Film Four & Film Four +1 TV Listing

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Thursday 13th March

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


O'Horten (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 12 certificate
Train engineer Horten has been forced to retire after 40 years of travelling a very stable rail, and the platform does not feel like a safe place anymore. His orderly, solitary existence is about to give way to a future of unlikely adventures and puzzling dilemmas: will Horten ever travel by plane? Will he finally sell his prized boat? How does Horten end up in a pair of women's red high-heeled shoes?
Director: Bent Hamer
Starring: Baard Owe, Espen Skjønberg, Ghita Nørby, Henny Moan, Bjørn Floberg, Kai Remlow
(2007, 12, 3 Star)

12:50


Dragoon Wells Massacre (Film) Film icon 12 certificate
This intriguing western from Harold D Schuster stars Dennis O'Keefe as cavalry officer Matt Riordan, assigned to lead marshall Bill Haney and his prisoner Link Ferris through Apache territory. But when they reach Dragoon Wells, they're ambushed and Riordan must lead a disparate band of survivors to safety while trying to prevent Ferris's escape.
Director: Harold D. Schuster
Starring: Dennis O'Keefe, Barry Sullivan, Mona Freeman, Katy Jurado, Sebastian Cabot, Max Showalter
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 1957, 12)

14:35


Air Force (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
Howard Hawks' wartime propaganda film tells the story of the Mary Ann, an American B-17 bomber commanded by Captain 'Irish' Quincannon and co-pilot Lt Bill Williams. A motley crew from all walks of American life, their first taste of action comes as they arrive at Pearl Harbor just as the Japanese attack. Surviving the experience, the crew begin to form a bond as they take the fight to the Japanese in Manila, and on to the Battle of the Coral Sea.
Director: Howard Hawks
Starring: John Ridgely, Gig Young, Arthur Kennedy, Charles Drake, Harry Carey Jr., George Tobias
(Black and White, Subtitles, 1943, PG, 4 Star)

17:00


Bad Day at Black Rock (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
John Sturges's suspenseful western stars Spencer Tracy as John J Macreedy, a one-armed stranger whose arrival in a small desert town, while looking for a Japanese farmer, arouses hostility and violence among the locals.
Director: John Sturges
Starring: Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, Dean Jagger, Walter Brennan, John Ericson
(Subtitles, 1955, PG, 4 Star)

18:40


Chocolat (Film) Film icon 5 star rating 12 certificate
When a single mother and her six-year-old daughter move to rural France and open a chocolate shop - with Sunday hours - across the street from the local church, they are met with scepticism and some loathing. But as soon as they coax the townspeople into enjoying their delicious products, they are warmly welcomed.
Director: Lasse Hallström
Starring: Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp, Alfred Molina, Carrie-Anne Moss, Judi Dench
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2000, 12, 5 Star)



21:00


Bad Teacher (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Cameron Diaz stars in Jake Kasdan's comedy as reluctant and irresponsible teacher Elizabeth Halsey. When she's dumped by her rich fiancé, she sets her sights on wealthy supply teacher Scott Delacorte, but when he gets close to Elizabeth's nemesis, Amy Squirrel, she decides to win her man by getting certain surgical enhancements. Elizabeth's intended path to true love doesn't come cheap, but then she finds out about a teaching competition with a big money prize... The film plays to Diaz's strengths and provides plenty of laughs, wisely casting Timberlake against type, and also starring Phyllis Smith and Jason Segal, who's as reliably funny as ever, as the laid-back PE teacher carrying a torch for the un-enhanced Elizabeth.
Director: Jake Kasdan
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Lucy Punch, Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake, Phyllis Smith, John Michael Higgins
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2011, 15, 3 Star)

22:50


Bullhead (Film) Film icon 15 certificate
Michael R Roskam's Oscar-nominated Belgian crime thriller starring Matthias Schoenaerts. It was always going to end up this way for Jacky Vanmarsenille - pumped up on drugs and deeply embroiled in the murky side of the Belgian cattle industry. An appalling, shockingly violent incident in young Jacky's life ensured his life-long dependency on steroids, which also guaranteed his muscle-bound physique and a hair-trigger predisposition to rage.
Starring: Matthias Schoenaerts
(Premiere, Widescreen, Subtitles, 2011, 15)

01:15


Breathless (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
South Korea's Yang Ik-Joon makes his directorial debut with this crime drama which delves into the psychology of gang violence, and in which he stars alongside Kot-bi Kim and Man-shik Jeong. Sang-hoon has risen to the dubious heights of debt collector for a criminal gang. Perhaps driven by the brutality visited upon him by his father, Sang-hoon is a tense ball of restless aggression; punches and slaps emanate from him as easily as the stream of expletives with which he peppers his conversation. Then he meets a schoolgirl whose life has been equally damaged by physical abuse and suddenly there's a glimmer of a possibility that his life, and hers, could change for the better. There are moments of pitch black humour here and there within the drama, but for the most part it's a bruisingly brutal watch from the very start.
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Starring: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, Daniel Boulanger, Jean-Pierre Melville, Henri-Jacques Huet, Van Doude
(Subtitles, Subtitled, In Korean with English Subtitles, Widescreen, Black and White, 1960, PG, 4 Star)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Saturday 15th March

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


An Elephant Called Slowly (Film) Film icon U certificate
Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers star in this family wildlife drama about African elephants from director James Hill. The gentle narrative focuses on Ginny and Bill's attempts to look after three young elephants, which turn up on the Kenyan property the couple are house-sitting for friends. But, as with many wildlife features of the period, narrative aside, one of the main draws for the film's younger target audience is the captivating shots of exotic fauna in its natural setting. James Hill directed Born Free, another African wildlife adventure starring McKenna and Travers, and would follow up...Slowly with that much-loved equine drama Black Beauty.
(Subtitles, 1970, U)


13:00


Big Business (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Jim Abrahams' twin-switch comedy stars Bette Midler as Sadie Ratcliff and Sadie Shelton, and Lily Tomlin as Rose Ratcliff and Rose Shelton. The two Sadies and Roses are identical twins accidentally separated at birth. Sadie Shelton is now the ruthless CEO of the Moromax conglomerate which owns Hollowmade, a small furniture company run by the Ratcliffs. When Moromax decide to sell Hollowmade, and the town where it's located, to an Italian strip-mining company, the feisty Rose Shelton and her flaky sister Sadie head for the stockholders' meeting in New York and check into the same hotel as the Shelton sisters. Cue a comedy of errors, compounded by confused Italian mining officials and a golf pro who's in love with Rose. Edited for content.
Director: Jim Abrahams
Starring: Bette Midler, Lily Tomlin, Fred Ward, Edward Herrmann, Michele Placido, Daniel Gerroll
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1988, PG, 3 Star)


14:55


Dear John (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 12 certificate
Two weeks' military leave is all it takes for US Army Staff Sergeant John Tyree and college student Savannah Curtis to fall in love in this Lasse Hallstrom-directed adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' novel. Having depended on correspondence to keep their romance alive, their relationship falters when John unexpectedly decides to re-enlist in the army following the September 11 attacks in New York. Then it arrives - the Dear John letter informing him that Savannah is engaged to someone else. With no hope of being together, John rededicates himself to the military, surviving injury and only seeing Savannah when family events force him to return home. Months later, John receives another letter from Savannah with their sign-off of old, 'I'll see you soon, then'. Could there be hope for the couple yet? Edited for content.
Director: Lasse Hallström
Starring: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, Richard Jenkins, Henry Thomas, D.J. Cotrona, Cullen Moss
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2010, 12, 3 Star)


17:00


Chalet Girl (Film) Film icon 12 certificate
Felicity Jones and Ed Westwick star in this bright and breezy British romcom. There was a time when working-class Kim reigned supreme as a skateboarding champion; but that was before her mother's death changed everything for her and her dad Bill. Now she's decided to give up her fast-food job and chance her arm with a new career as a chalet girl in an Alpine ski resort, where she hopes to win a life-changing sum of money in a snowboarding competition. As well learning how to transfer her skateboarding skills to the slopes, she'll also have to acquire the knack of deflecting unwanted attention from the resort's predominantly posh, testosterone-fuelled young male clientele. But among the predictable serial gropers there's one lad who catches her eye: the rather narcissistic Jonny.
Director: Tom Williams
Starring: Felicity Jones, Ed Westwick, Bill Nighy, Brooke Shields, Tamsin Egerton, Bill Bailey
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2011, 12)


19:00


(500) Days of Summer (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 12 certificate
Director Marc Webbs' feature debut is a romantic comedy, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, which unconventionally focuses on the heartache of unrequited love. Tom Hansen is making a living writing soppy messages for greetings cards. It wasn't meant to be this way - he had hoped to train as an architect, but that didn't go to plan. However, things start to look up when his boss hires a new secretary, the ethereally beautiful Summer Finn. Tom is a believer in true love and, on meeting Summer for the first time, is certain he has found 'the one'. Unfortunately, Summer couldn't be more cynical when it comes to romance. She and Tom gradually find they have more and more in common, but she repeatedly repels his amorous advances.
Director: Marc Webb
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend, Chloë Grace Moretz, Matthew Gray Gubler, Clark Gregg
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2009, 12, 4 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


Silent House (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Elizabeth Olsen stars in this psychological horror from co-directors Chris Kentis and Laura Lau. Sarah has gone to help her father, John, and her uncle, Peter, to empty and renovate their old lakeside house in preparation to sell it. Before she enters the large property, which has been boarded up to protect against vandals, everything seems normal, aside from an encounter with a woman who claims to have been a childhood friend, but whom Sarah cannot remember.
Director: Chris Kentis, Laura Lau
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Adam Trese, Eric Sheffer Stevens, Julia Taylor Ross, Adam Barnett, Haley Murphy
(Premiere, Widescreen, Subtitles, 2011, 15, 3 Star)


00:30


Hot Rod (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 12 certificate
Akiva Schaffer's slapstick comedy stars Andy Samberg as Rod Kimble, a daredevil motorcycle stunt rider in the mould of Evel Knievel. Well, not quite - most of his stunts end in disaster and he lives at home with his stepdad Frank Powell and mum Marie. But, when his overbearing stepfather needs $50,000 for a heart operation, Rod swears to raise the cash somehow. Initial efforts, including a stint as a children's entertainer and as a daredevil show at the local swimming pool, end in abject failure. But Rod, unbowed, goes for the big one: he aims to jump 15 school buses. Samberg is an alumnus of Saturday Night Live, and the show's wacky humour translates well to this picaresque comedy that never flags. Film4's New Faces season draws to a close with this comedy starring Andy Samberg. The season is scheduled to tie in with the release of the Film4 production Starred Up, starring Jack O'Connell, on 21st March.
Director: Akiva Schaffer
Starring: Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, Bill Hader, Danny R. McBride, Isla Fisher, Sissy Spacek
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2007, 12, 3 Star)


02:15


Lake Placid (Film) Film icon 15 certificate
Horror comedy about the hunt for a huge man-eating reptile living in a lake in Maine. Following the death of a local diver, a New York palaeontologist is sent out to help the local fisheries warden investigate the case. Also on the trail of the creature is the local sheriff, who is keen to kill it, and an eccentric millionaire who wishes to capture and study it.
Director: Steve Miner
Starring: Bill Pullman, Bridget Fonda, Oliver Platt, Brendan Gleeson, Betty White, David Lewis
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1999, 15, 2 Star)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Sunday 16th March

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


Bless This House (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Movie spin-off from the popular 1970s TV series, starring Sid James as Sid Abbott, the middle-class, middle-aged father who doesn't understand the youth of the day; in particular his own children, Mike and Sally, who both seem keener to attend demos than get a job. Plus, he's also having problems with his new neighbour Ronald Baines. So when Baines's daughter Kate falls for Mike, comic confusions ensue.
Director: Gerald Thomas
Starring: Sid James, Diana Coupland, Sally Geeson, Peter Butterworth, Terry Scott, June Whitfield
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 1972, PG, 3 Star)


13:00


Charlotte's Web (Film) Film icon 3 star rating U certificate
Gary Winick's family fantasy, based on EB White's children's classic, stars Dakota Fanning as Fern, a farmer's daughter who is determined to save runt piglet Wilbur from her father's axe. Her uncle agrees to house him in his barn, but she doesn't realise he's being kept just until Christmas. However, Charlotte the spider recognises the danger and, using her extensive vocabulary, hatches a plan to save Wilbur's skin. Other animals' voices are provided by Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Robert Redford and Oprah Winfrey.
Director: Gary Winick
Starring: Julia Roberts, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Oprah Winfrey, Cedric the Entertainer, Kathy Bates
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2006, U, 3 Star)


14:50


Carry on Dick (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Sid James and Barbara Windsor go out in style in their last Carry On film, based on the legend of Dick Turpin. James plays the notorious highwayman Big Dick Turpin, who disguises himself as the Reverend Flasher to avoid detection. Windsor plays Harriet, a buxom member of his gang, with Kenneth Williams as Captain Fancey, who is charged with capturing Turpin, and Bernard Bresslaw as Sir Roger Daley, head of the Bow Street Runners. Regulars Hattie Jacques, Joan Sims and Kenneth Connor are all present and correct, as are the usual doubles entendres in this Gerald Thomas comedy.
Director: Gerald Thomas
Starring: Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Barbara Windsor, Hattie Jacques, Bernard Bresslaw, Joan Sims
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 1974, PG, 3 Star)


16:40


The Wedding Planner (Film) Film icon PG certificate
In Adam Shankman's delightful romantic comedy, Jennifer Lopez plays Mary Fiore, California's top wedding planner. But she's too busy organising other people's happiness to sort out her own. Until, that is, she has a chance meeting with Steve Edison, aka Mr Right. Unfortunately he's the groom of her latest client, Fran Donnolly. And, as the big day looms, so their feelings start to interfere with the plans. Edited for content.
Director: Adam Shankman
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Matthew McConaughey, Bridgette Wilson, Justin Chambers, Judy Greer, Alex Rocco
(Subtitles, 2001, PG, 2 Star)


18:45


Mad Money (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 12 certificate
Callie Khouri's comedy crime caper stars Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes as three janitors employed by the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. Bridget has only taken the job because her high-earning husband Don has been downsized and somebody has to earn the money to keep up their lifestyle. It breaks her heart to see the old banknotes being sent for shredding - surely nobody will miss a few? Enlisting two of her colleagues, they find a 'foolproof' way of helping themselves to just a little. And when the theft goes undiscovered, it's tempting for a little to become a lot - but only if no one suspects the three lowly workers... Edited for content.
Director: Callie Khouri
Starring: Diane Keaton, Ted Danson, Katie Holmes, Adam Rothenberg, Queen Latifah, Peyton 'Alex' Smith
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2008, 12, 3 Star)




21:00


Conviction (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 15 certificate
Sam Rockwell, Hilary Swank and Melissa Leo star in Tony Goldwyn's fact-based drama. When Kenny Waters is jailed for murder, his elder sister Betty Anne is incredulous. She knows that he has an unruly streak to his character and that his temper occasionally flares violently, but she's certain he's not capable of the brutal murder of an old woman. Nancy Taylor, the officer in charge of the case, sees things very differently and, despite there being only the slimmest of circumstantial evidence and hearsay to link Kenny to the murder, he is charged and subsequently found guilty. However, over the course of the following decade, advances in forensics and Betty Anne's transformation, through hard study, into a campaigning lawyer combine to offer Kenny hope. As long as the police kept all the evidence and records relating to his case... With Minnie Driver and Juliette Lewis. Film4 premiere.
Director: Tony Goldwyn
Starring: Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Thomas D. Mahard, Owen Campbell, Conor Donovan, Laurie Brown
(Premiere, Widescreen, Subtitles, 2010, 15, 4 Star)


23:05


Sexy Beast (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 18 certificate
Thriller in which a retired gangster's psychotic ex-colleague tries to persuade him to work on one last job. Now living in Spain with his wife and friends, the former criminal is far from keen to renew his law-breaking ways, but the intimidating visitor is adamant that his friend should come out of retirement for a bank job. The lives of all those involved hang in the balance as the two strong men conduct a battle of wills.
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Starring: Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, Ian McShane, Amanda Redman, James Fox, Cavan Kendall, Julianne White
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2000, 18, 4 Star)


00:50


Private Fears in Public Places (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 12 certificate
Six strangers living in Paris harbour romantic longings. An estate agent thinks a colleague is trying to tell him something, while his sister seeks love through personal ads and a devoutly religious co-worker cares for an embittered bed-ridden old man.
Director: Alain Resnais
Starring: Sabine Azéma, Isabelle Carré, Laura Morante, Pierre Arditi, André Dussollier, Lambert Wilson
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2006, 12, 4 Star)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Monday 17th March

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


Bad Day at Black Rock (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
John Sturges's suspenseful western stars Spencer Tracy as John J Macreedy, a one-armed stranger whose arrival in a small desert town, while looking for a Japanese farmer, arouses hostility and violence among the locals.
Director: John Sturges
Starring: Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Anne Francis, Dean Jagger, Walter Brennan, John Ericson
(Subtitles, 1955, PG, 4 Star)


12:40


Gift Horse (Film) Film icon 3 star rating U certificate
Compton Bennett's war drama follows the fortunes of the ageing destroyer The Ballantrae and her crew, from the time they come together in 1940 until the climactic raid on occupied Sainte-Nazaire in 1942. Trevor Howard plays Lt Cmdr Hugh Alginon Fraser, the newly appointed captain, back in service after having left the navy following a court martial.
Director: Compton Bennett
Starring: Trevor Howard, Richard Attenborough, James Donald, Sonny Tufts, Bernard Lee, Dora Bryan
(Black and White, Subtitles, 1952, U, 3 Star)


14:40


Gideon of Scotland Yard (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Legendary director John Ford crosses the Atlantic for this film in which the eponymous Inspector Gideon faces outrage and danger in his quest to bring London's criminals to justice. A comic tone offsets the drama, with an occasional sense of menace hinting at Ford's mastery of the medium.
Director: John Ford
Starring: Jack Hawkins, Dianne Foster, Cyril Cusack, Andrea Aureli, James Hayter, Ronald Howard
(Subtitles, Black and White, 1958, PG, 3 Star)


16:30


Bhowani Junction (Film) Film icon PG certificate
Ava Gardner stars in George Cukor's epic period drama as Victoria Jones, the Anglo-Indian assistant to Colonel Rodney Savage, who is charged with keeping things under control during the British handover to India. As riots simmer and terrorists seize trains, so their growing relationship is threatened by her anguished search for her identity, symbolising the cultural and political divides of the time.
Director: George Cukor
Starring: Ava Gardner, Stewart Granger, Bill Travers, Abraham Sofaer, Francis Matthews, Marne Maitland
(Subtitles, 1956, PG, 2 Star)


18:40


27 Dresses (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Anne Fletcher's romcom stars Katherine Heigl as Jane, an amateur wedding planner for her friends, who hopes to be the blushing bride herself to her advertising executive boss George. Her ambition is dashed when her fun-loving, gorgeous sister Tess sweeps him off his feet, leaving Jane to plan yet another wedding. But maybe there's hope for her in the shape of Kevin, a journalist who is intrigued by Jane's perpetual bridesmaid role and wants to write a story about her, if only they didn't mix like oil and water... Edited for content.
Director: Anne Fletcher
Starring: Katherine Heigl, Charli Barcena, James Marsden, Malin Akerman, Peyton List, Judy Greer
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2008, 15, 3 Star)




21:00


Predators (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Adrien Brody, Alice Braga and Topher Grace star in this well-received addition to the Predator sci-fi action-adventure franchise, this time with Hungarian director Nimrod Antal at the helm. The action opens with Royce waking in a parachute that's drifting down towards a jungle. On landing he discovers he's one of a small group of people, all of whom have been similarly mysteriously delivered to their current location. With the exception of Edwin, a doctor, their only common trait is that all are expert killers, whether from the military or the wrong side of the law.
Director: Nimród Antal
Starring: Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Oleg Taktarov, Laurence Fishburne
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2010, 15, 3 Star)


23:10


An Officer and a Gentleman (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Richard Gere plays Zack Mayo, a would-be navy pilot whose uptight attitude at training camp makes him the butt of drill sergeant Emil Foley's attentions. Similarly, Mayo's relationship with Paula Pokrifi is equally compromised because of his indifference, until the unexpected and tragic suicide of his best friend Sid Worsley becomes the catalyst for both his professional and personal maturity. Taylor Hackford's drama follows its key protagonists through the 13 weeks of training and the emotions that shape all their lives in a film that is at heart an intense love story in a military setting.
Director: Taylor Hackford
Starring: Richard Gere, Debra Winger, David Keith, Robert Loggia, Lisa Blount, Lisa Eilbacher
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 1982, 15, 3 Star)


01:35


A Life Less Ordinary (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
The acclaimed team behind Shallow Grave and Trainspotting - led by director Danny Boyle - headed for America and delivered this hugely entertaining movie - in equal parts screwball comedy, road movie and romance. Ewan McGregor is a Scottish cleaner who gets sacked from his job and kidnaps his boss's daughter. But will the angels, played by Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo, persuade the errant couple to fall in love?
Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Cameron Diaz, Holly Hunter, Delroy Lindo, Dan Hedaya, Ian McNeice
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1997, 15, 3 Star)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Tuesday 18th March

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


Air Force (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
Howard Hawks' wartime propaganda film tells the story of the Mary Ann, an American B-17 bomber commanded by Captain 'Irish' Quincannon and co-pilot Lt Bill Williams. A motley crew from all walks of American life, their first taste of action comes as they arrive at Pearl Harbor just as the Japanese attack. Surviving the experience, the crew begin to form a bond as they take the fight to the Japanese in Manila, and on to the Battle of the Coral Sea.
Director: Howard Hawks
Starring: John Ridgely, Gig Young, Arthur Kennedy, Charles Drake, Harry Carey Jr., George Tobias
(Black and White, Subtitles, 1943, PG, 4 Star)


13:25


The House on 92nd Street (Film) Film icon 4 star rating U certificate
Henry Hathaway's thriller, based on real-life FBI files and made with the blessing of J Edgar Hoover, stars William Eythe as Bill Dietrich, a German-American student approached by the Nazis to be a spy. Instead, he becomes an FBI double agent and infiltrates a New York spy ring, based on the 92nd Street of the title, who are stealing information on the A-bomb project. As the group's radio operator, he passes on useless information but can he keep his cover long enough to expose the group's shadowy leader?
Director: Henry Hathaway
Starring: William Eythe, Lloyd Nolan, Signe Hasso, Gene Lockhart, Leo G. Carroll, Lydia St. Clair
(Black and White, Subtitles, 1945, U, 4 Star)


15:10


Moonfleet (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Stewart Granger stars in Fritz Lang's adaptation of J Meade Falkner's classic novel as the aristocratic smuggler Jeremy Fox. When he ends up looking after John Mohune, the offspring of a previous affair, Fox tries to provent the young lad from discovering his trade. But it's not long before the pair are involved in adventures concerning a treasure map, a valuable diamond and the attentions of the evil Lord Ashwood, as well as the amorous interest of Lady Ashwood.
Director: Fritz Lang
Starring: Stewart Granger, George Sanders, Joan Greenwood, Viveca Lindfors, Jon Whiteley, Liliane Montevecchi
(Subtitles, 1955, PG, 3 Star)


16:55


Sink the Bismarck! (Film) Film icon 4 star rating U certificate
Lewis Gilbert's Second World War film stars Kenneth More as Captain John Shepherd, charged with masterminding the British attack on Germany's largest battleship, The Bismarck. As the ship, captained by Captain Lindemann, breaks out from its anchorage in Norway to join the rest of the German fleet at Brest, Shepherd, from his control room in London's Admiralty building, sends out the British ships to take on her might. The mix of war footage, newsreels and superb models conveys the climatic sea battles, while More, nursing the loss of his wife in an air raid, gives a strong performance as the unflappable Shepherd.
Director: Lewis Gilbert
Starring: Kenneth More, Dana Wynter, Carl Möhner, Laurence Naismith, Karel Stepanek, Maurice Denham
(Black and White, Subtitles, Audio Described, 1960, U, 4 Star)


18:55


Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Jim Carrey stars in Brad Silberling's sinister family adventure, which nicely evokes the mildly malevolent Gothic atmosphere of the first three of Lemony Snicket's epic series of novels detailing the dastardly deeds visited upon a trio of children. Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire are doted upon by their loving parents. But that doesn't last. Barely before the titles are out, a terrible inferno has engulfed the family home, leaving them orphans. Now they must use all their ingenuity to survive the attentions of evil Count Olaf, their closest living relative, who will commit whatever crime it takes to get his hands on the youngsters' inheritance. However, no one but the young Baudelaires can see what Olaf is up to. Luckily, they have ingenuity aplenty: Violet is a knowledge-obsessed bookworm, Klaus an inventor of genius and Sunny... well Sunny's very, very good at biting. But will that be enough to thwart Olaf's plans involving poisonous snakes, killer leeches and heavy objects?
Director: Brad Silberling
Starring: Jim Carrey, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Kara Hoffman, Shelby Hoffman, Jude Law
(Premiere, Widescreen, Subtitles, 2004, PG, 3 Star)




21:00


Enemy at the Gates (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 15 certificate
Fact-based war drama set during the 1942-3 battle of Stalingrad. A Russian marksman is given the task of killing a German major, whose own expert shooting skills make him a formidable enemy. Supported by a propaganda officer, the Russian soldier takes up the challenge with resilient determination. But a personal battle develops between the two allies when they both fall for an attractive Jewish comrade.
Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud
Starring: Jude Law, Ed Harris, Rachel Weisz, Joseph Fiennes, Bob Hoskins, Ron Perlman
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2001, 15, 4 Star)


23:35


Another 48 Hrs (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 18 certificate
Comedy thriller reuniting the crimebusting duo of cop and criminal from 48 Hrs as they come up against a drug dealer known only as the Iceman. The detective, in disgrace after an operation that went wrong, is given 48 hours to come up with enough evidence to bring the criminal kingpin to justice. He can think of no-one better to assist him in his mission than his convict colleague - the Iceman's next target.
Director: Walter Hill
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Nick Nolte, Brion James, Kevin Tighe, Ed O'Ross, David Anthony Marshall
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1990, 18, 3 Star)


01:25


Bullhead (Film) Film icon 15 certificate
Michael R Roskam's Oscar-nominated Belgian crime thriller starring Matthias Schoenaerts. It was always going to end up this way for Jacky Vanmarsenille - pumped up on drugs and deeply embroiled in the murky side of the Belgian cattle industry. An appalling, shockingly violent incident in young Jacky's life ensured his life-long dependency on steroids, which also guaranteed his muscle-bound physique and a hair-trigger predisposition to rage. And his birth into a family of cattle farmers who've long blithely ignored growth-hormone regulations inevitably meant he'd have more than a little contact with gangsters and dodgy vets. But the murder of a policeman who was investigating the hormone trade could spark a chain of events that will drag Jacky under for good. Schoenaerts, in his feature debut, gives a stellar performance as the steroid-fuelled, contradictory bundle of violence and empathy, whose story is told alternately in linear narrative and flashback.
Starring: Matthias Schoenaerts
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2011, 15)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Wednesday 19th March

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


Dragoon Wells Massacre (Film) Film icon 12 certificate
This intriguing western from Harold D Schuster stars Dennis O'Keefe as cavalry officer Matt Riordan, assigned to lead marshall Bill Haney and his prisoner Link Ferris through Apache territory. But when they reach Dragoon Wells, they're ambushed and Riordan must lead a disparate band of survivors to safety while trying to prevent Ferris's escape.
Director: Harold D. Schuster
Starring: Dennis O'Keefe, Barry Sullivan, Mona Freeman, Katy Jurado, Sebastian Cabot, Max Showalter
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 1957, 12)


12:45


Across the Wide Missouri (Film) Film icon 3 star rating U certificate
Wellman's visually stunning Western follows a tough trapper who marries the daughter of a powerful Native American chief to gain access to forbidden hunting territory. Little did he know that he would encounter love and death as a result of this decision.
Director: William A. Wellman
Starring: Clark Gable, Ricardo Montalban, John Hodiak, Adolphe Menjou, J. Carrol Naish, Jack Holt
(Subtitles, 1951, U, 3 Star)


14:20


Escape to Victory (Film) Film icon PG certificate
Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine star in John Huston's sporting wartime drama as POWs in Germany. Caine plays John Colby, who was once England's football captain, while Stallone plays Robert Hatch, whose only thought is escape. When the camp commandant, ex-German international Van Steiner suggests a match between the POWs and the Germans, it soon escalates into a propaganda exercise, with Colby leading a team of international players out into France's national stadium to face the German national side. Meanwhile, Hatch and the French Resistance have planned an audacious escape for the whole team during the match. But not all of the players want to leave before the final whistle... Among those playing for the Allies are Pele, Bobby Moore, Osvaldo Ardiles, legendary Polish midfielder Kazimierz Deyna and Mike Summerbee.
Director: John Huston
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, Pelé, Bobby Moore, Osvaldo Ardiles, Paul Van Himst
(Subtitles, 1981, PG, 2 Star)


16:40


Carry on Dick (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Sid James and Barbara Windsor go out in style in their last Carry On film, based on the legend of Dick Turpin. James plays the notorious highwayman Big Dick Turpin, who disguises himself as the Reverend Flasher to avoid detection. Windsor plays Harriet, a buxom member of his gang, with Kenneth Williams as Captain Fancey, who is charged with capturing Turpin, and Bernard Bresslaw as Sir Roger Daley, head of the Bow Street Runners. Regulars Hattie Jacques, Joan Sims and Kenneth Connor are all present and correct, as are the usual doubles entendres in this Gerald Thomas comedy.
Director: Gerald Thomas
Starring: Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Barbara Windsor, Hattie Jacques, Bernard Bresslaw, Joan Sims
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 1974, PG, 3 Star)


18:30


Chocolat (Film) Film icon 5 star rating 12 certificate
When a single mother and her six-year-old daughter move to rural France and open a chocolate shop - with Sunday hours - across the street from the local church, they are met with scepticism and some loathing. But as soon as they coax the townspeople into enjoying their delicious products, they are warmly welcomed.
Director: Lasse Hallström
Starring: Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp, Alfred Molina, Carrie-Anne Moss, Judi Dench
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2000, 12, 5 Star)


21:00


Robin Hood (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 12 certificate
Returning to England after the failure of the Third Crusade, lowly bowman Robin Longstride must lead his men against the King's traitorous henchman Sir Godfrey in a decisive battle with French forces.
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max von Sydow, William Hurt, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2010, 12, 4 Star)


23:40


Changing Lanes (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Roger Michell's fast-moving thriller stars Ben Affleck as self-absorbed lawyer Gavin Banek, who's racing to a meeting while Doyle Gipson, an estranged husband, is on his way to a child custody hearing. When their cars collide in a minor accident, tempers escalate and Banek dashes off a cheque and leaves, unaware that he's taken a document crucial to Gipson's hearing. But Gipson has an equally vital document belonging to Banek; and so begins an increasingly vindictive battle of wills and wits as the repurcussions of a small incident spiral out of control.
Director: Roger Michell
Starring: Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson, Kim Staunton, Toni Collette, Sydney Pollack, Tina Sloan
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 2002, 15, 3 Star)


01:35


Xala (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 12 certificate
Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene's multi-themed satire, based on his own novel, offers a withering view on his country's political class, explores tensions between tradition and modernity, and reveals where the true balance of power lies in the battle of the sexes. El Hadj Abdoukader Beye is a businessman who is suddenly and lucratively elevated to the board of the Chamber of Commerce. About to marry his third wife, he invites his new colleagues to his opulent wedding reception. It should be a happy occasion but Beye seems to be marrying more for status than love; and his other wives and his feminist eldest daughter all disapprove of the union. On his wedding night, he is struck impotent by a xala before his young bride. And, as El Hadj desperately searches for a cure, his business and his political ambitions start to unravel: it's clear the xala is intended to ruin more than just his sex life. But who has blighted him?
Director: Ousmane Sembene
Starring: Fatim Diagne, Makhouredia Gueye, Thierno Leye, Dieynaba Niang, Myriam Niang, Iliamane Sagna
(Subtitles, 1975, 12, 3 Star)

[gertl]

Film4 Listings for Thursday 20th March

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night

11:00


In the Mood for Love (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
Wong Kar-Wai's Cannes award-winning film, set in 1960s Hong Kong, deals with adultery, focusing not on the guilty couple, but instead on the injured spouses. Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung become attached through their shared misery but never dare speak about their mutual attraction because of their partners' betrayals. Achingly emotional, beautifully played and exquisitely shot, Kar-Wai takes a simple tale but gives it a resonance that proves him a master film-maker.
Director: Kar-wai Wong
Starring: Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Ping Lam Siu, Tung Cho 'Joe' Cheung, Rebecca Pan, Kelly Lai Chen
(In Cantonese and Mandarin (Plus Some French and Spanish) with English Subtitles, 2000, PG, 4 Star)


12:55


The Spoilers (Film) Film icon 3 star rating PG certificate
Jesse Hibbs takes directorial duties for this fifth retelling of fortune-seeking and treachery on the Alaskan frontier. First made in 1914, and with previous versions featuring Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott and John Wayne, this remake of the western was the first to be shot in colour and stars Anne Baxter, Jeff Chandler and Rory Calhoun. Roy Glennister owns the area's largest gold mine, Cherry Malotte makes a killing from charging extortionate prices at her saloon, while Alexander McNamara has plans to swindle both out of their lucrative enterprises. But Glennister catches wind of what's up and events are set in train that lead inexorably to the tale's climactic fist fight.
Director: Jesse Hibbs
Starring: Anne Baxter, Jeff Chandler, Rory Calhoun, Ray Danton
(Black and White, Subtitles, 1955, PG, 3 Star)


14:35


That Touch of Mink (Film) Film icon 3 star rating U certificate
Cary Grant and Doris Day star in Delbert Mann's delightful, frothy comedy-romance. Cathy Timberlake falls for businessman Roger Adams when his car covers her in mud. But, while she wants a ring, he's just looking for a fling. Misunderstandings galore abound but the spark between the two leads is unmistakable.
Director: Delbert Mann
Starring: Cary Grant, Doris Day, Gig Young, Audrey Meadows, Alan Hewitt, John Astin
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 1962, U, 3 Star)


16:35


Major Dundee (Film) Film icon 4 star rating PG certificate
Sam Peckinpah's western stars Charlton Heston as the eponymous Union army officer. It's the end of the Civil War and he's guarding Confederate prisoners, Union deserters and ordinary hard-bitten criminals in a remote fort. But when Apaches attack the fort and make off with three children, Dundee must set up a posse including Confederates, led by Captain Tyreen, who face the choice of joining up or being shot. The feud between Dundee and Tyreen is heated up by a sultry Mexican widow, and when the Apaches are finally caught, there's more than one battle in store. Edited for content.
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Starring: Charlton Heston, Richard Harris, Jim Hutton, James Coburn, Michael Anderson Jr., Senta Berger
(Subtitles, 1965, PG, 4 Star)


19:00


(500) Days of Summer (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 12 certificate
Director Marc Webbs' feature debut is a romantic comedy, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, which unconventionally focuses on the heartache of unrequited love. Tom Hansen is making a living writing soppy messages for greetings cards. It wasn't meant to be this way - he had hoped to train as an architect, but that didn't go to plan. However, things start to look up when his boss hires a new secretary, the ethereally beautiful Summer Finn. Tom is a believer in true love and, on meeting Summer for the first time, is certain he has found 'the one'. Unfortunately, Summer couldn't be more cynical when it comes to romance. She and Tom gradually find they have more and more in common, but she repeatedly repels his amorous advances. And so Tom recounts in flashback, and in no particular order, the highs and lows of the 500 days during which he attempted to persuade her to ditch her scepticism and embrace love - with him. Edited for content.
Director: Marc Webb
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend, Chloë Grace Moretz, Matthew Gray Gubler, Clark Gregg
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2009, 12, 4 Star)


21:00


Escape From Alcatraz (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 15 certificate
Clint Eastwood stars in Dirty Harry director Don Siegel's prison break classic, which is based on a real-life attempt to do what was supposed to be impossible: escape from Alcatraz, the notorious island penitentiary off the Californian coast. Frank Morris has been transferred to Alcatraz after persistently attempting to escape from mainland jails. Officials believe that, on The Rock, he'll cause them no further grief while serving his life sentence. But, constantly harassed by the prison warden and fellow convicts, Morris has other ideas. He shares his plans with three other prisoners - Clarence and John Anglin and Charley Butts - and together they gradually set about making their strike for freedom... The director ditches the standard prison-break flick's obsession with action for a more considered, suspenseful focus on the why and how of their bid. Prison Weekend: a short season of films 'behind bars' to tie in with the release of Film4's prison drama Starred Up on Friday 21 March.
Director: Don Siegel
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan, Roberts Blossom, Jack Thibeau, Fred Ward, Paul Benjamin
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1979, 15, 3 Star)


23:15


Bronson (Film) Film icon 3 star rating 18 certificate
Tom Hardy stars in Nicolas Winding Refn's disturbing, stylised biopic, which recounts the ignoble, incarcerated life of the man who has been dubbed Britain's longest-serving and most violent prisoner: Charles Bronson. Though from a good background, Michael Peterson quickly developed a gourmand's taste for violence and illegality. He changed his name to Charles Bronson at the behest of a bare-knuckle boxing promoter, and was imprisoned for seven years in 1974 for his part in an armed robbery. Since then he's had a total of four months of liberty; the rest of his time has been behind bars, mostly in solitary confinement; ever-extending his sentence through persistent brutal attacks on prison guards, hostage-taking, and attempts to kill and maim.
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring: Tom Hardy, Matt King, Kelly Adams, Katy Barker, Edward Bennett-Coles, June Bladon
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 2009, 18, 3 Star)


01:05


The Keep (Film) Film icon 4 star rating 18 certificate
Before Manhunter, Heat and The Insider, Michael Mann made this fascinatingly original horror movie, casting Nazis as the 'good guys'. A group of soldiers hole up in ancient fortress in the Carpathian Mountains, an ideal defensive spot. But they unwittingly unleash an ancient evil, whose plans make Hitler's regime look relatively benign.
Director: Michael Mann
Starring: Scott Glenn, Alberta Watson, Jürgen Prochnow, Robert Prosky, Gabriel Byrne, Ian McKellen
(Subtitles, 1983, 18, 4 Star)