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Our movie guy, James Finnegan, looks at some of the films on RTE and TG4 this week…
There are some weeks in this role when you have to search out for good films to recommend.
Then, occasionally, there are weeks like this when there are good films no matter where you look. As ever, I will do my best to give a selection suitable for all tastes and ages
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Saturday 7.05pm RTE1) is the first animated film in the Spider-Man franchise.
It has the virtue of giving an alternative variation on the usual Spider tales as it is set in an alternative multiverse where it is Miles Morales who is bitten by the radioactive spider.
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However, he meets and teams up with various versions of Spidey counterparts from other time streams and parallel universes all striving to protect New York from the nefarious kingpin.
This won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature as well as a host of other significant awards and has a sequel due next year.
Based on a true story The Wolf of Wall Street (Saturday 9.00pm RTE2) tells the story of Jordan Belfort played by Leonardo di Caprio. Belfort was a stockbroker in New York City, rising to the top of the pile by means of fraud and corruption.
However, this wealth and his extravagant and debauched lifestyle soon brings him to the attention of the authorities in the guise of FBI agent Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler) who tries to bring him to justice.
Also starring Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie and a notable cameo by Matthew McConaughey, directed by Martin Scorsese, this is a film that, in my opinion, does not glorify the criminal lifestyle, but rather shows us the shallowness of the characters.
Spectre (Saturday 9.40pm RTE1) brings the Daniel Craig 007 story right up to date until the forthcoming release of “No Time To Die” next month.
It also sees the long overdue return of old foe Ernst Stavro Blofeld and his criminal organisation on their usual quest for world domination.
Also starring Chrisoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Andrew Scott and the now familiar Ralph Fiennes (M), Naomie Harris (Moneypenny) and especially Ben Whishaw (Q) who gets a field commission for a change, this is the usual mix of action stunts and set pieces with a deeper than usual Bond motive.
A somewhat more intense story is depicted in Cal (Saturday 12.15am RTE2) where a young man (John Lynch) racked with guilt over his involvement in the murder of a police officer, turns his back on violence.
His life becomes even more complicated when he falls for Marcella (Helen Mirren) who is the widow of the same officer.
Sully – Miracle on the Hudson (9.30pm Sunday RTE One) is the back story of one of the most memorable and heroic acts of recent memory when Captain Chesley Sullenberger landed his US Airways plane in New York’s Hudson River.
Starring Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, and directed by Clint Eastwood, sometimes real life is better than fiction. Enjoy and Stay Safe!
