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Movies & TV

02nd Jul 2023

One of the very best legal thrillers of recent years is among the movies on TV tonight

Stephen Porzio

Boasting an 89% Rotten Tomatoes score, this movie deserves a bigger audience.

Looking to wrap up the weekend in style? Why not watch one of the following movies airing on TV tonight?

Deadpool 2 – E4 – 9pm

Ryan Reynolds returns as the ‘merc with a mouth’, joined by Josh Brolin and Zazie Beetz, in this sweary and violent superhero sequel.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall – Comedy Central – 9pm

Jason Segel leads the cast of this very funny comedy playing a man who goes to Hawaii on vacation to get over a break-up, only to meet his ex-girlfriend (Kristen Bell) there with her new rock star boyfriend (Russell Brand).

Murder on the Orient Express – Film4 – 9pm

Kenneth Branagh directs and stars in this big screen adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery novel.

2001: A Space Odyssey – Turner Classic Movies – 9pm

A group of astronauts – assisted by the sentient supercomputer HAL – embark on a voyage to Jupiter in what is arguably the best sci-fi movie of all time.

Witches in the Woods – Horror Xtra – 9pm

In this 2019 horror thriller, seven friends whose car breaks down in the middle of nowhere en route to a snowboarding holiday start to turn on each other as they struggle to survive the night.

Alien – ITV4 – 9.05pm

This 1979 classic directed by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner) and starring Sigourney Weaver is also one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time, as well as one of the greatest horrors.

Dark Waters – RTÉ One – 9.30pm

Our pick for tonight is this 2019 legal thriller based on true events. It revolves around a corporate defence attorney (Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight) who takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company on behalf of a family friend and farmer (Bill Camp, The Queen’s Gambit) who claims his cows are being poisoned.

As the attorney dives deep into the case, he exposes a lengthy history of pollution not just impacting the health of livestock but people too.

Thanks to its urgent subject matter, the horror-tinged atmosphere conjured by director Todd Haynes (Carol, Far From Heaven) and two hugely empathetic performances by Camp and Ruffalo, Dark Waters earned rave reviews – boasting an 89% Rotten Tomatoes score.

However, JOE is also recommending the movie because it deserves a much-larger audience, having sadly only garnered less than $25 million at the box office upon release.

The Heat – BBC Three – 10pm

Not the similarly titled Al Pacino and Robert De Niro heist classic but the well-liked Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock action comedy.

Bridge of Spies – BBC Two – 10.15pm

Mark Rylance won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing a Soviet Union spy arrested in the US in this excellent historical drama which co-starred Tom Hanks and was directed Steven Spielberg.

Mary Queen of Scots – BBC One – 10.30pm

Saoirse Ronan stars in this decent historical drama as Mary, Queen of Scots (Saoirse Ronan), with the film detailing her attempt to overthrow her cousin Queen Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie).

The Invisible Man – Legend – 10.35pm

The ’30s black and white horror classic based on H.G. Wells’ novel of the same name.

Find Me Guilty – AMC – 10.55pm

Vin Diesel’s lead turn as a New Jersey mobster in this courtroom comedy-drama from legendary director Sidney Lumet (Dog Day Afternoon, Network, Serpico) earned him some acclaim from critics.

Pet – Horror Xtra – 10.55pm

In this twisty horror, a woman (Ksenia Solo) is abducted by a stalker (Lost’s Dominic Monaghan) and held captive underneath an animal shelter where her captor works.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom – Film4 – 11.15pm

With Harrison Ford’s final outing as Indiana Jones arriving in theatres now, what better time to revisit the second movie about the archaeologist adventurer?

Empire State – Turner Classic Movies – 11.20pm

This average crime drama follows two childhood friends (Liam Hemsworth and Michael Angarano) who rob an armored car repository and the NYPD officer (Dwayne Johnson) who stands in their way.

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