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| The Prestige |
Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale take centrestage in Christopher Nolan's well-crafted thriller as two magicians who have been locked in a bitter rivalry ever since a trick went badly wrong. Nolan, working with a script from his brother Jonathan, serves up a typically twisty story showing the two men determined to destroy one another via a fragmented chronology that becomes an intriguing puzzlebox for the viewer. Grace notes are provided by the always excellent Michael Caine and David Bowie in support.
Jason And The Argonauts, 2.50pm, Film4, Tuesday, March 31
Is it even Easter if you haven't watched a film that's based in mythology or a swords and sandals epic? From the myth department, Don Chaffey's take on Jason's hunt for the Golden Fleece is up there with the best, mainly thanks to the wonderful "dinamation" work from Ray Harryhausen, including the skeletons and giant bronze Talos. They may not be as smooth as modern CGI but they pack bags of eerie personality thanks to Harryhausen. And if the acting isn't exactly A grade, this is such a rollicking family adventure that it hardly matters. The skeleton sequence alone took Harryhausen about four-and-a-half-months. Read more of what Harryhausen said about his work on that and other films here.
Three Dads And A Baby, 10pm, BBC4, Tuesday, April 1
Storyville continues to be a great source of documentary stories from around the globe. This gentle and intimate film tracks Kris, Sindre and David in their pursuit of parenthood. While the focus is on their polyarmory family dynamic, the film highlights the injustice faced by many transgender people, including Kris, who was forced by law to undergo sterilisation as a pre-requirement for having gender-confirming surgery. Thanks to a donor egg, Kris is able to finally fulfil a long-held desire of fatherhood – the film’s festival title. A warm-spirited film that celebrates resilience and love while avoiding the sensationalism that could have come with the subject.
Eyes Without A Face, 10.10pm, Talking Pictures TV (Freeview Channel 81), Good Friday
Jennie Kermode writes: The most powerful horror often has an ethical dilemma at its core. Though nothing can justify the abductions and killing of young women by a surgeon, the fact that he is doing it to try to restore his daughter's face – and therefore her hope of a normal life – makes one feel for him at the outset of Georges Franju's seminal film. Less so later, when Dr Génessier (Pierre Brasseur) – whose name, in French, hints at the other reason why many people desire new faces – expands his operations, but the daughter (Edith Scob) herself remains a sympathetic figure, with a haunting gaze emerging from the blankness of her mask. The film is full of fantastic imagery. Wistful, fairy tale elements combine with slick, clinical modernity. The promise of science and the ugliness of human indulgence are both eclipsed by the existential horror at the film's core. The reminder that life can be turned upside down with no warning, and that nothing endures.
The Wolf Of Wall Street, 10pm, BBC2, Good Friday
Leonardo DiCaprio grabs the excesses of his dodgy broker Jordan Belfort – on whose memoir this is based – with both hands as Martin Scorsese shoves us headlong into his life of Wall Street profligacy in all its forms. Belfort follows in the footsteps of the likes of Gordon Gekko, greedily grabbing whatever he can, from cash to coke along the way, while the screenplay from Terence Winter and DiCaprio's performance refuse to give him a single redeeming feature or moment of remorse, which is oddly refreshing for this sort of feature. Although some may find its length also tends towards excessive and those who dislike swear words won't last two minutes (it holds the Guinness World record for the most in a movie – 506 f-bombs to be precise) there's no mistaking the bite of its satire.
Dumb Money, streaming on Paramount+ from Good Friday
Making finance fun is not easy, especially at the movies, but Craig Gillespie's pacy take on a real-life David versus Goliath tale does just that. David, in this case, is young dad Keith Gill (Paul Dano), who has a penchant for cats and an increasing number of online followers watching his portfolio. The jewel in his crown, he believes, is his shares in video game store GameStop, which he thinks is undervalued. His Youtube fans take his investment as a rallying call and it isn't long between the rich guys (Seth Rogen, Nick Offerman and Vincent D'Onofrio) who like nothing better than to bet on failure, are about to find short selling is a costly business. Writers Lauren Schuker Blum, Rebecca Angelo and Ben Mezrich give enough information to make it easy to understand what is happening without tipping over into an economics lesson. The film is packed with lovingly crafted characters to root for or against topped off by Dano's sweetly perfect central turn.
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, 2.10pm, BBC1, Saturday, April 4
The flamboyant feline hero is back for another action adventure in a sequel that comes up to scratch. Puss (Antonio Banderas) is facing a sticky situation when he discovers that he's burned through eight of his nine lives – meaning the only option seems to be retirement with a cat lady, a home which sees him acquire a loyal buddy, little dog Perrito (Harvey Guillén). Stepping back from the action, of course, proves easier said than done as he finds himself enlisted by former love Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) to find a fallen star. It's a mission that is bursting with humour and action as the trio take on the marauding Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Florence Pugh, Ray Winstone, Olivia Coleman and Samson Kayo), not to mention Big Jack Horner (John Maloney) and even Death himself (magnificently voiced by Brazilian star of Oscar nominee The Secret Agent’s Wagner Moura). The merest whisker away from perfect.
This week's short selection is animation Pandas by Slovakian director Matus Vizar.
