This Week's MOVIEDROME

SaturdayYOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967) 15.05, ITV1 The fifth entry in the Spy series sees Bond form a partnership with the Japanese secret service (in fighting ninja form), to attempt to undermine baldly mastermind Blofeld from setting off a nuclear attack from outer space via his volcanic lair. In other words the one where Bond turns Japanese, gets married and famously powers a mini-jet pegged 'Little Nellie': superb fun! THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (2004) 21.00, FILM4 Jonathan Demme€™s timely update of John Frankenheimer€™s 1962 film of the same name is both an engrossing insight into corrupt political skulduggery and a superb fucked-up-family-saga which boasts standout performances from Liev Schreiber and a scene-stealing Meryl Streep. HALLOWEEN III:SEASON OF THE WITCH (1983) 00.10, BBC1 Not a continuation of the Michael Myers story but a separate slasher story concerning a large Halloween-mask-making company who undertake a fiendish plan to kill millions of children with their deadly masks. The reviews are always mixed, and I haven't seen it but it intrigues me enough to list it here and give it go. SundayRETURN OF THE JEDI (1983) 14.20, ITV1 Now with the new trilogy firmly in place this final installment of the series is a fitting, and fundemental tribute to the man behind the emotionless mask. And though it lacks the supreme darkness of Empire it still has much to recommend it: That thrilling extended prologue at Jabba's palace, the re-introduction of the former supreme chancellor (Ian McDiarmid) as the all powerful Emperor, the army of cuddly Ewoks, the heroic battle on Endor, and the final show down between father and son...which poetically cumulates with the unmasking of one of cinema's greatest villains. THE BIRDS (1963) 21.00, ITV3 €˜The Birds is coming!€™ went the grammatically incorrect tagline for Alfred Hitchcock€™s masterful adaptation of the Daphne Du Maurier short story in 1963. Becoming one of the best loved (and most feared) classics of the genre, this is still famed for that still jolting unexpected first bird attack on poor old Tippi Hedren. Now being made into an 'avoid at all costs' remake with Naomi Watts, witness Hitchcock's original masterful shocker and snigger at the fool who thinks he can redo it.TIGHTROPE (1984) 21.00, FIVE Tense archetypal Clint Eastwood crime thriller concerning a serial killer/rapist whose victims start to become acquaintances of the detective who's assigned to catch him. Dark and deeply disturbing. LA CONFIDENTIAL (1997) 21.00, FILM4 Twisty and brooding crime noir pastiche from director Curtis Hanson, whose unique noir palette echoes countless classic noirs of the 40s. A murderous shooting at a diner is investigated by various LA policeman who come up with their own interpretations of what happened. Not one to miss! GREEN CARD (1990) 22.40, BBC1 Andie MacDowell and Gerard Depardieu are perfectly cast in this warm romantic comedy. MacDowell plays the uptight green-fingered new yorker who longs for a luxury apartment which boasts a fabulous greenhouse, while Depardieu is the live hard die young French slob who just wants to work in the capital, thus they enter a marriage of convenience. But when the immigration officers get suspicious the mismatched couple have to move in with each other, with hilarious results. Depardieu's amateur antics on a grand piano at a posh party is comedy genius. F/X:MURDER BY ILLUSION (1985) 23.00, ITV4 What ever happened to that aussie pro Bryan Brown? In the 80s he was in everything: Cocktail, Gorillas in the Mist and this effective nonsense about a special effects guy who gets involved in a fake mob killing only to find his own life in mortal danger. The ever reliable Brian Dennehy co-stars. JACKASS:THE MOVIE (2002) 23.45, FILM4 In their first screen outing, the dare devil team perform a series of audacious stunts and antics that are mind blowing in their conviction. Great mischievous fun! MondayTHE SHAWKSHANK REDEMPTION (1994) 21.00, MORE4 Based on a Stephen King best seller, this multiply Oscar winning prison drama about a banker who forms a deep felt friendship with an older inmate while serving a sentence for murder, was strangely ignored by the public upon its theatrical release. However it quickly become one of the highest grossing video rentals of all time. COURAGE UNDER FIRE (1996) 21.00, FILM4 Back when Meg Ryan was a household name she co-stared alongside A-lister Denzel Washington in this 90s War drama about a US Army Officer who attempts to undo the mistake he made in Desert Storm and investigate whether a female commander is worthy of the Medal of Honour. Lou-Diamond Phillips also stars, (I wonder what he's doing these days!) INVADERS FROM MARS (1953) 22.00, BBC4 Chilling 50s science-fictioner about a boy who wakes up to witnesses a UFO landing in the family backyard. His parents naturally don't believe him but when the father decides to take a look he returns the next morning seemingly a stranger, bearing a strange mark on his neck and a decidedly irritable temperament to boot. The aliens most have done something to him, but is it too late for mankind? DEAD BIRDS (2004) 23.05, FIVE A group of outlaws in Civil War America take loggings in an abandoned and isolated old house, only to discover that their own demons are not at bay. Henry (E.T) Thomas stars in what could be a creepy affair. F/X:MURDER BY ILLUSION 22.00, ITV4(See Sunday at 23.00)TuesdayTHE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE (1994) 18.55, FILM4 Based on the real life plight of the historic king who developed a severe bout of dementia during his reign. Nigel Hawthorne stars as the titular king with sterling support from both Helen Mirren and Ian Holm. SLEEPY HOLLOW (1999) 21.00, E4 Featuring a slew of veteran British Thespians (Richard Griffith, Ian McDiarmid, Michael Gough and Christopher Lee), Tim Burton€™s bleakly beautiful gothic tale finds Johnny Depp€™s detective Ichabod Crane tracking the case of the feared apparition 'The Headless Horseman', who is blamed for horrific decapitations in a small town. SCUM (1979) 22.00, ITV4 Hard-hitting drama about the, then true to life shocking incidents, that occur in a British Borstal. Controversially banned by the BBC at the time, this is a tough viewing experience but essential and rewarding. THE RUSSIA HOUSE (1990) 21.00, VIRGIN 1 Good old Sean Connery stars alongside the gorgeous Michelle Pfeiffer in this intelligent political thriller. Connery plays a British publisher who is sent a manuscript which was written by a known soviet scientist. This unwittingly draws both of them into a web of deadly political intrigue. THE GRIFTERS (1990) 23.55, FILM4 Twisty-turvy 1990s noir crime drama featuring John Cusack and Anjelica Huston as son and estranged mother con-artists who reunite after a long-period of absence only to learn that when it comes to crime nobody, not even family can be trusted. WednesdayPRICK UP YOUR EARS (1987) 23.25, FILM4 Stephen Frears adapts from an Alan Bennett screenplay to direct Gary Oldman as the British playwright Joe Orton in this absorbing drama. ThursdayTHE MASK OF ZORRO (1998) 21.00, FIVE US Swashbuckling adventure from the man behind bond comebacks Goldeneye and Casino Royale. Anthony Hopkins plays the aging Zorro who is captured and imprisoned for 20 years. Escaping he decides to train up a younger man (Antonio Banderas) to become the new Zorro and avenge the man who killed his wife and took his daughter (Catherine Zeta Jones). THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE 21.00, FILM4(See Saturday 21.00)FridayTHE MISSING (2003) 20.00, FIVE LIFE Ron Howard's 19th Century New Mexico set low-key western stars Tommy Lee Jones as a father yearning to reconcile his wayward relationship with his grown up daughter (Cate Blanchett). When her own daughter is kidnapped they must work together to find her and hopefully heel some old family wounds. Its apt that Howard, a child actor in he 70s, who got to star alongside John Wayne in his final film The Shootist, got to eventually compose his own aspiring take on the western genre with this welcome edition. ALIEN (1979) 21.00, FILM4 A crew of a commercial space vessel get more than they bargin for when they answer a distress signal on a distant, unknown planet. This is Ridley Scott€™s textbook example of how to create fear and suspense out of remote claustrophobic space and a shrouded gruesomely realised creature. SLEEPY HOLLOW 22.35, E4(See Tuesday 21.00)LA CONFIDENTIAL 23.35, FILM4(See Sunday 21.00)