The Oscar-winning ’90s movie also inspired a great TV show.
Staying in this Saturday night? Not a problem, as there are plenty of great movies playing on the box this evening to keep you entertained.
Let’s run through them.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – Sky Showcase – 8pm
The second in Peter Jackson’s much loved fantasy trilogy.
Pitch Perfect – RTÉ2 – 8.50pm
Anna Kendrick stars in this hit comedy about an all-girl a cappella group.
Angel Has Fallen – Channel 4 – 9pm
In this third entry in the action franchise, Gerard Butler’s Secret Service agent is framed for the attempted assassination of the President and must evade his own agency and the FBI as he tries to uncover the real threat.
Jerry Maguire – Dave – 9pm
This Tom Cruise-starring comedy-drama about a sports agent who has a moral epiphany is one of the most quotable movies of all time.
The Nice Guys – Film Four – 9pm
Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe are hilarious playing a private eye and a tough enforcer who must work together to solve a mystery in ’70s LA.
Jarhead – Turner Classic Movies – 9pm
Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this underrated war drama set during the Gulf War from director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Skyfall).
Fury – ITV 4 – 10pm
Speaking of war films, this hard-hitting drama stars Brad Pitt as a tank commander who, along with his crew, fights his way across Germany in April, 1945.
Fargo – TG4 – 10.45pm
Our pick for tonight is this ’90s crime thriller from filmmaking duo Joel and Ethan Coen. It centres around pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) who investigates a crime involving a car salesman (William H. Macy) and the two criminal henchmen (Peter Stormare, Steve Buscemi) he has become involved with.
Thanks to its note-perfect performances by its ensemble cast and the Coen Brothers’ incredible dialogue and command of tone, Fargo somehow manages to be unflinchingly tense and horrifying, yet also hilarious and surprisingly humane at the same time.
It’s down to this mix that the movie earned two Oscars, one for best original screenplay and one for McDormand in the best actress category. It also spawned a hit TV show of the same name which has run for four seasons.
The Green Hornet – Comedy Central – 10.50pm
Seth Rogen tries his hand at the superhero genre, with the help of Cameron Diaz and Christoph Waltz.
X-Men: Apocalypse – RTÉ2 – 10.55pm
One of the weakest entries in the X-Men franchise.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – Film Four – 11.15pm
Tom Cruise stars again, this time in the fifth entry of his action-spy franchise.
Lost & Found – RTÉ One – 11.55pm
This Irish comedy-drama tells seven interconnecting stories set in and around a lost and found office of a train station.
The Salesman – BBC Two – 12.50am
This gripping Iranian drama-thriller about a husband who tries to determine the identity of the person who attacked his wife picked up an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
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