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| Dead Of Winter |
Emma Thompson might not have been nominated this awards season but she’s as nuanced as ever in this snowbound thriller, even if she is a cut above the material itself. She plays widow Barb, who while on a mission to take his ashes to their final destination at a lake they both loved. With the winter closing in, she stumbles on a bungled kidnapping and finds herself on an unexpected mission to save the hostage (Laura Marsden). Thompson makes a great ageing action hero, full of resourcefulness, although Judy Greer doesn’t get much to work with as the villain. The film also suffers from an overdose of sentiment but Thompson’s performance and great cinematography mean there could be a lot worse ways to spend an evening.
Predator, 10pm, 4seven, Wednesday, February 25, also available to stream on All4.com
Jennie Kermode writes: An iconic Arnold Schwarzenegger movie from the star's Eighties heyday, this initially modest, low-budget sci-fi actioner created a remarkable legacy and remains just as much fun to watch today. That's largely testament to the directorial skills of John McTiernan, whose stunning action scenes and control of suspense make it gripping throughout. As in Die Hard, which he made the following year, McTiernan plays with the muscular action man trope whilst having fun at the expense of macho values, striking the perfect balance for a story which riffs on The Most Dangerous Game, already a well established theme in cinema. Arnie leads a group of mercenaries who are hunted through the jungle by a brilliantly camouflaged alien foe. Outgunned and outmanoeuvred at their own game, depending on a local woman to make sense of events, they are picked off one by one until it becomes clear that brains as well as brawn offer the only hope of survival. There's inspirational technology, horrific mutilation, mud wrestling, some stonking tunes and all the gunfire you can eat.
Proxima, 1.45am, Film4, Thursday, February 26
Anne-Katrin Titze writes: Eva Green (César nomination Best Actress) plays Sarah, an astronaut preparing for her first spaceflight. She is very close to her little daughter Stella (Zélie Boulant) who will stay with ex-husband (Lars Eidinger) in Germany while she trains in Russia and is put in quarantine. It is extraordinary what Alice Winocour includes and what she doesn’t show, thus rewriting how astronaut movies could be and mostly aren’t. A small moment, when Stella’s cat Laika tries to get its head into a pitcher of water is spectacularly realistic and funny. It foreshadows the space helmets to come, it also points to the tremendous and legitimate fears the little girl has about her life being turned upside down. Dad has a cat allergy and Mom is taking the great leap of leaving Earth. Casual sexist comments by Sarah’s captain (Matt Dillon) besides the gruelling physical practice and the emotional toll of being so far from her child, add up and show the extraordinary feat it is for Sarah to reach her dream and the stars.
Scrapper, 11pm, BBC2, Friday
Lola Campbell is terrific in the central role of Georgie in Charlotte Regan’s upbeat and inventive coming-of-age tale. Georgie’s looking after herself in the wake of her mother’s death, convincing social services someone is looking after her while nicking bikes to make ends meet. But when her estranged dad (Harris Dickinson) shows up, the pair start to form a tentative bond. Regan vibrantly shows how Georgie’s imagination takes flight in a well-acted drama that carries surprising emotional heft without succumbing to kitchen sink grimness.
LOLA, 2.25am, Film4, Saturday, February 28
Jennie Kermode writes: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.
The Simpsons Movie, 12.25pm, Channel 4, Saturday, February 28
Jennie Kermode writes: It took 18 years for Homer and family to make it to the big screen, and fun though it is to watch their misadventures as he inadvertently pollutes Springfield’s water supply and the town is subsequently enclosed in a protective dome, it’s understandable that some people got overexcited to the point of inevitable disappointment. As an interesting aside, it got banned in Burma. The issue was one which the animators could not have anticipated: too much use of the colour yellow next to the colour red. This was associated with rebel groups in the country and it was feared that the film could incite unrest.
The Criminal, 9pm, Legend Extra, Sunday, March 1
Career crook Johnny Bannion (Stanley Baker) might be on the inside, but he has no plans to go straight as his release date nears and is already planning his next job in between locking horns with warder Barrows (Patrick Magee). On the outside, meanwhile, he becomes a target. Joseph Losey crafts a tense thriller and is particularly good when it comes to exploring the prison hierarchy. Great sound design also taps us into Bannion’s psychological turmoil, while Baker at his brooding best as a man who remains trapped even when apparently free.
This week’s short selection is Americanized by Erica Eng, who has since gone on to direct episodes of several TV series, including General Hospital and Your Love Arrived After Goodbye. You can read more about her work on her official site.
