rabbi
03-02-2009, 07:50 PM
Film4 Listings for Tuesday 3rd February
13:00
Retreat, Hell! (Film)
Cult director Joseph H Lewis is at the helm of this major film set during the Korean war. Frank Lovejoy stars as marine battalion commander Steve Corbett. Among his men are Second World War vet Paul Hansen, and rookie Jimmy McDermid. The film follows them as they fight their way to a strategic reservoir and then, faced by overwhelming Chinese reinforcements, have to battle their way back to their own lines.
Director: Joseph H. Lewis
Starring: Frank Lovejoy, Richard Carlson, Anita Louise, Russ Tamblyn, Nedrick Young, Lamont Johnson
(Black and White, Subtitles, 1952, 12, 3 Star)
14:50
The Ghost and Mrs Muir (Film)
Widowed Anna Muir swaps her bickering in-laws for a haunted old mansion by the sea. The resident ghost, an old sea captain, terrifies her. But she stands up to him, earns his trust and, eventually, his help in dealing with smoothie suitor Miles.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring: Gene Tierney, Rex Harrison, George Sanders, Edna Best, Vanessa Brown, Anna Lee
(Black and White, Subtitles, Audio Described, 1947, U, 4 Star)
16:55
The Last Command (Film)
Frank Lloyd's film is one of the eight cinematic versions of the story of the Alamo, where a small group of Texians held out to the last man against the invading Spanish army. This version concentrates on Jim Bowie, who urges a policy of peaceful co-existence with the Mexicans until they become too aggressive, when he joins William B Travis, Davy Crockett and the other defenders at the mission for the fateful 13-day siege.
Director: Frank Lloyd
Starring: Sterling Hayden, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Richard Carlson, Arthur Hunnicutt, Ernest Borgnine, J. Carrol Naish
(Subtitles, 1955, U, 2 Star)
19:05
The Beverly Hillbillies (Film)
Based on the classic TV series, Jim Varney heads up the Clampett family as Jed, who finds oil on his Arkansas farm. Deciding that his daughter Elly May needs to become a 'lady', the family move to Beverly Hills, where their boondock ways are forgiven on account of their wealth. But when widower Jed decides to re-marry, there's no shortage of candidates, as Jed's scheming bank manager Milburn Drysdale and his assistant, Miss Hathaway, try to make sure their own chosen candidate is selected. Penelope Spheeris's film, following her success with Wayne's World, continues in the same comic vein, and fans of the TV series should look out for a cameo role from Buddy Ebson, the original Jed Clampett.
Director: Penelope Spheeris
Starring: Jim Varney, Diedrich Bader, Erika Eleniak, Cloris Leachman, Lily Tomlin, Lea Thompson
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1993, PG, 2 Star)
20:50
David Fincher on Benjamin Button (Entertainment)
Director David Fincher talks about the creative decisions and technical challenges that were part of the making of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, his latest collaboration with Brad Pitt.
(Repeat)
21:00
Transporter 2 (Film)
Frank Martin is back as the Transporter, who'll take anything anywhere, no questions asked, for the right money. This time, he's earning what should be easy money guarding the son of government drugs czar Billings. But when the boy is kidnapped by drugs lord Gianni, Martin takes it as a professional slur and sets out to find the boy and the baddies in Louis Leterrier's all-action film co-written by Luc Besson.
Director: Louis Leterrier
Starring: Jason Statham, Alessandro Gassman, Amber Valletta, Kate Nauta, Matthew Modine, Jason Flemyng
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2005, 15, 3 Star)
22:45
Sideways (Film)
In Alexander Payne's bittersweet comedy, two buddies, Miles and Jack, embark on Jack's stag week, a tasting trip around California's wine country, with oenophile Miles leading the way. Miles may be a wine expert but he's also a bitter divorcee, depressed and in love with a waitress, Maya, whose presence always leaves him tongue-tied. Jack is a faded actor who can't quite resign himself to marriage when there are still obtainable women in the world, married or not, and when he meets Stephanie at a tasting, he swears Miles to secrecy about the wedding. And so the foursome continue their trip... Alexander Payne's Oscar and BAFTA-winning road trip is a classic of friendship and crisis, with four outstanding leads.
Director: Alexander Payne
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden-Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh, Marylouise Burke, Jessica Hecht
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2004, 15, 3 Star)
01:10
Old Joy (Film)
Director/writer Kelly Reichardt's film is a deceptively gentle drama about a friendship renewed. Kurt and Mark, two friends who have lost touch, decide to re-kindle their relationship with a weekend trek through Oregon's mountains. They talk, with Mark concerned about imminent fatherhood while Kurt is more meditative, but will their bond be re-forged by the end of the journey?
Director: Kelly Reichardt
Starring: Daniel London, Will Oldham, Tanya Smith, Robin Rosenberg, Keri Moran, Autumn Campbell
(Widescreen, 2006, 15, 3 Star)
edward
View
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Film4 Listings for Wednesday 4th February
13:00
Rage at Dawn (Film)
Tim Whelan's western is loosely based on the true-life exploits of the infamous Reno Brothers gang, led by Frank. The film opens with a planned bank raid going wrong; in revenge, the gang find and kill the private detective who set the ambush. Undeterred, the agency send their finest man, James Barlow, to Indiana where, posing as a train robber, he infiltrates the gang. But can he outwit the Reno Brothers as well as keeping his identity secret from the townsfolk, who are all in the pocket of the brothers but also all in dread of them?
Director: Tim Whelan
Starring: Randolph Scott, Forrest Tucker, Mala Powers, J. Carrol Naish, Edgar Buchanan, Myron Healey
(Subtitles, 1955, PG, 2 Star)
14:45
Johnny Come Lately (Film)
James Cagney stars in this Oscar-winning smalltown drama as an ex-reporter turned drifter who arrives in a town where corruption is rife. Jailed for vagrancy, on release he meets up with Vinnie McLeod, editor of the local paper and one of the few honest citizens in town. Together, they set about exposing the corruption, thanks to the revelations of dowager Mary McGovern, a woman with a murky past but an honest heart. Cagney insisted on casting familiar character actors in the main roles and was rewarded with outstanding performances in an undeservedly ignored film.
Director: William K. Howard
Starring: James Cagney, Grace George, Marjorie Main, Marjorie Lord, Hattie McDaniel, Edward McNamara
(Black and White, Subtitles, 1943, U, 3 Star)
16:40
Malta Story (Film)
Brian Desmond Hurst's war movie pays tribute to the people and defenders of the besieged island of Malta in the Second World War, focusing on the pivotal role played by reconnaissance pilot Lt Peter Ross.
Director: Brian Desmond-Hurst
Starring: Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Anthony Steel, Muriel Pavlow, Renée Asherson, Hugh Burden
(Black and White, Subtitles, 1953, U, 3 Star)
18:45
David Fincher on Benjamin Button (Entertainment)
Director David Fincher talks about the creative decisions and technical challenges that were part of the making of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, his latest collaboration with Brad Pitt.
(Repeat)
18:55
Never Been Kissed (Film)
Romantic comedy where a former high-school nerd (now a reporter), gets a second chance when she goes under cover to research her story on cool teens.
Director: Raja Gosnell
Starring: Drew Barrymore, David Arquette, Michael Vartan, Molly Shannon, Leelee Sobieski, Jeremy Jordan
(Widescreen, 1999, PG, 2 Star)
21:00
Men of Honor (Film)
Based on a true story, George Tillman Jnr's drama tells the story of Carl Brashear who joins the US Navy and applies for the elite diving school. But this is America of the 50s, where racism is still rife; his white comrades refuse to share barracks with him and the martinet instructor Billy Sunday is equally prejudiced. But Brashear's commitment, courage and determination eventually win Sunday's respect and when Brashear's career comes up against military predjudice, he finds he has an unlikely ally.
Director: George Tillman Jr.
Starring: Robert de Niro, Cuba Gooding Jr., Charlize Theron, Aunjanue Ellis, Hal Holbrook, Michael Rapaport
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2000, 15, 3 Star)
23:25
Secretary (Film)
Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a shy woman recently discharged from a mental institution into the care of her dysfunctional family. Searching for work, she takes a lowly clerical job with dour, demanding attorney E. Edward Grey. He's critical of her mistakes, and one day, verbal abuse crosses to physical, as he spanks her. But she seems to thrive on his treatment and a reciprocal relationship begins until Grey, finding she enjoys the humiliation, fires her. Bereft, and with her boyfriend Peter unable to fulfil her desires, she plans to win back Grey's affections. Steven Shainberg's film could have been crudely exploitative but thanks to the delicacy of his treatment, the subtlety of the two central performances, plus a leavening of humour, this is a story of unconventional love but love for all that.
Director: Steven Shainberg
Starring: James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeremy Davies, Lesley Ann Warren, Stephen McHattie, Patrick Bauchau
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2002, 18, 3 Star)
01:35
Live Flesh (Film)
An original, funny and intimate tragicomedy from Pedro Almodovar, the master of bizarre characterisations, Live Flesh stars Liberto Ribal as Víctor Plaza, a highly-***ed 20-year-old infatuated with drug addict Elena. After Víctor gets into her apartment, he is jailed for shooting a cop but, on his release, the weird web of wonderful characters meet up once again and all their destinies finally come together.
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Starring: Javier Bardem, Francesca Neri, Liberto Rabal, Ángela Molina, José Sancho, Penélope Cruz
(In Spanish With Subtitles, 1997, 18, 3 Star)
13:00
Retreat, Hell! (Film)
Cult director Joseph H Lewis is at the helm of this major film set during the Korean war. Frank Lovejoy stars as marine battalion commander Steve Corbett. Among his men are Second World War vet Paul Hansen, and rookie Jimmy McDermid. The film follows them as they fight their way to a strategic reservoir and then, faced by overwhelming Chinese reinforcements, have to battle their way back to their own lines.
Director: Joseph H. Lewis
Starring: Frank Lovejoy, Richard Carlson, Anita Louise, Russ Tamblyn, Nedrick Young, Lamont Johnson
(Black and White, Subtitles, 1952, 12, 3 Star)
14:50
The Ghost and Mrs Muir (Film)
Widowed Anna Muir swaps her bickering in-laws for a haunted old mansion by the sea. The resident ghost, an old sea captain, terrifies her. But she stands up to him, earns his trust and, eventually, his help in dealing with smoothie suitor Miles.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring: Gene Tierney, Rex Harrison, George Sanders, Edna Best, Vanessa Brown, Anna Lee
(Black and White, Subtitles, Audio Described, 1947, U, 4 Star)
16:55
The Last Command (Film)
Frank Lloyd's film is one of the eight cinematic versions of the story of the Alamo, where a small group of Texians held out to the last man against the invading Spanish army. This version concentrates on Jim Bowie, who urges a policy of peaceful co-existence with the Mexicans until they become too aggressive, when he joins William B Travis, Davy Crockett and the other defenders at the mission for the fateful 13-day siege.
Director: Frank Lloyd
Starring: Sterling Hayden, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Richard Carlson, Arthur Hunnicutt, Ernest Borgnine, J. Carrol Naish
(Subtitles, 1955, U, 2 Star)
19:05
The Beverly Hillbillies (Film)
Based on the classic TV series, Jim Varney heads up the Clampett family as Jed, who finds oil on his Arkansas farm. Deciding that his daughter Elly May needs to become a 'lady', the family move to Beverly Hills, where their boondock ways are forgiven on account of their wealth. But when widower Jed decides to re-marry, there's no shortage of candidates, as Jed's scheming bank manager Milburn Drysdale and his assistant, Miss Hathaway, try to make sure their own chosen candidate is selected. Penelope Spheeris's film, following her success with Wayne's World, continues in the same comic vein, and fans of the TV series should look out for a cameo role from Buddy Ebson, the original Jed Clampett.
Director: Penelope Spheeris
Starring: Jim Varney, Diedrich Bader, Erika Eleniak, Cloris Leachman, Lily Tomlin, Lea Thompson
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1993, PG, 2 Star)
20:50
David Fincher on Benjamin Button (Entertainment)
Director David Fincher talks about the creative decisions and technical challenges that were part of the making of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, his latest collaboration with Brad Pitt.
(Repeat)
21:00
Transporter 2 (Film)
Frank Martin is back as the Transporter, who'll take anything anywhere, no questions asked, for the right money. This time, he's earning what should be easy money guarding the son of government drugs czar Billings. But when the boy is kidnapped by drugs lord Gianni, Martin takes it as a professional slur and sets out to find the boy and the baddies in Louis Leterrier's all-action film co-written by Luc Besson.
Director: Louis Leterrier
Starring: Jason Statham, Alessandro Gassman, Amber Valletta, Kate Nauta, Matthew Modine, Jason Flemyng
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2005, 15, 3 Star)
22:45
Sideways (Film)
In Alexander Payne's bittersweet comedy, two buddies, Miles and Jack, embark on Jack's stag week, a tasting trip around California's wine country, with oenophile Miles leading the way. Miles may be a wine expert but he's also a bitter divorcee, depressed and in love with a waitress, Maya, whose presence always leaves him tongue-tied. Jack is a faded actor who can't quite resign himself to marriage when there are still obtainable women in the world, married or not, and when he meets Stephanie at a tasting, he swears Miles to secrecy about the wedding. And so the foursome continue their trip... Alexander Payne's Oscar and BAFTA-winning road trip is a classic of friendship and crisis, with four outstanding leads.
Director: Alexander Payne
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden-Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh, Marylouise Burke, Jessica Hecht
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2004, 15, 3 Star)
01:10
Old Joy (Film)
Director/writer Kelly Reichardt's film is a deceptively gentle drama about a friendship renewed. Kurt and Mark, two friends who have lost touch, decide to re-kindle their relationship with a weekend trek through Oregon's mountains. They talk, with Mark concerned about imminent fatherhood while Kurt is more meditative, but will their bond be re-forged by the end of the journey?
Director: Kelly Reichardt
Starring: Daniel London, Will Oldham, Tanya Smith, Robin Rosenberg, Keri Moran, Autumn Campbell
(Widescreen, 2006, 15, 3 Star)
edward
View
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Film4 Listings for Wednesday 4th February
13:00
Rage at Dawn (Film)
Tim Whelan's western is loosely based on the true-life exploits of the infamous Reno Brothers gang, led by Frank. The film opens with a planned bank raid going wrong; in revenge, the gang find and kill the private detective who set the ambush. Undeterred, the agency send their finest man, James Barlow, to Indiana where, posing as a train robber, he infiltrates the gang. But can he outwit the Reno Brothers as well as keeping his identity secret from the townsfolk, who are all in the pocket of the brothers but also all in dread of them?
Director: Tim Whelan
Starring: Randolph Scott, Forrest Tucker, Mala Powers, J. Carrol Naish, Edgar Buchanan, Myron Healey
(Subtitles, 1955, PG, 2 Star)
14:45
Johnny Come Lately (Film)
James Cagney stars in this Oscar-winning smalltown drama as an ex-reporter turned drifter who arrives in a town where corruption is rife. Jailed for vagrancy, on release he meets up with Vinnie McLeod, editor of the local paper and one of the few honest citizens in town. Together, they set about exposing the corruption, thanks to the revelations of dowager Mary McGovern, a woman with a murky past but an honest heart. Cagney insisted on casting familiar character actors in the main roles and was rewarded with outstanding performances in an undeservedly ignored film.
Director: William K. Howard
Starring: James Cagney, Grace George, Marjorie Main, Marjorie Lord, Hattie McDaniel, Edward McNamara
(Black and White, Subtitles, 1943, U, 3 Star)
16:40
Malta Story (Film)
Brian Desmond Hurst's war movie pays tribute to the people and defenders of the besieged island of Malta in the Second World War, focusing on the pivotal role played by reconnaissance pilot Lt Peter Ross.
Director: Brian Desmond-Hurst
Starring: Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Anthony Steel, Muriel Pavlow, Renée Asherson, Hugh Burden
(Black and White, Subtitles, 1953, U, 3 Star)
18:45
David Fincher on Benjamin Button (Entertainment)
Director David Fincher talks about the creative decisions and technical challenges that were part of the making of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, his latest collaboration with Brad Pitt.
(Repeat)
18:55
Never Been Kissed (Film)
Romantic comedy where a former high-school nerd (now a reporter), gets a second chance when she goes under cover to research her story on cool teens.
Director: Raja Gosnell
Starring: Drew Barrymore, David Arquette, Michael Vartan, Molly Shannon, Leelee Sobieski, Jeremy Jordan
(Widescreen, 1999, PG, 2 Star)
21:00
Men of Honor (Film)
Based on a true story, George Tillman Jnr's drama tells the story of Carl Brashear who joins the US Navy and applies for the elite diving school. But this is America of the 50s, where racism is still rife; his white comrades refuse to share barracks with him and the martinet instructor Billy Sunday is equally prejudiced. But Brashear's commitment, courage and determination eventually win Sunday's respect and when Brashear's career comes up against military predjudice, he finds he has an unlikely ally.
Director: George Tillman Jr.
Starring: Robert de Niro, Cuba Gooding Jr., Charlize Theron, Aunjanue Ellis, Hal Holbrook, Michael Rapaport
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2000, 15, 3 Star)
23:25
Secretary (Film)
Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a shy woman recently discharged from a mental institution into the care of her dysfunctional family. Searching for work, she takes a lowly clerical job with dour, demanding attorney E. Edward Grey. He's critical of her mistakes, and one day, verbal abuse crosses to physical, as he spanks her. But she seems to thrive on his treatment and a reciprocal relationship begins until Grey, finding she enjoys the humiliation, fires her. Bereft, and with her boyfriend Peter unable to fulfil her desires, she plans to win back Grey's affections. Steven Shainberg's film could have been crudely exploitative but thanks to the delicacy of his treatment, the subtlety of the two central performances, plus a leavening of humour, this is a story of unconventional love but love for all that.
Director: Steven Shainberg
Starring: James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeremy Davies, Lesley Ann Warren, Stephen McHattie, Patrick Bauchau
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2002, 18, 3 Star)
01:35
Live Flesh (Film)
An original, funny and intimate tragicomedy from Pedro Almodovar, the master of bizarre characterisations, Live Flesh stars Liberto Ribal as Víctor Plaza, a highly-***ed 20-year-old infatuated with drug addict Elena. After Víctor gets into her apartment, he is jailed for shooting a cop but, on his release, the weird web of wonderful characters meet up once again and all their destinies finally come together.
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Starring: Javier Bardem, Francesca Neri, Liberto Rabal, Ángela Molina, José Sancho, Penélope Cruz
(In Spanish With Subtitles, 1997, 18, 3 Star)