TV Times – 13 July 2019

STA R

RATINGS

HHHHHFantastic

HHHH Very good

HHH Good

HH Average

This week’s films rated and reviewed H Poor

With Film Editor Nigel Pizey

CHIEF FILM REVIEWER: JASON BEST

SATURDAY13 July

Mr Deeds

Channel 5 10.25am - 12.10pm HH

COMEDY⊲ Here’s a silly remake

of the old Gary Cooper classic about a

hick from the sticks who inherits a

mega company and $40billion.

Naturally, the organisation’s

money-grasping directors can’t wait

to get rid of him... Adam Sandler adds

punch to his usual goofiness in the

lead and Winona Ryder’s deadpan

portrayal of a journalist is surprisingly

effective. Dir: Steven Brill 2002, 12, 105min

SEX ) VIOLENCE ) LANGUAGE!

McFarland, USA

BBC2 3.30pm - 5.35pm HHH

● See Our Picks of the Week, left

Now You See Me 2

C4 9.00pm - 11.35pm HHH

COMEDY THRILLER⊲

Swaggering bank-robbing magicians

Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson

and Dave Franco are back and, with

new recruit Lizzy Caplan, are coerced

by Daniel Radcliffe’s tech tycoon

into a daring theft. Mark Ruffalo,

Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman

also return in a razzle-dazzle,

globetrotting thriller that may have

little substance, but is fun while it

lasts. Dir: Jon M Chu 2016, 12, 155min

SEX ) VIOLENCE! LANGUAGE )

Tomorrow Never Dies

ITV 9.50pm - 12.10am HHH

ACTION THRILLER⊲ In his

second outing as 007, Pierce Brosnan

comes up against a megalomaniacal

media mogul (Jonathan Pryce) who’s

out to manipulate a war between

Britain and China all for the sake of a

sensational headline. Michelle Yeoh

co-stars as a Chinese agent helping

Bond out of many a deadly situation.

Dir: Roger Spottiswoode 1997, 12, 140min

SEX ) VIOLENCE @ LANGUAGE )

Man Up

BBC1 10.20pm - 11.45pm

(Wales 11.10pm - 12.30am) HHHH

ROMANTIC COMEDY⊲

Spinning out its screwball premise

with dexterity and wit, this hugely

engaging British romcom is a winner

all the way. From the moment Simon

Pegg’s emotionally bruised divorcée

mistakes snarky cynic Lake Bell for

his blind date, the film barrels along

with a giddy momentum that is

exhilarating. But no matter how zany

the action gets, Bell and Pegg ensure

their characters remain both credible

and likeable. Dir: Ben Palmer 2015, 15, 85min

SEX! VIOLENCE ) LANGUAGE (

True Story

BBC2 10.55pm - 12.30am HH

PREMIERE MYSTERY⊲

Making his film directing debut,

acclaimed English theatre

director Rupert Goold fails

to bring much cinematic flair

to this fact-based drama

about disgraced New York

Times reporter Michael

Finkel (Jonah Hill) and

killer Christian Longo

(James Franco) who took

his name and identity

while on the run.

Dir: Rupert Goold 2015, 15, 95min

SEX ) VIOLENCE @ LANG (

R.I.P.D.

C4

11.35pm - 1.20am HHH

ACTION COMEDY⊲

Recently deceased

Boston cop Ryan

Reynolds joins the

ghostly Rest in Peace

Department and finds

himself partnered with

Jeff Bridges’ ornery Old West

sheriff in this enjoyably silly

buddy-comedy fantasy. Although

based on a comic book, it comes over

as a variation of the Men in Black

films, as becomes apparent as the duo

set about nabbing dead souls

(‘deados’) who refuse to leave the

Earth. Dir: Robert Schwentke 2013, 12, 105min

SEX ) VIOLENCE! LANGUAGE!

The Bleeder

BBC1 11.45pm - 1.15am

(Wales 12.30am - 2.00am) HHH

PREMIERE SPORTS DRAMA⊲

This movie tells the fascinating story

of Chuck Wepner, a small-time New

Jersey boxer who, in 1975, was chosen

for a prizefight against Muhammed

Ali. Yes, this is the inspiration for

Rocky Balboa. As Wepner, Liev

Schreiber is all blue-collar affable

charm, while Elizabeth Moss does

what she can with the thinly

drawn character of his

wife. The story, the

setting and the

dialogue all seem

familiar, but are done

with enough skill

to make this an

entertaining watch.

Dir: Philippe Falardeau

2016, 15, 90min

SEX! VIOLENCE @

LANGUAGE @

Iris

BBC2

1.30am - 2.55am HH

BIOPIC⊲ Well

acted by Judi

Dench and Jim

Broadbent, this

is a painful

account of the

last days of

author Iris

Murdoch when

she was overtaken by

Alzheimer’s – together

with a skimpy glimpse of her younger

days. The film spares us little but at the

same time tells us equally little about

Murdoch herself. Kate Winslet is

wholly competent as youthful Iris in

the few opportunities the script gives

her, as is Hugh Bonneville, playing a

younger Broadbent, as Iris’s husband.

Dir: Richard Eyre 2001, 15, 85min

SEX @ VIOLENCE ) LANGUAGE @

BEST OF THE REST

Racetime

Sky Cinema Premiere

6.15pm - 8.00pm HHH

SatellitePREMIERE

ANIMATION⊲The mountain

village kids from animated children’s

film Cleo (aka Snowtime!) are back for

another round of fun in this breezy

sequel. This time brainy Frankie-Four-

Eyes and his boisterous chums are

taking on brash newcomer Zac and his

peppy cousin Charly in a spectacular

sled race. Although the action is

fantastically over the top, the movie

remains grounded in real childhood

emotions. Dirs: various 2018, U, 105min

SEX ) VIOLENCE ) LANGUAGE )

Nosferatu the Vampyre

Talking Pictures

10.40pm - 12.55am HHHH

CHILLER⊲Not so much a remake

as a superb homage to FW Murnau’s

original silent German classic, the

first version of Bram Stoker’s

Dracula. This film by Werner

Herzog follows that movie very

closely, even to the nightmarish

appearance of Dracula himself as a

kind of demon goblin, bald-pated,

long-clawed and bat-eared. Klaus

Kinski is eerily effective in this role,

and Isabelle Adjani is his ethereal

muse. Dir: Werner Herzog 1979, 15, 135min

SEX ) VIOLENCE! LANGUAGE )

Simon Pegg

in Man Up

Ryan Reynolds

in R.I.P.D.

Judi Dench and Jim

Broadbent in Iris

● See listings pages for full details of regional films

Wrap up

warm for

Racetime

TV TIMES 29