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| Insomnia |
An English-language remake of the 1997 Norwegian movie starring Stellan Skarsgård, this time around it's Al Pacino's LA cop and his partner (Martin Donovan) who are sent to investigate a murder - moved to the perma-daylight of Alaska - alongside a rookie (Hillary Swank). Once there things become complicated due to a lack of sleep, a stakeout gone bad and the machinations of the prime suspect (Robin Wililams, who was on a run of bad guys, making One Hour Photo in the same year). One for those who prefer their plots more streamlined than Christopher Nolan's more recent output and this still packs a psychological punch.
Moon, 11.05pm, BBC2, Friday, August 16
Duncan Jones' debut centres on Sam Bell - an astronaut at the end of a three-year solo mission to harvest Helium-3 energy from the Moon. He begins to think he may be losing it just as he is on the verge of being sent home to his family - but soon he becomes convinced that his paymasters may have a more sinister agenda. It is hard to talk too much about Rockwell's performance without spoiling a key element of the plot but it allows him to show the full extent of his range. The focus is on plot rather than special effects but the ones that are used are seamless. Read what Duncan Jones told us about the film.
Madagascar, ITVX, streaming now
A host of sequels and spin-offs followed in the wake of this animation from the Dreamworks stable. Some are a step up, in particular, Penguins Of Madagascar, but this family-friendly original is still worth a revisit. The key to its enjoyment are the carefully crafted characters, including hypochondriac giraffe Melman, wise-cracking zebra Marty and lion Alex - whose dream of experiencing life in the wild leads them all on an adventure to the African island of the title. With a voice cast including David Schwimmer, Ben Stiller and Sacha Baron Cohen as a pompous lemur, and unexpected developments as Alex begins to channel his wilder instincts, this is a likeable adventure that doesn't skimp on laughs.
The Girl And The Spider, 1.30am, Thursday, August 15
Ramon Zürcher and Silvan Zürcher have a distinctive style that's all of their own, making tensions spring up from what have previously appeared to be the most benign of environments. Their follow up to their equally quirky The Strange Little Cat centres on Lisa (Liliane Amuat) who is preparing to move from the place she shares with Mara (Henriette Confurius) and Markus (Ivan Georgiev) and into a new one where she will live alone. A real spider will make its presence felt across this web of relationships but the mood is dominated by the desire for connections that ebbs and flows over the course of a couple of days. Their last film in the trilogy The Sparrow In The Chimney, just premiered in Locarno, and ensures the series goes out with a bang. Read what the brothers told us about The Girl And The Spider.
Fanny Lye Deliver'd, Film4, 1.40am, Friday, August 16
This immersive snapshot of one woman's road to self-awakening in 17th century puritan Britain is, like all of Thomas Clay's films, an atmospheric little number. A decade in the making, the set was built using traditional methods and there seems to be a permanent pall of woodsmoke or mist shrouding the home where Fanny (Maxine Peake) lives with her much older, unpleasant ex-soldier husband John (Charles Dance) and her young son Arthur (Zac Adams). Despite the mud and greenery of England there's a feel of a Western to this film, which sees Fanny's life irrevocably changed by the arrival of a young couple Thomas (Freddie Fox) and Rebecca (Tanya Young), complete with new ways of thinking and a healthy scepticism of the patriarchy. Immersive from the off, Fanny is a thoughtful and likeable heroine, intriguing in her slow embrace of new ideas, particularly as she starts to articulate them from her own perspective - there is violence but it's the brooding sense of dread that's more affecting and effective throughout. Although I tip my hat to Clay for composing the score for this using traditional instruments from the period, it is a bit full-on, the atmosphere he creates visually doesn't need this sort of on-the-nose underpinning. Read what Thomas Clay told us about the film.
Mean Streets, 1.15am, Sunday, August 18
It's at this point of the Stay-at-Home this week, I realise you're going to need Al Pacino levels of Insomnia thanks to the night owl nature of a lot of the inclusions. Still, if there's only one film you set the recorder for, make it this Martin Scorsese classic. It was the first time he collaborated with Robert De Niro - the beginning of a partnership that currently stands at 11 features - and the film notched up its 50th anniversary last year. De Niro is in support as the loose cannon Johnny Boy, with Harvey Keitel (who had previously featured in Scorsese's debut feature Who's That Knocking At My Door), in the lead. He plays Charlie, a small-time wiseguy with big aspirations and a penchant for Catholic guilt. This is a character-driven slice of life at the gritty end. Powered by a full-blooded soundtrack incorporating hits like the Rolling Stones' Jumpin' Jack Flash and The Ronettes' Be My Baby (a revolutionary approach at the time), kinetic camerawork and dialogue that crackles with energy, these streets still feel as mean and keen as ever.
Blade Runner 2049, 11pm, BBC1, Sunday, August 18
Denis Villeneuve's sequel to Ridley Scott's original, unfolds 30 years after Harrison Ford's Deckard went on the lam. Now a younger blade runner (Ryan Gosling) is out to find him, complete with his own set of baggage, leading to an encounter that blends the optimistic with the tragic to heady effect. Every frame, from breathtaking action scenes to the stunning skylines, oozes visual class, finally netting Roger Deakins the Oscar for cinematography he had long deserved. Like its predecessor, it has existential themes at heart, though you don't need to have seen Ridley's film to enjoy this as a stand-alone spectacle. Read our interview with screenwriter Hampton Fancher.
The short selection is taking a holiday but will return next week.
