Film Four & Film Four +1 TV Listing

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Friday 13th December View listings for the following day
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Film4 Listings for Friday 13th December

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11:00


Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (Film) Film icon 3 star rating U certificate
For a brief period in the 1960s, there was a fad for madcap movies such as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Monte Carlo or Bust!, The Great Race and Around the World in 80 Days; and Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines is among those that worked. Newspaper publisher Lord Rawnsley puts up a £10,000 prize for the winner of a flight from London to Paris and soon his daughter Patricia, her would-be husband Richard, his rival for her hand and a motley collection of aviators are gathered, ready for the race to begin. Among them, of course, is the requisite villain, Sir Percy Ware-Armitage, aided by his put-upon servant Courtney.
Director: Ken Annakin
Starring: Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles, James Fox, Alberto Sordi, Robert Morley, Gert Fröbe
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1965, U, 3 Star)

13:40


Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
John Sturges' telling of the infamous battle in Tombstone stars Burt Lancaster as Wyatt Earp and Kirk Douglas as Doc Holliday. When marshal Earp saves Holliday from a lynch mob, the pair form an unlikely friendship. After several scrapes, they end up in Tombstone, where Wyatt's cousin Virgil needs help with the troublesome Clanton family. Joined by brothers Morgan and Jimmy, the Earps and Holliday ride into history. Love interest comes in the shape of Laura Denbow, an independent lady who intrigues Wyatt, and Kate Fisher, Holliday's long-suffering girl.
Director: John Sturges
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Jo Van Fleet, John Ireland, Lyle Bettger
(Subtitles, 1957, PG, 4 Star)

16:05


The Battle of The River Plate (Film) Film icon 3 star rating U certificate
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's wartime drama is based on the true story of the hunt for the German pocket battleship, Graf Spee, during the Second World War.
Director: Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell
Starring: John Gregson, Anthony Quayle, Ian Hunter, Jack Gwillim, Bernard Lee, Lionel Murton
(Subtitles, 1956, U, 3 Star)

18:25


The Hunt for Red October (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
John McTiernan's thriller stars Alec Baldwin as CIA officer Jack Ryan, who gets caught in a tense, volatile stand-off between the US and renegade Russian submarine commander Marko Ramius. Ramius is in charge of Red October, a submarine far in advance of American technology and strike capability. But, on its maiden voyage, Ramius sets sail for American waters. Is he just testing the sub, or is he planning to unleash a nuclear strike, or setting out to defect? Ryan believes the Russian commander is defecting. But, with both the Americans and the Russians intent on destroying the vessel, does Ryan have enough time to save craft and crew from both sides? Edited for content.
Director: John McTiernan
Starring: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, James Earl Jones, Joss Ackland
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 1990, PG, 4 Star)

21:00


Trading Places (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 15 certificate
In John Landis's landmark, rip-roaring comedy, Dan Aykroyd plays Louis Winthorpe III, a rich, smug investment broker who is set up by brothers Randolph and Mortimer Duke in their experiment to prove that environment counts for more than breeding. He's stripped of his home, money, fiancé and job, and the homeless Billy Ray Valentine take his place. The only person interested in helping Winthorpe is hooker Ophelia. But when Louis, Billy Ray and Ophelia discover Randolph and Duke's plot, they plan to get even.
Director: John Landis
Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm Elliott, Jamie Lee Curtis
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 1983, 15, 4 Star)



23:20


Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 12 certificate
Hark Tsui's action-murder-mystery is set in late seventh-century China, during the Tang dynasty. Andy Lau stars as the eponymous sleuth who, despite having languished in prison for treason, is released and charged with investigating the strange deaths of officials working on a monument that's intended to mark the inauguration of Empress Wu Zetian. Dee soon finds himself at the centre of a maelstrom of plots and murderous animosities - but who is at the heart of the conspiracy to disrupt the coronation of China's first female ruler, and will Dee survive long enough to find out? Tsui's exhilarating thriller zips along at a smart pace, with great CGI effects and tonnes of martial-arts set-pieces. The character of Dee is based on a real-life official who was credited with tempering the crueller excesses of China's only female ruler; his exploits passed into legend, and were eventually popularised in the West via the Dutch author Robert van Gulik, who published his first adventure in 1949.
Director: Hark Tsui
Starring: Tony Leung Ka Fai, Chao Deng, Carina Lau, Bingbing Li, Andy Lau, Jean-Michel Casanova
(Subtitles, Subtitled, In Mandarin with English Subtitles, Widescreen, 2010, 12, 3 Star)

01:45


Hostage (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
In Florent Emilio Siri's edge-of-the-seat thriller, Bruce Willis plays Jeff Talley, who's working for the Ventura Police Department and looking for a quiet life after a bad experience as a hostage negotiator in Los Angeles. When a carjacking by three teenagers goes wrong and they take three hostages, he's happy to hand over to the sheriff's department for what is ostensibly a simple case. But then he's back, demanding to take control of the incident: more dangerous elements have kidnapped his family and they want him to retrieve incriminating evidence from the carjacking - or his family will suffer. Now Talley has to navigate two sets of negotiations, one open, the other known only to him.
Director: Florent-Emilio Siri
Starring: Bruce Willis, Kevin Pollak, Jimmy Bennett, Michelle Horn, Ben Foster, Jonathan Tucker
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2005, 15, 3 Star)

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Saturday 14th December
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Film4 Listings for Saturday 14th December

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


Dr. Strangelove (Film) Film icon 5 star rating PG certificate
Peter Sellers stars in three roles in Stanley Kubrick's Oscar-nominated black comedy about the Cold War. A room is packed full of politicians and military officials trying to stop the nuclear attack that paranoid US Air Force General Jack Ripper has secretly launched on the USSR. When US President Merkin meets with his advisors, not only does he have to contend with super-hawk General Buck Turgidson, who sees the situation as an opportunity to do something about Communism in general, but he also learns that the Soviets already have a Doomsday Machine in place, which will destroy all plant and animal life on Earth should the USSR be attacked. The only person other than General Ripper who might be able to recall the bombers is his executive officer, RAF Group Captain Lionel. But General Ripper is holding Captain Lionel hostage, and unless Captain Lionel can get a message to the outside world, no one will be able to figure out the bombers' abort code.
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn, Slim Pickens, Peter Bull
(Subtitles, 1964, PG, 5 Star)

13:00


The Brady Bunch Movie (Film) Film icon PG certificate
Betty Thomas directs this comedy about one of America's favourite TV families of the 70s. Except it's now the 90s and, while the world has moved on, they haven't. Parents Mike and Carol and their brood are now irritating anachronisms rather than the loved, slightly goofy family they once were. But worse, they've forgotten to pay their property taxes and their neighbour, Mr Dittmeyer, sees his chance to buy their home - orange Formica kitchen fittings and all - and raze it to the ground as part of a property development scheme. Can the family raise the necessary $20,000 to save their house in just one week? Watch out for cameo appearances from some of the original cast. Edited for content.
Director: Betty Thomas
Starring: Shelley Long, Gary Cole, Christine Taylor, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Jennifer Elise Cox, Paul Sutera
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1995, PG, 2 Star)

14:45


Cleopatra (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
Still the most expensive film ever made and famous for bringing Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton together in what was to become one of the world's most famous on-off-on relationships, Joseph L Mankiewicz's film almost defines the word 'epic'. Taylor plays Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, who uses both her political wiles and her body to first woo Julius Caesar then Marc Antony to protect and even expand her realm.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Pamela Brown, George Cole, Hume Cronyn, Martin Landau, Roddy McDowall
(Subtitles, 1963, PG, 4 Star)

19:15


The Golden Child (Film) Film icon PG certificate
In Michael Ritchie's all-action comedy movie, Eddie Murphy plays Chandler Jarrell, a private eye specialising in missing children cases. Jarrell is called in when sinister agents kidnap the eponymous, world-saving infant from a Tibetan temple. The sleuth's search for the Golden Child takes him through countless adventures and escapades, as well as a romantic dalliance with the mysterious Kee Nang. Edited for content.
Director: Michael Ritchie
Starring: J.L. Reate, Eddie Murphy, Charles Dance, Charlotte Lewis, Victor Wong, Randall 'Tex' Cobb
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1986, PG, 2 Star)

21:00


Fracture (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling and David Strathairn star in Gregory Hoblit's twist-filled legal drama. When top airplane engineer Ted Crawford discovers that his wife has been cheating on him he takes a devastatingly direct route to revenge: he drives home and shoots his errant spouse in the face. He then waits for the police to turn up and confesses to the crime. With his wife in a coma, Crawford is arrested and enters the justice system. It should, of course, be the simplest prosecution ever. And lawyer Willy Beachum can be forgiven for thinking that his last case as a criminal attorney will be a doddle. But once in court, Crawford, representing himself, starts to tear apart the ample evidence that's stacked against him... Can he possibly get away with his crime?
Director: Gregory Hoblit
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn, Rosamund Pike, Embeth Davidtz, Billy Burke
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2007, 15, 3 Star)



23:15


Donkey Punch (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 18 certificate
Oliver Blackburn's teen thriller starts out in Mallorca, where a group of up-for-it girls meet a bunch of middle-class lads who are crewing a luxury yacht. The lads don't waste time in inviting the girls down to the marina. Initially, once everyone is on board, all is fine and they take the boat out to sea. But, as the drink flows and the drugs take hold, one of the lads, while having sex with one of the girls, foolishly takes the opportunity to try out a dangerous sexual kink his mates told him about - with lethal consequences. Now the surviving girls are in danger, as the boys realise they face charges of rape and murder. And so, on the high seas, begins a cat-and-mouse struggle to remain alive.
Director: Oliver Blackburn
Starring: Robert Boulter, Sian Breckin, Tom Burke, Nichola Burley, Julian Morris, Jay Taylor
(Subtitles, 2008, 18, 3 Star)

01:10


Princess Mononoke (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
From the famous Japanese Studio Ghibli comes one of its most successful animations after Spirited Away. Hayao Miyazaki's adventure is set in the 14th century, at a time when the harmony which humans, animals and gods have long enjoyed begins to crumble. The protagonist, young Ashitaka, is infected during an animal attack and seeks a cure from the deer-like god Shishigami. In his travels he sees humans ravaging the earth, bringing down the wrath of wolf god Moro and his human companion Princess Mononoke, but Ashitaka's attempts to broker peace between her and the humans brings only conflict. This £20m film became Japan's highest-grossing film, earning $150m in just six months.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Yôji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yûko Tanaka, Kaoru Kobayashi, Masahiko Nishimura, Tsunehiko Kamijô
(Subtitles, Subtitled, In Japanese with English Subtitles, 1997, PG, 4 Star)

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Sunday 15th December View listings for the following day
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Film4 Listings for Sunday 15th December

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


My Neighbours the Yamadas (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
In the Japanese animation powerhouse's first all-digital work, director Isao Takahata eschews the standard Ghibli aesthetic, opting instead for a seemingly watercoloured strip-cartoon look. The animated comedy explores the lives of a modern Japanese family through a series of loosely connected episodes that delve into the family members' relationships and their everyday exploits.
Director: Isao Takahata
Starring: Hayato Isohata, Masako Araki, Naomi Uno, Tôru Masuoka, Yukiji Asaoka, Akiko Yano
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Subtitled, In Japanese with English Subtitles, 1999, PG, 4 Star)

13:00


The First Wives Club (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton star in Hugh Wilson's sharp comedy as Brenda, Elise and Annie, three women who meet at the funeral of a mutual college friend, where they discover they have something else in common: they've all been dumped by their husbands for younger models. So they begin to get their revenge on them one by one, using the skills of socialite Gunilla Garson Goldberg, Annie's lesbian daughter Chris and Mob boss Carmine Morelli... Edited for content.
Director: Hugh Wilson
Starring: Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, Maggie Smith, Dan Hedaya, Sarah Jessica Parker
(Subtitles, 1996, PG, 3 Star)

15:05


Romancing the Stone (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
Fast-paced action comedy in which a dowdy romantic-adventure writer is hurled into a real-life adventure in the Colombian jungle in order to save her sister, who will be killed if a treasure map is not delivered to her captors. She is helped out by a brash mercenary, and together they search for the priceless gem located in the map. A non-stop mix of thrills, laughter and romance with energetic performances all round.
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Zack Norman, Alfonso Arau, Manuel Ojeda
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1984, PG, 4 Star)

17:10


Bride Wars (Film) Film icon PG certificate
Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway star in Gary Winick's romantic comedy as best friends competing to nab the same location for their wedding reception. When Liv and Emma were girls they attended such an impressive wedding at New York's landmark Plaza Hotel that they swore that, when the time came, they would each celebrate their nuptials there. Twenty years later, after saying 'yes' to their respective fiancés, they've instructed their wedding planner to book the ceremony of their dreams. But because of a clerical error they're both given the same slot, and neither is willing to concede. Instead, their friendship is jettisoned as they resort to underhand tactics in a bid to sabotage each other and fulfil their marriage fantasies... Also starring Candice Bergen, Chris Pratt and Bryan Greenberg. Edited for content.
Director: Gary Winick
Starring: Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Bryan Greenberg, Chris Pratt, Steve Howey, Candice Bergen
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2009, PG, 2 Star)

18:50


Step Up 3 (Film) Film icon 12 certificate
Rick Malambri, Adam G Sevani and Sharni Vinson star in this dance spectacular. A crew of New York street dancers must win the top prize in a competition or face losing the building where they live and try out their new choreography routines. Along the way, the plot encompasses love stories and even a police chase, but of course it's really all about the dancing - which bursts forth in abundance and enough variety to please any hoofing fan. Indeed, the coruscating dance routines, from a cast composed largely of professional dancers rather than actors, is undoubtedly the film's main strength. First play on Film4. Edited for content.
Director: Jon Chu
Starring: Rick Malambri, Adam G. Sevani, Sharni Vinson, Alyson Stoner, Keith Stallworth, Kendra Andrews
(Premiere, Widescreen, Subtitles, 2010, 12, 2 Star)



21:00


Battle: Los Angeles (Film) Film icon 12 certificate
Aaron Eckhart stars in this explosive action thriller about a group of soldiers caught up in the chaos when aliens invade Los Angeles. The world watches in awe as a bombardment of meteors rains down upon Earth from outer space. But when it's observed that these 'meteors' slow down before hitting their targets, it's clear they're anything but a natural phenomenom. Earth is under attack. Cue the arrival of Staff Sergeant Nantz - a grizzled war vet with a troubled combat history. Just days away from retirement, he's called in to help evacuate a group of civilians trapped within an alien-controlled area in Santa Monica beach. He leads a group of fellow soldiers into the combat zone, joining along the way a group of National Guard Soldiers. Can Nantz overcome his demons and lead the squad and the civilians to safety?
Director: Jonathan Liebesman
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Ramon Rodriguez, Will Rothhaar, Cory Hardrict, Jim Parrack, Gino Anthony Pesi
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2011, 12)

23:15


Compliance (Film) Film icon 15 certificate
Pat Healy, Ann Dowd and Dreama Walker star in writer-director Craig Zobel's extremely disturbing fact-based thriller that explores the power we invest in figures of authority. Middle-aged Sandra works for the ChickWich fast-food chain as a manager. One day, she takes a phone call from a man identifying himself as Officer Daniels. Daniels tells Sandra he has received a complaint that a blonde member of her staff has stolen money from a customer. He tells Sandra that, until the police arrive, she should isolate the culprit and await further instructions.
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 15)

01:00


Gertrud (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Carl Theodor Dreyer's last completed film stars Nina Pens Rode as the wife of a politician trapped in a loveless marriage. Leaving him to join her young pianist lover, he too abandons her, and so she chooses to live the rest of her life in solitude, rather than risk emotional engagement again.
Director: Carl-Theodor Dreyer
Starring: Nina Pens Rode, Bendt Rothe, Ebbe Rode, Baard Owe, Axel Strøbye, Karl Gustav Ahlefeldt
(Subtitles, Subtitled, In Danish with English Subtitles, 1965, PG, 3 Star)

[leostiinta]

Monday 16th December
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Film4 Listings for Monday 16th December

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


The Electric Horseman (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Light comedy about a former champion rodeo rider hired to promote a breakfast cereal who takes off on the $12 million horse condemned to share his degrading assignment. What pushes him over the edge is the discovery that the animal is being pumped with dope to keep it calm. As he heads into the desert in protest, a female reporter hungry for a scoop gives chase.
Director: Sydney Pollack
Starring: Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Valerie Perrine, Willie Nelson, John Saxon, Nicolas Coster
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1979, PG, 3 Star)

13:25


Tora! Tora! Tora! (Film) Film icon 4 star rating U certificate
Oscar-winning, super-realistic wartime drama portraying the bombing of Pearl Harbor from both the American and Japanese perspectives. With Joseph Cotten, Martin Balsam, Jason Robards, So Yamamura, Tatsuya Mihashi and Takahiro Tamura. Directed by Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda and Kinji Fukasaku. In English, and Japanese with English subtitles.
Director: Richard Fleischer, Kinji Fukasaku
Starring: Martin Balsam, Sô Yamamura, Joseph Cotten, Tatsuya Mihashi, E.G. Marshall, Takahiro Tamura
(Subtitles, 1970, U, 4 Star)

16:15


Journey to the Center of the Earth (Film) Film icon 4 star rating U certificate
Henry Levin's glorious adventure movie, inspired by the Jules Verne novel, stars James Mason as Professor Oliver Lindenbrook, who embarks on an expedition to the centre of the planet: a world of prehistoric beasts, rockfalls, scorching heat and lethal winds, accompanied by murderous attempts on the explorers' lives. But will his team, including student Alec McKuen and glamorous widow Carla Goteborg, ever be able to return?
Director: Henry Levin
Starring: Pat Boone, James Mason, Arlene Dahl, Diane Baker, Thayer David, Peter Ronson
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 1959, U, 4 Star)

18:50


Rat Race (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 12 certificate
Gag-meister Jerry Zucker's cracking comedy has a cast to die for. Las Vegas casino owner Donald P Sinclair decides to set up a special event for his highest rollers. Lucky tokens in his slot machines entitle six punters to enter a race across America with $2million as the prize. He'll make a killing on the bets placed on the players while the contestants dash for the cash. Any comparisons to It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World are completely deserved but director Jerry Zucker keeps the action flowing while making sure the film, unlike... Mad..., doesn't outstay its welcome. Look out for Kathy Bates as a psychopathic roadside squirrel-seller. Edited for content.
Director: Jerry Zucker
Starring: John Cleese, Rowan Atkinson, Lanei Chapman, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr., Seth Green
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 2001, 12, 3 Star)

21:00


Don't be Afraid of the Dark (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce star in this Guillermo del Toro-penned adaptation of the 1973 made-for-TV movie about a young girl tormented by a group of mysterious creatures. Sally has been sent to live with her father Alex and his new girlfriend Kim in their new house, which was previously owned by a painter who mysteriously disappeared. Sally isn't happy about being there, and rejects Kim's attempts to establish a relationship with her. She feels completely alone in the house, until one day she hears strange voices whispering from one of the fireplaces. After wrenching the cover off, she discovers who is speaking - a group of strange, rat-like creatures who want to claim her as one of their own... First play on Film4.
Director: Troy Nixey
Starring: Bruce Gleeson, Eddie Ritchard, Garry McDonald, Bailee Madison, Carolyn Shakespeare-Allen, Katie Holmes
(Premiere, Widescreen, Subtitles, 2010, 15, 3 Star)



22:55


Wedding Crashers (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn star in David Dobkin's romantic comedy as John Beckwith and Jeremy Gray, two friends who've worked out that weddings are the ideal place to pick up women at their most vulnerable. They've turned wedding crashing into a fine art, governed by their list of 100 rules, but things start to go wrong. They crash the event of the year, a weekend-long celebration for the marriage of the daughter of William Cleary, Secretary of the Treasury and a possible candidate for the Presidency. But John makes the mistake of falling for the bride's sister Claire, while Jeremy has to fight off her clingy sister Gloria. And the longer the weekend goes on, the more likely it is that their cover will be blown.
Director: David Dobkin
Starring: Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Jane Seymour
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2005, 15, 3 Star)

01:15


Day of Wrath (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
Carl Theodor Dreyer's masterpiece is set in 17th-century Denmark, where a pastor's second wife confesses her love for his son. The shock kills her husband and, accused of witchcraft, she is sent for trial. Certain that reason will prevail, she slowly begins to think that her accusers want her dead and that her fate is inescapable. Released under the Nazi occupation, its themes so offended the Germans that Dreyer was forced to flee to Sweden until the war ended.
Director: Carl-Theodor Dreyer
Starring: Thorkild Roose, Lisbeth Movin, Sigrid Neiiendam, Preben Lerdorff-Rye, Anna Svierkier, Albert Høeberg
(Subtitles, Subtitled, In Danish with English Subtitles, Black and White, 1943, PG, 4 Star)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Tuesday 17th December

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


Rooster Cogburn (Film) Film icon 3 star rating U certificate
Rooster Cogburn is back in the saddle. This time he join forces with a vengeful spinster to search for and punish the outlaw who killed her father. Between chasing bandits and arguing, the two also find time to form a loving realtionship.
Director: Stuart Millar
Starring: John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Zerbe, Richard Jordan, John McIntire, Richard Romancito
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1974, U, 3 Star)

13:10


The Europeans (Film) Film icon 3 star rating U certificate
This Ivory/Merchant adaptation of Henry James's novel stars Lee Remick as the Countess Eugenia and Robin Ellis as her brother Robert, expatriate Americans who have grown up in Europe. Returning to prosperous relatives in New England, she hopes to make an advantageous marriage with one of their wealthy cousins. While Eugenia encounters obstacles, Robert finds his suit bearing fruit.
Director: James Ivory
Starring: Lee Remick, Robin Ellis, Wesley Addy, Tim Choate, Lisa Eichhorn, Kristin Griffith
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1979, U, 3 Star)

15:00


Doctor at Large (Film) Film icon 3 star rating U certificate
Dirk Bogarde stars in Ralph Thomas's comedy as Dr Simon Sparrow, a medical practitioner who decides to branch out from St Swithin's Hospital to see what's available in the world at large and escape the clutches of Sir Lancelot Spratt. Joining a country practice, he soon finds the attentions of the partner's wife a little too... attentive. Next up is an equally unsuccessful stint with the arty Dr Potter-Shine, but when Sparrow discovers he is misusing an inheritance he returns to familiar turf, at St Swithin's, this time as a benefactor.
Director: Ralph L. Thomas
Starring: Dirk Bogarde, Muriel Pavlow, Donald Sinden, James Robertson Justice, Shirley Eaton, Derek Farr
(Subtitles, 1957, U, 3 Star)

16:55


Earthquake (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Directed and produced by Mark Robson, this disaster drama sees a star-studded ensemble cast struggle for survival after an earthquake destroys Los Angeles. Tremors aren't unusual in LA, yet when a junior staffer at the California Seismological Institute predicts a major earthquake, scientists cannot decide on a course of action. They compromise by alerting the police and National Guard, but not the citizens. As the action unfolds, intersecting lives and choices take on far more significance in the devastation following an enormous 9.9 magnitude earthquake. The cast includes Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, Genevieve Bujold, Victoria Principal and Walter Matthau. First screening on Film4. Edited for content.
Director: Mark Robson
Starring: Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, George M. Kennedy, Lorne Greene, Geneviève Bujold, Richard Roundtree
(Premiere, Widescreen, Subtitles, 1974, PG, 3 Star)

19:20


Zoolander (Film) Film icon 12 certificate
Derek Zoolander is a self-obsessed male supermodel who loses his position as the top male model on the planet to younger, blond newcomer Hansel. In the midst of his midlife crisis, the dim-witted Zoolander is brainwashed at a day spa by the mysterious Katinka into assassinating the prime minister of Malaysia.
Director: Ben Stiller
Starring: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Christine Taylor, Will Ferrell, Milla Jovovich, Jerry Stiller
(Editor's Choice, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2001, 12, 2 Star)



21:00


The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
John Travolta and Denzel Washington star in Tony Scott's remake of the 1974 thriller. It's a day the passengers on a New York subway train are unlikely to forget. And it's one that could rescue the professional life of subway employee Walter Garber, whose glittering career has been derailed by allegations of corruption.
Director: Tony Scott
Starring: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, Luis Guzmán, Victor Gojcaj, John Turturro, Michael Rispoli
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2009, 15, 3 Star)

23:05


Ping Pong (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 12 certificate
Director Hugh Hartford's documentary charts the progress of some of the competitors in the Over 80s category at the 2010 World Table Tennis Championships. Hartford's inspiring film amply demonstrates that youth and vigour really can be just a frame of mind; and that it's not just athletes 50 or 60 years the junior of these players who have a steely determination. While it's not surprising that the gerontic players are, in the main, people who've long been involved in competitive sport, among their ranks is Ursula, a German who only started in her 80s, using the game as therapy to recover from a stroke. Flying the flag for Britain are Les and Terry, who are both fighting off illness as well as the other players; Australia's representative is the 100-year-old Dorothy, whose nemesis may turn out to be Texan Lisa. Hartford's film captures all the sporting glories, disappointments and underhand tactics employed during the event in Inner Mongolia. Film4 premiere.
Director: Sori Fumihiko
Starring: Yôsuke Kubozuka, Arata, Sam Lee, Shido Nakamura
(Premiere, Subtitles, 2002, 12, 3 Star)

00:40


The Comedian (Film) Film icon 15 certificate
Tom Shkolnik's debut feature film is an intimate drama about an aspiring comedian struggling for a sense of identity in contemporary London. Thirtysomething Ed is a reluctant salesman by day, and hasn't managed to make much of an impression on the amateur stand-up circuit by night. After a chance encounter on a bus, Ed begins an affair with artist Nathan but he's also drawn to French musician Elisa. It's Ed's failure to choose a path and commit to it that provides the film's dramatic engine, and Shkolnik's low-fi improvisational style nicely captures the London lifestyles of these drifting souls.
Director: Tom Shkolnik
Starring: Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Edward Hogg, Steven Robertson, Brett Goldstein, Gerard Murphy, Elisa Lasowski
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2012, 15, 2 Star)

02:15


Calvaire (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 18 certificate
If you only ever see one Belgian bestiality/abduction story, make it this one, Fabrice du Welz's singular film. Laurent Lucas plays Marc Stevens, a jobbing cabaret singer working in old people's homes and community centres, but on his way to the next gig, his car breaks down in a run-down village. Given shelter by Paul Bartel, an ex-artiste, and asked to perform his act, Stevens finds it so moves Bartel that his life is in danger and he must fight or flee.
Director: Fabrice Du Welz
Starring: Laurent Lucas, Jackie Berroyer, Philippe Nahon, Jean-Luc Couchard, Brigitte Lahaie, Gigi Coursigni
(In French with Subtitles, 2004, 18, 3 Star)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Wednesday 18th December

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


The Battle of The River Plate (Film) Film icon 3 star rating U certificate
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's wartime drama is based on the true story of the hunt for the German pocket battleship, Graf Spee, during the Second World War.
Director: Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell
Starring: John Gregson, Anthony Quayle, Ian Hunter, Jack Gwillim, Bernard Lee, Lionel Murton
(Subtitles, 1956, U, 3 Star)

13:20


Journey to the Center of the Earth (Film) Film icon 4 star rating U certificate
Henry Levin's glorious adventure movie, inspired by the Jules Verne novel, stars James Mason as Professor Oliver Lindenbrook, who embarks on an expedition to the centre of the planet: a world of prehistoric beasts, rockfalls, scorching heat and lethal winds, accompanied by murderous attempts on the explorers' lives. But will his team, including student Alec McKuen and glamorous widow Carla Goteborg, ever be able to return?
Director: Henry Levin
Starring: Pat Boone, James Mason, Arlene Dahl, Diane Baker, Thayer David, Peter Ronson
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 1959, U, 4 Star)

15:55


The Sons of Katie Elder (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
John Wayne stars in Henry Hathaway's tough western as John Elder, the eldest of four brothers gathered to mourn and avenge the violent death of their mother, Katie Elder. An outlaw, he can only join his siblings Tom, Matt and Bud in secret to fight back against the man who ordered her death: Morgan Hastings and his hired guns, Dave Hastings and Curley.
Director: Henry Hathaway
Starring: John Wayne, Dean Martin, Martha Hyer, Michael Anderson Jr., Earl Holliman, Jeremy Slate
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 1965, PG, 3 Star)

18:20


The Hunt for Red October (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
John McTiernan's thriller stars Alec Baldwin as CIA officer Jack Ryan, who gets caught in a tense, volatile stand-off between the US and renegade Russian submarine commander Marko Ramius. Ramius is in charge of Red October, a submarine far in advance of American technology and strike capability. But, on its maiden voyage, Ramius sets sail for American waters. Is he just testing the sub, or is he planning to unleash a nuclear strike, or setting out to defect? Ryan believes the Russian commander is defecting. But, with both the Americans and the Russians intent on destroying the vessel, does Ryan have enough time to save craft and crew from both sides? Edited for content.
Director: John McTiernan
Starring: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, James Earl Jones, Joss Ackland
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 1990, PG, 4 Star)

21:00


Star Trek (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 12 certificate
JJ Abrams' sci-fi adventure prequel, starring Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, uses the twin devices of a parallel timeline and time travel to boldly move the franchise where it had never gone before. In order to foil a Romulan attack, George Kirk sacrifices himself, having first arranged for an escape pod to take his pregnant wife to safety. Around 20 years later, the young tearaway James T Kirk is encouraged to join the Starfleet Academy by Captain Pike. An equally youthful Spock has also recently thrown in his lot with humankind and with Starfleet, having had enough of the Vulcan racism directed at him due to his half-human parentage. The two recruits instantly clash. But they must overcome their differences if they are to survive a vengeful visitor from the future, who's determined to make Spock pay for his part in an atrocity that's yet to be committed.
Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2009, 12, 4 Star)



23:25


Love and Other Drugs (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 15 certificate
Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway star in Edward Zwick's fact-based drama that's part comedic expos?, part sadly doomed romance. Jamie Randall starts his working life flogging audiovisual items. He's successful, but when he learns there's serious money to be made as a pharmaceutical salesman he jumps ship faster than you can swallow an aspirin. And, once he's learnt his new industry's sales techniques, he begins to make good money from flogging anti-depressants for a US drug giant.
Director: Edward Zwick
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Oliver Platt, Hank Azaria, Josh Gad, Gabriel Macht
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2010, 15, 4 Star)

01:35


The King of Pigs (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Korean director Yeon Sang-ho's debut animation examines bullying within Korea's social hierarchies; a world away from the visual style of Japan's Studio Ghibli, it has the feel of a collaboration between Quentin Tarantino and the makers of King of the Hill. Erupting with brutal violence from the outset, The King of Pigs lets us in to the lives of Kyung-min and Jong-Suk. Both now struggling to make their way in the worlds of business and literature, they meet up to discuss their childhood. At school, the pair were designated members of a nerdy underclass called the 'pigs' and relentlessly, viciously picked upon by a clique of tormentors known as the 'dogs'. Salvation, or at least survival, for the 'pigs' came in the form of the worryingly troubled, extremely bellicose Chul, a former classmate who, despite having dropped out of school, takes cruel satisfaction in gorily avenging the 'dogs' misdeeds.
Director: Sang-ho Yeon
Starring: Ik-Joon Yang, Jeong-se Oh, Hye-na Kim, Kkobbi Kim, Hee-von Park
(Subtitles, Subtitled, In Korean with English Subtitles, Widescreen, 2011, 15, 3 Star)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Thursday 19th December

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


Waste Land (Documentary) PG certificate
British film-maker Lucy Walker's Oscar-nominated documentary centres upon Rio de Janeiro's extremely euphemistically named Jardim Gramacho - which in reality is a vast rubbish dump. She follows Brazilian-born, New York-based artist Vik Muniz as the sculptor-turned-photographer works on a project to document some of the thousands of people who scavenge recyclables - and even their meals - from the massive tip. His aim is not only to photograph the men and women known locally as catadores but also to create large collage versions of his prints, using items they have recovered - and then to sell the resultant artworks to fund organisations that help these impoverished workers.
(Subtitles, Subtitled, In Portuguese with English Subtitles, Premiere, Widescreen, 2010, PG)

13:00


The Thirty-Nine Steps (Film) Film icon PG certificate
Don Sharp's remake, the third cinematic adaptation of John Buchan's spy thriller, places the action back in its original setting, just before the Great War. Richard Hannay, a mining engineer, inadvertently stumbles upon an international espionage plot, and must flee for his life. He's doggedly pursued by the police and by enemy agents, from the start of his ordeal in London, up to the Scottish Highlands and then back down again to the movie's precarious climax back in the capital. And it's not just his own life he must worry about: he picks up an initially unwilling accomplice along the way, and must also find a way to persuade the authorities that he's not a turncoat and that they must act upon the information he has discovered.
Director: Don Sharp
Starring: Robert Powell, David Warner, Eric Porter, Karen Dotrice, John Mills, George Baker
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1978, PG, 2 Star)

15:05


The Lavender Hill Mob (Film) Film icon 5 star rating U certificate
Classic Ealing comedy from director Charles Crichton. Alec Guinness stars as a mild-mannered transporter of gold bullion. He has been doing the job for the past 20 years honestly enough, but suddenly decides to steal a million pounds. He enlists the help of paperweight manufacturer Stanley Holloway and the men hijack the bank's armoured car. Once in their hands, the gold bars are melted down and formed into small, souvenir Eiffel Towers. But after the booty is smuggled out to Paris, it is purchased by a group of English schoolgirls. As a result of their pleading with the girls, the gang retrieve all but one of the towers. But the last one is in the hands of a very determined student, and she refuses to part with it.
Director: Charles Crichton
Starring: Alec Guinness, Stanley Holloway, Sid James, Alfie Bass, Marjorie Fielding, Edie Martin
(Black and White, Subtitles, 1951, U, 5 Star)

16:45


Dr. Strangelove (Film) Film icon 5 star rating PG certificate
Peter Sellers stars in three roles in Stanley Kubrick's Oscar-nominated black comedy about the Cold War. A room is packed full of politicians and military officials trying to stop the nuclear attack that paranoid US Air Force General Jack Ripper has secretly launched on the USSR. When US President Merkin meets with his advisors, not only does he have to contend with super-hawk General Buck Turgidson, who sees the situation as an opportunity to do something about Communism in general, but he also learns that the Soviets already have a Doomsday Machine in place, which will destroy all plant and animal life on Earth should the USSR be attacked. The only person other than General Ripper who might be able to recall the bombers is his executive officer, RAF Group Captain Lionel. But General Ripper is holding Captain Lionel hostage, and unless Captain Lionel can get a message to the outside world, no one will be able to figure out the bombers' abort code.
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn, Slim Pickens, Peter Bull
(Subtitles, 1964, PG, 5 Star)

18:40


Step Up 3 (Film) Film icon 12 certificate
Rick Malambri, Adam G Sevani and Sharni Vinson star in this dance spectacular. A crew of New York street dancers must win the top prize in a competition or face losing the building where they live and try out their new choreography routines. Along the way, the plot encompasses love stories and even a police chase, but of course it's really all about the dancing - which bursts forth in abundance and enough variety to please any hoofing fan. Indeed, the coruscating dance routines, from a cast composed largely of professional dancers rather than actors, is undoubtedly the film's main strength. Edited for content.
Director: Jon Chu
Starring: Rick Malambri, Adam G. Sevani, Sharni Vinson, Alyson Stoner, Keith Stallworth, Kendra Andrews
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2010, 12, 2 Star)



20:50


The Social Network Interview Special (Entertainment)
Writer Aaron Sorkin and stars Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake talk about making their acclaimed drama The Social Network.
(Repeat, Subtitles)

21:00


The Social Network (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 12 certificate
Jesse Eisenberg stars in this highly acclaimed and Oscar-winning fictionalised telling of the tetchy story behind Facebook's birth. Directed by David Fincher, it was inspired by Ben Mezrich's book the Accidental Billionaires and written by Aaron Sorkin, the sharp wordsmith of television's The West Wing. 'You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies' stated the movie's poster, and so it's appropriate that this gripping drama kicks off with neurotic Harvard computer science student Mark Zuckerberg drunkenly creating a misogynistic website called Facemash in revenge for being dumped by his girlfriend Erica.
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Rooney Mara, Bryan Barter, Brenda Song, Dustin Fitzsimons
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2010, 12, 3 Star)

23:20


Whiteout (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Dominic Sena's action mystery stars Kate Beckinsale as a US Marshall stationed in Antarctica who must track down a serial killer. Carrie Stetko is about to finish her tour at a remote research station. But when a body is found in the tundra, it's up to her, as the sole law enforcer, to find out who the killer is, and she must do so before the entire site is evacuated due to the onset of a fierce winter storm. Setting out to track the killer down, Carrie herself is soon fighting for her life at the hands of this ice-axe-wielding Antarctic assassin. Can she trust the mysterious UN Agent Robert Pryce, who seems to appear from out of nowhere? Will she be able to overcome the personal issues that still linger from an incident in her past as an agent in Miami? Or will the frozen elements, closing in with an icy fury from all sides, prove too much?
Director: Dominic Sena
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Tom Skerritt, Columbus Short, Alex O'Loughlin, Shawn Doyle
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2009, 15, 3 Star)

01:15


The Castle of Cagliostro (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
From Japan's Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki's animation tells the story of master-thief Lupin. After robbing a Monte Carlo casino, he discovers that the money is counterfeit and he sets off with his gang to find the forger. Lupin tracks him down to the small country of Cagliostro, run by an evil count who's responsible for the fake bills, which he plans to use to overthrow the world's economy. And he also intends to force the beautiful Princess Clarice to marry him. Can the gang rescue her and, into the bargain, steal the count's treasure hoard?
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Bob Bergen, Yasuo Yamada, Eiko Masuyama, Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Makio Inoue, Gorô Naya
(Subtitles, Subtitled, In Japanese with English Subtitles, 1979, PG, 4 Star)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Friday 20th December

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


Cleopatra (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
Still the most expensive film ever made and famous for bringing Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton together in what was to become one of the world's most famous on-off-on relationships, Joseph L Mankiewicz's film almost defines the word 'epic'. Taylor plays Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, who uses both her political wiles and her body to first woo Julius Caesar then Marc Antony to protect and even expand her realm.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Pamela Brown, George Cole, Hume Cronyn, Martin Landau, Roddy McDowall
(Subtitles, 1963, PG, 4 Star)

15:45


Tora! Tora! Tora! (Film) Film icon 4 star rating U certificate
Oscar-winning, super-realistic wartime drama portraying the bombing of Pearl Harbor from both the American and Japanese perspectives. With Joseph Cotten, Martin Balsam, Jason Robards, So Yamamura, Tatsuya Mihashi and Takahiro Tamura. Directed by Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda and Kinji Fukasaku. In English, and Japanese with English subtitles.
Director: Richard Fleischer, Kinji Fukasaku
Starring: Martin Balsam, Sô Yamamura, Joseph Cotten, Tatsuya Mihashi, E.G. Marshall, Takahiro Tamura
(Subtitles, 1970, U, 4 Star)

18:45


The First Wives Club (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton star in Hugh Wilson's sharp comedy as Brenda, Elise and Annie, three women who meet at the funeral of a mutual college friend, where they discover they have something else in common: they've all been dumped by their husbands for younger models. So they begin to get their revenge on them one by one, using the skills of socialite Gunilla Garson Goldberg, Annie's lesbian daughter Chris and Mob boss Carmine Morelli... Edited for content.
Director: Hugh Wilson
Starring: Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, Maggie Smith, Dan Hedaya, Sarah Jessica Parker
(Subtitles, 1996, PG, 3 Star)

20:50


Paul Film Interview Special (Entertainment)
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost talk about making their sci-fi comedy.
(Repeat, Subtitles)

21:00


Paul (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 15 certificate
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost both co-wrote and co-star in this sci-fi comedy thriller - directed by Superbad's Greg Mottola - about a couple of geeky British UFO-watchers that encounter a real-life alien. Following a trip to the Comic Con fan gathering, Graeme and Clive are driving an RV around places in the US where UFOs have supposedly been sighted. One night, they witness a car crash, but when they go to inspect the wreckage, they're surprised to discover an extraterrestrial called Paul. He tells them that he's been held captive at Area Fifty One, and says he needs transport so he can make contact with a spacecraft that will rescue him.
Director: Greg Mottola
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nicholas Frost, Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Sigourney Weaver
(Premiere, Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2011, 15, 4 Star)



23:05


The Fighter (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 15 certificate
Mark Wahlberg stars in David O Russell's Oscar-winning biopic of the American welterweight boxer Micky Ward. Ward grew up in the supremely tough working-class neighbourhood of Lowell, Massachusetts, and, in the 90s, aimed for the classic escape from that environment - via boxing. Indeed, his brother Dicky Eklund once showed promise in the sport - but that was a decade ago, before he succumbed to drug addiction. Now the elder sibling is Micky's coach and, keeping it in the family, his ferocious mother Alice is acting as his manager. But do either of his 'support staff' have what it takes to unlock his full potential? Ward's girlfriend Charlene thinks not and is agitating for change. Will the good-natured pugilist put ambition before blood loyalty? Bale and Leo both picked up Academy Awards for their supporting roles in the drama. Tonight's David O Russell double-bill continues with Spanking the Monkey.
Director: David O. Russell
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo, Mickey O'Keefe, Jack McGee
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2010, 15, 4 Star)

01:20


Spanking the Monkey (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 18 certificate
Jeremy Davies and Alberta Watson star in David O Russell's directorial debut, a witty, wry drama about a student who is made to stay at home to look after his mother, who has broken her leg. But, while tending to her post-injury needs, he finds they both have other needs, and they're ones which neither should act upon... First play on Film4.
Director: David O. Russell
Starring: Jeremy Davies, Elizabeth Newett, Benjamin Hendrickson, Alberta Watson, Carla Gallo, Liberty Jean
(Premiere, Subtitles, 1994, 18, 3 Star)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Saturday 21st December

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


Porco Rosso (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
From Japan's Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki's animation features flying ace Porco Rosso, a First World War hero who was mysteriously transformed into a pig when his squadron was wiped out. Now working as a mercenary guarding cruise ships from aerial pirates, he is shot down when his adversaries hire their own mercenary. Landing near Milan, he finds an airfield run by the ageing mechanic Piccolo and his granddaughter Fio. Soon, with his trademark red biplane ready, he's set to take to the skies again. This screening will be of the version dubbed into English.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Michael Keaton, Cary Elwes, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Susan Egan, David Ogden-Stiers, Brad Garrett
(Subtitles, 1992, PG, 4 Star)

13:00


Bride Wars (Film) Film icon PG certificate
Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway star in Gary Winick's romantic comedy as best friends competing to nab the same location for their wedding reception. When Liv and Emma were girls they attended such an impressive wedding at New York's landmark Plaza Hotel that they swore that, when the time came, they would each celebrate their nuptials there. Twenty years later, after saying 'yes' to their respective fiancés, they've instructed their wedding planner to book the ceremony of their dreams. But because of a clerical error they're both given the same slot, and neither is willing to concede. Instead, their friendship is jettisoned as they resort to underhand tactics in a bid to sabotage each other and fulfil their marriage fantasies... Also starring Candice Bergen, Chris Pratt and Bryan Greenberg. Edited for content.
Director: Gary Winick
Starring: Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Bryan Greenberg, Chris Pratt, Steve Howey, Candice Bergen
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2009, PG, 2 Star)

14:45


Transformers (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 12 certificate
Michael Bay's all-action adventure, based on the popular toy. Earth becomes the battleground between the good Transformers and the bad, who are searching for the all-powerful Allspark, which could destroy humanity. Caught up in the middle is Sam Witwicky, whose beaten-up old car turns out to be an Autobot called Bumblebee. The duo hold the key to the battle that rages between the Decepticons and the government forces, led by Sgt Lennox, but can they stop the evil Megatron? Also starring Megan Fox. Edited for content.
Director: Michael Bay
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Rachael Taylor, Anthony Anderson
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2007, 12, 4 Star)

17:30


The Spiderwick Chronicles (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Mark Waters' fast-moving, gripping fantasy begins as Jared Grace, his twin brother Simon and their sister Mallory move with their mother Helen to their great-great uncle's creepy home in the middle of nowhere. Jared finds his uncle's secret study and a book, the Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around Them, which opens up a world of goblins, spirits, ogres, trolls and griffins. Some of the creatures are friendly and helpful, but some are determined to gain possession of the book so they can take over the world. Can the Graces stop their evil plans?
Director: Mark Waters
Starring: Freddie Highmore, Sarah Bolger, Nick Nolte, Mary-Louise Parker, Joan Plowright, David Strathairn
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2008, PG, 3 Star)

19:20


Zoolander (Film) Film icon 12 certificate
Derek Zoolander is a self-obsessed male supermodel who loses his position as the top male model on the planet to younger, blond newcomer Hansel. In the midst of his midlife crisis, the dim-witted Zoolander is brainwashed at a day spa by the mysterious Katinka into assassinating the prime minister of Malaysia.
Director: Ben Stiller
Starring: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Christine Taylor, Will Ferrell, Milla Jovovich, Jerry Stiller
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 2001, 12, 2 Star)



21:00


Everything Must Go (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Based on a Raymond Carver short story, Dan Rush's comedy drama is the story of alcoholic sales exec Nick, whose job and marriage come to an end on the same day. Taking up residence on his front lawn where his wife has dumped all his belongings, Nick forms a friendship with lonely young neighbour Kenny, and both of them find their lives and outlooks begin to change. Ferrell gives a subtle performance, and there are sympathetic turns from Rebecca Hall and Laura Dern in this well-crafted film about human vulnerability.
Director: Dan Rush
Starring: Will Ferrell, Christopher Jordan Wallace, Rebecca Hall, Michael Peña, Rosalie Michaels, Stephen Root
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2010, 15, 3 Star)

22:55


Semi-Pro (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson and Andr? Benjamin star in Kent Alterman's sports comedy. Jackie Moon is a musician whose sole chart success earns him enough to buy a professional basketball team. It's 1976 and Moon's team, the Tropics, plays in the American Basketball Association, which is about to merge with the National Basketball Association. But only four teams from the ABA will survive the merger, and Moon is determined not to be left owning a defunct team. As well as earning enough points, they also have to attract at least 2000 fans to each home game, so Moon stages a series of desperate publicity stunts, from the astute to the gloriously insane. Can Moon, his back-from-retirement signing Monix and self-centred but promising youngster Clarence ensure the Tropics' survival?
Director: Kent Alterman
Starring: Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin, DeRay Davis, Maura Tierney, Andrew Daly
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2008, 15, 3 Star)

00:40


Wedding Crashers (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn star in David Dobkin's romantic comedy as John Beckwith and Jeremy Gray, two friends who've worked out that weddings are the ideal place to pick up women at their most vulnerable. They've turned wedding crashing into a fine art, governed by their list of 100 rules, but things start to go wrong. They crash the event of the year, a weekend-long celebration for the marriage of the daughter of William Cleary, Secretary of the Treasury and a possible candidate for the Presidency. But John makes the mistake of falling for the bride's sister Claire, while Jeremy has to fight off her clingy sister Gloria. And the longer the weekend goes on, the more likely it is that their cover will be blown.
Director: David Dobkin
Starring: Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Jane Seymour
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2005, 15, 3 Star)

[leostiinta]

Sunday 22nd December View listings for the following day
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Film4 Listings for Sunday 22nd December

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


My Neighbour Totoro (Film) Film icon 4 star rating U certificate
From Japan's Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki's charming animation tells the story of sisters Satsuke and Mei, who find their new home is in a mystical forest where mythical creatures live. Befriending O Totoro, the king of the forest, they share his magical adventures and also his wisdom when their mother falls dangerously ill. This screening will be of the version dubbed into English.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, Shigesato Itoi, Sumi Shimamoto, Tanie Kitabayashi, Hitoshi Takagi
(Subtitles, Subtitled, In Japanese with English Subtitles, 1988, U, 4 Star)

13:00


Jumper (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 12 certificate
Doug Liman's sci-fi thriller stars Hayden Christensen as David Rice, a 'jumper', who can teleport anywhere instantly. He uses his powers to accumulate wealth for his idea of an ideal lifestyle, but finds himself threatened by the Paladins, a shadowy organisation led by Roland, who are dedicated to tracking down and killing jumpers. Rice teams up with fellow jumper Griffin to take on the Paladins and to save his sweetheart Millie, who has become an innocent pawn in the battle. Edited for content.
Director: Doug Liman
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson, Diane Lane, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Rooker
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2008, 12, 3 Star)

14:40


Rat Race (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 12 certificate
Gag-meister Jerry Zucker's cracking comedy has a cast to die for. Las Vegas casino owner Donald P Sinclair decides to set up a special event for his highest rollers. Lucky tokens in his slot machines entitle six punters to enter a race across America with $2million as the prize. He'll make a killing on the bets placed on the players while the contestants dash for the cash. Any comparisons to It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World are completely deserved but director Jerry Zucker keeps the action flowing while making sure the film, unlike... Mad..., doesn't outstay its welcome. Look out for Kathy Bates as a psychopathic roadside squirrel-seller. Edited for content.
Director: Jerry Zucker
Starring: John Cleese, Rowan Atkinson, Lanei Chapman, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr., Seth Green
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 2001, 12, 3 Star)

16:50


Earthquake (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Directed and produced by Mark Robson, this disaster drama sees a star-studded ensemble cast struggle for survival after an earthquake destroys Los Angeles. Tremors aren't unusual in LA, yet when a junior staffer at the California Seismological Institute predicts a major earthquake, scientists cannot decide on a course of action. They compromise by alerting the police and National Guard, but not the citizens. As the action unfolds, intersecting lives and choices take on far more significance in the devastation following an enormous 9.9 magnitude earthquake. The cast includes Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, Genevieve Bujold, Victoria Principal and Walter Matthau. Edited for content.
Director: Mark Robson
Starring: Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, George M. Kennedy, Lorne Greene, Geneviève Bujold, Richard Roundtree
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1974, PG, 3 Star)

19:10


Crocodile Dundee (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
'That's not a knife. This is a knife', is among cinema's best-known quotes, as the eponymous Mick 'Crocodile' Dundee routs a New York mugger in Peter Faiman's Oscar-nominated comedy. Hogan, an Australian national institution, broke into the big time with this film, playing an outback crocodile-hunter who attracts the attention of American journalist Sue Charlton. After she shares his life and dangers in the bush, she invites him to New York, an environment that's alien to Dundee but one he adapts to with charm and humour, as he and Charlton slowly fall in love. Edited for content.
Director: Peter Faiman
Starring: Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, John Meillon, David Gulpilil, Ritchie Singer, Maggie Blinco
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1986, PG, 4 Star)



21:00


The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
John Travolta and Denzel Washington star in Tony Scott's remake of the 1974 thriller. It's a day the passengers on a New York subway train are unlikely to forget. And it's one that could rescue the professional life of subway employee Walter Garber, whose glittering career has been derailed by allegations of corruption.
Director: Tony Scott
Starring: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, Luis Guzmán, Victor Gojcaj, John Turturro, Michael Rispoli
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2009, 15, 3 Star)

23:05


Don't be Afraid of the Dark (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce star in this Guillermo del Toro-penned adaptation of the 1973 made-for-TV movie about a young girl tormented by a group of mysterious creatures. Sally has been sent to live with her father Alex and his new girlfriend Kim in their new house, which was previously owned by a painter who mysteriously disappeared. Sally isn't happy about being there, and rejects Kim's attempts to establish a relationship with her. She feels completely alone in the house, until one day she hears strange voices whispering from one of the fireplaces. After wrenching the cover off, she discovers who is speaking: a group of strange, rat-like creatures - and they want to claim her as one of their own.
Director: Troy Nixey
Starring: Bruce Gleeson, Eddie Ritchard, Garry McDonald, Bailee Madison, Carolyn Shakespeare-Allen, Katie Holmes
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2010, 15, 3 Star)

01:00


Grave of the Fireflies (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 12 certificate
From Japan's Studio Ghibli, Isao Takahata's moving film looks at the effect of American attacks on the Japanese civilian population during the Second World War. The film opens on the day of Japan's surrender, as a young boy, Seita, dies alone. Then, in flashback, the film reveals the death of his mother from burns inflicted in a bombing raid; his attempts to look after his younger sister Setsuko, and their struggle against hunger; the increasing attacks by the Americans; and the abandonment of compassion and caring by the rest of society. An openly anti-war film, it shows that the suffering of the innocents in war affects both the victors and the losers.
Director: Isao Takahata
Starring: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara, Akemi Yamaguchi, Rhoda Chrosite, Shannon Conley
(Subtitles, Subtitled, In Japanese with English Subtitles, 1988, 12, 4 Star)