Hey it’s snowing outside! Let’s just get it out the way and
shut the country down now before the inevitable lack of grit leads us to cannibalism.
Or something. If we all just stay inside for the week it means we get to watch
some decent films as well because, this week, ladies and gentlemen, is a good week.
Monday 14th January
Another Earth (2011) Sky Premier, 12am
Sky Premiere is pretty good you know. Yes it does seem to
favour sticking the bigger films in the limelight no matter what their
credentials are, but it does put on some little gems too. Check out this for
example – a film about two souls who cross paths because of a tragic accident
on the same night a duplicate earth is discovered. A duplicate earth?
Interesting! As can often be the case with these lower budget sci-fi films,
they ask intelligent questions their big brothers may steer clear of in order
to placate the masses. So, for people who like to get their neurons firing,
check this out. Here’s Empire Online’s write up:
Gangs of New York (2002) Sky Modern Greats, 10.10pm
I (like many) really like this film. Yes it gets a bit
bloated in parts (particular around the middle parts), but to deny this film
the kudos it deserves would be criminal – the sheer scale of this production is
monstrous and oozes quality from every orifice. The main attraction though is
Daniel Day Lewis’s Oscar winning performance as Bill “The Butcher” Cutting and
rightly so – the man is both terrifying and magnetic. You know you shouldn’t
like him, you know you wouldn’t want anything to do with him, but he has a
charm that pulls you in close enough so he can sinks his claws into your gut.
And as an audience we can sympathise with Di Caprio - Bill is the bad guy, that
much is clear, but you’re kind of cheering him on at the same time. Other than
Danny Day there is a lot in this film to love, oh yes. The rest of the cast is
on fine form, most notably Leo (yes he is in this film) doing his thing as the
tortured ragamuffin climbing the greasy ladder of Bills inner circle, and
Brendan Gleeson as the hard as nails Barber. The violence is bloody, visceral
and intense, and it is all presented on a set that is second to none – 19th
century New York really does come to life warts and all. This film is truly
epic (and so is the running time at 167 minutes) so clear a large chunk of
space and enjoy this visual assault of a film.
Deliverance (1972) Sky Classics, 9pm
Nah,
Nah, Now, Nah, Now, Nah, Now, Nahhh Nahhhhhhh – That was my best attempt at the iconic start
of the duelling banjos… did it work? No? Ok! If you’ve never watched the film
then you may be slightly confused by my opening sentences, but fear not, if you
watch this film all will make sense! I guess there are some other reasons to
watch the film as well, other than to get my rubbish in-joke. It’s one of the
best thrillers in cinematic history, has a killer cast, and is iconic as it is
terrifying. The film follows a canoeing trip going about as bad as it can
possibly go in the deep south of America – so if you’re thinking of booking a
canoeing trip in the Deep South you might want to watch it. If you have already
booked a canoeing trip in the Deep South then you might not want to watch
it.
Tuesday 15th January
The Manchurian Candidate (2004) Sky Action, 8pm
Oh Denzel , we do love you. And films like this keep the
love flowing. Like lava. Lava from a large violent volcano called ‘Denzel’s
Love Pot’. Yep.
Anyway, Denzel is
Major Marco (yep), a Golf War vet who is having a reoccurring nightmare about
an incident on duty that his sub-conscious won’t let him bury. Will his
superiors listen to him about the cause of his sleeping problems? Of course
they won’t! It’s an intelligent remake of the 1964 film with the same name and
is well worth your attention.
21 Grams (2003) Sky Indie, 7.50pm
I got 21 grams to go, I got 21 grams to go… I think someone
spiked my tea today because my opening sentences are both highly irreverent and
complete crap. You may be thinking ‘Chris, you have a delete button, just
simply erase the crap introductions, and put something normal you annoying
twat’, but that would be boring wouldn’t it?! Wouldn’t it?
Anyway, never has an opening been more at odds with the
general tone of a movie because this is about as serious a movie as you can
get. The film follows the interaction of three characters following a freak
accident which causes them to re-evaluate everything in their own lives. Sean Penn,
Benicio Del Toro and Naomi Watts lead a power house cast in this incredibly
deep film about chance and the effect in can have on everything from courage to
desire.
Chinatown (1974) FILM4, 11.15
This, ladies and gentlemen, is quite simple - the film is a classic.
Roman Polanksi brings to life this tale of a private investigator (Jack
Nicholson) who gets more than he bargained for when he is asked to investigate
a case of adultery. Namely lots of stuff about murders and conspiracies. Nicholson gives another towering performance
in a career based on towering performances, and everyone else does theirs fine
too. And when I say “everyone else” I mean some of the greats from the 70’s
(hello Faye Dunaway). Just go and watch it cause I’m guessing the majority of you
haven’t. Losers.
Wednesday 16th January
Breakdown (1997) TCM, 9pm
Woah, woah, hold the phone, I LOVE this film. And if you’ve
seen this film you probably love it too, even though you might not remember it
from the title. Annnnd if you haven’t seen this film, you will watch it and
then you will love it. This film is one of those late night classics that we’ve
all stumbled upon. You’re just about to go to bed and you happen to flick past
a channel (used to be channel 4) and you start watching a film and get accidentally
drawn into it and end up watching the whole damn thing. This is totally one of
those films (dude). It’s a film that I’ve brought up in conversation at the pub
and upon mentioning the title everyone has gone “huh, what?” And then you start talking about the premise
and everyone goes “Oooooh yeah! I love that film”. At this point you probably
just want me to mention the premise of the film so you can work out if you’ve
seen it or not, so here we go:
Kurt Russell is on the road with his wife when their car
breaks down in the middle of the desert. You with me? Good… A truck then passes
by and offers some help by taking one of them to a gas station in order to get
some mechanical assistance. Naturally the wife gets in the strangers truck and
then surprise, surprise she goes missing. Enough time passes for Kurt to become
suspicious so he walks to the gas station where no one has seen a truck with a
wife come by. Kurt then chooses to
investigate and makes a shocking discovery.
Ooooh, that film.
Jackie Brown (1997) FILM4 9pm
It’s probably fair to say this is one of Quentin’s lesser
known films. And probably fair to say, least appreciated film. Me saying the
latter of my previous sentences will cause some Quentin fans to scream into the
heavens in frustration and they may have a point. While this film is probably
his least user friendly, it is by no means lacking in quality with the usual witty dialogue
and killer acting. It just really comes down to personal preference here
people, so give it a go! Pam Grier is an air hostess who is looking to get
involved with some gangsters making deals with other gangsters in order to make
a nice chunk of change. The supporting cast alone dictates you watch this film
as it includes Sam Jackson, Robert De Niro and Michael Keaton, so just go and
watch it if you haven’t ok?
The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001) Sky Indie, 12.25am
I was doing pretty good for my hit rate this week with films
I’ve watched – until now! And it’s one that I’m glad has come about because I
loooove the Coen Brothers. Billy Bob Thornton is a small town barber who turns
to blackmail in order to get what he wants. As it’s a Coen Brother’s flick
expect this to be dark, thoughtful, and oddly charming. Here is Empire Online:
Thursday 17th January
The Jerk (1979) ITV4
11pm
A comedy of classic proportions – Steve Martin is the white
boy brought up as a black boy in a film that has a genuine shout at being seen
as the funniest of all time. If you don’t know (and I really wouldn’t blame you
if you didn’t), Steve Martin used to be the funniest guy on the planet and we
revered in kind. 30 decades later and we’re clinging to a memory as Steve has
decided to jack in comedy for steaming piles of shit. Never mind. Anyway, Steve
decides to leave his adopted family to make his way in the world with
predictably hilarious consequences. Simple concept with a brilliant pay off.
Enjoy.
The Insider (1999) FILM4 11.05pm
I’ll be honest here – usually when I haven’t watched a film
and I recommend it I usually say something to the effect of “I’ve been waiting
for this to come along for ages” and this film is no exception. I kid, this
film was not on my ‘to watch’ radar whatsoever and for that I deserve 30
lashings. I knew enough to know that it was a film of interest when trawling
the TV guide, but I didn’t know to what extent. Oh dear. It’s a Michael Mann
film (I didn’t even know that) which follows Al (frickin) Pacino (I didn’t know
that either) as he tries to blow the lid on tobacco companies. It also has
Russel Crowe in it (I did actually know that, but it doesn’t redeem me much).
As I clearly had very little information about this film I’ll let Empire Online
to do the rest… They give it five stars by the way… for fuck’s sake Malin, hang
your head in shame.
Bullit (1968) Sky Classics, 7pm
Want to see one of the most iconic, cool films ever with
Steve Mcqueen in his defining role? Throw in some of the best car chases of all
time and I’m sure you will want to. Steve is a cop taking on some gangsters
when a witness in his protection is murdered. It’s sooooooo cool!
Friday 18th January
The Grey (2011) Sky Premiere 8pm
The Grey!!! The Grey is on!!! Oh baby, you’re in for a good
film. The setup is simple. Liam Neeson vs a pack of frickin’ Wolves!!!! That
alone should make you want to watch it! I’m sure it will, but just in case –
this is a seriously tense film, well worth your time, about a group of stranded
blokes in Alaska who become hunted by a pack of dogs who don’t want their
tummies tickled. Boo they ain’t
I’ll admit it, this film is not as funny as I’d hoped for
after seeing all the trailers and build up and stuff, but it still has enough
in it to be recommended. The film follows a group of actors trying to make a
Vietnam epic but actually stumble into a full on conflict with some drug
dealers – but the actors (being actors) are too stupid to realise this (at
least for a while anyway). With a cast that includes Jack Black, Ben Stiller
and Robert Downey Jr. the laughs do come at a pretty high rate, it’s just, I
don’t know, I kinda wanted more. The film also boasts an impressive cameo that prevents
the films fully falling into the ‘disappointing’ category.
The Wicker Man (1973) ITV4 10.50pm
If you like your horror gothic, scary and a little weird
then here you go. Not the appalling Nic Cage remake (as if), this is the
Christopher Lee version which rightly goes down as one of the horror big boys.
The film follows Sgt. Howie investigating the disappearance of a girl on an
island, but runs into a spot of bother when the islanders are oddly unhelpful.
Hmmm I wonder why?
No comments:
Post a Comment