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| Clockwise from top left: Back To The Future Part III, Despicable Me 2, Sabrina, Moonage Daydream |
Back To The Future, 2.40pm, BBC1, Monday, December 29
There's a positive feast of Marty McFly this week on the Beeb, with the sequel following on Tuesday at 2.50pm, while the third can be watched at 2.50pm on Hogmanay. In the first instalment Marty (Michael J Fox) finds himself on a mission to the Fifties to make sure his parents fall for one courtesy of his mate Doc Brown’s (Christopher Lloyd) Delorean. Robert Zemeckis' immersive visual storytelling, including an opening scene that required 20 clock wranglers, sharp characterisation and universal parent and kid themes have ensured its lasting appeal. Mary Steenburgen's supporting turn in the Wild West-set third instalment is also a treat.
Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2 and Minions, starts 7.05pm, BBC3, Monday, December 29
There's more back-to-back family entertainment on offer in the evening courtesy of Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell) and his crew of yellow sidekicks. Proving, not for the first time that bad guys have more fun, the first instalment revolves around the arch-thief taking on new villain on the block Vector (Jason Segel) not to mention three orphans who land on Gru's doorstep. The arc for adults - about Gru learning to be a dad - is sweet but it's the inventive minion malarkey and general Looney Tunes madcap sensibility that hold the real draw for all generations. The second instalment sensibly serves up more of the same and, if Minions is slightly more hit and miss, it's still pretty diverting compared to a lot of also-ran animation on the box over Christmas.
Murder On the Orient Express, 8pm, Channel 4, Monday, December 29
Is it even the festive season if you haven't watched an Agatha Christie adaptation or two? While Albert Finney's turn in the 1974 adaptation of the tale of a mysterious death on a train is much loved, there's plenty to be said for Kenneth Branagh's reimagining, although the moustache is sports as the Belgian sleuth is a crime in and of itself. Otherwise, this is a pretty polished version, with the fluid camerawork from Haris Zambarloukos notable, especially considering the confined quarters of the train. The cast, as you would expect from a Christie adaptations, has the plush feel of a pullman carriage, and features Daisy Ridley, Michelle Pfeiffer, Willem Dafoe and Johnny Depp.
Rear Window, 4.10pm, BBC2, Tuesday, December 30
Alfred Hitchcock explored the notion of shared voyeurism in this Oscar-nominated thriller that sees James Stewart's housebound photographer LB "Jeff" Jefferies become obsessed with viewing his neighbours through a lens. We look at what Jeff looks at and see what he sees as he begins to suspect a neighbour (Raymond Burr) of murdering his wife. Set in the confines of Jeff's apartment in the oppressive heat of summer, Hitchcock - who had already proved he could make a virtue of the confines of a single set in Rope - imbues his film with the claustrophobia of dead air on a scorching day. Each of the characters Jeff spies on are perfectly drawn, so that we feel we're watching a whole world of stories as he bounces his theories of his nurse (Thelma Ritter) and girlfriend (Grace Kelly). The tension, like the heat, never slackens and Hitch's moniker as the "master of suspense" has rarely been more fitting.
The Proposition, 9.05pm, Talking Pictures TV, Tuesday, December 29
John Hillcoat's revenge drama - written by Nick Cave, who also wrote the score with Warren Ellis - is a bleak portrait of 1880s Australia. There a lawman (Ray Winstone) gives criminal Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) a stark choice - hunt down and kill his outlaw older brother Arthur (Danny Huston) in order to spare his younger brother Mikey (Richard Wilson) from hanging. Mikey, incidentally, is due to face the noose on Christmas Day, making this an unusual choice of 'festive fare' Uncompromising in terms of its approach to the outback of the period, Cave's film has a rich moral complexity and the performances, including from John Hurt and Emily Watson, are great across the board.
Marcel The Shell With Shoes On, 9.35am, BBC1, Hogmanay
Jennie Kermode writes: Initially rising to fame through a couple of YouTube shorts, Marcel, the titular shell, who is very much as described, was so widely adored that film stardom came to seem like the natural next step, and yet it's notoriously difficult to turn such a neat little idea into a full length feature. That Dean Fleischer-Camp has managed to do so, remain true to the spirit of the originals and keep audiences engaged throughout is no small feat. He has done so by presenting the film as a documentary, in which, having encountered Marcel in the Airbnb where he's staying after a break-up, he proceeds to tell his story and to help his lonely friend try to reconnect with his lost family. There's a bit of a Borrowers aspect to it as the little shell explains how he makes use of the various small objects he finds around the house, and a persistent sweetness with just enough sly humour to prevent it from becoming saccharine. The film is constantly inventive and beautifully performed. Viewers of all ages will find themselves smitten with its small star.
West Side Story, 1.10pm, BBC1 Hogmanay
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is expertly transported to New York in Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's musical. Running on the vibrant energy of its cast, including Natalie Wood as Maria and Richard Beymer as Tony, and with considerable directing flair from Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise and the beautiful mood shifting of its songs, from the spiky America and expectant Tonight to the romantically yearning Somewhere. If you're looking for more background on this 10 Oscar winner, Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided To Go For It dropped recently on Amazon Prime and is well worth a look.
Sabrina, 7pm, Sky Arts, New Year's Day
Billy Wilder's romantic comedy is a rags-to-riches treat. It stars Audrey Hepburn as a chauffeur's daughter who falls for a wealthy playboy (William Holden), who, after a transformational spell in Paris starts to be accidentally wooed by his elder brother (Humphrey Bogart). The 29-year age gap between Humph and Hep might not have aged too well but there's still plenty of spring in this film's step thanks to the performances and sharp scripting from Wilder.
Stardust, 6.25pm, ITV2, Friday, January 2
Charlie Cox stars as a young man who pledges to go on a quest into the neighbouring magical realm for a falling star in a bid to the heart of local lass Victoria (Sienna Miller). The star, it turns out, is not a lump of rock but a young girl (Claire Danes) who is being hunted by the evil Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) for her heart. Although there's a lot going on, including a fight for succession of the kingdom, it's never hard to follow and there's any number of excellent actors popping up as the tale zips along - including Robert De Niro, Mark Strong and Ricky Gervais. Humour, meanwhile, is deftly employed while retaining the general epic fantasy spirit. If you like The Princess Bride, then this is for you.
Operation Mincemeat, 9pm, BBC2, Friday, January 2
Solid and well-appointed drama about how the British intelligence service came to use a dead body in a bid to fool the Nazis. Ewen Montagu (Colin Firth) is seconded to intelligence alongside RAF lieutenant Charles Cholmondeley (Macfadyen) to hatch the elaborate plan as a love triangle subplot involving an MI5 clerk (Kelly Macdonald) also evolves. Despite feeling slightly laboured in places, this is mostly a fascinating retelling of an extraordinary real-life episode in the Second World War.
The Damned Don't Cry, 11pm, BBC2, Friday, January 2
There's a double character study at the heart of Fyzal Boulifa's Moroccan-set drama as he charts the tricky relationship between Fatima-Zahra (Aïcha Tebbae) and her son Selim (Abdellah El Hajjouji). Travelling from place to place while trying to make ends meet, a visit to Fatima-Zahra's father proves to be a turning point. Boulifa is tuned into the class-hierarchy the pair are up against, while retaining his focus on the emotions of mother and son as they ebb and flow even as the pair are tossed about on the rough currents of modern life.
Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood, 11.45pm, Film4, Friday January 2
Jennie Kermode writes: Quentin Tarantino is in his element as he delivers an alternative history of Hollywood which nevertheless cuts close to the bone in places, following faded TV star Rick (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his unlikely stunt double Cliff (Brad Pitt) as they attempt to navigate a rapidly changing industry whose Golden Age is in decline. Margot Robbie shines as Sharon Tate, capturing the unfortunate actress’ vivacity and curious naivety in a way which it’s hard to imagine any other actor doing, and there are also great supporting turns from Daniel Day Lewis and Al Pacino. That it’s overlong and overindulgent should go without saying, but even so, there’s a good deal for fans to enjoy.
Moonage Daydream, midnight, Sunday into Monday, January 3
One of the best documentaries of 2022, Brett Morgan's immersive consideration of David Bowie's music is a kaleidoscopic joy. The documentarian brings the musician's life and canny knack of reinvention alive thanks to a well-assembled archive that includes plenty of observations from the man himself. While not giving the music short shrift, the film also opens out into a consideration of Bowie's other artistic endeavours. Although there's no doubt the showmanship is a little reduced by the transfer from the big to small screen this is a cracker that allows Bowie to tell his own story, while illustrating it beautifully.
We're returning to spot of voyeurism for this week's short. Marshall Curry's Oscar-winning short The Neighbor's Window sees a husband and wife become fascinated by the lives of a younger couple who live across the street. Curry has gone on to make features, including The New Yorker at 100, which is now available on Netflix.
The Neighbors' Window - Oscar®-Nominated Live Action Short Film from Marshall Curry Productions on Vimeo.
