It’s fight night, but there’s time for a movie or two beforehand.
Yep, the big night has arrived.
Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov will face off in the main event of UFC 229 in the early hours of Sunday morning.
We’ve had trash talking from Khabib, a pretty grim press conference and Irish fans leaving a typically memorable impression so far, and so you might be feeling a bit spent before a punch has been thrown.
So why not watch a movie or two? Here is the pick of the bunch on the box this Saturday 6 October.
Maleficent – 6.35pm – RTÉ One
Angelina Jolie gets her dark fairytale on in this clever remix of Sleeping Beauty.
Deadpool – Channel 4 – 9pm
Ryan Reynolds spent years trying to bring his passion project to life. When he finally managed it, the results must have surprised even him.
Deadpool was never meant to be a household name, nor a worldwide box office smash that led to a franchise.
If you’ve somehow missed out on all the foul-mouthed carnage, here’s your chance to catch up.
The Wolf of Wall Street – Film 4 – 9pm
Or perhaps you’d prefer to spend two-and-a-half hours in the company of Leonardo DiCaprio as he explores a world of pretty revolting excess.
There’s the sense that Martin Scorsese is too much in love with his subject matter here, and that satire became tribute somewhere along the way, but Leo gives it his all as ever, and then some.
Green Zone – ITV4 – 9pm
Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass team up for a frenetic and paranoid action thriller that for once doesn’t involve the name Jason Bourne.
Fantastic Four – 9.20pm – RTÉ 2
Sound the noble failure alarm!
2015’s Fantastic Four reboot is, admittedly, a huge mess, but it’s an interesting one.
You can see all of the studio-mandated stitches, even some of the obvious reshoots – look out for Kate Mara’s wig game – and, crucially, what they were trying to achieve.
Also, that Doctor Doom bit where he stalks a corridor and pops heads? Yeah, give us that movie.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy – ITV4 – 11.15pm
A spy drama that takes its time and boasts an all-star cast – Gary Oldman, John Hurt, Tom Hardy, Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch – TTSS is a challenging watch.
The pace is glacial, the plot often running in place, the characters frustrating… but that’s the point. Tough it out, this one is worth it.
Two Lovers – 11.20pm – TG4
Joaquin Phoenix in a role nowhere near as flashy as his upcoming Joker, but a fine reminder of his talents.
The Graduate – 1.3oam – RTÉ One
Dustin Hoffman heads up a downright classic, just the thing you need as you wait out the pre-lim fights.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
