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| Bird Photo: Atsushi Nishijima, House Bird Limited, Ad Vitam Production, British Broadcasting Corporation, The British Film Institute, Pinky Promise Film Fund II Holdings LLC, FirstGen Content LLC and Bird Film LLC |
Bird , MUBI, streaming now
Andrea Arnold has always been known for her gritty portrayal of lives at the margins and she does so again with this coming-of-age drama - only this time she adds a brush of magic realism. Bailey (Nykiya Adams, making a memorable debut), lives with her young single dad Bug (Barry Keoghan) and brother Hunter (Jason Edward Buda) in a squat. Rebelling against her dad’s upcoming marriage to a girl he met three months ago (Frankie Box), Bailey encounters and befriends the eccentric Bird (Frank Rogowski). As she tries to help him find his parents he, in turn, is the catalyst for change in her own life. Bristling with energy, this is an engaging fairy tale with its roots in reality.
Incredibles 2, 2.35pm, BBC1, December 30
When it comes to sequels, Pixar has proved it is possible to bring back much loved characters without a dip in quality. This rip-roaring animated sequel from Brad Bird is a case in point. The family of superheroes have had to remain incognito, with their super-powers outlawed, welcoming the opportunity to try to turn the tide. It means Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) has to leap into action… leaving her husband to do the housework. It may be considering ideas including gender equality, but there’s still plenty of action on the go as the family find themselves up against the hi-tech Screenslaver as well as facing off against an old foe.
Hidden Figures, 5.10pm, Channel 4, Monday, December 30
Some stories have taken a long time to be told - and this one, about the unsung backroom revolutionaries in NASAs space race, is certainly one of them. African-American mathematicians Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer), Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), and Katherine Johnson (Taraji P Henson) acted as "human computers" for the space agency, running the numbers that would help to put astronauts in orbit - and bring them back again. Theodore Melfi accentuates the skill and passion of his three leads - with Spencer, Monáe and Henson all putting in gripping performances - that allows him to shine a light on not just overt but latent racism and white privilege, that still has plenty of resonance in the modern world.
Rocketman, 9pm, Channel 4, December 30
Given that Elton John's stage persona was so flamboyant and endlessly creative it's fitting that Dexter Fletcher's biopic (written by Lee Hall) takes its cue from the man itself, fabulously flinging itself into the story of the star's life, complete with his addiction - explored in a framing story set in rehab. The 'musical' form allows freedom to break away from naturalism and escape on emotions, so that, for example, we see John floating with emotion at a key moment. The song arrangements are used inventively, often carved into duets or manipulated in other ways in order to help the story move along at pace. Like a piano counterpoint, we're able to see his public persona contrasted with his offstage feelings and if Taron Egerton is not a carbon copy of John in terms of looks, he captures the essence of the star - "We wanted to tell a human story," said Egerton in Cannes, "That's why you see the peaks and the troughs". The end result glitters, not just with rhinestones, but with emotion.
The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, 5.45pm, ITV2, New Year’s Eve
If you fancy sitting down to a slice of traditional storytelling with the family this week, this seafaring adventure should do the trick. Young Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley) and her brother Edmund (Skandar Keyes) are joined by their brat of a cousin Eustace (Will Poulter) in this sequel, which is concerned as much with the testing of the kids' inner strength as it is about the quest for magical swords they go on. Although this got a bit of a critical drubbing at the time - and ended up being the last instalment of CS Lewis' adventures that made it to film - it scores well in terms of swashbuckling even if it ends up being a bit heavy on message. Read what the cast, including Liam Neeson, said about the film here.
Mary Poppins , 2.15pm, BBC1, New Year’s Day
Is it even the festive season if this isn’t on your watch list? It features the great Glynis Johns, making a memorable impact in the supporting role of suffragette Mrs Banks, who hires a nanny to look after her kids (Karen Dotrice and Michael Garber). Enjoyable and heartwarming now as it was back in 1964, Julie Andrews' magical nanny might sing about a spoonful of sugar but the film largely avoids sickly sentiment in favour of more intelligent ideas and emotions, particularly those surrounding the children and their workaholic father (David Tomlinson). With great musical numbers, including Chim Chim Chim Cher-ee and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, even Dick Van Dyke's terrible cock-er-ney accent only seems to grow sweeter with rewatching.
The Man Who Would Be King, 3.10pm, BBC2, New Year’s Day
This film features not only a great performance from Sean Connery but a matching one from Michael Caine as a pair of soldiers on the make, in this Rudyard Kipling adaptation. John Huston had been planning this for 20 years - originally with Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart in the roles, followed by a succession of other big names, including Robert Redford and Paul Newman - and it was certainly worth waiting for. There's a winning camaraderie between Connery and Caine's Daniel and Peachy and plenty of adventure on offer, with a strong underpinning of satire about British imperialism and the corrupting nature of power.
The Untouchables, 10pm, BBC2, New Year’s Day
With its all-star cast, including Sean Connery, Kevin Costner (although this was before he really hit big-time) and Robert De Niro, paired with a cleverly worked script by David Mamet, Brian De Palma's Thirties-set gangster tale is up there with the best. Costner plays Eliot Ness, a US Treasury Agent who is determined to end the lawless career of Chicago kingpin Al Capone (De Niro). Famous for its staircase nod to Battleship Potemkin, Palma's film is also packed with original set-pieces and offers an enjoyably mythic quality to some of the characters, including Connery's beat cop, which won him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
Black Panther , 11.20pm, BBC1, New Year’s Day
The much-missed Chadwick Boseman showcases his talents in Ryan Coogler’s superior Afrofuturist entry from the Marvel Universe. Boseman plays T'Challa, the King of Wakanda - whose powerful alter ego is the Black Panther. Returning home after his father’s death to assume the throne, he finds his authority challenged. Tackling themes of isolationism and complicated questions around race and who gets to write histories, the all-star cast also features Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o and Letitia Wright.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, 11.40pm, Film 4, New Year’s Day
A candy-coloured musical charmer that's a based-on-a-true-story yarn. Its focus is the story of Jamie Campbell, who found fame as a teenager in BBC3 Documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16 (which is currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer. In this coming-of-ager he's played with gusto by newcomer Max Harwood. While the teenager is happy with his gender identity, his divorced and largely absent dad (Ralph Ineson) isn't, which provides the emotional undertow for the story. Featuring plenty of bright and breezy musical numbers, a lovely friendship element - Lauren Patel making her presence felt as Jamie's mate Pritti - and Richard E Grant having the time of his life as an older drag queen, this is and enjoyable film that also nods to generations before who paved the way for the teenager to be out and proud.
Sick Of Myself, 2am, Film4, Thursday, January 2
If you like your comedies to come from the darker end of the spectrum then this pitch black Nordic satire from Kristoffer Borgli is for you. Signe (Kristine Kujath Thorp) and her boyfriend Thomas (Eirik Sæther) have taken their competitiveness to almost fight-to-the-death levels. On the one hand, they are partners in crime, enjoying stealing stuff as a pair, but soon their levels of attention seeking prove much more toxic, and in Signe’s case that applies in a quite literal sense. Skewering white privilege and the media’s machiavellian approach to “inclusivity”, it also showcases excellent prosthetics courtesy of an increasing body horror element. Not all the humour lands successfully but the way that fantasy and reality begin to blur in Signe’s mind is never less than compelling.
The Guard, 2am, Film4, Friday, January 3
If you enjoyed Brendan Gleeson's turn in Banshees Of Inisherin then this film directed by Martin McDonagh's brother John Michael is likely to be up your street. His debut is fuelled by a similar black comedy to his sibling’s work, although perhaps a fraction less bleak. Gleeson plays Sergeant Gerry Boyle, a small town cop whose relaxed attitude is at odds with newly arrived partner Aidan McBride (Rory Keenan). When McBride goes missing, Boyle finds himself on the case with FBI agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle). A neatly worked tale that dances on the edge of absurdity, but also subverts a fair number of clichés.
The Lighthouse , 11.55pm, Film4, Friday, January 3
Hoping to start 2025 with some romance? Find someone who looks at you the way Willem Dafoe's ravaged lighthouse keeper looks at his lighthouse lamp! That's just one of the many strange things in this trippy horror from Robert Eggers that pairs Dafoe's long-term island resident Thomas with Robert Pattinson as his newly assigned colleague Efraim. Soon the younger man too is being affected by the isolation as the pair's moods darken and the fog of madness blooms in the gloom. Shot in gorgeous black and white by Eggers' regular collaborator Jarin Blaschke, the sound design from Damian Volpe is also an oppressive treat.
Walk The Line , 10pm, BBC2, Sunday, January 5
Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon shine brightly in this biopic that chronicles the rise of country music star Johnny Cash. The pair didn’t just act in James Mangold’s film, they took the plunge and learned to play the guitar and autoharp as well. Mangold follows Cash from his childhood years in Depression-era America through to his marriage to June Carter (Witherspoon), showing his fight with addiction. Emotionally vibrant and polished.
Our short selection will return next week.
