The Weekly Retro Movie Rundown 239
Grey and drizzle! Another weekend is here which can only mean... it's time for... another retro movie rundown!
Sugar and spice! Mixing together the perfect blend of aromatic spices and flavours, we find ourselves in the throws of a chilli cook-off. Mixing the finest and freshest ingredients with a spoon of this and a splash of that to create a balanced and spicy delight, we'll eagerly taste at each stage to ensure a correct course of culinary travel. Finishing off with a helping of soft fluffy rice, we'll serve up our creation to be savoured, enjoyed and ultimately judged like a director revealing their latest creation.
Have a happy retro weekend!
SATURDAY 22nd April
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Free Willy 3: The Rescue (1997) ITV 9:25am-11:10am (1 hour 45 minutes)
The amiable killer whale is reunited with his human friend Jesse, now a teenager working on a research ship. Jesse meets a boy whose father is secretly involved in poaching whales for their meat, and persuades the youngster to help him protect Willy and his pod from harm. Family adventure, starring Jason James Richter, August Schellenberg and Annie Corley.
The Wizard of Oz (1939) 5STAR 1:05pm-3:10pm
Youngster Dorothy Gale is whisked over the rainbow by a tornado into the magical land of Oz, where she inadvertently kills a wicked witch - incurring the wrath of another. Setting out to find the wizard who can show her a way home, she is joined on her journey by a scarecrow, a tin man and a cowardly lion, who all hope their own wishes will be granted. Musical fantasy, with Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr and Frank Morgan.
Jumanji (1995) Sony Movie Channel 2:25pm-4:35pm (2 hours 10 minutes)
A man who has been trapped inside a mysterious jungle board game for 26 years is eventually freed when two children start to play it. Unfortunately, he arrives with a rampaging horde of animals on his heels, leaving only one solution - to finish the game he started all those years ago. Fantasy adventure, starring Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst and Bonnie Hunt.
Airplane! (1980) Film4 7:10pm-9:00pm (1 hour 50 minutes)
The passengers on board an ill-fated airliner become increasingly jittery when the flight crew flounder during a food-poisoning crisis. As ground control personnel struggle heroically to ensure the plane lands safely, a traumatised war veteran must face his fear to take the controls. Spoof disaster movie, starring Robert Hays, Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack and Lloyd Bridges.
Midnight Run (1988) Sony Movie Channel 9:00pm-11:40pm (2 hours 40 minutes)
When accountant Jonathan Mardukas skips bail after having been arrested for embezzlement, bounty hunter Jack Walsh is hired to catch the fraudster and return him from New York to Los Angeles. Unfortunately, his task is hindered by the ingenuity of Mardukas and the attentions of pursuing FBI agents and Mafia hitmen. Comedy thriller, starring Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Yaphet Kotto, Dennis Farina, John Ashton and Joe Pantoliano.
Patriot Games (1992) ITV4 9:05pm-11:25pm (2 hours 15 minutes)
Former CIA agent Jack Ryan foils an assassination attempt by an IRA splinter group, killing one of the terrorists in the process. However, he becomes caught in a lethal game of cat-and-mouse with the dead man's revenge-seeking brother. Thriller based on Tom Clancy's novel, starring Harrison Ford, Sean Bean, Samuel L Jackson, Richard Harris and James Earl Jones, reprising his role from earlier Clancy adaptation The Hunt for Red October.
SUNDAY 23rd April
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Flight of the Navigator (1986) Film4 11:00am-1:00pm (2 hours)
A boy mysteriously disappears in 1978, and is found eight years later, having not aged a day. He escapes being experimented on by government scientists by taking off in a crashed alien spaceship. With the help of the robot pilot, he tries to find out what has happened to him and if he can get back home. Sci-fi adventure, starring Joey Cramer and Veronica Cartwright, with the voice of Paul Reubens
Sleepless in Seattle (1993) Sony Movie Channel 12:00pm-2:20pm (2 hours 20 minutes)
A widowed father is coping badly with his wife's death, but his son is convinced that what he really needs is some new romance in his life. He arranges for his dad to go on a radio phone-in show, and his touching story moves a reporter to respond, even though she is already engaged. She returns to her fiance, but the boy, certain she is the woman for his father, plots to bring them together. Romantic comedy, with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
You Only Live Twice (1967) ITV 3:15pm-5:30pm (2 hours 15 minutes)
James Bond is sent on a mission to uncover the truth behind the disappearances of Soviet and American space capsules before the mutually suspicious superpowers go to war. The trail leads to Japan, where Bond finally comes face to face with his arch-enemy Blofeld. Spy thriller, starring Sean Connery, Donald Pleasence, Akiko Wakabayashi and Bernard Lee.
The Borrowers (1997) Film4 3:15pm-5:00pm (1 hour 45 minutes)
A family of four-inch-high people living beneath the floorboards of an ordinary human home help the owner's son fight back when a dastardly lawyer plans to demolish the house and make way for a luxury apartment block. Children's fantasy, starring John Goodman, Jim Broadbent, Celia Imrie, Flora Newbigin and Tom Felton.
Mission: Impossible (1996) Channel 4 3:20pm-5:25pm (2 hours 5 minutes)
Secret agents suspect there is a traitor in their organisation when their latest assignment ends in disaster. The sole survivor is accused of being the mole, forcing him to go on the run to clear his name. However, in the process, he discovers a former Russian spy is selling information about the world's leading undercover operatives. Action thriller based on the 1960s TV series, starring Tom Cruise, Jon Voight and Ving Rhames.
My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) Sony Movie Channel 4:30pm-6:45pm (2 hours 15 minutes)
A food critic realises she is in love with her best friend just as he announces he is going to marry another woman. Determined to have him to herself, she heads for the wedding with the intention of sabotaging the ceremony - but persuading the groom to give up on his bride-to-be proves harder than expected. Romantic comedy, starring Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz and Rupert Everett
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) Film4 7:10pm-9:00pm (1 hour 50 minutes)
Hapless hero Ted Striker tries to prevent the launch of a passenger space shuttle, certain it will end in disaster. Sadly, his prediction comes true when a computer malfunction sends the spacecraft hurtling toward the sun, while a man driven mad by sexual inadequacy smuggles a bomb on board. Disaster movie spoof sequel, starring Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Lloyd Bridges, William Shatner, Sonny Bono and Chad Everett.
Enemy at the Gates (2001) Spike 9:00pm-11:30pm (2 hours 30 minutes)
A Soviet sniper becomes a national hero during the Second World War Battle of Stalingrad, so the Germans enlist a crack marksman of their own to deal with him. A lethal contest of wits follows as the two sharpshooters stalk each other, while the Russian also finds himself caught up in a love triangle with one of his friends. Drama, starring Jude Law, Ed Harris, Rachel Weisz, Joseph Fiennes, Bob Hoskins and Ron Perlman.
A Few Good Men (1992) Sony Movie Channel 9:00pm-11:55pm (2 hours 55 minutes)
Two marines based in Cuba stand accused of murdering a comrade-in-arms. Three Navy lawyers working on their defence unearth evidence that the soldiers may have been acting under orders, which points to a trail of corruption leading all the way to a top-ranking officer. Drama based on Aaron Sorkin's stage play, starring Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Kevin Pollack, Jack Nicholson, Kiefer Sutherland and Kevin Bacon.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) ITV4 10:05pm-11:50pm
While investigating the shooting of a colleague, disaster-prone police lieutenant Frank Drebin uncovers a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Los Angeles. However, after he is sacked from the force by the mayor, the cop has to operate beneath the radar to get to the bottom of the conspiracy. Comedy, with Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley and Ricardo Montalban.
Whatever you're up to this weekend, always remember to take more bags than you think you'll need, and to fill up on washer fluid before it runs out. You're future self will thank you.