Here are the weekend films to catch from UK cinema to Freeview television, and although these are UK listings, the discussion on the films is for everyone.

What's especially good this week is the Sunday showing of Ladyhawke and then the Princess Bride, and the cinema releases this week are very good - let's hope it's raining.

Television:
Friday
18:55 - 21:00
Film4: Star Trek: Nemesis
Repeated: Film4+1: 19:55 - 22:00
Date: 2002
Some may say it's on of the weaker of the Star Trek films, and I'd have to agree. It is entertaining but it doesn't capture what the story could have been. The whole premise of the plot could have been built up so well and set some amazing scenes between Picard and his nemesis, but it all seems a bit half hearted at times. Still, even at that it's good entertainment.

21:00 - 22:45
Film4: Little Voice
Repeated: Film4+1: 22:00 - 23:45
Date: 1998
My Dad loves this film, and although I've never seen it, people do rave about Jane Horrocks voice and Michael Caine's performance.

21:00 - 23:20
ITV2: Die Hard 2
Repeated: ITV2+1: 23:00 - 00:20
Date: 1990
You know we all thought Live Free or Die Hard (Filmstalker review) was a silly title for a film, but try Die Harder - that was the subtitle of Die Hard 2. It's not too bad either, sure it's probably the weakest in the series, but then the series is so good, and if you go back and look at Die Hard 2 again, it isn't all that bad, really.

22:10 - 00:40
ITV3: Dangerous Liasons
Repeated: ITV3: 01:45 - 03:50
Date: 1988
I love this film, I really do. It's one of those films that just captured me with the performances, the characters, the passion and desire, it's wonderful. So good that when Les Liaisons Dangereuses arrived in the local theatre (the stage version) I was off to see it like a shot.

Stephen Frears does a wonderful job and is backed by Glenn Close, John Malkovich and Michelle Pfeiffer doing an absolutely stunning job and pouring their hearts into their characters. These should be ranked amongst the best performances of their careers. Uma Thurman also appears in the film, but it's the relationships between the characters of Close, Malkovich and Pfeiffer that are the exceptional parts of this film. Well worth catching, and worthy of the Filmstalker Hotdog.

22:45 - 00:30
Film4: Mallrats
Repeated: Film4+1: 23:45 - 01:30
Date: 1995
I haven't seen Mallrats, and I think it may be about time that I did. After being surprised by how enjoyable Clerks II was, I need to go back through Kevin Smith's films and Mallrats could be the place to start.

There are many people who say that Kevin Smith is overrated and the recent news that his film Red State was turned down by the Weinstein's is proof that his career is over. I disagree, I just think he has to find a way to bring the strengths from these films into another medium, after all he can write great characters and dialogue.

22:35 - 00:15
E4: The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Repeated: E4+1: 23:45 - 01:15
Date: 1988
It's strange that I used to love this and laugh so much out loud when I watched it, but now it is reduced to sniggers. Even stranger that the source material of the television series Police Squad does make me laugh out loud, as do the Airplane films. Perhaps it's just been seen too many times. Does it still make you laugh? Did it ever?

Saturday
16:40 - 19:15
Film4: Reach for the Sky
Repeated: Film4+1: 17:40 - 20:15
Date: 1956
Kenneth Moore plays the iconic role of Douglas Bader, the British pilot who lost both of his legs in a flying accident in 1931. He overcame his disability and when Britain needed pilots during World War II he took to the skies again. His true story is remarkable, and if at any point in your life you don't think you can do something, just think of what this man did. The film is superb as well, Moore is superb on screen and this is one of his best performances. Well worth watching.

16:00 - 20:10
Five: The Sea Wolves
Date: 1980
Well I've never seen this war film, but I saw the names of Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven side by side I couldn't not write about it. Trevor Howard and Patrick Macnee also star in another true war time story. This one is about the British Intelligence trying to destroy German ships in neutral territory, and the elaborate, and fully deniable plans that they use. Some of the story does spark a memory, I perhaps saw it when I was younger but I just can't remember these three on screen together. What a combination through.

20:30 - 22:40
BBC2: A Beautiful Mind
Date: 2001
I was thoroughly disappointed by this film when I saw it. The film and the performances had been hyped up on its release, but when I got round to seeing it a few months ago I wasn't impressed. In fact I think I was slightly distracted during the film because I was so disengaged. There's no doubt that Russell Crowe acts really well here, and Jennifer Connelly is always alluring on screen and gives a passionate and believable performance, but the story lacked a draw for me and it didn't manage to pull me into the fates of the characters.

21:05 - 23:20
Channel4: Moulin Rouge
Date: 2001
Most women love this film, and for the men? Well there's Kylie dressed as a fairy! No, seriously. There's a lot of fun to be had in this musical from Baz Luhrmann, as well as a glittering cast of stars with Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor leading the way. Richard Roxburgh and John Leguizamo are very good, and are almost scene stealing from the leads. Luhrmann creates a magical musical world with some dazzling sequences that bring alive a simple tale of forbidden love. One for the ladies, and the guys can pretend that they have to watch it...and secretly you'll enjoy it.

20:45 - 23:15
ITV2: The Mummy Returns
Repeated: ITV2+1: 21:45 - 00:15
Date: 2001
So he does, and we're in for another adventure trying to defeat the Mummy from resurrecting his love and destroying the hero's at the same time. The whole cast are back from the first film and they do a great job with a good script, and we end up with a rip roaring adventure film for all the family - although this is a bit late for it to be shown. This is the film that started The Rock as the Scorpion King and sees Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Voslo, Oded Fehr and Patricia Velasquez all back in their roles. Stephen Sommers does a great job with the sequel.

21:00 - 22:55
Film4: The Hole
Repeated: Film4+1: 22:00 - 23:55
Date: 2001
I can't remember much about this film, which is strange as it isn't that old. The film sees Keira Knightley's second film appearance alongside Thora Birch. The film sees three teenagers wanting to bunk off the weekend school trip to Wales. One of the pupils knows of an old bomb shelter and the three decide to stay there for the weekend with the deal that the fourth will let them out when he returns from Wales...unfortunately he doesn't and they're stuck there wondering if someone will find them and rescue them.

22:00 - 00:30
UKTV History: Enemy at the Gates
Date: 2001
The premise of this didn't really interest me when I first heard about it, I thought that it was going to be a long drawn out history lesson with brief moments of excitement. However I was wrong, and the film turned out to be really rather strong. The story looks at two snipers, one Russian and one German, who are playing a game of cat and mouse during the battle of Stalingrad. One is played by Jude Law and the other by the superb Ed Harris. Rachel Weisz, Joseph Fiennes, Bob Hoskins and Ron Perlman also star. Definitely worth catching.

23:05 - 00:50
BBC1: Con Air
Date: 1997
Oh come on, this is great fun, and you can't deny that Simon West knows how to create some superb on screen action, here he shows he can in buckets. Then there's the cast, Nicolas Cage plays a role well, probably helped by the two dimensional character and all that hair, then there's John Cusack, John Malkovich, Ving Rhames, Nick Chinlund, Steve Buscemi and Colm Meaney. The stunts are insane, the action well over the top, the characters flat, the plot see through, and for all that it's great fun.

Sunday
12:50 - 17:00
Five: Ladyhawke
Date: 1985
Oh my lord! Michelle Pfeiffer stars alongside Rutger Hauer and Matthew Broderick in this wonderful tale of romance, magic and swashbuckling. You know I never realised that this was directed by Richard Donner. I have fond memories of this film, as far as I can remember it's beautifully made, and it'll be a good lead into Princess Bride which is showing afterwards.

14:05 - 16:35
ITV2: The Mummy Returns
Repeated: ITV2+1: 15:05 - 17:35
Date: 2001
See Saturday.

17:10 - 19:00
Five: The Princess Bride
Date: 1987
As you wish. Probably the most perfectest film in the world, ever. A truly beautiful story which just oozes a warm loving feeling from every scene. There's not a thing wrong with this fantasy adventure and I challenge you to not like it. It's one of the few films that I've seen again and again and still love every time. It's one of those films that you start to learn the words and join in, a classic.

21:00 - 23:10
Five: S.W.A.T.
Date: 2003
HAHA Louise!! [In joke I'm afraid] You know there are a lot of haters for this film, Louise included, but you know what? I like it, because it does what it says on the tin. It entertains, plus it's got Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, L.L. Cool J and even Michelle Rodriguez being more macho than the screen can handle. Fun all the way.

21:00 - 23:00
ITV3: Arthur
Repeated: ITV3: 01:00 - 02:40
Date: 1981
It was about this time that people started thinking that Dudley Moore was a drunk, little did we know that he was so ill. Still, it didn't undermine this superb film and a great performance against the superb pairing of him and John Gielgud. Hilarious and incredibly poignant at the same time. Moore is superb in this role as the drunk and gloriously rich man who deep inside is incredibly unhappy. Then along comes Liza Minnelli.

21:00 - 23:00
Channel4: Alfie
Date: 2004
Probably just worth seeing how badly Jude Law does in a film that (and this seems to be what is coming from my lips for every second film announced in Hollywood these days) doesn't need remaking. Law plays the role of a very successful womaniser who soon learns about the consequences of his actions. There's quite a good cast of ladies for Law to play off of, but the question is does it bring anything new to the story.

21:00 - 23:30
UKTV History: Enemy at the Gates
Date: 2001
See Saturday.

23:30 - 01:15
Channel4: Dear Frankie
Date: 2004
Oh! Gerard Butler fans rejoice, he's going to be on telly. The film tells the story of a single mother bringing up her son under the pretence that his father is a sailor off in distant lands. She even fakes letters and sends them to him rather than admit that he's gone. To keep the pretence she hires a stranger to pretend to be him, oh...what might happen? Definitely for the ladies this one. Simone, get your telly on!

21:00 - 23:05
Film4: Bride and Prejudice
Repeated: Film4+1: 22:00 - 00:05
Date: 2004
Aishwarya Rai and Martin Henderson star in Gurinder Chadha's excellent and spectacular adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austin's famous story. A unique film that blends Hollywood and Bollywood superbly well. Watch this and see who could make a great Wonder Woman.

23:05 - 01:10
Film4: The Grifters
Repeated: Film4+1: 00:05 - 02:10
Date: 1990
Now this is one of John Cusack's great roles, his performance pushed up by the superb Angelica Huston and Annette Bening - yes Hollywood, the talent lives on in women over thirty. This is the second Stephen Frears film on this weekend and it's just as powerful with some superb writing and wonderful characters. Cusack plays a grifter, a conman, and he works with his partner played by Bening, but his Mum comes back on the scene, the woman who taught him everything he knows.

23:40 - 01:15
E4: The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Repeated: E4+1: 00:40 - 02:15
Date: 1988
See Saturday.

Film:
New Releases:
Mr Brooks
UK Certificate: 18
I have high hopes for this film from Kevin Costner, because let's face it the guy can really act, he just seems to take so many bum roles. This doesn't seem like it's going to be one of them though, Costner plays a normal, well respected businessman, except that is when his alter ego takes over. William Hurt plays the other half of his character who seems to like killing people too much!

The Invasion
UK Certificate: 15
Well, let's see why Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman don't want to promote this film and what the Wachowski brothers and James McTeigue have done to Oliver Hirschbiegel's film. Still, every trailer I've seen just screams Body Snatchers - reimagining my arse.

Ratatouille
UK Certificate: U
A huge cast list appear on this animated tale of a rat who has culinary desires above his physical station. After seeing clips and trailers I'm thinking that this looks rather good and I might just partake.

Resident Evil: Extinction
UK Certificate: 15
I was surprised by the trailers and clips for the third Resident Evil film, from everything I've seen it looks to be better than the other two, and bigger too. However I'm not with many other people who like to say negative things about the first two films, I have to say for straight videogame adaptations they do pretty well, and again they deliver exactly what they say on the tin.

Die Fälscher (The Counterfeiters)
UK Certificate: 15
This is a film of the true story of how the Nazi's believed that they could overthrow the American and UK economies by printing false money and flooding the markets. The Nazi's use imprisoned counterfeiters to carry out their scheme, but one of them wants to try and stop them rather than let their talents be uses for the Nazi's gain.

Black Sheep
UK Certificate: 18
A genetic engineering experiment results in flocks of sheep being turned into blood thirst killers, a hell of a bad thing when you're in New Zealand. From all accounts, I missed this at the Edinburgh International Film Festival screening but from all accounts it's a superb comedy horror. Remember the Filmstalker competition to win Black Sheep goodies!