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Our movie guy, James Finnegan, says there are plenty of superior dramas plus a Spiderman film on the TV today…
In Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse (Saturday 6.35pm RTE1) teenager Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) rather than Peter Parker is bitten by the radioactive spider. Miles then develops the amazing arachnid abilities, and with that the great responsibilities that come with great power.
When a super collider opens gateways to other dimensions, Miles comes across a multitude of different Spideys from across the mutiverse, who must band together to stop a threat against all the different realities.
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This is a very clever and often amusing animated adventure, whose somewhat imaginatively named sequel “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse“is in cinemas now.
Denzel Washington’s version of Robert McCall – The Equalizer (Saturday 9.25pm RTE2) – initially appears to be just an ordinary guy working at a DIY centre.
This mild mannered man, who befriends a young girl controlled by ruthless Russian gangsters, soon reveals his true nature.
He is, in fact, a retired CIA agent, another with a unique set of skills, who avenges his friend when she is badly beaten up. He shows no mercy to those responsible, which brings him into conflict with a Russian crime syndicate that can only end one way. Guess who prevails?
The Coen Brothers’ stylish Prohibition-era gangster thriller Miller’s Crossing (Saturday 9.30pm TG4) focuses on a battle between a Mob boss, Leo O’Bannion (Albert Finney), his right hand man, Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne) and a disgruntled bookie, Bernie Bernbaum (John Turturro).
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As their criminal empire is crumbling around them, there is the additional complication that both Leo and Tom are romancing Bernie’s sister Verna, played by Marcia Gay Harden.
With typically snappy dialogue, nuanced performances and wonderful cinematography, this gangster film was overshadowed by ‘Goodfellas’ at the time of its release but has now garnered the appreciation it deserves.
Adapted for the big screen by Kevin Barry, from his own book of the same name Dark Lies the Island (Saturday 11.35pm RTE1) is the very definition of a dark comedy-drama.
A series of interconnection stories of Dromond town weave in and out of each other, based on the family of Daddy Manion, played with relish by Pat Shortt.
Daddy owns and runs most of the businesses in the town, and just happens to be married to his son’s former girlfriend Sarah (Charlie Murphy).
You won’t be surprised to find out that this is not a Walton style family story, and it, like the title suggests, goes down some dark corners of the small town family feud arena.
I must admit I enjoyed it very much, but perhaps it was because it was filmed near where my mother came from on the Sligo Letrim border. However, I can categorically say that there is no autobiographical similarity to this story…I hope! Enjoy.
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