Film Four & Film Four +1 TV Listing

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Thursday 2nd January

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


Arrietty (Film) Film icon 4 star rating U certificate
Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi's first feature for the Japanese animation powerhouse Studio Ghibli is a charming adaptation of Mary Norton's classic children's tales about The Borrowers. This version takes place in an ordinary house, in an unremarkable Tokyo suburb. Of course, that's omitting one highly extraordinary fact: a family of tiny people live underneath the floorboards of the building's ground floor. The Clocks have a comfortable life, scavenging items from the 'human beans' living oblivious above them, which they beautifully transform into clothes, furniture and the rest of life's necessities.
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Starring: Moises Arias, Will Arnett, Carol Burnett, David Henrie, Bridgit Mendler, Amy Poehler
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2010, U, 4 Star)

12:55


The Addams Family Values (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Black comedy sequel. The Addams family has two new members - baby Pubert and sunny nanny Debbie Jellinsky. Whilst Debbie charms the adults of the family, Uncle Fester in particular, the children discover she is actually a lot more evil than she lets on.
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Starring: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Joan Cusack, Christina Ricci, Carol Kane
(Subtitles, 1993, PG, 3 Star)

14:45


Lassie (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
Charles Sturridge's update of the drama featuring the famous collie. Miner Sam Carraclough and his wife Sarah are forced to sell their son Joe's beloved dog Lassie to the Duke of Rudling. Lassie is taken to the Duke's Scottish estates, but escapes and begins the long trek home, along the way falling in with travelling puppeteer Rowlie, escaping from a Glasgow dog pound, and encountering the Loch Ness monster... Edited for content.
Director: Charles Sturridge
Starring: Peter Dinklage, Ken Drury, Gregor Fisher, Edward Fox, Robert Hardy, Celyn Jones
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2005, PG, 4 Star)

16:40


The Parent Trap (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Family comedy about identical twin sisters who are separated at birth when their parents divorce. Years later the girls meet at a summer camp and, despite strikingly different personalities, agree to a scheme to reunite their parents. When camp ends, they change places and start their plan with the first goal to scare off a gold-digger pursuing their father. A new remake of the 1961 favourite staring Hayley Mills.
Director: Nancy Meyers
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid, Natasha Richardson, Elaine Hendrix, Lisa Ann Walter
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 1998, PG, 3 Star)

19:10


The Spy Next Door (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Brian Levant directs martial arts icon Jackie Chan in this family-friendly action-comedy about a secret agent pitted against both the Russian mafia and the three children of the single mother he's fallen for. Artsy Gillian leaves 'Bob Ho' in charge of the kids for the weekend, and he uses his espionage skills to try to get to grips with the brood - who cover the traditional bases of bolshie, brainy and adorable - while Poldark and Creel are the villains in a subplot involving a misappropriated chemical formula. Levant includes homages to some of Chan's landmark movies, and the alpha male who's a fish out of water when dealing with kids is a good fit for Chan's likeable screen persona. Edited for content.
Director: Brian Levant
Starring: Jackie Chan, Amber Valletta, Madeline Carroll, Will Shadley, Alina Foley, Magnús Scheving
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2010, PG, 3 Star)



21:00


The King's Speech (Film) Film icon 5 star rating 12 certificate
Colin Firth stars in Tom Hooper's multi Oscar- and BAFTA-winning historical drama that depicts the Duke of York's struggle to conquer his speech impediment on his way to becoming King George VI. The Duke of York suffered terribly from his pronounced stutter throughout his childhood; and things have hardly improved now that 'Bertie' is an adult: in 1924 he's berated by his father King George V for the embarrassing mess he made of his first ever live broadcast to the nation; and he appears to be constantly bullied by his suave elder brother Edward, the Prince of Wales.
Director: Tom Hooper
Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Jennifer Ehle, Michael Gambon
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2010, 12, 5 Star)

23:20


Repo Men (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 18 certificate
Jude Law and Forest Whitaker star in this blood-drenched thriller-cum-satire set in a grimy vision of the near future. Technology has finally solved the problem of organ transplants, at least for those who can afford them. But beware: fall behind on the payments and the organ provider will dispatch repo men with sharp blades to reclaim their property in a swift but grisly operation. Remy and Jake work for one such company, The Union, and are among its best 'bailiffs', performing their allotted tasks ruthlessly. Until, that is, Remy is forced to rely on one of The Union's products himself - at which point his perspective is radically reassessed and he goes on the run, hotly pursued by his erstwhile colleague. Also starring Liev Schreiber and Alice Braga.
Director: Miguel Sapochnik
Starring: Jude Law, Forest Whitaker, Alice Braga, Liev Schreiber, Carice Van Houten, Chandler Canterbury
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2010, 18, 3 Star)

01:30


The Last Detail (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 18 certificate
Hal Ashby's comedy-drama stars Jack Nicholson and Otis Young as two hardened sailors, escorting a young recruit to eight years in prison for petty crimes, who discover he has no experience of the world and decide to introduce him to women, booze and brawling, all in just one night.
Director: Hal Ashby
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Otis Young, Randy Quaid, Clifton James, Carol Kane, Michael Moriarty
(Subtitles, 1973, 18, 4 Star)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Friday 3rd January

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


Eragon (Film) Film icon PG certificate
Stefen Fangmeier's action-packed fantasy is set in a medieval-like society ruled by the despotic Galbatorix, abetted by his henchman Durza. Galbatorix has exterminated the fabled Dragon Riders who threatened his reign, but a teenage boy, Eragon, discovers a surviving egg from which hatches the dragon Saphira. Unable to control her as she grows, Eragon finds guidance from village layabout Brom, who reveals himself to be the last of the Dragon Riders. The three raise a rebel army to topple Galbatorix but, at the same time, Eragon and Saphira must rescue princess Arya from Galbatorix's evil clutches.
Director: Stefen Fangmeier
Starring: Edward Speleers, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich, Garrett Hedlund
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2006, PG, 2 Star)

13:05


Inspector Gadget (Film) Film icon PG certificate
It's the comedy with a thousand moving parts, the story of the crazy, crackpot crime fighter who's not so much a detective, more a toolbox! Wowser, you'll thrill to the tall tale of a naïve and inept security guard who dreams of becoming the world's greatest law enforcement officer. Then one day he gets involved in a top secret project with a leading robotics scientist, and becomes a man of many parts - all of them moving! With the help of the pretty scientist, our bumbling, accident prone hero fights the nefarious, villainous Claw in this Disney big screen adaptation of the much loved cartoon series.
Director: David Kellogg
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Rupert Everett, Joely Fisher, Michelle Trachtenberg, Andy Dick, Cheri Oteri
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1999, PG, 2 Star)

14:40


How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Jim Carrey stars in Ron Howard's family comedy, a live-action adaptation of the popular Dr Seuss book How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. The whole of Whoville can barely contain its excitement. Christmas approaches and, as the snow gently falls, the Whos bustle around their town buying presents and arranging festive celebrations. It's such beautiful, heart-warming scene... unless you're the Grinch, a great, green-haired, grumpy, goblin-like creature who lives up on the hill that overlooks Whoville.
Director: Ron Howard
Starring: Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Bill Irwin, Molly Shannon
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2000, PG, 3 Star)

16:45


Just Wright (Film) Film icon PG certificate
Romantic comedy starring Queen Latifah as physical therapist and self-proclaimed 'perfect homegirl' Leslie Wright who falls for NBA star basketball player Scott McKnight. Scott's knee injury looks set to threaten the player's career, while the path to true love is threatened by the allure of Leslie's best friend Morgan. Will Leslie risk her career, and romantic rival, in the pursuit of love? Directed by Sanaa Hamri, and also starring Pam Grier. Edited for content.
Director: Sanaa Hamri
Starring: Queen Latifah, Common, Paula Patton, James Pickens Jr., Phylicia Rashad, Pam Grier
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2010, PG, 2 Star)

18:40


Mission: Impossible II (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
A secret agent must undertake a difficult assignment to capture a rogue erstwhile colleague who has stolen a deadly genetically engineered virus. With the villain intending to sell the virus and its antidote to the highest bidder, the heroic agent enlists the help of the criminal's former girlfriend. But when the beautiful woman becomes infected, there is a race against time to save her - and the entire human race.
Director: John Woo
Starring: Tom Cruise, Dougray Scott, Thandie Newton, Ving Rhames, Richard Roxburgh, John Polson
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2000, 15, 3 Star)



21:00


Mission: Impossible III (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 12 certificate
In JJ Abrams's fast-paced thriller, Tom Cruise reprises his role as IMF agent Ethan Hunt, master of disguise and the double bluff. Hunt is up against Owen Davian, who is planning to sell a new deadly weapons system, code-named the 'Rabbit's Foot', to the highest bidder. Cue a stunning helicopter chase through a wind farm, a parachute drop that leaves Hunt dangling in front of a speeding truck, and an unholy finale in the Vatican City.
Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Billy Crudup, Michelle Monaghan, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2006, 12, 3 Star)

23:25


Get Him to the Greek (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Russell Brand and Jonah Hill star in Nicholas Stoller's boisterous comedy. Aaron Green works for a record company run by the increasingly unhinged Sergio and is a huge fan of the British rock star Aldous Snow. Sergio and Green hatch a plan for Snow to play, in just three days' time, Los Angeles's revered venue the Greek Theatre. Getting Snow from London to LA, via New York and Vegas, should be a doddle. But he's just fallen off the wagon, and the sleazy rocker's appetite for drink, drugs and attractive women complicate the journey so much that it's not clear whether Green will survive the rock star's hedonism. In addition to Combs' superbly energetic turn, Rose Byrne shines as Jackie Q, a role that satirises the record industry's fondness for marketing its female artists as sexual commodities. Also starring Elisabeth Moss, Colm Meaney and a host of real-life music icons.
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Rose Byrne, Tyler McKinney, Zoe Salmon, Lino Facioli
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2010, 15, 3 Star)

01:30


Battle Royale (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 18 certificate
In a future where society is on the verge of collapse, the government takes drastic action against the problem of rebellious teenagers in this violent cult sci-fi opus from Japan.
Director: Kinji Fukasaku
Starring: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Taro Yamamoto, Masanobu Ando, Kou Shibasaki, Chiaki Kuriyama
(In Japanese with Subtitles, 2000, 18, 4 Star)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Saturday 4th January

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


Anastasia (Film) Film icon 3 star rating U certificate
Russian royal Anastasia does not remember her origins and when she travels to St Petersburg to investigate her forgotten past, she falls in with two conmen who want to pass her off as the lost princess, little suspecting that their 'fake' princess is in fact the real thing.
Director: Gary Goldman, Don Bluth
Starring: Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Lloyd, Hank Azaria, Bernadette Peters
(Subtitles, 1997, U, 3 Star)

13:00


St. Trinian's (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 12 certificate
Directors Oliver Parker and Barnaby Thompson's overhaul of the comedy franchise about the rebellious pupils of a girls' boarding school stars Talulah Riley, Rupert Everett and Gemma Arterton. Annabelle Fritton, daughter of dodgy art dealer Carnaby, enrols at the shabby country boarding school, St Trinian's, run by her aunt Camilla. Head Girl Kelly introduces Annabelle to the school's various factions. And when Annabelle discovers the crazy, raucous 'curriculum', she realises that this is a school like no other. However, once she's past a cruel initiation prank, she settles down and enjoys being part of the chaos. But then disaster strikes: the school lacks the funds to continue. The institution's finest brains come up with a rescue plan... which involves the theft of a world-famous artwork. Also starring in the madness are Colin Firth, as a beleaguered school inspector, and Russell Brand, as Flash Harry, who helps the girls in their myriad nefarious deeds. Edited for content.
Director: Oliver Parker, Barnaby Thompson
Starring: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Jodie Whittaker, Gemma Arterton, Jonathan Bailey, Mischa Barton
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2007, 12, 3 Star)

14:55


Baby's Day Out (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
Patrick Read Johnson's comedy, scripted by John Hughes, stars Joe Mantegna, Joe Pantoliano and Brian Haley as Eddie, Norby and Veeko, three inept criminals who kidnap Baby Bink, the son of a rich Chicago family. But while they are negotiating the ransom, Baby Bink escapes and begins to make his way back home. As the trio chase him, the infant manages to avoid a series of violent hazards, which his pursuers run straight into. The film owes much to the kind of cartoon violence that Road Runner inflicted upon Wile E Coyote, where falls and explosions are slapstick rather than fatal, while the interaction of the three criminals carries Hughes' trademark quick-fire humour. Edited for content.
Director: Patrick Read Johnson
Starring: Joe Mantegna, Lara-Flynn Boyle, Joe Pantoliano, Brian Haley, Cynthia Nixon, Fred Dalton Thompson
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1994, PG, 4 Star)

16:45


Gambit (Film) Film icon 3 star rating U certificate
Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine star in Ronald Neame's comic heist caper. Harry is a cockney thief in Hong Kong, on the lookout for his next 'enriching' opportunity. Spying a beautiful nightclub entertainer, Nicole, who bears a startling resemblance to the late wife of the immensely rich Middle Eastern businessman Mr Shahbandar, he realises that here lies the key to his next scam. Unfortunately, although she's keen to get her hands on the genuine British passport that Harry promises her, Nicole is adamant that she won't do anything illegal for it. But that's not as big a problem as Harry embarking on his latest swindle without having thought through his plan, as is demonstrated by the ensuing series of comic misadventures. Neame's inventive plot twists are matched by the charismatic performances from the leads.
Director: Ronald Neame
Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, Herbert Lom, Roger C. Carmel, Arnold Moss, John Abbott, Richard Angarola
(Premiere, Widescreen, Subtitles, 1966, U, 3 Star)

18:55


Employee of the Month (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 12 certificate
Greg Coolidge's comedy is set in a department store and stars Dane Cook as Zack, who works in the packing department, and Dax Shepard as Vince, one of the cashiers. Zack's ambition in life is to perfect the art of slacking while Vince is the store's biggest suck-up. But then they both hear that hot new cashier Amy has one firm rule: she will only date the Employee of the Month. Can Zack manage to beat Vince to the title? Edited for content.
Director: Greg Coolidge
Starring: Dane Cook, Jessica Simpson, Dax Shepard, Efren Ramirez, Andy Dick, Tim Bagley
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2006, 12, 3 Star)



21:00


Easy A (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 15 certificate
Director Will Gluck's intelligent and hilarious high school comedy stars Emma Stone in an outstanding lead performance. Olive Penderghast is something of an 'also ran' in her year at school, so when she spies the opportunity to make herself look a little more interesting and mature she jumps at it and falsely claims to a friend that she's lost her virginity to a college boy. However, what was supposed to be a confidential white lie becomes public, and soon she has the cachet of unprecedented notoriety around the entire school. But it's what happens next that's really interesting. Enjoying the glare of attention, she not only sets out to build on her newfound rep as a scarlet woman, she also subverts the moment to help some of the school's more picked-upon students.
Director: Will Gluck
Starring: Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Dan Byrd, Thomas Haden-Church, Patricia Clarkson
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2010, 15, 4 Star)

22:50


Troll Hunter (Film) Film icon 15 certificate
A mildly scary, very funny fantasy-horror that perfectly exploits the legends of its Nordic setting. Three film students set out to document a curious case of illegal bear-poaching. The youthful trio - excitable Thomas, grounded Johanna and their sardonic cameraman Kalle - quickly establish the man they need to interview is the dour and evasive Hans. But, despite the older man's gruff refusal to help, the trio follow him on one of his night-time forays into the pine forest, where they discover that Hans is after bigger, far more terrifying and deadly prey than bears. Suddenly they learn that their folklore is a shocking reality, and that the government is hiding a terrible truth from the populace.
(Widescreen, Subtitles, In Norwegian with English Subtitles, 15)

00:55


Kingpin (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 12 certificate
Hilarious and reliably tasteless comedy from the Farrelly brothers, starring Woody Harrelson as Roy Munson, a hapless ex-tenpin bowling champion who strikes it lucky when he unearths a potential new champion, Ishmael Broog, in the Amish community. Bill Murray co-stars as Ernie McCracken, a conniving bowling rival.
Director: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Vanessa Angel, Bill Murray, Chris Elliott
(Subtitles, 1996, 12, 3 Star)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Sunday 5th January

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


Lassie (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
Charles Sturridge's update of the drama featuring the famous collie. Miner Sam Carraclough and his wife Sarah are forced to sell their son Joe's beloved dog Lassie to the Duke of Rudling. Lassie is taken to the Duke's Scottish estates, but escapes and begins the long trek home, along the way falling in with travelling puppeteer Rowlie, escaping from a Glasgow dog pound, and encountering the Loch Ness monster.
Director: Charles Sturridge
Starring: Peter Dinklage, Ken Drury, Gregor Fisher, Edward Fox, Robert Hardy, Celyn Jones
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2005, PG, 4 Star)

13:00


Journey to the Center of the Earth (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Eric Brevig's sci-fi adventure-fantasy adaptation of the Jules Verne novel, starring Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson and Anita Briem. Trevor Anderson, whose geologist brother Max vanished ten years previously, learns that the university is about to close the department named after the missing man, which would place his own career on an uncertain footing. When Trevor's nephew Sean arrives for a visit, he brings some of Max's most treasured belongings, including a heavily annotated copy of Jules Verne's A Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
Director: Eric Brevig
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem, Seth Meyers, Jean Michel Paré, Jane Wheeler
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2008, PG, 3 Star)

14:55


Rugrats the Movie (Film) Film icon 3 star rating U certificate
Based on the TV series, this animated feature film stars the feisty kids, who decide Dil, the latest addition to the family, is too troublesome and needs taking to the hospital to be fixed. But they get lost in the woods and find themselves in danger... Fun for the kids but with a layer of sophisticated humour adults will enjoy, the film features the voices of Busta Rhymes, Iggy Pop, Tim Curry and Whoopi Goldberg.
Director: Igor Kovalyov, Norton Virgien
Starring: David Spade, Whoopi Goldberg, Elizabeth Daily, Christine Cavanaugh, Kath Soucie, Tara Strong
(Subtitles, 1998, U, 3 Star)

16:30


The Golden Compass (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and Dakota Blue Richards star in Chris Weitz's family fantasy-adventure, based on the first book in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Twelve-year-old orphan Lyra Belacqua lives in an Oxford college, where the academic and domestic staff do their best to push her enquiring mind down conventional educational routes and quell her tomboy tendencies; it's a losing battle. One day, having sneaked into a private meeting of the college's dons, Lyra learns of mysterious events taking place in the Arctic. Soon after, amid news of mysterious child abductors called the 'Gobblers', her best friend Roger vanishes.
Director: Chris Weitz
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Ben Walker, Freddie Highmore, Ian McKellen
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2007, PG, 3 Star)

18:40


Crocodile Dundee II (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Mick 'Crocodile' Dundee, now living in New York, wages war against a drug-running gang when his reporter girlfriend is kidnapped because she possesses incriminating film of a drug-related murder. Having rescued her with his antipodean cunning and the help of a gang of punks, the couple flee to the relative safety of the Australian outback - but the villains are in hot pursuit.
Director: John Cornell
Starring: Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, John Meillon, Hechter Ubarry, Juan Fernández, Charles S. Dutton
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1988, PG, 3 Star)



20:50


12 Years a Slave Interview Special (Entertainment)
Director Steve McQueen and lead actor Chiwetel Ejiofor talk about making the acclaimed period drama 12 Years a Slave.

21:00


The Mechanic (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Jason Statham stars in director Simon West's action retread of Michael Winner's 1972 revenge thriller. Arthur Bishop earns his living as a 'mechanic', a euphemism for hitman that betrays the precision and emotional detachment with which he goes about his business. And that even applies when he's contracted to kill his wheelchair-using mentor Harry McKenna, though he does at least demand to know why he should send his friend to an early grave. Things then get awkward for Bishop, when McKenna's son Steve asks if he'll tutor him. Their partnership develops in fits and starts, but Bishop's boss Dean Sanderson makes it clear he's not happy with the nascent partnership's latest assassination. So, with all the main players inherently suspicious, trained killers, and various motives for murder in the air, it won't take much to spark bloodshed - and that catalyst comes with an unexpected sighting at an airport.
Director: Simon West
Starring: Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Tony Goldwyn, Donald Sutherland, Jeff Chase, Mini Anden
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2011, 15, 3 Star)

22:50


48 Hrs (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy star in Walter Hill's fast and furious cop comedy. Wisecracking convict Reggie Hammond is paroled to help tough cop Jack Cates track down a killer who has murdered the cop's partner and is now using Cates's stolen gun. Hill's hard-hitting Golden Globe-nominated comedy-thriller is scattered with classic lines and helped to create the buddy-cop genre.
Director: Walter Hill
Starring: Nick Nolte, Eddie Murphy, Annette O'Toole, Frank McRae, James Remar
(Subtitles, 1982, 15, 3 Star)

00:45


Lady Chatterley (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 18 certificate
Pascale Ferran's Gallic take on DH Lawrence's infamous novel stars Marina Hands as Constance Chatterley, wife to the disabled First World War veteran Clifford, who seeks her solace with the earthy charms of forester Parkin. While their scenes of amour are explicit, the film teases out the themes of class conflict and approaches Lawrence with a fresh eye that perhaps has eluded the more repressed English interpretations, although this could equally be as a result of Ferran's decision to base his work on John Thomas and Lady Jane, the second of Lawrence's three versions of the Chatterley story.
Director: Pascale Ferran
Starring: Marina Hands, Jean-Louis Coullo'ch, Hippolyte Girardot, Hélène Alexandridis, Hélène Fillières, Bernard Verley
(Subtitles, Subtitled, In French with English Subtitles, Widescreen, 2006, 18, 4 Star)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Monday 6th January

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


On the Town (Film) Film icon 4 star rating U certificate
In this stunning musical, shot almost entirely on location, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin are Gabey, Chip and Ozzie, three US Navy sailors with just 24 hours in New York and a mission - to find a date. Cue sassy taxi driver Brunhilde, pin-up Ivy and glamorous museum scientist Claire, who variously become their objects of desire. Directed by Stanley Donen and Kelly, this Oscar-winning musical is packed with songs from Leonard Bernstein's sumptuous score including, of course, the classic New York, New York.
Director: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Starring: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Jules Munshin, Vera-Ellen Slezak
(Subtitles, 1949, U, 4 Star)

12:55


Cat Ballou (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
Lee Marvin won an Oscar for his double role in Elliot Silverstein's influential comedy western, which also stars Jane Fonda. When Catherine 'Cat' Ballou finds out that a corporation is making an aggressive attempt to snatch her father's ranch, she hires the once-notorious gunfighter Kid Shelleen as protection. But she soon discovers he's now a permanently sozzled drunk, and unlikely to be of any use against the developers' mean killing machine, Tim Strawn. But, as things take a darker turn, Cat finds the strength and determination to fight back, by any means necessary. With its mix of daft comedy, songs and classic revenge-western theme, the film is great fun, and it's not difficult to imagine that it provided the creative spark for Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles a decade later.
Director: Elliot Silverstein
Starring: Jane Fonda, Lee Marvin, Michael Callan, Dwayne Hickman, Nat 'King' Cole, Stubby Kaye
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1965, PG, 4 Star)

14:50


The Ladykillers (Film) Film icon 4 star rating U certificate
Alexander Mackendrick's classic Ealing comedy stars Alec Guinness as the sinister, eccentric leader of a gang of crooks whose perfect crime meets its nemesis at the unwitting hands of Guinness's elderly landlady, played by Bafta-award-winner Katie Johnson.
Director: Alexander Mackendrick
Starring: Alec Guinness, Cecil Parker, Herbert Lom, Peter Sellers, Danny Green, Jack Warner
(Subtitles, 1955, U, 4 Star)

16:40


20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Film) Film icon 4 star rating U certificate
Disney-made adventure based closely on the original Jules Verne story of a 'sea monster' which causes chaos amongst 19th-century San Francisco mariners. When a government warship investigates, the 'monster' attacks, leaving just three survivors who are picked up by the creature - which turns out to be a submarine captained by a demented fanatic whose masterplan is to establish an undersea nation.
Director: Richard Fleischer
Starring: Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas, Peter Lorre, Robert J. Wilke, Ted de Corsia
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1954, U, 4 Star)

19:10


Stormbreaker (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Geoffrey Sax's family action-adventure is based on Anthony Horowitz's successful teenage spy novels. Alex Pettyfer stars as Alex Rider, a 14-year-old schoolboy seconded to British intelligence after his uncle and guardian Ian Rider is murdered by rogue billionaire Darrius Sayle. Trained by Alan Blunt and Smithers, he takes on Sayle, not just for revenge but also to stop him unleashing the deadly Stormbreaker virus on the world.
Director: Geoffrey Sax
Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Ewan McGregor, Bill Nighy, Alicia Silverstone, Mickey Rourke, Damian Lewis
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2006, PG, 3 Star)



21:00


Sixteen Candles (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
The start of the Films for Fun season on Film4: an upbeat and purely pleasurable way to kick-off the New Year - there's no need to expend too much effort to find something to enjoy, with fun, spirit-lifting films from all genres appearing across all parts of the schedule. Molly Ringwald stars in this memorable teen comedy, which marked John Hughes's directorial debut. Samantha Baker wakes up on the morning of her 16th birthday disappointed to find she looks no different to how she did yesterday. Even so, it's her birthday, so at least her family and friends will spoil her rotten, right? Sadly not, for it's also the eve of her elder sister's wedding and, amid all the preparations for that big event, her family have clean forgotten about Samantha's own special day.
Director: John Hughes
Starring: Molly Ringwald, Justin Henry, Michael Schoeffling, Haviland Morris, Gedde Watanabe, Anthony Michael Hall
(Premiere, Widescreen, Subtitles, 1984, 15, 3 Star)

22:55


Sightseers (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 15 certificate
Alice Lowe and Steve Oram teamed up to write and star in this dark and violent comedy-drama, directed by Ben Wheatley. They look such an ordinary couple, but these Midlands' lovebirds prove anything but. Chris is the proud owner of an Abbey Oxford caravan and adores few things more than exploring the glories of the British countryside. So, when presented with the opportunity to whisk his new girlfriend, Tina, off to see such heady sights as Keswick's Pencil Museum, Crich Tramway Village and the Ribblehead Viaduct, he jumps at it. Though, to be honest, the sheltered Tina seems keener on the journey's erotic possibilities. But, almost as soon as their odyssey has begun, an awful accident completely changes the tenor of their trip. And, from then on, only the exceedingly unwise do anything to cross the increasingly malevolent pair.
Director: Ben Wheatley
Starring: Alice Lowe, Steve Oram, Eileen Davies, Richard Glover, Monica Dolan, Jonathan Aris
(Subtitles, Black and White, 2012, 15, 4 Star)

00:40


The Godfather Part III (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
An ageing Don Michael Corleone seeks to legitimise his crime family's interests and remove himself from the violent underworld but is kept back by the ambitions of the younger family members. While he attempts to link the Corleone's finances with the Vatican, Michael must deal with the machinations of a hungrier gangster seeking to upset the existing Mafioso order and a young protégé's love affair with his daughter.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy Garcia, Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegna
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1990, 15, 3 Star)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Tuesday 7th January

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


The Black Knight (Film) Film icon 15 certificate
British adventure movie starring Alan Ladd as a sword-maker who is tutored at the court of King Arthur, becoming the Black Knight. He needs his new skills to defeat two conspirators who are attempting to overthrow Camelot, and to win the hand of an Earl's daughter.
Director: Tay Garnett
Starring: Alan Ladd, Patricia Medina, André Morell, Harry Andrews, Peter Cushing, Anthony Bushell
(Subtitles, 1954, 15, 2 Star)

12:45


The Violent Men (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Based on the Donald Hamilton novel Smokey Valley, Rudolph Mat?'s Cold War western stars Glenn Ford as a smallholder who stands alone against the brutal tactics of a tyrannical rancher's plans for expansion. Made in the aftermath of Senator McCarthy's Hollywood witch-hunts, the film is a thinly-veiled allegory of America's stance against communism.
Director: Rudolph Maté
Starring: Glenn Ford, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, Dianne Foster, Brian Keith, May Wynn
(Subtitles, 1955, 15, 3 Star)

14:40


A Town Like Alice (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
Taut Second World War drama, starring Bafta-winners Virginia McKenna and Peter Finch. Jean Paget is among a group of women, trapped in Malaya by the invading Japanese forces, who are forced to walk hundreds of miles in search of food and shelter. But when Australian soldier Joe Harman sneaks food to them from his labour camp, there are terrible consequences.
Director: Jack Lee
Starring: Virginia McKenna, Peter Finch, Kenji Takagi, Tran Van Khe, Jean Anderson, Marie Lohr
(Black and White, Subtitles, 1956, PG, 4 Star)

17:00


King Solomon's Mines (Film) Film icon PG certificate
Richard Chamberlain plays Alan Quatermain in J Lee Thompson's adaptation of H Rider Haggard's classic adventure novel. Quatermain, a fortune hunter, is engaged by Jesse Huston to find her archaeologist father, who is being held by the villainous Dogati and Colonel Bockner, who want his map of the legendary diamond mines of King Solomon. Freeing the professor, Alan and Jesse set off in a desperate race to find the mines ahead of the evil German and his allies. Edited for content.
Director: J. Lee Thompson
Starring: Richard Chamberlain, Sharon Stone, Herbert Lom, John Rhys-Davies, Ken Gampu
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1985, PG, 2 Star)

18:55


Eragon (Film) Film icon PG certificate
Stefen Fangmeier's action-packed fantasy is set in a medieval-like society ruled by the despotic Galbatorix, abetted by his henchman Durza. Galbatorix has exterminated the fabled Dragon Riders who threatened his reign, but a teenage boy, Eragon, discovers a surviving egg from which hatches the dragon Saphira. Unable to control her as she grows, Eragon finds guidance from village layabout Brom, who reveals himself to be the last of the Dragon Riders. The three raise a rebel army to topple Galbatorix but, at the same time, Eragon and Saphira must rescue princess Arya from Galbatorix's evil clutches.
Director: Stefen Fangmeier
Starring: Edward Speleers, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich, Garrett Hedlund
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2006, PG, 2 Star)



21:00


Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
In Tim Story's sequel to the foursome's first adventure, the superheroes are suffering from very human problems. The Thing finds it hard to believe that Alicia wants him for himself rather than out of pity; Mr Fantastic and Invisible Woman are having second thoughts about their wedding; and Human Torch is having relationship problems of his own. But when mysterious, huge craters start appearing around the world, the authorities call on the Four's help. The vast indentations are being caused by the other-worldly Silver Surfer, precursor of the planet-destroying Galactus. Can the Four stop him in time, as well as preventing Victor von Doom from stealing the Surfer's secrets for his own evil ends?
Director: Tim Story
Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon, Kerry Washington
(Editor's Choice, Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2007, PG, 3 Star)

22:45


12 Years a Slave Interview Special (Entertainment)
Director Steve McQueen and lead actor Chiwetel Ejiofor talk about making the acclaimed period drama 12 Years a Slave.

22:55


Hunger (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 15 certificate
Director Steve McQueen's Film4-funded award-winning drama focuses on the 1981 hunger strikes by Republican prisoners in Northern Ireland. Michael Fassbender plays Bobby Sands, one of a group of prisoners who first 'took to the blanket' with a 'dirty protest' in pursuit of their claims for recognition as political prisoners. Sands then became the first one of the group to embark on a hunger strike that was to end in his death. McQueen's film captures the reek of the urine-flooded, excrement-smeared cells, the intransigence of both sides and, at centre of the film, uses a bravura extended dialogue between Sands and Father Moran to ask if the strike and the resultant deaths will have any effect at all. This screening is introduced by the director and Michael Fassbender.
Director: Steve McQueen II
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Liam Cunningham, Stuart Graham, Liam McMahon, Brian Milligan, Lalor Roddy
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 2008, 15, 4 Star)

00:50


Black Book (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 15 certificate
Paul Verhoeven returns to his Dutch roots with this visceral drama of life under Nazi occupation in the Netherlands. Rachel Stein is a Jewish woman intent on avenging her family's murder. She joins the Resistance and agrees to become the lover of high-ranking SS officer Ludwig Muntze in order to learn which Dutchmen are secretly collaborating with the occupiers. But she falls in love with the man rather than the monster and finds herself in danger, not only from the Nazis but also from her compatriots.
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Starring: Carice Van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn, Waldemar Kobus, Derek de Lint
(In Dutch and German with English Subtitles, Widescreen, 2006, 15, 4 Star)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Wednesday 8th January

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


Operation Pacific (Film) Film icon 3 star rating U certificate
Second World War drama starring John Wayne as a dedicated submarine commander fighting the Japanese in the Pacific and trying to build bridges with his ex-wife. Also starring Ward Bond, Philip Carey and Scott Forbes. Written.
Director: George Waggner
Starring: John Wayne, Patricia Neal, Ward Bond, Scott Forbes, Philip Carey, Paul Picerni
(Subtitles, Black and White, 1951, U, 3 Star)

13:10


Jesse James (Film) Film icon 3 star rating U certificate
Henry King's classic western stars Tyrone Power as Missouri farmer Jesse James, who works the land with his brother Frank. When the railroad illegally forces them off their property, leading to the death of their mother, they swear vengeance. Robbing trains, they help fund the fight back against the railroads despite the best efforts of Marshall Will Wright. The ending sets the scenario for Fritz Lang's 1940 revenge-sequel, The Return of Frank James.
Director: Henry King
Starring: Tyrone Power, Henry Fonda, Nancy Kelly
(Subtitles, 1939, U, 3 Star)

15:20


Carry on Sergeant (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
The first of the Carry On movies was inspired by RF Delderfield's novel The Bull Boys. William Hartnell plays Sergeant Grimshawe, the retiring army training sergeant faced with possibly the worst group of national service recruits ever to have been called up, including Charlie Sage, Horace Strong, Peter Golightly and James Bailey.
Director: Gerald Thomas
Starring: William Hartnell, Shirley Eaton, Eric Barker, Dora Bryan, Bill Owen, Charles Hawtrey
(Black and White, Subtitles, Audio Described, 1958, PG, 3 Star)

17:00


Gambit (Film) Film icon 3 star rating U certificate
Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine star in Ronald Neame's comic heist caper. Harry is a cockney thief in Hong Kong, on the lookout for his next 'enriching' opportunity. Spying a beautiful nightclub entertainer, Nicole, who bears a startling resemblance to the late wife of the immensely rich Middle Eastern businessman Mr Shahbandar, he realises that here lies the key to his next scam. Unfortunately, although she's keen to get her hands on the genuine British passport that Harry promises her, Nicole is adamant that she won't do anything illegal for it. But that's not as big a problem as Harry embarking on his latest swindle without having thought through his plan, as is demonstrated by the ensuing series of comic misadventures. Neame's inventive plot twists are matched by the charismatic performances from the leads.
Director: Ronald Neame
Starring: Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, Herbert Lom, Roger C. Carmel, Arnold Moss, John Abbott, Richard Angarola
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1966, U, 3 Star)

19:10


The Addams Family Values (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Black comedy sequel. The Addams family has two new members - baby Pubert and sunny nanny Debbie Jellinsky. Whilst Debbie charms the adults of the family, Uncle Fester in particular, the children discover she is actually a lot more evil than she lets on.
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Starring: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Joan Cusack, Christina Ricci, Carol Kane
(Subtitles, 1993, PG, 3 Star)



21:00


Keeping Mum (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Rowan Atkinson plays the Reverend Walter Goodfellow, vicar of Little Wallop, who spends all his energies on his sermons, leaving his neglected wife Gloria the opportunity to conduct a somewhat half-hearted affair with her golf pro Lance. But everything changes when the Goodfellows get a new housekeeper, Grace Hawkins who, in her spare time, is a psychopathic serial killer, quite happy to rid her employees of anyone causing them problems... Niall Johnson's delicious black comedy sees the four leads play for well-earned laughs, but unsurprisingly it is Maggie Smith who steals the film.
Director: Niall Johnson
Starring: Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Maggie Smith, Patrick Swayze, Emilia Fox, Liz Smith
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2005, 15, 3 Star)

23:05


Black Pond (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Chris Langham and Amanda Hadingue star in this feature debut from writer/producer/director duo Tom Kingsley and Will Sharpe, a black comedy probing tragedy and tabloid accusation. Out walking his three-legged dog by Black Pond, Tom Thompson is approached by Blake, who's clearly unhappy and behaving eccentrically. Taking pity on the man, Tom invites him back to the large Surrey house he now lives in with just his spiky-natured wife Sophie; their grownup daughters Jess and Katie having left to share a London flat.
Director: Tom Kingsley, Will Sharpe
Starring: Chris Langham, Simon Amstell, Amanda Hadingue, Colin Hurley, Will Sharpe, Anna O'Grady
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2011, 15, 3 Star)

00:50


Volver (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 15 certificate
Pedro Almodóvar's drama stars Penélope Cruz as single parent Raimunda, whose life is turned upside down by a murder, which leaves her with a body to dispose of and a crime to cover up. Although she manages to find somewhere to put the body, further complications arise when her mother Irene, presumed dead, suddenly reappears. And when Raimunda takes on the management of a holidaying friend's restaurant - which becomes unexpectedly, and riotously, successful - our heroine's makeshift plans start to look very precarious indeed.
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Starring: Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo, Chus Lampreave
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Subtitled, In Spanish with English Subtitles, 2006, 15, 4 Star)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Thursday 9th January

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


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.
Director: Sori Fumihiko
Starring: Yôsuke Kubozuka, Arata, Sam Lee, Shido Nakamura
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2002, 12, 3 Star)

12:40


20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Film) Film icon 4 star rating U certificate
Disney-made adventure based closely on the original Jules Verne story of a 'sea monster' which causes chaos amongst 19th-century San Francisco mariners. When a government warship investigates, the 'monster' attacks, leaving just three survivors who are picked up by the creature - which turns out to be a submarine captained by a demented fanatic whose masterplan is to establish an undersea nation.
Director: Richard Fleischer
Starring: Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas, Peter Lorre, Robert J. Wilke, Ted de Corsia
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1954, U, 4 Star)

15:10


The Tall T (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
Ranch hand Pat Brennan assumes the leadership of a group of stagecoach passengers in the fall-out from a hold-up. Ruthless robber Usher, disgusted at the cowardice of a passenger who offers his new bride as ransom, accepts the terms and then shoots the man.
Director: Budd Boetticher
Starring: Randolph Scott, Richard Boone, Maureen O'Sullivan, Arthur Hunnicutt, Skip Homeier, Henry Silva
(Subtitles, 1957, PG, 4 Star)

16:45


Cry 'Havoc' (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
Richard Thorpe's World War II drama, set on the Pacific island of Bataan, tells the story of a group of women who volunteer to nurse the wounded GIs holding out against the invading Japanese troops. Led by veteran nurses Mary Smith and Alice Marsh, the disparate group, including stripper Grace Lambert, fashion writer Connie Booth and southern belle Nydia Joyce, become battle hardened as the casualties flood in but have to make a difficult decision as the Japanese close in on the hospital.
Director: Richard Thorpe
Starring: Margaret Sullavan, Ann Sothern, Joan Blondell, Fay Bainter, Marsha Hunt, Ella Raines
(Black and White, Subtitles, Signed, 1943, PG, 4 Star)

18:40


Employee of the Month (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 12 certificate
Greg Coolidge's comedy is set in a department store and stars Dane Cook as Zack, who works in the packing department, and Dax Shepard as Vince, one of the cashiers. Zack's ambition in life is to perfect the art of slacking while Vince is the store's biggest suck-up. But then they both hear that hot new cashier Amy has one firm rule: she will only date the Employee of the Month. Can Zack manage to beat Vince to the title? Edited for content.
Director: Greg Coolidge
Starring: Dane Cook, Jessica Simpson, Dax Shepard, Efren Ramirez, Andy Dick, Tim Bagley
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2006, 12, 3 Star)



21:00


True Lies (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 15 certificate
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis star in James Cameron's action comedy, a remake of the 1991 French film La Totale! - and very much in old school Bond territory. Helen Tasker feels her 15-year marriage to Harry has become as dull as his job in computer sales. However, she doesn't know that Harry's actually an undercover government operative who spends his days battling terrorists and spies rather than flogging IT gear. But Helen picks a bad time to spice up her life with an extramarital dalliance: when he drops in to her office unannounced, Harry overhears her making plans for a date with her colleague Simon. Harry's reaction is extraordinary, to say the least: in a sorely misguided attempt to give her the excitement she craves, he arranges for her to be kidnapped and sent on a 'secret assignment' as a spy posing as a prostitute. But his hare-brained scheme goes awry when his two worlds collide. His daughter is kidnapped by terrorists and only he and his wife can save her.
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Art Malik
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1994, 15, 4 Star)

23:45


The Hole (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 12 certificate
A scary comedy-horror from director Joe Dante about a suburban home that has among its features a secret portal, which would perhaps be best left undiscovered. The house is the new abode of teen Dane Thompson, his mum Susan and his irritating younger sibling Lucas. Kids being kids, it's not long before they've thoroughly explored their new residence - and found the strange, heavily padlocked trapdoor down in the basement. Together with Julie, the girl who lives next door, the unwisely intrepid gang manage to remove the carefully constructed barriers and lift the lid, to find themselves staring into... a pitch-black hole. At first it's not much to look at, but they gradually learn why the previous owner was so desperately keen to keep it permanently covered. Essentially aimed at a family audience, the film delivers enough genuine frights to make its 12 certificate necessary.
Director: Joe Dante
Starring: Chris Massoglia, Haley Bennett, Nathan Gamble, Teri Polo, Bruce Dern, Quinn Lord
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2009, 12, 3 Star)

01:35


Parents (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 18 certificate
Actor Bob Balaban made his directorial feature debut with this extraordinary and sinisterly subversive black comedy. The year is 1958 and young Michael Laemle and his family have moved to a small town in Indiana. His parents, defoliant expert Nick and Lily, who spends her days happily working in the kitchen, are aggressively fashionable and dedicated to keeping up appearances. But the youngster is becoming sure that they're hiding something from him. It's a concern that's increased when, half-asleep, he catches his parents in an embrace, which strangely troubles him. At school, he's befriended by another newcomer, Sheila Zellner whose claim to be an alien appeals to his creative imagination.
Director: Bob Balaban
Starring: Randy Quaid, Mary Beth Hurt, Sandy Dennis, Bryan Madorsky, London Juno, Kathryn Grody
(Subtitles, 1989, 18, 3 Star)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Friday 10th January

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


Guadalcanal Diary (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Lewis Seiler's powerful and exciting Second World War propaganda action-drama follows US Marines as they make advances during the war in the Pacific, driving back the Japanese.
Director: Lewis Seiler
Starring: Preston Foster, Lloyd Nolan, William Bendix, Richard Conte, Anthony Quinn, Richard Jaeckel
(Black and White, Subtitles, 1943, PG, 3 Star)

12:50


Donovan's Reef (Film) Film icon 3 star rating U certificate
John Ford directs John Wayne in this romantic comedy, which was their last film together. Wayne plays Michael Donovan who, with his ex-Navy pals Thomas Gilhooley and William Dedham, has ended up on a South Pacific island after the war. Trouble threatens their paradise when Dedham's estranged daughter Amelia arrives with news that he's heir to the family's shipping company; but he could lose the inheritance to her if he's seen to be living in an 'immoral' way. As Dedham is away, Donovan convinces her that he's responsible for Dedham's children and, while he maintains the subterfuge, the beauty of the island and its way of life get under Amelia's skin, as do Donovan's romantic overtures.
Director: John Ford
Starring: John Wayne, Lee Marvin, Elizabeth Allen, Jack Warden
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1963, U, 3 Star)

15:00


Genevieve (Film) Film icon 4 star rating U certificate
Henry Cornelius's very British comedy stars John Gregson and Dinah Sheridan as Alan and Wendy McKim, while Kenneth More and Kay Kendall play Ambrose Cleverhouse and Rosalind Peters. The two men are classic car fanatics and, after completing the London-to-Brighton race, decide to make the return leg a race too. As the men get more competitive and the women more despairing, there are laughs galore, counterpointed by Larry Adler's harmonica score.
Director: Henry Cornelius
Starring: Dinah Sheridan, John Gregson, Kay Kendall, Kenneth More, Geoffrey Keen, Reginald Beckwith
(Subtitles, Signed, 1953, U, 4 Star)

16:45


Cat Ballou (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
Lee Marvin won an Oscar for his double role in Elliot Silverstein's influential comedy western, which also stars Jane Fonda. When Catherine 'Cat' Ballou finds out that a corporation is making an aggressive attempt to snatch her father's ranch, she hires the once-notorious gunfighter Kid Shelleen as protection. But she soon discovers he's now a permanently sozzled drunk, and unlikely to be of any use against the developers' mean killing machine, Tim Strawn. But, as things take a darker turn, Cat finds the strength and determination to fight back, by any means necessary. With its mix of daft comedy, songs and classic revenge-western theme, the film is great fun, and it's not difficult to imagine that it provided the creative spark for Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles a decade later.
Director: Elliot Silverstein
Starring: Jane Fonda, Lee Marvin, Michael Callan, Dwayne Hickman, Nat 'King' Cole, Stubby Kaye
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1965, PG, 4 Star)

18:40


Footloose (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Herbert Ross's musical romance stars Kevin Bacon as Ren McCormack, a teenager who moves from Chicago to a small town where, to his horror, he discovers rock music and dancing are outlawed at the behest of preacher Shaw Moore, who blames the death of his daughter on the Devil's music. And to complicate matters, Ren falls for Moore's surviving daughter Ariel, who is not as innocent as she seems. As Ren tries to persuade Moore that rock music isn't the root of all evil, a confrontation with both his daughter and the more bigoted members of his congregation give him food for thought in this classic feel-good film. Edited for content.
Director: Herbert Ross
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest
(Subtitles, 1984, 15, 3 Star)



21:00


Ghost (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 15 certificate
Jerry Zucker's supernatural fantasy stars Patrick Swayze as Sam Wheat and Demi Moore as Molly Jensen. He's killed in an apparently random mugging, leaving her heartbroken. But then it transpires that he was murdered to stop him exposing a major fraud - and this puts Molly in danger, because the incriminating information is in her possession. Sam's ghost, still earthbound, discovers the only way to warn her is through Oda Mae Brown, a fake medium who suddenly finds she's his channel to the living. A mix of comedy, thriller and romance coupled with outstanding special effects turned this into an enduring classic.
Director: Jerry Zucker
Starring: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn, Stanley Lawrence
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 1990, 15, 4 Star)

23:25


Wayne's World (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
Mike Myers and Dana Carvey star as Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar, lifelong friends who present their own cult cable TV show, Wayne's World, from a basement. Such is their success, slimy TV executive Ben Oliver plans to buy their show and turn it into a product-placement special. And to complicate matters, both Wayne and Oliver have fallen for foxy singer Cassandra. Based on characters first seen on Saturday Night Live, Myers' script and Penelope Spheeris's direction created an unlikely comedy, in which the nerds inherited the earth and a host of catchphrases were born. Excellent.
Director: Penelope Spheeris
Starring: Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Rob Lowe, Tia Carrere, Brian Doyle-Murray, Lara-Flynn Boyle
(Subtitles, 1992, PG, 4 Star)

01:15


Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... and Spring (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 15 certificate
In Kim Ki-Duk's visually ravishing, intelligently reflective drama, a young boy and an elderly Buddhist monk share a tiny monastery floating on a lake, until the boy's natural need to explore the world compels him to leave. As surely as the seasons come round again each year, the boy becomes a man and eventually returns, but it isn't the film's plot that engages so much as the exquisite imagery and symbolism with which Ki-Duk explores and explains the cycles of life.
Director: Ki-duk Kim
Starring: Yeong-su Oh, Ki-duk Kim, Young-min Kim, Jae-kyeong Seo, Yeo-jin Ha, Jong-ho Kim
(Subtitles, Subtitled, In Korean with English Subtitles, Widescreen, 2003, 15, 4 Star)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Saturday 11th January

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


On the Town (Film) Film icon 4 star rating U certificate
In this stunning musical, shot almost entirely on location, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin are Gabey, Chip and Ozzie, three US Navy sailors with just 24 hours in New York and a mission - to find a date. Cue sassy taxi driver Brunhilde, pin-up Ivy and glamorous museum scientist Claire, who variously become their objects of desire. Directed by Stanley Donen and Kelly, this Oscar-winning musical is packed with songs from Leonard Bernstein's sumptuous score including, of course, the classic New York, New York.
Director: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Starring: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Betty Garrett, Ann Miller, Jules Munshin, Vera-Ellen Slezak
(Subtitles, 1949, U, 4 Star)

13:00


The Golden Compass (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and Dakota Blue Richards star in Chris Weitz's family fantasy-adventure, based on the first book in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Twelve-year-old orphan Lyra Belacqua lives in an Oxford college, where the academic and domestic staff do their best to push her enquiring mind down conventional educational routes and quell her tomboy tendencies; it's a losing battle. One day, having sneaked into a private meeting of the college's dons, Lyra learns of mysterious events taking place in the Arctic. Soon after, amid news of mysterious child abductors called the 'Gobblers', her best friend Roger vanishes.
Director: Chris Weitz
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Ben Walker, Freddie Highmore, Ian McKellen
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2007, PG, 3 Star)

15:10


King Solomon's Mines (Film) Film icon PG certificate
Richard Chamberlain plays Alan Quatermain in J Lee Thompson's adaptation of H Rider Haggard's classic adventure novel. Quatermain, a fortune hunter, is engaged by Jesse Huston to find her archaeologist father, who is being held by the villainous Dogati and Colonel Bockner, who want his map of the legendary diamond mines of King Solomon. Freeing the professor, Alan and Jesse set off in a desperate race to find the mines ahead of the evil German and his allies. Edited for content.
Director: J. Lee Thompson
Starring: Richard Chamberlain, Sharon Stone, Herbert Lom, John Rhys-Davies, Ken Gampu
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1985, PG, 2 Star)

17:05


Night at the Museum (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Ben Stiller stars in Shawn Levy's high-speed comedy as Larry Daley, a dreaming slacker who is pressured by his ex-wife Erica to get a job as a night guard at New York's Museum of Natural History. What he doesn't know is that the exhibits come to life at night. He soon finds himself being chased by a T-Rex skeleton, trying to stop a miniature Roman general, Octavius, and an equally diminutive cowboy from fighting, and attempting to prevent Atilla the Hun running amok. Larry has to develop problem-solving skills, fast. The film is blessed with special effects by Jim Rygiel and a strong cast that also includes Ricky Gervais, Robin Williams and Mickey Rooney.
Director: Shawn Levy
Starring: Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs, Jake Cherry
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2006, PG, 3 Star)

19:15


Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
In Tim Story's sequel to the foursome's first adventure, the superheroes are suffering from very human problems. The Thing finds it hard to believe that Alicia wants him for himself rather than out of pity; Mr Fantastic and Invisible Woman are having second thoughts about their wedding; and Human Torch is having relationship problems of his own. But when mysterious, huge craters start appearing around the world, the authorities call on the Four's help. The vast indentations are being caused by the other-worldly Silver Surfer, precursor of the planet-destroying Galactus. Can the Four stop him in time, as well as preventing Victor von Doom from stealing the Surfer's secrets for his own evil ends? Edited for content.
Director: Tim Story
Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon, Kerry Washington
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2007, PG, 3 Star)



21:00


Dogma (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Bethany Sloane works at an abortion clinic where she is approached by the angel Metatron. He tells her that, as the last living descendent of Christ, she's the only one who can stop the fallen angels Bartleby and Loki from ending all life on Earth. Accompanied by heavenly assistants Jay and Silent Bob, she sets out on a mission to stop them. Kevin Smith's controversial satire, a fascinating mix of themes and characters from his earlier films, offers an interesting theological look at his normal New Jersey-set-and-peopled milieu.
Director: Kevin Smith
Starring: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Jason Mewes, Chris Rock, Alan Rickman
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1999, 15, 3 Star)

23:25


Evil Dead II (Film) Film icon 5 star rating 18 certificate
Not so much a sequel as a reprise of the original, Evil Dead II sees Ash, the survivor from the Tennessee wood cabin in The Evil Dead, inadvertently unleashing the spirits of the dead in a remote wood cabin in Michigan after reciting 'Necronomekon - The Book of the Dead'. And that's when the plot sickens: an army of decomposing dead people and evil spirits kill Ash's girlfriend and then spend the rest of the night trying to ensure that Ash and a group of new arrivals to the cabin - including Anne, who may have the solution to the problem - will all be dead by dawn.
Director: Sam Raimi
Starring: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie DePaiva, Ted Raimi, Denise Bixler
(Subtitles, 1987, 18, 5 Star)

01:05


Micmacs (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 12 certificate
Dany Boon stars in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's 21st-century steampunk revenge comedy. You've got to feel for poor Bazil: his French Foreign Legion father was killed by a landmine and now, years after that tragedy, he's just been shot. He survives the stray bullet, but the projectile remains embedded in his head; it could kill him at any moment, but it's too dangerous to remove. As if that wasn't bad enough, he then loses his job and his home. This dark maelstrom's sole silver lining is the odd bunch of junkyard dwellers - including a human cannonball, a contortionist and the builder of Scrapheap Challenge-style fantastical creations - who take him in. Then Bazil discovers the arms manufacturers responsible for his situation are based on opposite sides of the same Parisian street. A plan for revenge is hatched and the band of idiosyncratically gifted misfits set out to wreak havoc on the two companies... Also starring Andr? Dussollier and Dominique Pinon.
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Starring: Dany Boon, André Dussollier, Nicolas Marié, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Yolande Moreau, Julie Ferrier
(Subtitles, Subtitled, In French with English Subtitles, Widescreen, Audio Described, 2009, 12, 4 Star)