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Our movie guy, James Finnegan, on some movies on the box tonight…
There are not too many films on offer today in view of all the sports and political coverage, but they are well worth a watch.
I must admit I was totally charmed by Clifford the Big Red Dog (Saturday 7pm RTE1) when I brought my granddaughters Amy and Ava to see this in the cinema when released.
A young girl, Emily Elizabeth (Darby Camp) is given a small red puppy by a magic animal rescuer, Mr Bridwell (John Cleese).
However, Emily and her uncle Casey (Jack Whitehall) have an unexpected problem with Clifford the next morning, as he has grown to the size of an elephant overnight, a problem exacerbated by the fact they live in an apartment block!
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This is perfect Saturday evening family viewing, and highly recommended.
In The Informer (Saturday 9.30pm RTE2), ex-convict Pete Koslow (Joel Kinnaman) is working undercover for corrupt FBI agents Montgomery (Clive Owen) and Wilcox (Rosamund Pike) to bring down a Polish drug lord known as the General (Eugene Lipinski)
However, after a number of twists and turns, Koslow owes his life to the crime boss. Koslow is forced to break parole so he can head back inside to facilitate the flow of narcotics to inmates.
This is not an unfamiliar story, and while some of the twist and turns stretch credibility, this is a reasonably involving thriller, but I do feel this wastes some good acting talent.
In High Fidelity (Saturday 10pm TG4) director Stephen Frears’ romantic comedy transports Nick Hornby’s novel from London to Chicago.
Music snob Rob (John Cusack) runs a record store, where he and his staff, including a great performance by Jack Black, pass judgement on everyone’s music taste.
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However, Rob has other things on his mind. He is trying to understand why he is unlucky in love.
John Cusack and Jack Black in High Fidelity.
He has just broken up with another girlfriend, and decides to revisit all his other major relationships to see why his relationships have always failed.
Also starring Catherine Zeta Jones, Lisa Bonet, Sara Gilbert, Joan Cusack and Tim Robbins, this is slick, smart comedy.
I know this is going into Sunday but Pavarotti (Sunday 12.35am RTE2) is a fascinating documentary by Academy Award winning Director Ron Howard examining the life, career, achievements and legacy of Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti.
It features archive footage and home videos as well as interviews with his family and closest friends, and I highly recommend it. Enjoy!
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