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A trifecta of the best films on DIRECTV

If it started a bit later, John Ford’s groundbreaking Western (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, 7.30am FoxClas) would have made the cut, if only for its non-linear storytelling, and despite having Da Dook in a lead role. For the sci-fi OCD set, HBO Plus screens the quite good Jurassic Park (10.35am) and two of its five ho-hummish sequels (12.45 midday, 2.55pm).

Today’s Number One Film:

Picture courtesy WikipediaSweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, 2.05pm MaxPrime. Watch this if you liked Pan’s Labyrinth, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride or Kill Bill Vol I. The kind of musical you’d expect Tim Burton to make: one filled with buckets of gore, sliced throats set to music and a stunning songbook, as clever as it is macabre. Almost by lanyap, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Alan Rickman are amazing in the lead roles – but the violence is extreme, superbly done and deeply disturbing; assume nightmares as the price of admission. One of those rare films you’re glad is broadcast in stereo rather than 5.1 sound, so you don’t hear the immaculately well reproduced sound of throat gristle being sawed or bones crunching as corpses hit the ground. Directed by Tim Burton/ 2007/ UK-USA/ Horror-Musical-Thriller-Fantasy/ 116 mins/ R for graphic bloody violence.




Also watch:

Snatch, 5pm Turner Classic Movies. Watch this if you liked Lucky Number Slevin, Reservoir Dogs or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The second blast from Guy “Mr Madonna” Ritchie’s action-loaded shotgun, Snatch was for many an improvement on Lock, Stock, making allowances for marginally less originality in concept; certainly it reveals he had more flair for the London mob heist flick than making the Missus look sexy in a classic film remake (his Swept Away should have been tossed away). Exhilarating from start to end and with fine performances from all, particularly Benicio Del Torro and Brad Pitt, this might be the most fun you could ever have with murder and armed robbery. Directed by Guy Ritchie/ UK-USA/Thriller-Crime-Drama/103 mins/ Rated R for strong language, violence and some nudity.

**Man on Fire, 4pm Fox Action. Watch this if you liked Gone Baby Gone, Training Day or Prisoners. After the very ordinary Out of Time and the dreadful John Q, Denzel Washington needed a decent action flick role; he got one as a bodyguard giving all for his child charge. Tony Scott’s direction and rock solid performances from Washington, Christopher Walken and beauty Radha Mitchell make this not just closer to Scott’s good films, like True Romance or Beverly Hills Cop than his bad or mediocre ones like Enemy of the State but that rare thing: an American version of a foreign (in this case, French) film that is actually better. Anyone who can deal with the very hard scenes of violence should love it. Directed by Tony Scott/ 2004/ USA/ Action-Crime-Thriller/ 146 mins Rated R for language and strong violence.

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JUST NOSED OUT:

** Man on Fire (Action-Crime-Thriller), 4pm FoxAct; **The Heartbreak Kid (Farrelly Bros Comedy), 5.45pm FoxCom; Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (Action-Crime-Thriller), 12.15 midday MaxP; Major Dundee (Sam Peckinpah Western), 9.40am FoxClas; **Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Animated-Family), 2.30pm CnCl; Zoolander (Stoner Comedy), 7.35pm FoxCom; Finding Nemo (Animated-Family) , 5.42pm HBOF; Star Trek (Eric Bana Action-Adventure-Sci-fi), 10.15am FoxAct.

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BEST Pay Per View BET: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

ALSO RAN:

Action/Adventure: Everest, 9.30am MaxP.

Art House/Independent: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, 8.20am Max.

Biography: Invictus (History-Sport), 12 midday Max.

Children/Family: Minions, 8.50am HBOF.

Classic: Shane (Western), 5.20pm FoxClas.

Comedy: **Shallow Hal (Farrelly Bros), 12.10 midday CnCl; Horrible Bosses 2 (Stoner Comedy), 2.40pm HBO.

Documentary: Pulp: A Film about Life, Death & Supermarkets (Bio-Music), 12.10 midday ISat.

Drama: **Chappie (Crime-Sci-fi-Thriller), 11.20am MaxP

Foreign: Mustang (Turkish Coming of Age Drama), 1.50pm FoxCin

Horror: Premonition, 7pm Prmt.

Sci-fi-Fantasy: **A Scanner Darkly, 9.35am MaxP.

Thriller: Creed (Action-Sports), 4.35pm HBOP.

War: American Sniper (Crime-War-Thriller), 1.25pm MaxP

Western: The Quick & the Dead (Dark Comedy), 7.35am MaxP; The Sons of Katie Elder, 11.45am FoxClas

*Starred films have been chosen in the last year. ** Double-starred films have been chosen in the last two months. Particularly strong Also Ran choices are bolded.

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