Hey hey, it’s the weekend.
There’s much to see and do in the world, not least the imminent visit of Pope Francis and how that may affect you whether you’re attending his events or not.
You may well find yourself barricaded indoors as all of the Papal visit madness unfolds, so how better to kick that weekend off than with a marathon of movies?
Here are your options on this Friday 24 August…
Men in Black – Film 4 – 6.55pm
Will Smith brings the charisma, Tommy Lee Jones brings the curmudgeonly charm and aliens walk the earth in this 1997 sci-fi comedy.
A fun romp courtesy of director Barry Sonnenfeld, Men in Black spawned two not-so-good sequels, so this is the one to invest your time in if you’re up for some extraterrestrial Will Smith wisecracks.
Spectre – ITV 2 – 9pm
With the news that Danny Boyle has left the next James Bond film due to the dreaded creative differences, why not revisit Daniel Craig’s tricky previous outing in the suit?
Spectre, by all accounts, is no Skyfall, but it’s still entertaining in a weirdly convoluted way.
Christoph Waltz chews the scenery as the plot gets more and more complicated, while Dave Bautista steals the show as a mute henchman throwback to Bond movies of yore.
Trumbo – RTÉ 2 – 9.35pm
Bryan Cranston was nominated for an Oscar that he had no chance of winning – nobody was beating DiCaprio that year – for his portrayal of Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo.
Trumbo was famously blacklisted by the film industry in 1947 for refusing to testify against communists.
The 2015 biopic won praise for Cranston’s committed performance, but some critics questioned the accuracy of events depicted on screen. Judge for yourself, sure.
Total Recall – ITV – 10.45pm
Not the flat lens flare-addled Colin Farrell remake but the original and best.
You should know the drill* with Total Recall by now. Arnie goes to Mars and realises his life has been a manufactured sham. Chaos and murder ensues. A classic, in fairness.
*Ha ha, drill, get it? Because of Benny.
The Fury – Film 4 – 11.15pm
A chilling late 70s supernatural horror from Brian De Palma, The Fury boasts a tremendous era-centric cast and scares aplenty.
Worth it for the music alone, really.
Clip via MovieClips Classic Trailers
All Is Lost – RTÉ One – 11.30pm
Robert Redford in a spectacular one-man-show, trapped on a boat, potentially lost forever to the elements.
All Is Lost really is a tour de force performance from one of the great actors of his generation, and a reminder that Hollywood razzmatazz isn’t always the way to go.
Chronicle – Channel 4 – 12.35am
Before director Josh Trank sabotaged his own career with the noble failure that was 2015’s Fantastic 4 reboot, he shot to fame thanks to a cleverly constructed tale of teenagers who acquire superpowers only for things to go very, very wrong.
Dane DeHaan and the excellent Michael B. Jordan are among the cast here, and if you grew up watching Akira, you’ll find something to like about Chronicle.
Dressed to Kill – Film 4 – 1.35am
That man Brian De Palma again with one of his more controversial efforts.
Over time, Dressed to Kill would draw fierce criticism due to its depiction of a cross-dressing murderer, and the arguments definitely have some merit to them.
Still, nobody does suspense quite like De Palma, and Michael Caine nailed one of his most iconic roles here.
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