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| Les Miserables |
Do You Hear The People Sing? asks Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil's hit musical - and you most certainly do in this big-screen adaptation, which shot the songs live on set rather than lip-synching later, lending it a vibrant immediacy. Hugh Jackman has the musical chops for it and takes centrestage as Jean Valjean, an ex-convict who becomes a man of substance, while being hunted by Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe). An epic tale, involving the Paris uprising and the care of youngster Cosette (Isabelle Allan and, later, Amanda Seyfried), this is a rousing adaptation whose cast, which also includes Eddie Redmayne and Anne Hathaway, deliver vocally as well as emotionally. Warning, you'll have that Do You Hear The People Sing? earworm all week, even reading about it may have been enough to trigger it!
Little Richard: I Am Everything, 1.25am, Channel 4, Wednesday, October 9
Less would be more when it comes to this documentary about the flamboyant rock and roll star but there's all sorts of interesting elements in Lisa Cortes' documentary, although if it often feels as though it's zipping by so fast you can barely catch sight of them. Beyond the snippets of performance from the man himself - the one thing this film could use more of, it takes an interesting dive into his Queer icon status and his shifting attitude towards it. Sections on his early life and performances on the "Chitlin' Circuit", which was dominated by Black and Queer stars, are particularly fascinating, even if some of the film is weighed down by too many talking heads.
Armageddon, 11.15pm, Film4, Wednesday, October 9
Michael Bay is never knowingly undersold and the results are often more bombastic than fantastic. This 1998 outing about a drill team who are sent into space to prevent an asteroid from destroying Earth may be as frenetic as usual in the editing department but the strong cast - including Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler and Steve Buscemi - and the sharp script by a small village of writers, including JJ Abrams and Tony Gilroy, just about keep the story on track.
Pink String And Sealing Wax, 1.15pm, Talking Pictures TV, Thursday, October 10
Googie Withers puts in a magnetic performance as a pub landlady who is desperate to escape the clutches of her drunken husband in this dark mix of comedy and melodrama from Robert Hamer - who would go on to direct classic Kind Hearts And Coronets. She hatches a poisonous plan that involves an innocent young man (Gordon Jackson, who looks fresh out of school). Although Withers' Pearl is conniving, she's also shown to be a victim of circumstance as the film scrutinises the patriarchy not just of the Victorian period the film is set in but of the Forties, when it was made.
Prisoners, 11.30pm, Great Movies (Freeview channel 34), Thursday, October 10
What is it with Hugh Jackman and hefty running times? You can't say he doesn't give audiences bang for their buck, with Les Mis and this coming in at about the 2.5-hour mark. Don't be put off though, Denis Villeneuve's psychological thriller will have you too busy gripping the arms of your chair to look at your watch. Jackman stars as a carpenter who becomes increasingly unpredictable after his six-year-old daughter is abducted and the police seem to be dragging their heels when it comes to tackling the man (Paul Dano) he believes has done the deed. Writer Aaron Guzikowski creates a moral maze, where the judgement of all the characters, including police detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) is called into question and Villeneuve doesn't let the tension slacken for a second.
Relic, 11.50pm, BBC2, Friday, October 11
We've hit October, so horror films are starting to creep into the various schedules. One of the increasing trends in cinema is to fold the all-too-real horror of dementia into more spooky goings on - a device also employed by Fréwaka, which screens at London Film Festival this week. Elderly Edna (Robyn Nevin) has been living alone but has been suffering mental decline, so when her daughter Kay (Emily Mortimer) hears she has vanished, she rushes to her mother’s house with her own daughter Sam (Bella Heathcote) in tow. Edna reappears but she has no recollection of where she has been, while her behaviour is becoming increasingly eccentric. Soon things in the house start to shift, as though the place itself is taking on a life of its own - something the logical Kay is much less willing to accept than Sam. The vagaries of ageing and memory loss become packaged in this strong debut from Natalie Erika James that offers both scares and a strong emotional heartbeat.
Omen, MUBI streaming now
If you like visually striking movies, then this new addition to the streaming platform is for you. Belgian-Congolese director Baloji’s debut is a multifaceted tale that chiefly revolves around soon-to-be-a-dad Koffi (Mark Zinga) and his white Belgian fiancee Alice (Lucie Debay), who are returning to his homeland of the Democratic Republic of Congo in a bid to make peace with his family. Things don't go as planned and this is just the jumping off point for an often melancholy exploration of attitudes towards superstition and cultural tradition. Featuring flourishes of magical realism and moments of surreality, it has a host of eye-popping imagery that will live long in the memory.
This week's short film selection is Aneil Karia's Work. The director has since gone on to direct Surge, starring Ben Whishaw and episodes of Brinks-Mat robbery drama series The Gold.
