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Our movie guy, James Finnegan, says there’s a wonderful selection of films available this Saturday on terrestrial television…
Following last week’s showing of the first in the series, this week is family recommendation is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Saturday 6.35pm RTE One).
It continues the adventures of Harry, Hermione and Ron about their second year at Hogwarts, the school for wizards and magic, bringing them more adventures, challenges and, as the title suggests, secrets.
Perhaps RTE are going to go through the series over the next number of Saturday evenings?
One of the greatest actors of his generation was Philip Seymour Hoffman, a man who had his own challenges, but can do with a glance and a pause than most actors can do with a whole monologue. This is the role that brought him his Best Actor Oscar.
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In Capote (Saturday 9.20pm TG4) tells the true story of Truman Capote and the story of writing one of the seminal books of American literature. Unfortunately, the subject matter is grim.
In 1959, the bodies of the Clutter family are discovered on their farm in Kansas. Capote (Seymour Hoffman) decides he will document the investigation for The New Yorker magazine. Bringing Nelle Harper Lee (Catherine Keener) to act as go-between, he gets close to the investigators and even the accused murderers.
Without giving too much away, this book made Capote one of America’s most famous writers. He also never finished another book.
Based on another true story, The Revenant (Saturday 9.40 RTE2). Hugh Glass (Leonardo Di Caprio) is a legendary frontiersman back in the snowy mountain wastes of North America. Life is brutal and harsh, but they made them tough back then.
Hugh is attacked by a ferocious grizzly bear, suffering horrendous injuries. His companion, John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) initially stays with him, but quickly abandons him, as he will obviously not survive.
However, survive he does, and in an almost superhuman effort survives, but only so he may get revenge on the treacherous Fitzgerald.
This is raw cinema, and the commitment by the actors is total. It is a film I remember watching, and almost feeling the bitter cold myself. Nor is it an easy watch, but the violence is totally part of the story and depicts the way of life as it was then.
Leo got his well deserved Oscar at last for this performance, and he is ably supported by Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter.
Directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu, no stranger to the Academy himself, and with absolutely wonderful Cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki, this deserves to be seen on the biggest possible HD screen.
Last, but by no means least, is a late night classic comedy with The Blues Brothers (Sunday 12.25am RTE1).
Jake (John Belushi) is released from prison. He reunites with his brother Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) on a “mission from God” to raise €5000 to pay back taxes and save the orphanage they were raised in. Brilliant fun!
