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Our movie guy, James Finnegan, on some movies for your viewing pleasure tonight…
There is nothing better on a Bank Holiday Saturday Weekend than a cute little doggie story. The Art of Racing in the Rain (Saturday 6.35pm RTE1) fits the bill perfectly.
This is a story told from the point of view of golden retriever Enzo (voiced by Kevin Costner) in a perhaps curious mixture of dogs and motor racing. Enzo is owned by Denny (Milo Ventimiglia) who is an aspiring racing driver who buys puppy Enzo on a whim.
Danny then meets Eve (Amanda Seyfried) who urges Denny to keep following his dreams, while Enzo discovers that the techniques used on the racetrack can also be adapted to navigate his journey in life.
Based on a popular book, the title refers to the reason that racing drivers are concerned about rain because it magnifies their mistakes, which is not a good thing at high speed.
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So if you like golden fur and a warm heart, or love the early 1960’s Disney films, Director Simon Curtis (“My Week with Marilyn” and “Goodbye Christopher Robin”) has made your type of film. Just keep the tissues handy because there is potential here for some ugly crying.
I think I have seen every variation of The Magnificent Seven (Saturday RTE2 9pm) from the original inspiration “The Seven Samurai” (brilliant, by the way) to the 1960 ensemble classic, “ The Return of the Seven”, “Guns of the Magnificent Seven” and “The Magnificent Seven Ride!” so I approached this version with a little trepidation, eased by the cast list.
A remote frontier town falls under the control of a ruthless industrialist (is there another kind in films?) who uses the locals as forced labour in his mines. A young widow, Emma (Haley Bennett) turns to a bounty hunter for help, but he is going to need a little help.
Denzil Washington stars as Sam Chisolm, the leader of the Seven and is similar in character to Chris (Yul Brynner) in previous incarnations.
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Joshua Faraday (Chris Pine) is a gambler with a talent with card tricks and explosives, Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke) suffers from PTSD, Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio) is a religious mountain man and tracker, Billy Rocks is a knife wielding assassin, Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) is a Mexican outlaw on the run and Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier) is a Comanche warrior.
The villain of the piece is Bartholomew Brogue, played with scenery chewing relish by Peter Sarsgaard. This is a typically tense and perfectly paced action piece for a Saturday night viewing..
The Rewrite (Saturday 9.30pm TG4) is a romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant as Keith Michaels, a washed up Oscar winning screenwriter.
Having fallen out of favour following a series of flops, he has to resort to his nightmare scenario – teaching – at a small university where he intends to exploit his celebrity.
However, his cynical disposition begins to change when he falls for a single mother, Holly (Marisa Tomei) who is working towards her degree. Directed by Marc Lawrence, this also stars J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney. Enjoy!
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