Seeing as Friday is the day of the week new releases hit cinema screens, I figured it might be a good time to post my pick of the best films on freeview this week in the UK. Feel free to disagree with me, by posting your responses below. I’ll only take counter-arguments seriously which incorporate the word “bibimbap.”
Friday 20th June: I Love You, Philip Morris (2009)
More 4, 9pm. This dark, sexually-frank black comedy pits Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor as two conmen who go all gooey-eyed and taut-trousered when they meet in prison. Carrey does what he does best: rubbery-faced comedy. Except this time the chuckles are laced with content that’d make your 12-year old self, who just LOVED him in The Mask, shit their pants. A surprising flick, that’s as per usual, a far better option than going dahn tahn and getting intimidated by bouncers.
Saturday 21st June: Wayne’s World (1992)
E4. 9pm. I’m assuming that most people have seen Wayne’s World. I also assume most people know how to indicate properly at a roundabout so just to be on the safe side…
The Saturday Night Live spin-off, Wayne’s World, revolves around the antics of two guitar nerds whose shambolic lives provide plenty of opportunity for ridicule, romance and some of the most oft-quoted lines of movie dialogue. A knowing, witty slacker, Wayne is undoubtedly one of Mike Myers’ most successful creations along with his best bud, Garth, played to a tee by Dana Carvey.
Oh and by the way, it’s the stick next to the steering wheel. And it’s my right of way.
Sunday 22nd June: The Social Network (2010)
Channel 4. 10.20pm. It’s important to know just exactly who those faceless corporate suits are behind the apps and gadgets with which we stuff our lives. David Fincher’s The Social Network explores the humblebraggy beginnings of Facebook, pulling no punches when it comes to revealing the amount of douchebaggery CEO Mark Zuckerberg was capable of even before he became a billionaire.
Monday 23rd June: The Descent (2005)
Movies4Men. 11am. I’ve never heard of Movies4Men. Scouring their listings, I take offense to the fact that they appear to be showing tons of brilliant, classic movies under a monicker that suggests women wouldn’t want to watch What A Carve Up! and shout at Sid James for his flagrantly sexist double entendres.
Anyway. The Descent. Neil Marshall, the man who made camping scarier than The Blair Witch attempted with Scottish werewolf romp, Dog Soldiers. It’s a cut above your usual B-movie monster tripe, with some genuinely tense moments born from dissent between our crew of cave-jumping women. And also the hideous creatures that dwell inside them. It’s scary as heck, and well worth watching for the ending alone.
Tuesday 24th June: Hollywoodland (2006)
BBC 1. 11.45pm. I don’t remember a lot about Hollywoodland as I’ve watched it once and it was eight years ago. There’s not a lot else on this evening except Die Hard which I’ve already recommended. But give it a whirl, and let me know if it’s any cop.
Wednesday 25th June: Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (1998)
ITV4. 10.15pm. Hunter S. Thompson made a lucrative career as a journalist by spending his days drunk, high and shagging about. All with a fag on the go. If that sounds like your kind of night, then scope out Terry Gilliam’s hallucinatory trip into Thompson’s (Johnny Depp) lifestyle, as he and buddy Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) take all the drugs in the world and then drive.
Thursday 26th June: Clear And Present Danger (1994)
