A brand new month.
The last month of the year, to be precise.
That can only mean one thing.
Movies on TV, obviously.
Here’s how it looks on Wednesday, 1 December…
Mars Attacks! – Turner Classic Movies / TCM – 6.20pm
Raucous sci-fi comedy madness from Tim Burton that sees an all-star cast do their utmost to survive an alien invasion.
Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Pierce Brosnan, Annette Bening, Jack Black, Danny DeVito, Michael J. Fox, Sarah Jessica Parker, Natalie Portman and, er, Tom Jones are among the luminaries in big, big trouble.
Behind Enemy Lines – Film4 – 6.55pm
Owen Wilson shows off in a rare ‘action hero’ role.
Deep Blue Sea – TCM – 9pm
A knowingly ridiculous shark-focused thriller that boasts one of the greatest deaths in cinema history.
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Film4 – 9pm
The fourth one, where the franchise burst back into huge box office life.
This is the one where Tom Cruise climbs the Burj Khalifa. The absolute madman.
Small Axe: Red, White and Blue – TG4 – 9.30pm
Our main choice tonight.
Part of acclaimed director Steve McQueen’s anthology of films released in 2020; Red, White and Blue presents the true life story of Leroy Logan, a forensic scientist who joins London’s Metropolitan Police in a bid to bring about reform.
John Boyega, who let’s be honest was rather wasted in his Star Wars trilogy, easily commands your attention with a stunning performance.
Everest – Sky Showcase – 10pm
Big-screen account of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, with Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin and several more highly recognisable faces.
L.A. Confidential – TCM – 11.15pm
Fair play to TCM, it’s really bringing the heat of a Wednesday evening.
Here’s one worth staying up for – L.A. Confidential is handily one of the best crime sagas of the 1990s.
An excellent cast – Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, James Cromwell and Kevin Spacey, unfortunately – delve deep into a murder mystery in 1950s Hollywood.
Red Heat – Film4 – 11.40pm
Or if you’d prefer something a little less subtle, here’s Arnie killing bad guys in a violent action comedy from the 1980s.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
