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Our movie guy, James Finnegan, says this week’s selections from terrestrial television are films that have perhaps the most important factor in film making – a good solid story…
This week’s films include some excellent performances, but without a great script, even the best are found wanting.
Where better to start than a biopic of one of Hollywood’s forgotten figures. Trumbo (Saturday RTE1 11.35pm) is the story of Dalton Trumbo, acknowledged as one of the best film screenwriters.
However, his membership of the Communist Party draws the anger of the anti-communist members of the entertainment community such as John Wayne and noted Hollywood Gossip columnist Hedda Hopper.
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Along with nine fellow writers accused of Un-American activities, they refuse to answer questions when subpoenaed.
Although there is some support for them, the hunt for supposed communist sympathisers continues.
Trumbo and his colleagues are blacklisted, resorting to seeing their pseudonyms and proxies get the credit, and awards, for their work, whenever they can get work.
The cast is brilliant, especially Bryan Cranston in the title role. Also starring Helen Mirren, John Goodman and Diane Lane, this is a fascinating story behind the Showbiz glitter and gloss.
Where Eagles Dare (Sunday RTE1 2.10pm) is the best kind of Boys-own adventure based on the Alistair MacLean novel. A small team of Allied soldiers must rescue a US general from a castle in the Bavarian Alps during World War Two.
Led by Major John Smith (Richard Burton) and including US Army Ranger Schaffer (Clint Eastwood), this is a tale of cross and double-cross, daring stunts and remarkably bad shooting by the bad guys, but is great fun.
Add in a stirring score by Ron Goodwin, and you have a great Sunday afternoons entertainment for little boys of all ages.
I am aware that this column is beginning to look like an application for the Clint Eastwood Fan Club, but the guy has been around for quite a while, and has a very solid body of excellent film work which covers so many genres.
Speaking of iconic actors, A Few Good Men (Friday RTE2 9.30pm) has two of the modern greats, Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson.
Daniel Kaffee (Cruise) is a US military lawyer who is assigned to defend two US marines charged with murdering a fellow marine in Guantanamo Bay.
What appears to be a straight forward case turns out to be more complex when investigated, leading suspicions to be pointed towards senior officers, notably base commander Colonel Nathan Jessup (Nicholson).
With a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin based on his own stage play, directed by Rob Reiner, and a cast including Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, J.T. Walsh and Kiefer Sutherland, this is far more than just one famous scene, although that scene is memorable, and that’s the truth. All together now…”you can’t handle the truth!” Enjoy and stay safe!
