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Our movie guy, James Finnegan, on some of the films on the box today…
It almost seems like Valentines Weekend with all the romance in today’s film offerings – apart from the first one!
Battle of Britain (Saturday 3.20pm RTE1) is the story of the RAF pilots defending Britain against the might of the Luftwaffe.
Directed by Guy Hamilton, this is as historically accurate as possible, and stars all the heavyweight acting talent of the time including Laurence Olivier, Harry Andrews, Trevor Howard, Curt Jurgens, Kenneth More, Robert Shaw and Susannah York among many others
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Cinderella (Saturday 6.35pm RTE1) is a delightful modern take on the traditional story as our heroine, played by Camila Cabello, has big dreams and wants to establish her own shop “Dresses by Ella”.
She catches the eye of Prince Robert (Nicolas Galitzine) who disguises himself as a commoner and invites Ella to an upcoming ball. I won’t spoil the surprises that follow this.
Directed and written by Kit Cannon, this has a catchy soundtrack involving pop and rock hits as well as original songs.
It also stars Idina Menzel, Minnie Driver and Pierce Brosnan as well as the voices of James Corden, James Acaster and Romesh Ranganathan.
The 100 Year Old Man who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared (Saturday 9.45pm TG4) is a Forrest Gump style Swedish comedy drama that is every bit as offbeat and inventive as the title suggests.
Robert Gustafsson stars as Allan, an explosives expert escapes from his retirement home on his hundredth birthday and undergoes a series of adventures. There is a timely Oppenheimer reference, and this is a unique production.
Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler star in the likable romantic comedy 50 First Dates (Saturday 10.15pm RTE1). He plays Henry, a vet, while she plays Lucy, the woman he loves.
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However, Lucy has a short term memory loss that means he has to woo her from scratch every day.
Also starring, Dan Ackroyd, Rob Schneider and Sean Austin, it should be noted that this is very much a film of its time and some of the male attitudes have not dated well.
Just as the latest instalment is announced, here is a chance to see the original big screen treatment of Helen Fielding’s novel Bridget Jones’s Diary (Saturday 10.15pm RTE1).
Starring Renee Zellweger, who is brilliant as the titular singleton, trying to live up to her New Year Resolutions to find true love, quit smoking and advance her career but who is torn between her womanising boss Daniel (Hugh Grant) and an uptight lawyer Colin Firth (Mark).
Melissa McCarthy is brilliant as real life writer Lee Israel in Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Sunday 12.05am RTE1). Her latest book is turned down by her publishers, so she decides to make ends meet by forging and selling letters by dead celebrities.
It also stars the equally wonderful Richard E Grant, as her only friend Jack, who helps her sell her forgeries.
The chemistry between the two leads is palpable and was rightly acknowledged by the award ceremonies at the time. Well worth watching. Enjoy!
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