The Weekly Retro Movie Rundown 137
Due South of the forest! It's really the weekend so soon?
You betcha! Like a proud and noble Canadian Mountie, we'll be riding our trusty steed full speed into the weekend's retro movie awesomeness! We'll be Maintiens le droit (Defending the Law) at each step of the way as we ride through far and distant lands, helping those in need as we go before stopping to breath in the celluloid wonder of the vast and majestic landscape.
Have a happy retro weekend!
SATURDAY 28th February
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Dragnet (1987) ITV4 12:45pm-2:50pm (2 hours 5 minutes)
A by-the-book Los Angeles cop is paired with a laid back new partner to investigate the nefarious activities of a TV evangelist and a pornographic-magazine baron suspected of operating a criminal cult. Comedy spoof of the 1950s TV series, starring Dan Aykroyd, Tom Hanks, Christopher Plummer and the original show's star Harry Morgan.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961) 5USA 1:35pm-3:50pm (2 hours 15 minutes)
An admiral takes charge of an experimental submarine just as the world is plunged into catastrophe. A belt of radiation surrounding the planet has ignited, threatening all life on Earth. The admiral believes he can end the crisis with a well-aimed nuclear missile, but faces an uphill struggle to convince high command that his plan will not lead to more destruction. Sci-fi adventure, with Walter Pidgeon, Joan Fontaine and Robert Sterling.
Jurassic Park (1993) ITV2 7:10pm-9:40pm (2 hours 30 minutes)
Scientists are given a sneak preview of a safari park inhabited by genetically engineered dinosaurs created by an eccentric tycoon. However, it all goes wrong when a greedy employee sabotages the security systems, allowing the prehistoric beasts to roam free and hunt the visitors. Steven Spielberg's action adventure, starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough and Samuel L Jackson.
Batman Begins (2005) Sky1 9:00pm-11:40pm (2 hours 40 minutes)
Billionaire Bruce Wayne travels the world seeking the means to fight injustice, consumed with rage over his parents' murder. Trained by a secret society, he hones his fighting skills and returns to his home city of Gotham on a mission to rid it of crime and corruption in the guise of a masked vigilante. Comic-book adventure, exploring the origins of the Dark Knight, with Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy, Gary Oldman and Katie Holmes.
Broken Arrow (1996) more>movies 9:00pm-11:10pm (2 hours 10 minutes)
A US Air Force veteran ejects his co-pilot from their Stealth bomber in a plan to steal the plane's cargo of nuclear warheads. He uses the weapons to extort money from the American government by threatening to detonate one in a major city. Action thriller, starring John Travolta, Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis and Delroy Lindo.
Fun Fact: John Travolta was given the choice of playing either Deakins or Hale in the film. He chose the villain Deakins.
The Island (1980) ITV4 11:50pm-2:10am (2 hours 20 minutes)
A band of modern-day pirates operating out of a Caribbean island preys on luxury yachts. A journalist and his son investigate why so many vessels go missing in the area, but end up kidnapped and forced to join the crew. Thriller, starring Michael Caine, David Warner, Frank Middlemass, Don Henderson, Dudley Sutton and Colin Jeavons.
SUNDAY 29th February
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Groundhog Day (1993) GOLD 12:00pm-2:00pm (2 hours)
An obnoxious TV weatherman reporting on a small town's annual festival finds himself caught in a bizarre time loop, and is forced to relive the same day over and over again. While at first he tries to exploit his predicament, he is ultimately driven to mend his ways and adopt a less cynical attitude. Comedy, starring Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott and Stephen Tobolowsky.
A View to a Kill (1985) ITV London 3:40pm-6:05pm (2 hours 25 minutes)
James Bond clashes with a megalomaniac international businessman plotting a global takeover of the computer industry by engineering a devastating earthquake in California's Silicon Valley - and killing millions in the process. Spy adventure, starring Roger Moore in his final appearance as 007 alongside Christopher Walken, Grace Jones, Tanya Roberts and Patrick Macnee.
Fun Fact: Roger Moore celebrated his 57th birthday during filming, making him the oldest actor to play Bond. Sean Connery was 52 in Never Say Never Again (1983).
Transformers (2007) E4 7:00pm-10:00pm (3 hours)
Teenager Sam Witwicky is treated to his first car by his dad, but it turns out to be an alien scout with a life of its own. Before long, the vehicle embroils Sam in a long-running intergalactic war between two factions of giant shape-changing robots, which have come to Earth to find a mystical cube that grants infinite power to its possessor. Michael Bay's sci-fi action adventure, inspired by the toy franchise, with Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Jon Voight and John Turturro.
Terminal Velocity (1994) Film4 6:55pm-8:55pm (2 hours)
A skydiving instructor tries to clear himself of responsibility for the death of a woman whose parachute failed to open. However, he later learns she is a Russian spy who faked her own demise, and now needs his help to foil an international criminal conspiracy out to steal a fortune in bullion. Action thriller, starring Charlie Sheen, Nastassja Kinski and James Gandolfini.
Jurassic Park III (2001) ITV2 7:10pm-9:00pm (1 hour 50 minutes)
Palaeontologist Dr Alan Grant is lured to a dinosaur-infested island by a divorced couple who offer to fund his research, unaware their real motive is to find their missing son - and that the creatures on the island are far more intelligent than anyone suspected. Action adventure sequel, starring Sam Neill, William H Macy, Tea Leoni and Alessandro Nivola.
Pale Rider (1985) ITV4 9:00pm-11:25pm (2 hours 25 minutes)
An unscrupulous landowner threatens to throw gold-miners off their land and take the riches for himself. As the law turns a blind eye to their troubles, the miners desperately need a saviour - who happens to arrive in the form of a mysterious preacher with formidable gunfighting skills. Western, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, alongside Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress and Richard Dysart.
Groundhog Day (1993) GOLD 9:00pm-11:00pm (2 hours)
An obnoxious TV weatherman reporting on a small town's annual festival finds himself caught in a bizarre time loop, and is forced to relive the same day over and over again. While at first he tries to exploit his predicament, he is ultimately driven to mend his ways and adopt a less cynical attitude. Comedy, starring Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott and Stephen Tobolowsky. ;)
Whatever youâre up to this weekend, remember to be kind, rewind and that a maybe is sometimes better than a no.
xoxo