FILM OF
THE WEEKMOVIES
THE BEST OF THIS WEEK’S
BY NEIL BATEY★★★★★ brilliant ★★★★ very good ★★★ good ★★ average ★ bad
future US President Barack Obama –
played by Parker Sawyers – and his
eventual First Lady Michelle (Tika
Sumpter). (2016/12) ★★★Rambo III
11.20pm ITV
Back in 1988, the Cold War was on
its last legs, but clearly John Rambo
never got that memo. The former
Green Beret grabs an arsenal of
weaponry to blow away Russian
forces who’ve taken his friend
Colonel Trautman hostage.
(1988/18) ★★★Is Anybody There?
12.05am BBC Two
Poignant drama, with a moving turn
from Michael Caine as a magician
suffering from dementia. Living in an
old folks home, he befriends an odd
young boy who’s obsessed with
finding evidence of the afterlife.
(2008/12) ★★★★SUNDAY
Cinderella
4.05pm BBC One
Trust Disney to turn in a ravishing
reboot of the iconic folk tale.
Downton Abbey’s Lily James plays
the servant girl who falls for Richard
Madden’s dashing prince, but is
thwarted by her evil stepmother
(Cate Blanchett). (2015/U) ★★★★Life of Crime
11.20pm BBC Two
Get Shorty fans will enjoy this crime
caper, which is based on a novel by
Elmore Leonard. Jennifer Anistonplays the wife of a wealthy property
developer who is kidnapped by
crooks. But her cheating hubby
(Tim Robbins) won’t pay the
ransom. (2013/18) ★★★’
11.15pm Film
This heart-pounding thriller sees
Jack O’Connell playing a British
squaddie left behind during a
chaotic riot on the streets of Belfast.
With the IRA hot on his trail, can he
survive the night? (2014/15) ★★★★MONDAY
The Crying Game
11.20pm Film
In the highlight of Film4’s season of
films about The Troubles, Stephen
Rea plays an Irish Republican
terrorist. He honours a promise to
track down a soldier’s girlfriend,
who he soon falls in love with –
but he’s in for one heck of surprise!
(1992/18) ★★★★★Lone Survivor
11.35pm C
Despite the ridiculous title spoiler,
you won’t be able to take your eyes
off this military drama based on real
events. Mark Wahlberg plays a Navy
SEAL leading a mission to kill a
Taliban leader in Afghanistan –
but his team are ambushed and
outgunned. (2013/15) ★★★★★Avengers
Assemble
(Sat)Cinderella
(Sun)Bridge of
Spies (Sat)Lone
Survivor
(Sat)SATURDAY
Avengers Assemble
5.35pm BBC One
The superhero franchise’s most
iconic characters team up to save
the world from destruction. Robert
Downey Jr’s Iron Man and Chris
Hemsworth’s Thor take on Loki in a
spectacular skyscraper-smashing
scrap in New York. (2012/12) ★★★★
FILM OF THE WEEK
Bridge of Spies
9pm C
Steven Spielberg’s absorbing Cold
War thriller is based on real events,
against the backdrop of impending
nuclear warfare. Tom Hanks plays
a lawyer recruited to negotiate
the complex prisoner swap of a
Russian spy and a US jet pilot.
(2015/12) ★★★★★
Their Finest
9pm BBC Two
Charmingly Britcentric wartime
drama, with Gemma Arterton as a
screenwriter for propaganda films
during the Blitz. She falls for her
colleague (Sam Claflin) and bickers
with Bill Nighy’s hilarious luvvie
actor. (2016/12) ★★★★
Southside With You
10.50pm BBC Two
No ordinary love story, this sweet
romance depicts the first date of
Is Anybody
There? (Sat)