Saturday (14/5) 19:10 Great Movies Raising Arizona (1987)
Madcap comedy from the unique minds of the Coen Brothers, this followed their wonderful debut Blood Simple. When Nicholas Cage's Hi and Holly Hunter's Ed find out they are unable to have kids, they hatch a plan to steal a baby from a wealthy family who have just been blessed with quintuplets. This sets in motion a dangerous and entirely unpredictable plot (something the Coens have a real aptitude for, as with Big Lebowski) including ex-cons, bikers, police chases and dream sequences. With slapstick comedy but also real heart, Raising Arizona is, in classic Coen brothers' style, altogether original and unforgettable.
Saturday (14/5) 22:00 BBC3
Drag Me to Hell (2009) (also Tuesday 23:40)
A kindly young woman with big aspirations of being promoted is forced to be more cutthroat in her banking job and is cursed by an old hag who is denied a loan. This tale of witchcraft and possession has moments of inventiveness but all adds up to nothing particularly new. There are some good scenes and is an overall enjoyable mild horror film that will not live too long in the memory. Directed by horror film royalty Sam Raimi, who changed the landscape forever with his Evil Dead series.
Sunday (15/5) 16:25 Great Movies Edward Scissorhands (1990) (also Friday 18:40)
Johnny Depp once again teams up with frequent collaborator director Tim Burton in this quirky somewhat Frankenstein/Elephant man-esque tale. When a man who has been invented (by Vincent Price in a cameo appearance) with scissors for hands is rescued by a friendly Avon rep, he is ingratiated into the community where he is first treated as a celebrity, then as a menace. With a unique look combining the bleak and gothic with gaudy pastel rainbows (imagine The Crow meets Umbrellas of Cherbourg) this is always interesting to look at and helps prove, along side many other hugely varying roles, that Depp is not just a handsome film star, but a fearless and true artist. There are not enough like him.
Monday (16/5) 01:15 Talking Pictures All About Eve (1950)
Actress wannabe Eve (Anne Baxter) infiltrates established theatre darling Margo's (Bette Davis) inner circle under the guise of a super-fan and a willing personal assistant. Before long she shows her true colours and ambitions to take over, eventually becoming a like-for-like replacement. With themes of ego and cut-throat show business, drawing some parallells with other masterpieces like Sunset Boulevard (which was released in the same year). With a brief appearance from Marilyn Monroe, plus razor sharp dialogue and wit, this won oscars for best director, actor, picture and writing, and has rightly gone down in Hollywood history as an acclaimed, timeless classic.
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