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Our movie guy, James Finnegan says there are new and old festive delights on TV between Saturday and St Stephen’s Day…
There are so many wonderful film delights on offer over the extended Christmas weekend, and here are a few special favourites for your consideration
Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams) is a voice actor who is separated from his wife and family.
Desperate to spend more time with his children, he invents and plays a very different character, Mrs Doubtfire (Saturday 3.25pm RTE1), a mature Scottish housekeeper, to get the job of looking after them.
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Also starring Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Robert Prosky and Harvey Fierstein and directed by Chris Columbus, this is understandably a traditional favourite.
A personal favourite of mine is Miracle on 34th Street (Christmas Eve 3.45pm RTE1) where a department store Santa has to prove he is actually the real thing staring Richard Attenborough, Elizabeth Perkins and Mara Wilson.
However, it would not be Christmas without a Bond film and No Time to Die (Christmas Eve 8pm RTE1) finds Jimbo in retirement until his old CIA friend Felix Leiter asks him for help. Bond then finds himself back on the trail of another world menacing megalomaniac with ties to his MI6 past.
Starring Daniel Craig, in his final outing as Bond, Rami Malek, Lea Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz and Lashana Lynch, we await 007’s return with interest and anticipation.
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If your Christmas Wish was for a selection box of Disney films on Christmas Day, you must have been very good indeed this year because there is a whole Magic Kingdom to select from on RTE1 all day.
May I especially recommend Mary Poppins Returns (Christmas Day 4pm RTE1) when the practically perfect in every way nanny returns in the guise of Emily Blunt, who is brilliant.
Also starring Ben Whishaw (again), Emily Mortimer, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Julie Walters Colin Firth, Meryl Streep and Angela Lansbury, this is already a classic family film – and the songs are as heart touching as those from the original film.
Belfast (Christmas Day 9.35pm RTE1) is Kenneth Branagh’s semi autobiographical homage to his home town.
Set at the start of the troubles, and told through the eyes of nine year old Buddy (Jude Hill), this film stars Jamie Dornan, Caitrona Balfe, Judi Dench and Ciaran Hinde.
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It richly deserved all the accolades, awards and nominations it received and I highly recommend it.
Onto St. Stephens Day where, as is traditional, The Great Escape (3.20pm RTE2) takes place and Paddington 2 (6.30 RTE1) proves again that Ben Whishaw, as the voice of Paddington, has a vast range of talents, along with Hugh Grant having the time of his life as the baddie.
Directed by Ridley Scott, House of Gucci (St Stephens Day 9.50 RTE1) is a film you will either love or hate, but I found it fascinating especially as I know very little about fashion or fashion houses.
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However, this internecine tale which stars Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Saima Hayek, Al Pacino and the incredible Lady Gaga is just another story of the family have and have-nots. Enjoy!
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