12 days of TV Christmas films
f FILM OF THE DAY
D.“ s‘ a . l
NEW YEAR'S DAY
BOGMANAY FILMS Continued
Carry On At Your Convenience (BB(‘li l -2..‘~()am. The work force of \\'.('. Boggs and Sons go on a one-day strike in a corriedy that‘s rroi tltrshed with
Mourning Becomes Electra ((‘Si 3.255. lnam. When a lroriiecoming [S (‘i\ il War soldier is murdered by his adulterous wife. his children exact a terrible rey'enge.
Lambada: The Forbidden Dance (Scottish) J 5 Jilarn l.atin dance frhn with an oyei'statcd eny uonrnental message.
NEW YEAR’S DAY
The Brave Little Toaster iseonishr *).35~|ll.5(larn. .\'o. thats not the after- effects of a hangoy er. That cartoon kitchen appliance did speak.
Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo itstst‘t l ll).3llam- l3. Itipm. The line bug with a mind of its ow it enters the famous road race. but falls for a sexy l.ancra.
Escape To Witch Mountain (Scottish) lt).5(lam l3.3()pru. Remake of the WM adyeiitui'e about two children w itli psychic powers.
i Mary Poppins i (met l 3 4.15pm. .lulie Ai‘drew s won air ( )scar for her role in this fabulous tale of a rriagreal nanny. Robert Steyensou's blend of animation with liye action and songs nrake for a supercalifragilisticespralidocious experience. .\ classic.
The China Syndrome (Sc-ourslii
3.l5 4.30pm. Bi/arie scheduling places this earnest but eflectrye nuclear scare story in the post lunch slot.
Cleopatra (hitter Ht) 5.05pm;
5. l()—7.3()pm. Long and lay isli historical epic that becarrre a production nightmare due to the on-set romance between Richard Burton arid lili/abeth Taylor and other personnel Pl'Ul‘lL‘llls
=' A League Of Their Own (Sc-ornshi J.J()--7bm. ()ne of the few American baseball mo\ ies to score a lioriie run this side of the Atlantic. mainly because of its all-female team tw rst. Madonna. (icena Day is and Tom Hanks star".
s The Railway Children rear 5 7pm. Timeless family entertainment about Edwardian youngsters clearing their fathers name tlrrorrglr their rnyoly'ement
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Small Faces ~88C2» to 15pm ruminant Giliies lvlriCkllilit'Ill re~:.reates the days of Glasgow's (Jana wars r 1 the late 1960s, but instead of dwelling on the Violence. he concentrates on its eflet ts or: a family of three brothers There's a painterly quality to the look of the film, whit h is brilliantly acted by its young cast
with the local railway line.
w Forrest Gump (BBC‘I ) 9- t I. ISpirr. It may haye charmed the Academy. but there are those w ho reckon I-iirrest (lulu/i is an incredibly reactionary and patronising piece of filnnnaking. Tom Hanks is the slightly slow American who sur'y iyes \'ietnam and \ iews recent ['8 history churning out corny home truths. lf life is like a box of chocolates. this is a Very sticky toffee.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer ((75)
9 lt).35pm. High camp horror as cheerleader Kristy Swanson discoyers that she is the last in a line of great
y anrpire slayer‘s and gets stuck into her true \ocation.
it Last Tango In Paris (C4)
llpm— l .ZSam. Bernardo Bertolucci's controyersial study of lust and obsession centres on a monumental performance by Marlon Brando as a widow er who carries out an anonymous affair with Maria Schneider iii an empty French a iaitmerrt.
:s The King Of Marvrn Gardens ((‘5) ll.35pm- l.3()arn. ()ne of the many pairings between Jack Nicholson arid director Bob Rafelson finds a successful radio l).l trying desperately to discourage his younger brothers crazy financial
Haunted Honeymoon (Setirristrr
I l.l()pni~l2.~lfipm. Not \ery funny. not \ery scary attempt by Gene Wilder to steal some ground in the Mel Brooks style.
9% The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg (BBC‘Z) l3.3t) 2am. \\'ondei'ful musical with a bitter-sweet. class-conscious storyline about the ill-fated romance between a shop assistant and a car mechanic. The colourful set is a joy. Detective Extralarge: Black And White (Scottish) HAS-2.35am. Slirir mystery with overweight star.
Carry On Abroad (HBC‘I r
LESS- 2.25am. Sun. sea. sand and sexual innuendo. Hooray?
it Jubilee (C4) IDS -3.2(larn. l)erek .larmaii created outrage among
consery atiy'e types when he satirised Britaiti m the late 7()s. through the surreal notion of transporting Elizabeth I to a puiikisli. apocalyptic future.
Cry For Me, Billy (CS) ‘.5()—5.3ll;un. A young gunslinger protects a group of Indians from a brutal l‘S army unit.
about an outstanding career on the edge I of Hollywood The Distinguished Gentleman l (Scottishr ‘)-~| lpm. liddre Murphy finds l himself elected to Congress and eritoys i his status until he's struck by his social conscience Mary Shelley's Frankenstein rC~ti ‘)~-l 1.20pm. linfairly maligned by those i
ii Each Dawn I Die (BBCzr 6.55—8.2(lam. A young reporter is framed for manslaughter as he gets close to the source of a construction scandal.
s The Roaring Twenties i BBCZ) 8.20- 10.05am. Classic gangster moy re with Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney as friends who return from World War I to find unemployment and corruption on every street.
The Shaggy D.A. (BBC‘I) l().3()am—noon. Sequel to The .y‘liueer Due. See Tue 30.
Bingo (Scottish) lt).5()arn—-l2.2()pm. Abandoned circus dog ti'ayels miles to find the young boy who treated it with kindness. Watch out for delayed hangover batting.
at The Great Caruso timeji ll.()5am— 1 2.50pm. Mario Ian/a plays the Italian singer who rose to operatic glory.
Airport 80: The Concorde (Setirrislii l.3()—3.3()pm. The air-bourne disaster series takes a supersonic slant w hen saboteurs hit a flight carrying ()lyrnprc teams.
Suburban Commando (BBC‘I ) l.-l()—3pm. Any moxie starring Hulk Hogan as an intergalactic warrior surely deseryes‘ a look. Tongue-in-cheek and
w ho didn't appreciate its full-blown melodrama. Kenneth Branagh‘s film gets close to the spirit of the noyel. Under astorirslirtig make-up. Robert De Niro brings human pain to the so-called monster Mistress (C5) 07 llifilipm. 'l‘\' moy ie starring Victoria Principal as a w oman who is left with no emotional or financial support when her wealthy loy'er dies: Harmful Intent is‘conishi . l l. l5pm lartr. Medical thriller with a i riiurderous twist Bodies, Rest And Motion ilstst‘zr ll.25pm l2 55am. lnterestirrg but i somewhat self-indulgent piece of twentysorrrething ennui starring Bridget l‘orida. liric Stoltz. l’hoebe (‘ates and Tim Roth. I l
Full Exposure: The Sex Tapes Scandal (CS) ll..‘\5prri-- l.35am. New cinematic ground is not broken w hen a tough cop is paired with a timid District Attorney to inyestrgate the rmrrder' of a high-class
gloriously tacky. Suburban ('o/riiuuiri/u rs hooker. unexpectedly entertaining. Carry On Behind (BBt‘Ii E
The Yearling (CS) 3—-3.5()piir. w't-epie slops about a boy who adopts an orphaned deer.
Winchester '73 (BBC‘Z) 2.4a --t. topirr. James Stewart's first western with Anthony .‘ylann follows the fate of a highly prized rifle.
How To Marry A Millionaire ((‘J l 3.45—4.30pm. Betty (liable. Marilyn Monroe and l.auren Bacall are a ferriale trio on the hunt for wealthy husbands. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier ( BBC I r 330-5. lllprn. In the day s w hen Jean-l .uc Picard had flowing locks and a full beard. William Shatner and his gang ruled the uniyerse. This being Shatner's directorial debut. it is no surprise that he gets to meet God.
Bronco Billy (Scottish) 3.45 5.40pm Clint liastwood tries out an easier pace as the leader of a tacky Wild West show. Joe Panther ((‘Si 3.50 (iplii Heartwarming fannly film about race relations.
Strategic Air Command its 8(2)
4 |()~(iprn A professional baseball player is drafted into the l‘S Arr l‘til'c'e despite the country berrig at peace.
Rent-A-Kid ( BBCI r «so 7.55pm. Madcap family comedy starring l.eslre Nielsen and ('hrrstoplier l.on d.
s The Typewriter, The Rifle And The Movie Camera (C4) 7.30pm. Actor Tim Robbins llllL‘l'\ iews yeteian filmmaker Sam Fuller who died in \o\ ember
ll.5()pm l.2t)am. (‘amp goings on at a holiday camp. ~ Countess Dracula t( ‘4.
IIZS 2.05am. Ingrid l’rtt bathes in the . blood of slain Nights in an attempt to regain her youth. Don't try this at home. Up The Junction (Seorrishi l.lt) 3.30am .\'ot a patch on Ken l.oaclis ’l‘\' \ersrorr about a middle-class girl slummirrg it in (ins Batteisea.
Story Of A Love Story i ntst‘tr
l Ill .‘iatti. Alan Bates stars as a w rrtet‘ hung in l~rance who has air illicit and fateful affair.
s Shock Corridor ((‘Ji Ins 4am. .\la\ci'rck director Sam l-rrller pr‘oy'es‘ himselfkrrrg of pulp cinema with this i lurid tale of a reporter trying to s'olye a ’ imrrder' by posing as an inmate of an asylum -but slowly succumbirrg’to real madness himself.
Puppet On A Chain (Scottish) 3.20 “Bani. lingagzng Alastair
.\lacl.ean thriller set In .i\mstei‘darn's
drugs underworld. Money, Women And Guns (t ‘Si
‘ Ill ~lsl5am. \Vestern adyentute for
Park Row ((‘J i ‘1 5.~l(tam. The Sam l'ttllel double bill concludes as two riy‘al newspaper proprietors battle it out iii the late l\()()s. The directors insight stops the story being in any way dated. rescaling tactics that would make today 's tabloid reporters blush
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FILM OF THE DAY
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FRIDAY 2
Nosferatu (C4) ‘r 05 2 «15pm The llll[)'(?\,S|‘.’t_‘ liiarrres’Ciiannei 4 Silents series continues this year with Murnarr's early ‘y’zlli‘ipife it)()‘.’l(’, starring Max Schreck as “‘9 lelr'lymg COL”)! Orlok The Dracula story is (try‘en an (,‘XlllC‘SSlUllrSl twist, while James Bernard's new musical sci‘re rii:.rstrates the battie between ’l')0(l and evrl, dark and light