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20th December 2025
02:39pm GMT

Our TV movie pick for tonight (Saturday, 20 December) is Nightmare Alley, the excellent 2021 neo-noir psychological thriller directed by Guillermo del Toro (Frankenstein, The Shape of Water).
The film is based on the William Lindsay Gresham novel of the same name, which was previously made into another great noir in the 1940s starring Tyrone Power.
This new version of the story, however, sees Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born) play the charismatic but down-on-his-luck Stanton Carlisle, who gets a job working at a travelling carnival in the '40s.
Becoming skilled at performing as a mentalist, Stanton eventually ditches the carnival with his kind wife, Molly (Rooney Mara, Carol), and uses his newly acquired knowledge to grift the wealthy elite of New York society.
As his ambitions grow, he sets out to con a dangerous tycoon (Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water) with the help of a mysterious psychiatrist named Dr Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett, Tár).
It's the latter, though, who might wind up being Stanton's "most formidable opponent yet".
Nightmare Alley boasts a large ensemble cast that also includes David Strathairn (The River Wild), Holt McCallany (Mindhunter), Mary Steenburgen (Elf), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Toni Collette (Hereditary) and Willem Dafoe (Nosferatu).
Thanks to its tremendous period production design, its dark and foreboding twist on the notion of the American dream and its knockout final scene that puts a perfectly twisted bow on everything that came before, the movie was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture.
Holding an 80% Rotten Tomatoes score, Nightmare Alley is airing on TV tonight on Film4 at 11.10pm.
It is also currently streaming on Disney+ and Prime Video, although it will be leaving Prime Video in 10 days.
On top of this, the movie will be available to watch on Channel 4's website from Sunday, 21 December.
The Menu - Film4 - 9pm
This very fun thriller from some of the team behind the TV hit Succession follows a young couple (Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult) who travel to a coastal island to eat at an exclusive restaurant.
The chef (Ralph Fiennes) has prepared a lavish menu that includes some shocking surprises…
The Lost Boys - MTV - 9pm
After moving to a new town in California, two brothers (Jason Patric and Corey Haim) discover that the area is a haven for vampires.
Directed by Joel Schumacher (Batman Forever, Falling Down), this comedy-horror is one of the most stylish and iconic vampire flicks ever made and features an ensemble cast of young ’80s stars.
White Chicks - Comedy Central - 9pm
Shawn and Marlon Wayans star as two FBI agents who go undercover as – you guessed it – white chicks.
Vertical Limit - Legend - 9pm
Starring Chris O'Donnell, this 2000 survival thriller follows a rescue attempt on K2, the second-highest mountain in the world, after a team of climbers becomes trapped in a crevasse.
Kiss of the Dragon - Legend Xtra - 9pm
Bridget Fonda and Jet Li headline this 2001 action flick about a Chinese police officer sent to Paris to assist with an arrest, who winds up framed for murder.
There's Something in the Barn - Sky Sci-fi - 9pm
In this 2023 horror comedy, an American father (Martin Starr) fulfils his dream of moving himself and his family back to their ancestral farm in the mountains of Norway, where a surprise awaits them...
Die Hard - Channel 4 - 9.10pm
It's definitely a Christmas movie.
Herself - RTÉ2 - 9.10pm
This Irish drama has a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score and focuses on a single mother (Kin’s Clare Dunne, who also co-wrote the screenplay) who decides to build a house for her family.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles - Sky Showcase - 9.10pm
John Candy and Steve Martin star in one of the most beloved comedies and road-trip movies of all time.
The Da Vinci Code - TG4 - 9.45pm
Dan Brown's smash hit conspiracy thriller novel gets the big screen treatment courtesy of director Ron Howard and star Tom Hanks.
Rocky Balboa / The Expendables - ITV4 - 10.30pm / 12.35am
A Sylvester Stallone double bill.
Bad Santa - Comedy Central - 11.10pm
Billy Bob Thornton plays a very bad department store Santa Claus in this modern classic black comedy.
Looper - Legend - 11.25pm
This inventive time travel flick stars Joseph Gordon Levitt as a hitman, who is tasked with killing his future self.
The older version of the assassin is played by Bruce Willis in a great performance.
Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut - Channel 4 - 11.50pm
This Vietnam War-set thriller epic - which we recently recommended - remains one of the greatest films ever made.
Dublin Crust - RTÉ2 - 12am
This 2023 Irish film follows a Dublin drummer named Bonehead (played by writer-director Baz Black) who has just been released from prison and sets out to reunite his old punk band, Crust.
Do you love movies? Have you ever dreamt of turning your home into your own cinema?
If so, then you may be interested in a home theatre projector we spotted on sale on Amazon with “impressive quality”.
The 4K projector has the likes of YouTube, Netflix and Prime Video built in, so you can access thousands of films and shows without an additional TV stick, and you can also connect it to Bluetooth on your phone and laptop.
It’s currently priced at €53.52 in a limited-time deal on the Amazon website.
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