It’s Thursday.
It’s day one of Level 5 restrictions in Ireland and it’s a worry time for a wide variety of people, from those in at risk groups, to business owners and staff, to grandparents wondering when they’ll get to hold their grandchildren again.
A haiku by Yosa Buson springs to mind:
Well now,
if I am to be alone
I’ll take the moon as a friend.
None of us would have chosen this; the restrictions, the enforced isolation, the loneliness for some. However, perhaps there’s some solace to be found in the new connections we may forge in the weeks and months ahead.
We look forward with hope.
Now, here are the best movies on TV this evening.
The Book Thief – Film4 – 6.25pm
Based on the best selling book about how a girl copes during the horrors of adolescence and World War II.
Yes, the book is better.
Braveheart – Sony Movie Channel – 9pm
“THEY MAY TAKE OUR LIVES, BUT THEY’LL NEVER TAKE… OUR FREEDOM!”
Hidden Figures – Film4 – 9pm
Three female African-American mathematicians play a pivotal role in astronaut John Glenn’s launch into orbit all the while battling discrimination and racism.
Excellent film.
Battleship – ITV4 – 10pm
A movie loosely based on the Hasbro game.
These days alien invasion movies are rather stereotypical and I wish I could say this 2012 effort was different, but it’s really not.
Second Coming – Film4 – 11.30pm
Jackie (Nadine Marshall) is a middle-aged mum with a history of miscarriages whose life is thrown into turmoil when she becomes pregnant once again.
She’s then faced with the prospect of more heartache and the fact she has not been intimate with her husband (Idris Elba) in several years.
Stellar performances from both, but especially Marshall.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
