The Weekly Retro Movie Rundown 183
Sweet potato pie! How can it be? Another retro movie weekend so soon? Well....if we must!
Like the first pioneering pilots ever to reach the skies, we find ourselves once again doing some last-minute checks before our big leap of faith into the weekend. Sofa....check! Snacks....check! Top retro characters....you betcha! Firing up our engines, we'll power our way down the runway before lifting into the unknown. Reaching dizzying heights before we even know it, we'll be fired off to far and distant lands like some of the most iconic characters ever to hit the silver screen where more adventures than we can even imagine await us.
Have a happy retro weekend!
SATURDAY 13th FEBRUARY
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The China Syndrome (1979) More4 10:35am-1:00pm (2 hours 25 minutes)
A nuclear power plant controller discovers a potentially disastrous operational flaw but refuses to report it. A visiting TV journalist and cameraman pick up on the story - but as they struggle to get the news on air, a quick-witted engineer realises the danger is far more pronounced than anyone suspects. Thriller, starring Jane Fonda, Michael Douglas, Jack Lemmon and Scott Brady.
Bugsy Malone (1976) Film4 11:00am-1:00pm (2 hours)
Alan Parker's slapstick musical comedy, featuring a cast composed entirely of children and following a war between rival gangsters in 1920s New York - fought with custard pies and cream-firing Tommy guns. When a slick mobster acquires devastating new weapons, his arch rival enlists the aid of a small-time chancer to steal them. Starring Scott Baio, Florrie Dugger and John Cassisi, with Jodie Foster in an early appearance.
Beethoven (1992) ITV2 2:35pm-4:25pm (1 hour 50 minutes)
An all-American family adopts a huge St Bernard, but the father is dismayed when it turns into a one-dog disaster zone. He insists the mutt must go to a new home, but when it is kidnapped by a crooked vet, dad has a change of heart and races to the rescue. Comedy, starring Charles Grodin, Bonnie Hunt, Oliver Platt and David Duchovny.
Despicable Me (2010) ITV2 5:10pm-7:05pm (1 hour 55 minutes)
A criminal mastermind hopes to seal his reputation as the greatest villain of them all by stealing the moon. First he needs to get his hands on a shrinking ray owned by a rival evil genius, and adopts three orphan girls to help him - but finds that fatherhood brings out his long-buried caring side. Animated comedy, with the voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand and Julie Andrews.
Field of Dreams (1989) Film4 6:55pm-9:00pm (2 hours 5 minutes)
A farmer hears a mysterious voice inspiring him to mark out a baseball diamond in a cornfield - which, to his surprise, is visited by the ghost of the star player of the 1919 Chicago White Sox team, whose career was cut short by scandal. It later dawns on him the pitch has a greater purpose - to give people who have sacrificed important parts of their lives a second chance. Fantasy, starring Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta, Burt Lancaster and James Earl Jones.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) ITV2 7:05pm-9:20pm (2 hours 15 minutes)
Daredevil explorers Rick and Evelyn O'Connell are called into action when their son accidentally resurrects the evil Chinese Emperor Han from his ancient tomb. The family now faces a race against time to prevent the merciless leader from awakening his vast terracotta army in a plot to take over the world. Fantasy adventure sequel, starring Brendan Fraser, Maria Bello, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh.
GoodFellas (1990) Sky Atlantic 10:15pm-12:55am (2 hours 40 minutes)
An Irish-Italian boy from a poor neighbourhood grows up idolising the glamorous lifestyle of the Mafia. Taken under the wing of a mobster, he rises quickly in the world of organised crime. But he soon has to face the realities of murder and treachery, while his involvement in drug deals puts him at risk from both sides of the law. Martin Scorsese's crime drama, starring Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro and an Oscar-winning Joe Pesci.
Twins (1988) ITV London 10:35pm-12:30am (1 hour 55 minutes)
An unlikely pair of brothers, who were born as the result of a one-off genetic experiment and separated at birth, are reunited in adulthood. They set out on a cross-country search for their unknown mother - fending off vicious loan sharks and a professional assassin along the way. Comedy, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, Kelly Preston and Chloe Webb.
Predator (1987) Channel 4 11:20pm-1:20am (2 hours)
An elite military team takes on a top-secret mission in the jungles of Central America, but the soldiers realise they have been deceived by their CIA employers. A greater danger presents itself when they are stalked by a lethal alien big game hunter with the power to become invisible, that has come to Earth to stalk human prey. Sci-fi thriller, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers and Bill Duke.
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) ITV4 11:20pm-1:45am (2 hours 25 minutes)
An amnesiac teacher starts to experience disturbing flashbacks of her former life and hires a private eye to help her learn more about her history. His findings unearth a murky past and her involvement with a shadowy government organisation - whose agents have been dispatched to kill them both. Action thriller, with Geena Davis and Samuel L Jackson, alongside Patrick Malahide, Brian Cox and Craig Bierko.
SUNDAY 14th FEBRUARY
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Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) Dave 11:25am-1:25pm (2 hours)
The maverick haulier must overcome a crisis of confidence when he and his friends are hired to transport a pregnant elephant to Texas, a mammoth task that proves far from easy, especially with their old enemy in hot pursuit. Road comedy, with Burt Reynolds, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Dom DeLuise and Sally Field.
84 Charing Cross Road (1987) BBC2 London 1:30pm-3:00pm (1 hour 30 minutes)
An outspoken writer from New York reminisces about her correspondence of many years with an antiquarian bookseller in London, which began as a business arrangement and developed into a close relationship. Romantic drama based on the real-life experiences of Helene Hanff, starring Anne Bancroft, Anthony Hopkins, Judi Dench and Maurice Denham.
Fun Fact: Mel Brooks bought Anne Bancroft the rights to the book "84 Charing Cross Road" for her birthday one year.
The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) BBC2 London 3:00pm-4:30pm (1 hour 30 minutes)
Two bachelors using the same pseudonym capture the hearts of a couple of girls during a delightful weekend in the countryside. However, their cunning deception leads to all manner of hilarious confusion as the ladies in question attempt to work out who is who. Adaptation of Oscar Wilde's comedy, starring Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Frances O'Connor, Reese Witherspoon, Judi Dench and Tom Wilkinson.
Housesitter (1992) Channel 5 3:20pm-5:20pm (2 hours)
An architect has a fling with a kooky waitress, who takes it upon herself to move into his house and pass herself off as his wife. When the woman he is actually in love with says she thinks the sham marriage is good for him, he decides to play along with the deception. Romantic comedy, starring Steve Martin, Goldie Hawn, Dana Delany, Donald Moffat and Julie Harris.
Legally Blonde (2001) ITV2 4:15pm-6:10pm (1 hour 55 minutes)
A seemingly dizzy teenager is heartbroken when her boyfriend dumps her because he thinks she is not intelligent enough to help his political career. To prove him wrong she enrols at Harvard, but finds herself out of her depth as other students do their best to humiliate her. Comedy, starring Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis and Victor Garber.
Predator 2 (1990) Channel 4 10:45pm-12:45am (2 hours)
A Los Angeles cop, working to bring down the city's drug gangs, suspects Jamaican criminals when he discovers several of his targets killed and skinned alive. However, the culprit behind the murders reveals himself to be an alien big-game hunter - with the stealth and guile to outwit the police and criminals alike. Sci-fi sequel, starring Danny Glover, Bill Paxton, Gary Busey and Maria Conchita Alonso.
While You Were Sleeping (1995) BBC1 London 11:30pm-1:05am (1 hour 35 minutes)
A lonely train-station attendant saves the life of a man she has been in love with from afar. He ends up comatose in hospital, where she is mistakenly introduced to his family as his fiancee. For a while, she decides to keep up the pretense - but comes to regret the deceit when she begins to fall for her supposed partner's brother. Romantic comedy, starring Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman and Peter Gallagher.
Whatever you're up to this weekend, make sure you always reply in the right chat group, and don't forget to test your spoke alarms.
xoxo