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Our movie guy, James Finnegan, recommends some films on the box that see out the year and welcome in the new one…
Let’s see what films will lead us gently from 2023 into the New Year
First up is that perennial favourite The Bridge on the River Kwai (Saturday 2.45 RTE1). This Oscar-winning Second World War drama telling the true life story of a British colonel in a Japanese POW camp who is ordered to build the aforementioned bridge over a river, forging a vital communications link.
While refusing at first, he eventually takes the project on becoming so obsessed that the Allies need to destroy it. Directed by David Lean, and starring Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, William Holden this is a powerful epic.
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Jennifer Hudson is well cast as the lead in Respect (Saturday 10pm RTE1), a biopic of the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin.
Forest Whitaker stars as her father, Baptist Minister CL Franklin, who takes a personal interest in her contract with Columbia Records when none of her singles are hits.
Also starring Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Titus Burgess and Marc Maron, her career takes off when smooth talking Ted White becomes Aretha’s manager.
Classic comedy There’s Something about Mary (Saturday 10.20pm TG4) is the wonderfully over the top romantic comedy directed in the best possible taste (not!) by the Farrelly Brothers.
A lovestruck man sends a sleazy private detective to track down his high school sweetheart to rekindle their brief relationship. Unfortunately, he is not her only suitor. Starring Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon and Lee Evans, this is a Classic.
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Another fine comedy is Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (New Years Eve 1.10pm RTE1) where a professional conman is making a career of seducing and swindling wealthy women on the French Riviera.
However, when a brash American hustler arrives looking for a piece of the action, there is conflict and competition.
This is directed by Frank Oz and stars the wonderful Ying and Yang performances of Michael Caine and Steve Martin.
If you are on a cruise today, on New Year’s Eve, you might want to give The Poseidon Adventure (New Years Eve 3.25pm RTE1) a miss, as a luxury liner capsizes when struck by a freak wave, trapping an All Star cast (Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters and all) in a deadly trial of survival.
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Michael B Jordan Stars in Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse (New Years Day 9.30pm RTE1), a rather clumsy way of telling us that the creator of Jack Ryan is also involved in this expansion of that universe.
An elite Navy Seal, John Clark (Jordan) sets out to avenge his pregnant wife’s murder, only to uncover a larger international conspiracy.
Two comedies to end with, first Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (New Years Day 9.35 RTE2) starring Will Farrell as a chauvinistic 1970’s newsreader who feels threatened by the arrival of an ambitious female reporter (Christina Applegate).
The second is O Brother, Where Art Thou? (New Years Day 11pm TG4,) the wonderful Coen Brothers comedy, starring George Clooney and John Turturro.
Enjoy and Happy New Year!
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