Thursday (29/12) 13:55 BBC1 Zootropolis (2016)
Delightful, Oscar nominated return to form for Disney whose 21st century releases have been hit and miss, but the hits are often huge and powerful. This is the sweet tale of an underappreciated, sidelined police officer, rabbit Judy Hopps, who doggedly uncovers a case of corruption and chemical warfare in the titular town, the detail of which is a marvellous achievement in itself.
Friday (30/12) 13:00 Channel 5 Superman (1978)
The first and, until Christopher Nolan came along, simply the greatest comic book superhero blockbuster. It admirably balances breathtaking spectacle and sweet charm, aided massively by the central performances from the late Christopher Reeve as the Kryptonian and Margot Kidder as love interest Lois Lane, not to mention the now instantly recognisable John Williams score. With an infamous Markon Brando cameo as the father.
Sunday (25/12) 01:00 BBC2 La La Land (2016) (also BBC3 Thursday 21:00)
Damien Chazelle's bright, intoxicating, effervescent La La Land serves as a love letter to musicals and a stand alone musical of great control and accomplishment. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone team up again in the simple story or romance under pressure from their careers and their art. The top notch performances (Stone took home the Best Actress Oscar) and directing ensure that the character engagement is never lost in the singing or dancing, (which itself is greatly performed) the quiet moments hit home just as much or more than the big musical numbers. There were other Oscar wins for music, director and cinematography.
Sunday (25/12) 22:55 Channel 4 Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Steven Spielberg's slick, wildly entertaining, fictionalised retelling of the true life story of Frank William Abagnale, a brasen trickster who, after starting running scams as a child, reportedly blagged his way into the FBI 10 most wanted list. Hunted by Tom Hanks' FBI agent, Frank works his way all over the world as a Pan American airline pilot, leaving a trail of fraudulent cheques, confounded police and women in his wake.
Sunday (25/12) 15:10 BBC2 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
Howard Hawks' colourful, knowingly shallow, and delightful musical comedy starring Marilyn Monroe as the money hungry Lorelei Lee. Although she isn't blessed with a powerful singing voice, and her typecast materialistic, ditsy, naive blonde persona has aged horribly, Monroe is the very epitome of sultry, and her charm and charisma are undeniable. Still, the 7 year old George Wilmslow steals the scenes he's in. Diamonds really are a girl's best friend.
Wednesday (28/12) 22:30 BBC2 Heat (1995)
Michael Mann had his actors train with their real life equivalents to perfect their performances, and in the case of Al Pacino's Vincent Hanna and Robert DeNiro's Neil McCaulay, the work paid off massively. The two channel their respective cops and robbers to a tee. The film is masterfully balanced, and wonderful beginning to end. It was big news because of the two respective stars, arguably the two greatest American actors of their generation, meeting on screen for the first time in film history, in the now legendary diner scene.
Monday (26/12) 22:15 BBC2 Goodfellas (1990) (also Friday BBC3 22:00)
One of my top 10 all time films, and I believe the closest Martin Scorsese has come to a culmination of his considerable skill, not least cinematography and soundtrack to die for. Ray Liotta stars as real life gangster Henry Hill, who follows his male role models gangster Jimmy (Scorsese regular Robert DeNiro) and boss Pauly (Paul Sorvino) is ingratiated into the mob but never really has the cut throat attitude to survive. He is forced to take desperate measures when the life of plenty becomes a high pressure environment of backstabbing and murder under the threat of exposure.
Monday (26/12) 09:15 BBC2
Great Expectations (1946)
David Lean may still be best remembered for sweeping historical epics although in truth his greater works are often on a much more personal scale. This, surely the greatest production of the classic Charles Dickens text, doesn't have the intimacy of his crowning glory Brief Encounter, but is lively and sentimental, with a crisp, clean, black and white aesthetic.
Monday (26/12) 11:50 Channel 5
My Fair Lady (1964)
A musical as classically beautiful as it's leading lady, who plays the cockney working class Eliza Dolittle, coached by the wealthy and bored speech specialist Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison), to mix with the upper classes. This was the last film to make use of the entirety of Audrey Hepburn's unmatched star power that was cultivated through the 1950s and 60s. Quotable sings include The Rain in Spain, and I could have danced all night.
Saturday (31/12) 16:45 Talking Pictures
The Four Feathers (1939)
By confessing to his commander and father in law, an upper class British son is reluctant to follow is his family's military tradition and resigns his post, therefore branded a coward. He secretly undertakes something of an undercover mission in parallel with his native forces in Egypt to prove his worth. This brings him into close contaft with his wife's secret admirer, who has lost his vision, and has no idea his guide someone so close to him. With some nice, if contrived, plot devices, the film improves from it's rather stuffy opening to a charming tale of love and war.
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