The Weekly Retro Movie Rundown 169

Kilimanjaro! It's the weekend all over again?

Like those mad but amazing mountain explorers, we find ourselves afoot one of the greatest retro movie mountains to ever exist. We're busy gathering all the tools and equipment we'll need to see us through the adventure as we climb our way through some of the most amazing scenes we've ever seen and searching for the ultimate goal. Reaching the top, we'll loos back over our achievements and all that we have seen and learned along the way, a high we'll always be searching for forever after.

Have a happy retro weekend!

SATURDAY 17th OCTOBER

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King Kong (1976) More4 10:20am-1:00pm (2 hours 40 minutes)

Oil prospectors travel to a recently discovered and remote Pacific island, where they encounter a gigantic gorilla. The men manage to capture the huge ape and bring it back to America - but the confused creature is terrified by events and escapes, wreaking havoc in New York. Remake of the classic 1933 fantasy adventure, with Jeff Bridges, Jessica Lange and Charles Grodin.

Ten Wanted Men (1955) 5USA 12:00pm-1:45pm (1 hour 45 minutes)

A law-abiding Arizona rancher runs into trouble when he unwittingly makes an enemy of a neighbouring landowner, who resents him for having befriended and comforted his abused mistress. The jealous man then recruits nine gunmen in a bid to drive his rival out of the territory. Western, starring Randolph Scott, Richard Boone, Donna Martell and Jocelyn Brando.

The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) Sky1 3:10pm-5:00pm (1 hour 50 minutes)

Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and company try to take Broadway by storm with their college show, setting the stage for a host of misadventures as they yearn for stardom in the Big Apple and set out to raise the money to finance their production. Comedy, performed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, with appearances by Liza Minnelli, Art Carney, Dabney Coleman, Gregory Hines, Joan Rivers, Brooke Shields, Linda Lavin and Elliott Gould.

The Sting (1973) ITV4 4:00pm-6:40pm (2 hours 40 minutes)

Two conmen decide to swindle a mobster out of a fortune in revenge for the murder of a mutual friend. Enlisting the help of a host of crooks, they quickly conjure up a brilliant scheme to make him pay for his crime. Oscar-winning Depression-era comedy drama, starring Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning and Eileen Brennan.

Home Alone (1990) Film4 5:10pm-7:15pm (2 hours 5 minutes)

A boy has to fend for himself when he is accidentally left behind after his family jets off to Paris for Christmas. The youngster initially enjoys his freedom, but is soon forced to resort to ingenious booby traps to defend the family home from two dim-witted burglars. Comedy, starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Catherine O'Hara and John Candy.

Hulk (2003) ITV2 6:15pm-9:00pm (2 hours 45 minutes)

Scientist Dr Bruce Banner turns into the rampaging green Hulk after exposure to a huge dose of gamma radiation, prompting the military to embark on a no-holds-barred mission to destroy the monster. Meanwhile, Banner's unstable father resurfaces, holding the secret to his transformation. Comic-strip adventure from director Ang Lee, starring Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott and Nick Nolte.

Zoolander (2001) Film4 7:15pm-9:00pm (1 hour 45 minutes)

Dim male model Derek Zoolander is stunned to find his career going downhill thanks to the arrival of an equally vacuous rival - but fails to realise he is merely a pawn in a dangerous game of international espionage and world domination. Comedy, starring Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Milla Jovovich, Christine Taylor and David Duchovny.

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) ITV2 9:00pm-11:00pm (2 hours)

A single woman begins a new year with resolutions to find love, quit her bad habits and take a step up the career ladder. Her plans crumble as she tries to deal with her mother's infidelity, get over a passionate fling with her boss and come to terms with her feelings for an uptight lawyer. Romantic comedy based on Helen Fielding's novel, starring Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth.

Escape from New York (1981) ITV4 9:00pm-11:05pm (2 hours 5 minutes)

Former special forces soldier Snake Plissken is sentenced to life on Manhattan Island, an anarchic penal colony for the most dangerous criminals. When Air Force One is hijacked and crashes there, Snake is coerced into rescuing the US president from prisoners holding him hostage. John Carpenter's sci-fi action adventure, with Kurt Russell, Donald Pleasence, Lee Van Cleef, Adrienne Barbeau and Isaac Hayes.

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) Syfy 9:00pm-11:00pm (2 hours)

Incarcerated Special Forces veteran John Rambo is offered the chance for freedom by former commander Colonel Trautman if he takes up the offer to return to the jungles of Vietnam on a life-or-death mission to rescue American PoWs. During the course of the operation, he develops strong feelings for his guide, a female freedom fighter - but tragedy strikes, leaving him more determined than ever to exact a bloody and explosive revenge. Action adventure sequel, starring Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Julia Nickson-Soul, Steven Berkoff, George Kee Cheung, Andy Wood and Martin Kove.

Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) Watch 9:30pm-11:50pm (2 hours 20 minutes)

A veteran car thief is forced out of retirement to steal 50 top-of-the-range vehicles in exchange for his brother's life. While his sibling is held hostage by a sadistic gangster, he asks his former cronies to help - but with the clock ticking and just a few days remaining to pull off the daunting task, their chances of success are hanging by a thread. Thriller, starring Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi and Robert Duvall.

Fun Fact: Seven Eleanor replicas were made for use in this movie. Five of them were totaled during stunt sequences. Nicolas Cage and Jerry Bruckheimer kept the remaining two. Cage regularly takes Eleanor out for joy rides while Bruckheimer is afraid of driving her.

Scream (1996) BBC3 10:00pm-11:45pm (1 hour 45 minutes)

The students of a high school are stalked by a masked knife-wielding maniac with a love of scary movies and a penchant for playing mind games with his prey. One of the girls on his hit list begins to suspect there is a connection between the killer and her mother's murder a year previously. Wes Craven's horror, which satirises the genre's cliches, starring Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courteney Cox.

SUNDAY 18th OCTOBER

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Mannequin (1987) Channel 5 12:05pm-1:50pm (1 hour 45 minutes)

A struggling artist gets a job as a window dresser for a department store, only to discover one of his dummies is a reincarnated Egyptian princess who comes to life at night. As he falls for the living doll, she inspires him to transform the shop's display and make it the most spectacular in town. Fantasy comedy, starring Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall.

The Man Who Would Be King (1975) BBC2 London 2:10pm-4:15pm (2 hours 5 minutes)

Two British soldiers in 19th-century India travel to an unexplored land, where one of them fools the natives into believing he is a god. However, his growing delusions of grandeur put him at loggerheads with his comrade-in-arms. Adventure based on the Rudyard Kipling story, directed by John Huston, starring Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Saeed Jaffrey, Christopher Plummer and Shakira Caine.

A Knight's Tale (2001) Channel 4 3:05pm-5:40pm (2 hours 35 minutes)

A poverty-stricken squire spies an opportunity to make his dreams come true when his employer dies. He takes his place as a knight, launching himself on the road to riches by competing in jousting tournaments, but his ruse is jeopardised by a dastardly nobleman. Comedy adventure, starring Heath Ledger, Paul Bettany, Mark Addy, Shannyn Sossamon and Rufus Sewell.

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) ITV4 6:10pm-8:00pm (1 hour 50 minutes)

The Man of Steel embarks on a mission to destroy every nuclear weapon on the planet. However, his arch-enemy Lex Luthor sees the chance to rid himself of the superhero by creating a deadly radioactive henchman who causes havoc around the world. Comic-book adventure sequel, starring Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Mark Pillow and Margot Kidder.

Lost in Space (1998) ITV2 6:25pm-9:00pm (2 hours 35 minutes)

A pioneering scientist takes his family out into space to colonise another planet. However, a saboteur has infiltrated their craft, and his meddling leaves them stranded in unknown territory on the other side of the galaxy. Sci-fi adventure based on the 1960s TV show, starring William Hurt, Matt LeBlanc, Gary Oldman, Mimi Rogers and Heather Graham.

The Fifth Element (1997) Channel 5 6:40pm-9:00pm (2 hours 20 minutes)

In the 23rd century, the world faces destruction from a seemingly unstoppable force of pure evil. Meanwhile, a New York cab driver encounters a mysterious woman destined to save the Earth from its fate, and has to protect her from a scheming arms dealer and a horde of alien mercenaries. Luc Besson's sci-fi adventure, starring Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich and Gary Oldman.

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) BBC3 10:00pm-11:35pm (1 hour 35 minutes)

Four teenagers accidentally run over a stranger and hide the body rather than inform the authorities, only to find themselves stalked the following year by a shadowy figure who takes great delight in disposing of them in a variety of gruesome ways. Horror, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Freddie Prinze Jr and Anne Heche.

Fun Fact: Despite being part of the main cast and appearing in many key scenes together, the characters Helen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.) only speak to each other twice.

Superbad (2007) Comedy Central 10:00pm-12:15am (2 hours 15 minutes)

Two teenage friends are on the brink of going to different colleges, so decide to mark the event by going to a party where they hope to lose their virginity. However, they have promised to supply the booze for the event, a task that proves much harder than expected because they are under age. Unfortunately, when a friend steps in to help, the situation gets even worse. Comedy, starring Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

Whatever you're up to this weekend, make sure you pack everything you need, and leave plenty of time so you can take you time.

xoxo