The Weekly Retro Movie Rundown 219
Ghostly ghouls and pumpkin seeds! Another retro movie weekend so sooooooon!
Like the most wicked Witches in the land, we once again find ourselves stood before a boiling and bubbling cauldron brimming with the most retro of retro movies. Stirring with an evil grin which loops below our crooked pointy nose, we'll see glimpses of all the epic retro goings on this weekend, before scooping out a bowlful of our very own viewing awesomeness.
Have a happy retro weekend!
SATURDAY 29th OCTOBER
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The Wizard of Oz (1939) 5STAR 3:00pm-5:05pm
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.
Fun Fact: Many of The Wicked Witch of the West's scenes were either trimmed or deleted entirely, as Margaret Hamilton's performance was thought to be too frightening for audiences.
Casper (1995) Film4 2:50pm-4:55pm (2 hours 5 minutes)
A paranormal expert moves into a haunted house where his daughter befriends the amiable ghost of a young boy - but things start to go awry when three smelly spooks and two dastardly crooks try to chase the new residents away. Family comedy, starring Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, Eric Idle, Cathy Moriarty and featuring the voice of Malachi Pearson.
Mission: Impossible (1996) Film4 6:50pm-9:00pm (2 hours 10 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.
The Fourth Protocol (1987) London Live 8:00pm-10:30pm (2 hours 30 minutes)
A KGB agent is sent on a secret mission to Britain, where he is to await a series of couriers. An insubordinate British agent demoted to overseeing airports intercepts one of the couriers and finds he is carrying a part from a nuclear bomb, leading him to suspect a plot to blow up a nearby American military base. Cold War thriller, starring Michael Caine and Pierce Brosnan.
SUNDAY 30th OCTOBER
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High Spirits (1988) Channel 5 2:40pm-4:30pm (1 hour 50 minutes)
The penniless owner of an Irish castle tries to make a quick profit by pretending his property is haunted - but the appearance of real ghosts during the American tourist season throws his plans into disarray. Supernatural comedy, starring Peter O'Toole, Steve Guttenberg, Liam Neeson, Daryl Hannah and Beverly D'Angelo.
Addams Family Values (1993) Channel 4 3:50pm-5:40pm (1 hour 50 minutes)
Spooky couple Gomez and Morticia hire a nanny to look after their new baby son - and stop him suffering an early death at the hands of his jealous elder siblings. Romance soon blossoms between the new childminder and Uncle Fester, but he does not realise she is planning to kill him once she has got hold of the family fortune. Comedy sequel, starring Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Christina Ricci and Joan Cusack.
Titanic (1997) Film4 5:15pm-9:00pm (3 hours 45 minutes)
A party of explorers studying the sunken remains of the famous liner meets an elderly woman who was a passenger on the ill-fated maiden voyage. She recounts how she boarded the ship while on the brink of being forced into marriage by her family, and was stopped from killing herself by a penniless artist. She fell in love with her saviour, but the disaster on the horizon meant their time together was doomed to be short. James Cameron's Oscar-winning romantic drama, starring Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates and Bill Paxton.
Total Recall (1990) ITV4 12:00am-2:15am
A construction worker pays to have fake memories of a dream holiday implanted into his brain, but discovers his mind has already been tampered with - apparently to erase his true identity as a secret agent from a colony on Mars. He journeys to the planet in search of the truth, but is drawn into a conflict between the tyrannical ruler and a rebel faction. Paul Verhoeven's sci-fi thriller, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin and Michael Ironside.
Whatever you're up to this weekend, wrap up warm and remember to always put the knives in sharp side down.