Top Films: w/c Saturday, May 27

Top films to watch week beginning Saturday, May 27

Saturday 27/05/23Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (2022) **** (Sky Cinema Premiere, 8.10am & 2.25pm)Mr and Mrs Primm (Scoot McNairy, Constance Wu) move to New York City with their exceedingly anxious son Josh (Winslow Fegley). The teenager struggles to fit in at his new school, but he gains confidence and purpose when he encounters Lyle (voiced by Shawn Mendes), the singing crocodile who lives in the attic of their three-storey brownstone, once owned by conjurer Hector P Valenti (Javier Bardem). Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is a family-friendly musical comedy based on the best-selling book series by Bernard Waber, which melds live action and cutesy digital effects a la Paddington to extend the concept of a modern family to all creatures great, small and scaly. Bardem turns on the razzle dazzle and the eponymous semiaquatic hero gels convincingly with teenage co-star Fegley.

Rio Bravo (1959) ***** (Channel 5, 1.25pm)A small-town sheriff must keep a murderer behind bars until a marshal arrives to deal with him. It sounds simple, but the only people on the lawman’s side are a drunk and an ageing deputy, while the prisoner is the brother of a powerful rancher who will stop at nothing to break him out. Throw in a young gunslinger and a mysterious beauty fresh off the stagecoach, and the scene is set for high drama. John Wayne gives one of his best performances as Sheriff Chance, and has a convincing chemistry with Angie Dickinson, even if she is half his age. There are also decent supporting performances from Dean Martin and then-teen idol Ricky Nelson, making for a film that manages to be funny and tense in equal measure.

Hellboy (2004) *** (ITV1, 10.20pm)Demon Hellboy (Ron Perlman), raised by the Nazis in the final days of the Second World War but weaned from the dark side by paranormal expert John Hurt, joins a team fighting present-day fascist sorcery. Aided by a motley bunch of misfits, the hero has to juggle the demands of his role with his attempts to woo fragile friend Liz (Selma Blair), a conflict of interests that only adds fuel to his fiery temper. Acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro manages to remain fairly faithful to the comic-book while firmly attaching his own signature to the film, and strikes a careful balance between effects-laden action and character-driven scenes.

American Made (2017) **** (Channel 4, 11.20pm)Pilot Barry Seal (Tom Cruise) is haemorrhaging enthusiasm for his job as he provides for his wife Lucy (Sarah Wright) and children. He makes a little money on the side by smuggling Cuban cigars into America in his hand luggage. This illegal practice is rumbled by CIA handler Monty Schafer (Domhnall Gleeson), who coerces Barry into working for the US government by flying reconnaissance missions over Central America to take photographs of the emerging communist threat. During one covert flight, Barry meets members of the high-powered Medellin cocaine cartel, who exploit his greed by employing him to transport narcotics back to America. Based on a true story of outlandish lies, American Made recreates the late 1970s and 1980s with a swagger.

Sunday 28/05/23You Only Live Twice (1967) ***** (ITV1, 4.15pm)When American and Soviet spacecraft go missing, both sides suspect the other – but British Intelligence believes a third party could be involved. Agent 007 (Sean Connery) is dispatched to Japan to investigate, where he comes face to face with Blofeld (Donald Pleasence, giving arguably the definitive take on the arch-villain). Fans of the novel, the last published while Ian Fleming was alive, may be disappointed: the film bears little relation to it. For everyone else though, this is one of the better James Bond outings, thanks to a script by Roald Dahl, an explosive climax inside Ken Adam’s impressive set and some great special effects. Connery is terrific, as are the helicopter battle scenes and John Barry’s score.

Summering (2022) *** (Sky Cinema Premiere, 8.00pm) PremiereFour girls come of age during a summer they will never forget in a nostalgic drama co-written by director James Ponsoldt and Benjamin Percy that begs narrative similarities to Stand By Me. Friends Daisy (Lia Barnett), Dina (Madalen Mills), Lola (Sanai Victoria) and Mari (Eden Grace Redfield) savour the final days of the holidays before reality bites and they face life in different middle schools. It will be the first time the friends are separated and they are dreading the transition into adolescence. Congregating at their favourite tree in the woods, the girls discover the body of a man and debate whether they should report the macabre find. Daisy, Dina, Lola and Mari resolve to learn more about the dead man and they embark on an odyssey around town to track his movements.

Arrival (2016) **** (Film4, 9.00pm)Twelve giant obloid spacecraft enter Earth’s atmosphere and descend over seemingly random locations. US Army Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker) leads the American response and recruits emotionally scarred linguistics expert Dr Louise Banks (Amy Adams) to decipher a coded language used by the visitors. Louise aligns with military scientist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) to unravel the conundrum, while the CIA, led by Agent Halpern (Michael Stuhlbarg), considers the terrifying possibility that we are in the calm before an intergalactic storm. Based on a short story by Ted Chiang, Arrival is contemplative science-fiction drama anchored by Adams’ mesmerising performance, which imagines mankind’s shambolic reaction to first contact with an otherworldly race.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) ***** (Channel 4, 11.00pm)Hell hath no fury like a grief-stricken mother scorned in writer-director Martin McDonagh’s blackly comic drama. It has been seven months since Angela Hayes was abducted, raped and murdered on her way home. The dead girl’s mother Mildred (Oscar-winner Frances McDormand) is infuriated by the lack of progress under police chief Bill Willoughby (Woody Harrelson). So, she rents three advertising hoardings on the outskirts of town and emblazons each billboard with a message aimed directly at the man responsible for apprehending the culprits. However, bigoted officer Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell, who also won an Oscar) reacts violently to Mildred’s public spat with his station. Impeccably scripted and blessed with a blistering lead performance from McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a truly remarkable film.

Monday 29/05/23Let Him Go (2020) *** (Film4, 9.00pm) PremiereRetired sheriff George Blackledge (Kevin Costner) and his horse trainer wife Margaret (Diane Lane) live on a ranch in 1960s Montana with their 25-year-old son James (Ryan Bruce), his wife Lorna (Kayli Carter) and their grandson Jimmy (Bram and Otto Hornung). A freak horse-riding accident forces the Blackledges to bury their boy and they watch helplessly as Lorna eventually marries another man, Donnie Weboy (Will Brittain), who communicates with his fists. Without warning, Donnie spirits Lorna and three-year-old Jimmy away to his family home in North Dakota. Margaret is bereft and leads her husband on a cross-country odyssey to prise their grandson out of Donnie’s clutches. Let Him Go is a slow-burning thriller of strained familial ties, torn from the pages of a novel by Larry Watson.

Goodfellas (1990) ***** (BBC2, 10.00pm)Martin Scorsese’s mob masterpiece focuses on Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), who harbours dreams of commanding respect by becoming a gangster. He seems to be on course to achieve his ambitions when he starts running errands for the local Mafia and slowly works his way up the ranks, helped by his friendship with Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro). However, his rise is threatened by his volatile marriage, increasing involvement in drugs and unpredictable mate Tommy (Joe Pesci). Scorsese effortlessly switches between black humour and genuine menace, and gets career-best performances out of Liotta, Lorraine Bracco and the Oscar-winning Pesci.

Tuesday 30/05/23The Favourite (2018) ***** (Film4, 9.00pm)Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) is removed from the machinations of government, allowing her secret lover Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz) to effectively control 18th-century Britain. While Sarah has the monarch’s ear, Robert Harley (Nicholas Hoult) challenges her authority from his seat of power in Westminster. At the height of this battle of wits, Sarah’s lowly cousin Abigail Hill (Emma Stone) arrives at court and is employed as a scullery maid. Abigail recognises that the key to bettering her positioning lies in winning the queen’s favour, so she charms and beguiles Anne. Once Sarah discovers her cousin’s plot, she retaliates in venomous kind. The Favourite is a brilliantly bawdy and boisterous dark comedy. Weisz and Stone savour every bile-drenched syllable but Oscar winner Colman shines brightest.

Denmark (2019) **** (BBC2, 11.15pm) PremiereIf you’ve ever been tripped up by a TikTok video asking you to guess whether a room is British university accommodation or a Scandinavian prison cell, then this sweet, if slight, comedy-drama is for you. Rafe Spall gives a heart-felt performance as Herb, a depressed, unemployed Welshman who is struggling to make ends meet, can barely get his estranged son to speak to him and is tormented by a noisy neighbour. So, when he sees a documentary about the supposedly luxurious life of Danish convicts, Herb formulates a plan – he’s going to go to Demark with the sole intention of getting arrested. However, once he arrives in the country, he meets a barmaid (Simone Lykke) and a stray dog who make him wonder if there could be another way to find happiness.

Wednesday 31/05/23Men in Black 3 (2012) *** (Film4, 6.55pm)An alien assassin called Boris the Animal (Jemaine Clement) escapes from the Lunar Max high-security prison and travels back in time to kill the man who put him behind bars: Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones). The ripple effect causes Agent K to disappear from the future, heralding a full-scale invasion of Earth. 21st-century Agent J (Will Smith) realises the past has been altered and travels back to 1969, where he meets the young K (a perfectly cast Josh Brolin). With assistance from Agent O (Alice Eve) and an otherworldly soothsayer called Griffin (Michael Stuhlbarg), J risks everything to save his best friend from annihilation. Third time’s a charm for the sharp-suited Men in Black, who rediscover their swagger 10 years after the lacklustre second instalment.

The Death of Stalin (2017) **** (BBC2, 11.45pm)Fifties Moscow is a city under the yoke of tyrannical General Secretary Joseph Stalin (Adrian McLoughlin), who executes dissenters in the ranks. When he suddenly dies, members of his inner circle forge alliances to fill the power vacuum and worm their way into the affections of the dead leader’s son (Rupert Friend) and daughter (Andrea Riseborough). Writer-director Armando Iannucci’s The Death of Stalin is a delicious, razor-sharp satire that deftly melds historical fact and bile-drenched fiction. The script is armed with an array of one-liners, which are delivered at a frenetic pace by the well-drilled ensemble cast, that includes Jason Isaacs, Simon Russell Beale, Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor and Michael Palin. Wisely, no-one attempts a cod-Soviet accent, which could be an unnecessary distraction.

Thursday 01/06/23Casablanca (1942) ***** (BBC4, 9.00pm)Even as the Second World War rages, Rick (Humphrey Bogart), the American owner of a popular Moroccan nightclub, prides himself on not getting involved with politics. However, his cynicism is put to the test when his old flame Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) needs his assistance to get her resistance-leader husband (Paul Henreid) out of Casablanca. There’s a reason this is routinely hailed as one of the greatest films of all time – it really does have it all, including a gripping storyline, a moving romance, an endlessly quotable script and some great songs. The chemistry between Bogart and Bergman sizzles, but let’s also hear it for the incredible supporting cast, especially Claude Rains as the cheerfully corrupt Captain Renault.

The Worst Person in the World (2021) ***** (Film4, 10.50pm) Premiere.Student Julie (Renate Reinsve) is in the throes of an existential crisis of her own making. Boyfriend Aksel (Anders Danielsen Lie), 15 years her senior and a successful graphic novelist, is ready to settle down and have children but Julie is resistant. One night, she gatecrashes a wedding reception and verbally spars with a guest called Eivind (Herbert Nordrum). Soon after, Julie jettisons Aksel to embark on a passionate relationship with the new man, but regrets being to surface. Nominated for two Academy Awards, The Worst Person in the World is an exuberantly crafted comedy drama. Reinsve’s irresistible performance draws on a script co-written by director Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt, which sends Julie along a flimsy tightrope between celebration and self-annihilation.

Friday 02/06/23Ronin (1998) **** (Film4, 9.00pm)A group of hard-as-nails former special forces soldiers and intelligence operatives-turned-mercenaries are hired to take part in an international plot to steal a briefcase containing an apparently deadly secret. However, shifting loyalties and self-serving behaviour sees the group betraying one another – with inevitably explosive consequences. This gritty thriller steps back from the glossy style of the 1990s and returns to the violent actioners of the 1970s in a high-octane affair with car chases that would put Steve McQueen to shame. Robert De Niro is great in the lead and, understandably, gets all the best lines, but even he can’t take all the limelight away from his bevy of talented co-stars, including the marvellous Jean Reno as French agent Vincent.

Eastern Promises (2007) **** (BBC1, 12.35am)Director David Cronenberg reunited with A History of Violence’s charismatic leading man Viggo Mortensen to explore the dark secrets of a Russian crime family in his intense and bloodthirsty thriller set in London. Caring midwife Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts) inadvertently strays into the middle of a gang war when she becomes emotionally attached to a badly injured teenage girl and her newborn baby. When the young mother dies, Anna steals her diary and begins to translate the Cyrillic text which reveals unspeakable treachery in a clan ruled by Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl), his son Kirill (Vincent Cassel) and gruff chauffeur Nikolai (Mortensen); terrible deeds which Semyon will do anything to keep hidden. The script is by Stephen Knight, who would go on to create Peaky Blinders.