Leah Jeffries). It's a homecoming of sorts, in that their late mother was from the region, but it's also intended as a bonding jaunt since Nate and their mother were separated. It's the male of another pack they'll soon be concerned with – an injured lion which, because this is that sort of story, is out for vengeance. Even if Nate's mate Martin (Sharlto Copley) is on cuddling terms with a pair of lions he raised from cubs, the film soon shows its teeth. Kormákur's direction is workmanlike, and the action sequences, once they start, do keep on coming, even if much of it is on the silly side. Not exactly a roaring success but a solid piece of undemanding popcorn cinema.
Force Majeure, streaming for free on Curzon courtesy of Volvo
I would not have put money on a partnership between Curzon and a Swedish car-maker but here we are and, good news, you can watch Force Majeure for free using the code VOLVOFILM. It’s the sort of typically dark fare we’ve come to expect from Ruben Östlund, which charts the fallout from a father’s, Tomas (Johannes Kuhnke), split-second decision while he’s on a skiing trip with his wife Ebba (Lisa Loven Kongsli) and their kids. Some of the dialogue is on the theatrical side but the way that tensions can trickle down through families is well realised and there’s also some nicely worked black comedy. Curzon is running a whole series of films in conjunction with this partnership, featuring everything from Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries to Lukas Moodysson’s energetic coming-of-age tale We Are The Best!
Bridge Of Spies, 10.40pm, BBC1, Wednesday, September 3
Spy-swapping might sound like a study of bureaucratic and dusty dullness on paper but Steven Spielberg soon banishes those fears in this Cold War thriller that throbs with tension. The director also brings characteristic humanistic warmth to the material. Tom Hanks, who almost always feels born to play his roles, takes on another cracker here, as insurance lawyer James Donovan. He finds himself called in to defend a Russian spy (Mark Rylance) and becomes, by baby steps, involved in a prisoner exchange. His well-calibrated everyman is matched, step-for-step by Rylance's wryly enjoyable performance. Spielberg, meanwhile, finds delight in detail and again proves he's a master craftsman by keeping things pacy and taught despite the story's sprawling timeline and complexity.
Bowling for Columbine, 11pm, Sky Documentaries, Wednesday, September 3
It’s more than 20 years since Michael Moore took a deep dive into US gun culture but his film is just as relevant in the modern world when you consider that the recent tragedy in Minneapolis was America’s 44th school shooting this year. Moore always puts himself in the picture, of course, but he does so to particularly good effect here as he asks questions which may seem unassuming but often result in revealing answers. One gun fan notes: "When the government gets too radical, it is your duty to overthrow it", which takes on an extra level of relevance when you consider the events of the attack on the US Capitol in 2001.
Friends With Benefits, 1.10am, Film4, Thursday, September 4
I’m conscious of this week’s selection being a bit on the heavy side so for those who want a bit of escapism this smart rom-com should do the trick. Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis prove a likeable pairing as art director Dylan and headhunter Jamie. The two strike up a friendship that evolves into a physical relationship which, in keeping with the film’s title, they pledge to ensure will have no strings attached. This, of course, is easier said than done but the team of writers, for the most part, take a clear-eyed, sparky approach and if it does stray towards formula in the end, they can hardly be blamed for giving the audience what they want.
Starship Troopers , 12.25am, ITV4, Friday, September 5
Jennie Kermode writes: Unfairly dismissed for the first two decades of its existence, Paul Verhoeven's slick satire, (very) loosely based on Robert A Heinlein's Farmer In The Sky, was perhaps just a bit too good at its job for most people to realise what it was doing. It's presented as a propaganda piece by the fascist Earth authorities sending younger and younger kids to a frontline with a life expectancy of four and a half minutes as they pursue a ruthless war of conquest against an interspecies alliance of assorted giant bugs. Patriotic human heroes try to navigate all the usual challenges of adolescence while caught up in a campaign they have no hope of understanding, and as in his earlier film Robocop, Verhoeven uses adverts, trailers and other sly asides to show us the bigger picture. Do you want to know more?
This week’s short selection is My Eyes Are Up Here, directed by New Zealander Nathan Morris – which you can watch for free over on Vimeo. You can read more about his work at getnathan.com.
