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| Danielle Macdonald in Patti Cake$ - straight out of Jersey comes Patricia Dombrowski, aka Killa P, aka Patti Cake$, an aspiring rapper fighting through a world of strip malls and strip clubs on an unlikely quest for glory. Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Film Festival |
Patti Cake$, 1.30am, Film4, Tuesday, January 13
Featuring a central performance that put Aussie actress Danielle Macdonald's name firmly on the map, this enjoyable tale of a New Jersey kid who dreams of being a rapper has so much gusto it re-energises its familiar themes. Geremy Jasper's debut also has an authenticity to the scripting and relationships that cuts through a lot of the cliches. Beyond Macdonald's ability to tear through the raps like a pro, Bridget Everett also puts in notable support as Patti's drunken and emotionally complex mum.
Shell, Plex.tv, Amazon Prime
An altogether different coming-of-age tale, but another that made a name for its young star, Chloe Pirrie. Scott Graham expanded his earlier short of the same name, with Pirrie starring as a teenager living with her father (Joseph Rawle) at a remote petrol station in the Highlands. With Shell on the brink of adulthood, tensions are mounting between her and her dad with emotions threatening to enter dangerous ground. Featuring support from the ever-reliable Kate Dickie and Michael Smiley, this is emotionally gripping and increasingly disturbing.
Hell Drivers, 2.25pm, Talking Pictures TV, Tuesday, January 14
Andrew Robertson writes: Tom Yately (Stanley Baker) is an ex-con caught up trying to scrape by. As a trucker in the 1950s his attempts to keep to the straight and narrow are sometimes not the shortest path. There's romance, racism, recklessness. Hell Drivers tells its story with efficient abandon. The cargo may be ballast but it's well balanced. A cast of not-yet-famous faces bring to life a tale of machismo and machinery. Machinations too, in a scheme involving 'getting' and 'quick' but not everyone will be rich. Near everyone involved would go on to higher heights. Unlike many shared early works this holds up well. It may at times look clumsy to modern viewers but this is robust film-making. Six decades and change have not slowed its pace, nor dulled its anger. 'Sorry We Missed You' covers similar ground. Hell Drivers clatters along by putting its foot down. Catch it if you can.
The Shape Of Water, 1.40am, Channel 4, Thursday, January 16
Jennie Kermode writes: A marvellous tribute to the creature features of yore, Guillermo Del Toro's Oscar-winning spectacular upends the conventional morals of Fifties America to find heroes in unlikely places. The ever reliable Sally Hawkins won a league of new admirers with her performance as mute cleaning lady Eliza, very much at the bottom of the hierarchy on the secret government base where a mysterious creature is brought at the behest of Michael Shannon's sinister federal agent. Whereas everyone else is horrified by the creature, Eliza finds him strangely beautiful and, as the two develop an unexpected romance, hatches a plan to break him out with the aid of fellow cleaner Zelda (Octavia Spencer) and gay best friend Giles (Richard Jenkins). There are quite a few stereotypes here, but that's the natures of fairy tales. With Cold War drama playing out in the background and a strange secret buried in Elia's own past, there's a lot to engage with here - plus, in one of its most delightful comic scenes, you'll get a hint of how the young Del Toro once destroyed his parents' bathroom.
Kursk: the Last Mission, 11.05pm, BBC2, Friday, January 17
Respectful recount of the tragedy of Russian submarine the Kursk in 2000. The story splits into several strands. One concerning the ship itself, where Matthias Schoenaerts' Mikhail is one of those demonstrating heroism in the face of disaster, one centring on the drama unfolding on a nearby British ship, helmed by Colin Firth's Commodore, who is offering to help, and the third concerning the families back home. It's a bit of a juggling act that doesn't always come off but the scenes on the sub are gripping and bolstered by excellent sound design and a suitably big score from Alexandre Desplat.
The Shining, 10pm, BBC2, Sunday, January 19
Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's bestselling book leans into its ambiguities to unsettling effect. Recovering alcoholic Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) takes an off-season job at the Overlook Hotel, with his wife Wendy (Shelly Duvall) and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) - who also happens to be psychic - in tow. There are plenty of haunting visuals and supernatural elements at play here, but this is also a disturbing tale of domestic abuse and psychological fragmentation. Nicholson is at his unpredictable best here as the increasingly unhinged Jack, while Duvall's slip into desperation is also compelling. If, afterwards, you fancy a deeper dive into the Overlook and the film's themes, check out documentary Room 237, available to stream for free on Plex.
A Fantastic Woman, ITVX, streaming for free now
Sebastián Lelio's Oscar-winner about a transgender woman fighting for her rights after the death of her partner is built around a compelling central performance from Daniela Vega. Marina's older boyfriend Orland (Francisco Reyes) dies suddenly but she gets barely a second to grieve in the fact of the constant discrimination she bangs up against. Driven by Orlando's impending funeral, this is a strong character study that would make a great double-bill with his earlier hit Gloria.
This week's short selection is Roger Villarroya's Capicúa
