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Carrie
Photo: MGM
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Fallen Leaves, midnight Monday into Tuesday, BBC2, plus iPlayer
With a title like that, this might not sound like a film to brighten your day but Aki Kaurismäki’s comedy romance is a warm-hearted affair. As always with the Finnish director he transports us to a specific world that still feels fully embedded within our own. The eyes of recently sacked Ansa (Alma Pöysti) meet those of the soon to be employment-challenged Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) at a karaoke night and from then on, Kaurismäki spins a gently absurdist will they/won't they romance that though packed with deadpan humour and less than glowing observations about the modern world, is simultaneously shot through with longing and the promise of better things to come for those who are prepared to wait.
The Hunger Games, 11pm, BBC3, Wednesday, November 4, plus iPlayer
The first adaptation of Suzanne Collins' books is arguably the pick of the bunch as Jennifer Lawrence steps into the shoes of Katniss Everdeen in the future dystopia of Panem. Each year a lottery is held in which a boy and girl are sent from each district to compete against others in gladiatorial-style combat to the death live on television. Featuring kinetic camerawork, this is a film that, though noting the disturbing dispatch of the players, is built upon anxiety and dread rather than gore. There's also great support from Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks. The sequels may not be quite so successful but they have their own charms as Katniss finds herself groomed to be a figurehead of revolution – a role that sits uneasily with her. The second instalment is screening on BBC3 the following night at 11.15pm.
Carrie, 10.10pm, BBC4, Thursday, November 5, plus iPlayer
I haven't had time to catch up with the new TV adaptation on Amazon Prime yet, although Eye For Film colleague Scott Macdonald tells me it's "a well-imagined redo of the popular Stephen King story, with a wonderfully acted central performance. And a story where the greatest threat is not that of the supernatural, but of the enormous power of social media bullying and ostracism". There's also a chance to catch Brian De Palma's 1976 version on telly and it's well worth going back to. Beyond the magnetic central performance from Sissy Spacek as the bullied teenager who discovers she has telekinetic powers, it has gothic style to burn. As the great Pauline Kael (whose whole review is typically great) once put it: De "Palma uses tawdriness as a tuning fork".
Attack The Block, 9pm, Film4, Thursday, November 5
Looking back now, Joe Cornish aced it when he assembled for his alien invasion debut feature in 2011, which made a name for its star John Boyega, who plays Moses. It also features future Doctor Who Jodie Whittaker - and I wouldn't put it out of the question that she can genuinely time travel as she seems to have barely aged a day since this was shot - plus Luke Treadaway and Nick Frost in enjoyable stoner roles. Physical effects take precedence over CGI and I love the fact that Cornish is aware of his limitations of his creature's look and isn't afraid to lean fully into that, so that someone makes a joke about a small dead alien looking like a puppet. Although the gang of kids who take on the alien largely present themselves as a wall of aggression and attitude, Cornish never lets us forget they're still children and the use of two even younger kids emphasises the rite of passage that can present itself to kids on these sorts of estates, with the drug kingpin Hi-Hatz (Jumayn Hunter) representing what Moses could become. In that regard, the film offers a good dose of social commentary - as one of these streetwise kids puts it to the altogether more middle class Sam (Whittaker), who they mugged earlier, expecting to get jumped at any moment "feels like just another day to me". The action flies along- which again helps to stop you dwelling too long on the aliens, while its sense of humour that puts it up there with Shaun Of The Dead.
Public Enemies, 12.35am, Film4, Friday, November 6 Jennie Kermode writes: Johnny Depp gives one of his finest performances in this Hollywood take on the legend of John Dillinger. It's an interesting contrast – he's much more committed to character than usual, but the story itself is often closer to the myth than the reality, especially in its depiction of a central romance between the bank robber and a shy hotel receptionist (ably played by Marion Cotillard). The musical choices and background details suggest that director Michael Mann's central interest is in what the story meant to the desperate people of Depression-era America. He brings his usual visual flair to the action scenes, and the period automobiles and stylish suits will thrill many viewers by themselves. Christian Bale is excellent in support, drawing out the tragedy of an FBI man who finds it harder and harder to believe in the country he's there to represent.
The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit, 8.15pm, BBC3, Friday, November 6, plus iPlayer
There's trouble brewing along with the tea for inventor Wallace in this Oscar winner. When he comes up with an invention to stop carrot thieves with a humane spot of brainwashing, things, of course, do not go to plan and an accident leaves him with a monstrous craving for carrots – and a physique to match. Park has an eye for the absurd in the everyday and here he mixes monster movie staples with Ealing comedy flourishes to hilarious effect. With a fine voice cast, including the much-missed Peter Sallis as Wallace, alongside the likes of Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes and Peter Kay, this is a fast-paced romp with cross-cutting humour that hits home across the generations.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy, 10.45pm, BBC2, Sunday, November 8, plus iPlayer
A superior adaptation of John Le Carre's novel about a spy trying to root out a civil service mole, filled with the sort of tension that creeps up on you in stockinged feet until it's suddenly almost unbearable. Tomas Alfredson may have followed it up with the critically panned The Snowman but here he crafts a coolly intellectual tale of ethical cut and thrust as the inscrutable George Smiley (Gary Oldman imbuing his character with a jaded melancholy) goes about his business while betrayal hangs in the air like cigar smoke.
This week's short selection is a little treat I stumbled across while writing about The Naughty Seat. David Johnson's Calamity Island features the same Little Blue Penguin and is a bite-sized bit of fun whatever your age. You can watch it over on Vimeo. Johnson is perhaps best known for creating TV show The Koala Brothers, I'm rooting for LBP to get his own show too.
