PICK OF TV MOVIES

SATURDAY

Shazam! (2019) (STV, 5.30pm)

Teenager Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is placed with foster parents Victor and Rosa Vasquez (Cooper Andrews, Marta Milans), who already have five children under their roof, including Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer). Billy closes his heart to the Vasquez clan but he is compelled to intervene when Freddy is attacked by bullies. This uncharacteristic act of selflessness leads Billy to the lair of an ancient wizard called Shazam (Djimon Hounsou), who is searching for a human champion to inherit his powers. The lad subsequently transforms into a musclebound hunk (Zachary Levi), whose abilities could prove decisive in mankind’s battle with archvillain Dr Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong). Shazam! is a hugely entertaining romp, filled with family friendly humour and a nostalgia for body-swap fantasies.

The King’s Man (2021) (C4, 9pm)

In 1902 South Africa during the AngloBoer conflict, war hero the Duke of Oxford (Ralph Fiennes) loses his wife Emily (Alexandra Maria Lara) to a bullet from a lone gunman. With her dying breath, she issues a decree about their five-year-old son: “Protect him from this world. Never let him see war again...” Twelve years later, the duke is an ardent pacifist with a network of servant spies in households around the globe, co-ordinated by his housekeeper Polly (Gemma Arterton). When a shadowy mastermind orders the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand (Ron Cook), the duke rallies his troops. The King’s Man is a spluttering third chapter in director Matthew Vaughn’s gratuitously violent spy saga, but Fiennes lends gravitas to his role, and Rhys Ifans scenesteals as Russian monk Rasputin.

Hot Fuzz (2007) (ITV4, 10.20pm)

PC Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is one of the Metropolitan Police’s shining lights. In fact, he’s so good at his job, he makes the rest of the force look bad by comparison. So, the Chief Inspector (Bill Nighy) transfers Nicholas to the sleepy West Country backwater of Sandford, where nothing ever happens. “There hasn’t been a recorded murder in Sandford for 20 years,” proudly declares Inspector Frank Butterman (Jim Broadbent). Assisted by Frank’s son, Constable Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), Nicholas meets the locals, and soon discovers that Sandford harbours at least one psychopath. Director Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz is a hugely enjoyable romp in the countryside that handcuffs the loopy plotting of Midsomer Murders to the hysterically overblown action of Lethal Weapon.

SUNDAY

The Band Wagon (1953) (BBC2, 1.50pm)

It’s directed by Meet Me in St Louis filmmaker Vincente Minnelli, has a script co-written by Singin’ in the Rain scribes Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and stars Fred Astaire - how could the musical The Band Wagon be anything less than a classic? Movie star Tony Hunter (Astaire) fears his career is on the skids, but his friends Lester (Oscar Levant) and Lily (Nanette Fabray) have written the perfect comeback vehicle in the form of a lighthearted Broadway show. However, when pretentious director Jeffrey Cordova (Jack Buchanan), who sees the comedy as a retelling of the Faust legend, joins the project and casts ballerina Gaby Gerard (Cyd Charisse), Tony fears the project is slipping away from him. The terrific numbers include That’s Entertainment!, Dancing in the Dark and Triplets.

Point Break (1991) (BBC1, 11pm)

A gang of robbers, known as the Ex-Presidents, have pulled off a string of daring bank heists - and the only clue to their identity is a tan line and a strand of hair that suggests they may be surfers. To test out this theory, cocky new FBI recruit Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) grabs a board and goes undercover. As he becomes increasingly in thrall to both the sport and the gang’s charismatic leader Bodhi (Patrick Swayze), will he forget about his day job? Despite the daft premise, the cast largely plays it straight, even when delivering some unlikely sounding dialogue, and Reeves carries off his wetsuit with aplomb. But the movie’s biggest asset is director Kathryn Bigelow, who turns in some very impressive action scenes, ensuring there are genuine thrills in among the occasionally unintentional laughs.

MONDAY

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021) (Film4, 9pm)

In 1960 at North Central Bible College,

Tammy Faye Grover (Jessica Chastain) meets Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield) and they forego studies to marry and establish a travelling ministry. This leads to a big break on the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) under Reverend Pat Robertson (Gabriel Olds). However, greed comes before a fall. The Eyes of Tammy Faye dramatises the rise of “the Ken and Barbie of televangelists” through the heavily mascaraed peepers of its easily duped heroine.Drawing inspiration from an award-winning documentary, director Michael Showalter and scriptwriter Abe Sylvia offer an exceedingly charitable portrayal of the relentlessly upbeat woman at the centre of an embezzlement scandal, but Chastain’s barnstorming, all-gunsblazing central performance led to welldeserved Oscar win.

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) (STV, 10.45pm)

James Bond teams up with KGB agent

Major Anya Amasova to recover missing British and Soviet nuclear submarines before their warheads are fired. However, standing in their way are web-handed mastermind Karl Stromberg and his metaltoothed henchman Jaws. The theme song suggests “nobody does it better”, and fittingly the film represents Roger Moore’s finest hour as 007, with the actor complimented by great action sequences, sets, script and co-stars. Although the closing credits say, “James Bond will return in For Your Eyes Only”, the success of Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind led to Moonraker being released as the 11th official 007 movie. Barbara Bach, Curt Jurgens and Richard Kiel head the supporting cast.

TUESDAY

Queenpins (2021) (Film4, 9pm)

Based on the true story of a multimilliondollar fraud involving grocery store coupons, Queenpins follows two women who stray onto the wrong side of the law to spice up their humdrum suburban lives. Housewife Connie (Kristen Bell) can barely remember her proudest moment: winning a gold medal for her country at a Summer Olympic Games. Now, she is riddled with debt and relies on coupons to make ends meet with her exasperated auditor husband, Rick (Joel McHale). Connie joins forces with neighbour and best friend,

JoJo (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), whose credit rating plummeted after she became the victim of identity theft. The two women mastermind an illegal scheme involving coupons and successfully scam big corporations out of millions of dollars.

An Education (2009) (BBC2, 11.45pm)

In Twickenham in 1961, 16-year-old schoolgirl Jenny (Carey Mulligan) meets handsome stranger David (Peter Sarsgaard) on the street and is flattered by the attentions of the older man. He gradually leads her astray with visits to late-night supper clubs and a trip to the country. Consequently, Jenny’s grades slip, and her teacher Miss Stubbs (Olivia Williams) fears her best student is throwing her future away. Based on a memoir by journalist Lynn Barber, An Education is a rites-of-passage story blessed with a touching and humorous script by Nick Hornby. Mulligan’s tour-de-force, Oscarnominated central performance galvanises the film, striking the right balance between determination and vulnerability.

WEDNESDAY

And Then There Were None (1945) (Talking Pictures TV, 10.10pm)

Ten strangers are summoned to a hotel in the middle of an Iranian desert, where they discover that despite their very different backgrounds, they have something in common - they all got away with murder. However, it seems their mysterious host is determined to see justice is done, as the guests are picked off one by one. The remaining members of the group search the hotel for the killer but are eventually forced to face the possibility that the murderer is amongst them... Agatha Christie’s novel has a brilliantly simple premise, and this film makes the most of it. It may be dated, but it’s also very efficient, and Oliver Reed, Richard Attenborough and Herbert Lom inject some personality into what could have been stereotyped characters.

THURSDAY

The Eagle Has Landed (1976) (BBC4, 8pm)

Ingenious wartime adventure adapted from Jack Higgins’ bestseller about Nazi agents who learn Winston Churchill is due to take a holiday in a small English village, and promptly hatch a meticulous plan to kidnap the prime minister, planting covert operatives in the area ready for his arrival. However, while things seem to run like clockwork at first, the cracks soon start to show. The all-star cast includes Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland, Robert Duvall, Jenny Agutter, Donald Pleasence and Jean Marsh. It’s the first of two films celebrating the late Donald Sutherland, who died last month. The second, The Railway Station Man, which reunited him with his Don’t Look Now co-star Julie Christie, can be seen at 10.55pm.

The Sun Is Also a Star (2019) (BBC3, 9pm)

Adapted by scriptwriter Tracy Oliver from the young adult novel penned by Nicola Yoon, The Sun Is Also a Star documents a burgeoning romance, which flourishes in the shadow of bureaucratic meddling. Directed by Ry Russo-Young, the story centres on quantum physics student Natasha Kingsley (Yara Shahidi), whose family is poised to be deported back to Jamaica. While her parents Samuel (Gbenga Akinnagbe) and Patricia (Miriam A Hyman) brace for relocation, Natasha draws inspiration from her hero - astronomer Carl Sagan - and attempts to overturn the decision. As she ricochets between meetings in search of a miracle, Natasha collides with medical student Daniel Bae (Charles Melton), who would dearly love to swap scrubs for the poetry of Emily Dickinson.

FRIDAY

Men in Black (1997) (Film4, 7.10pm)

Forget the pointless reboot Men in Black: International, the original movie is still the best. Will Smith stars as a streetwise cop who is recruited to join a secret agency that polices aliens living on Earth. Usually, the job is all about peaceful co-existence, but the rookie has joined up just as a bodyswapping extra-terrestrial giant insect (hilariously and unsettlingly embodied by Vincent D’Onofrio) begins a reign of terror in New York City. It’s up to the new boy and his seen-it-all-before partner (the delightfully deadpan Tommy Lee Jones) to save the world. Director Barry Sonnenfeld pulls off a blindingly successful sci-fi comedy, balancing impressive special effects with some very big laughs.