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A Trifecta of What’s Best on the Box for Sunday 8 April 2018

The only reason ***Hell or High Water BEST FILM OF THE DAY (4.20pm Max) didn’t take the top spot is because it was picked last week – though it would have only just squeezed out today’s top pick.If Black Panther is still screening at MovieTowne, you should see it. By amazing good luck - and deserved ticket sales, perhaps - Red Sparrow is still playing at the Digicel Gemstone, another film you should definitely see on the big screen.

Today’s Number One Film:

**Get Out, 5.10pm HBO2 ALMOST THE BEST FILM OF THE DAY. Watch this if you liked The Stepford Wives, Don’t Breathe or Moonlight. The film that should have won the 2018 Best Picture and Best Director Oscar, Golden Globe, everything, is a masterwork from one of America’s funniest men; it is hard to believe it’s only his first feature, so well does he hold the balance between comic drama and genuine horror.The subject-matter may divide audiences in the US the same way the OJ verdict did but, for the rest of the world who can see truth plainly, it is a masterpiece.The great regret for Jordan Peele is that, like M Night Shyalaman, his debut is so strong, whatever comes after is likely to suffer by comparison.In time, it will prove to be seen as one of the great films of our time, even by white Americans. Directed by Jordan Peele/ 2017/ USA / Horror-Mystery-Thriller/ 144 mins/ Rated R for violence, bloody images and language including sexual references.

Also watch:

Good Bye, Lenin! 12.20 midday Cinemax. Watch this if you liked Intouchables, La Famile Belier or Run Lola Run. A great idea for a film – an East German woman in Berlin sees her son being arrested for protesting against the regime she loves, has a heart attack and slips into a coma; when she wakes up, months later, the Berlin Wall has fallen and the Communist state to which she gave her life has vanished, but the family can’t risk her finding that out, in case she has another heart attack; the whole film then becomes the loving attempt to convince her, in her sick bed, that the glorious GDR still thrives.The film lives up to its setup with great performances based on a clever script and excellent direction.A real treat for anyone who doesn’t need an explosion or a car stunt every few minutes to keep their attention on the screen. Directed by Wolfgang Becker/ 2003/ Germany / Dark Comedy-Drama-Romance / 121 mins/ German & Russian with English subtitles/ Rated R for brief language and sexuality.

Snatch, 12.10 midday Cinemax. 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.

Just Nosed Out:

*Manchester by the Sea, 12.50 midday HBOC; The Hangover (action-stoner comedy-thriller), 9pm MaxU; The Karate Kid (family), 10am Prmt, Part II 3.24pm TCM; Toy Story (animated-family), 11.05am HBOF; Alien: The Director’s Cut (action-sci-fi-thriller), 9.56am FoxClas; Stuart Little (animated-family), 5.21pm Max; The Matrix (action-sci-fi), 7.32pm TCM; The Naked Gun (classic stoner comedy), 2.42pm FoxMov.

Also Ran:

Action/Adventure: Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom, 11.55am FoxClas.

Animated/Family: Kubo & the Two Strings, 10am MaxU.

Arthouse/Independent/Cult: Pleasantville (fantasy-sci-fi), 8.07am HBOP.

Classic: Children of Men (sci-fi), 9.13pm ISat.

Comedy: Clear History, 9.33am HBOS.

Documentary/Biography: Loving (docudrama), 3pm HBO2.

Drama: Hell or High Water (crime-mysery), 4.20pm Max.

Foreign: Night Train to Lisbon (Spanish English-language drama-thriller), 4pm Spac.

Horror: Child’s Play 2, 10pm TCM.

Sci-fi/Fantasy: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, 10am & 9pm HBOP.

Thriller: Baby Driver (action-crime), 7pm HBOC.

War: The Hurt Locker, 7.40pm Prmt.

Western: Back to the Future Part III (sci-fi), 1.16pm Max; The Tin Star, 7.26pm FoxClas.

*Starred films have been picked in the last year.**Double-starred films have been picked in the last two months.***Triple-starred films were picked last week.

Particularly strong Also Ran films are bolded.

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