Films of the week

Well here we go again wuth my pick of this week's films. For those of you not currently in the UK treat these as DVD recommendations if you like. Saturday night has three offerings. In descending order of merit we start with The Killing Fields. This was one of the first films I ever went to the cinema to see on my own. It is one of the most spiritually uplifting films I have ever seen but it is not an easy watch by any stretch of the imagination. That being said the ending is one of the most emotionally powerful scenes I have ever watched. Watch out for performances from John Malkovich who is as impressive as ever and the much maligned Julian Sands. The tragedy of this film is enhanced by the fact Haing S Ngor was killed in Los Angeles. From the sublime to the ridiculous now. Die Hard 2. Not nearly as good as its predecessor it is nevertheless a good couple of hours entertainment. Lastly we make the jump to ludicrous speed with Escape To Victory. This is The Great Escape meets Match of the Day. Whilst the appearance of Stallone as a goalkeeper is faintly ridiculous this film is a real cult hit.

Sunday is not exactly awash with films but there is one outstanding offering. Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is an outstanding film. As to how accurate a portrayal of the day to day reality of the life of the film icon it is I cannot say. As entertainment it is top rate. Jason Lee is compelling in the title role. Earlier on in the day is A Bridge Too Far which with its cast of thousands of the great and good. As great war films go it is not the best but it is worth a watch. Anthony Hopkins is as usual excellent. If you are looking for truly light entertainment then go for Carry On Dick. I am not a big fan of the Carry On films but this is one of the better ones. On Monday the only film of note is Local Hero. It is a great quirky film featuring one of the few Hollywood stars who can do quirky - Burt Lancaster.

Tuesday's two film offerings are Unbreakable and Kickboxer. Unbreakable is an offering from the man who brought you The Sixth Sense. This film is not unfortunately in that league (you don't see dead people everywhere). Bruce Willis meets Samuel L Jackson again. Willis cannot be harmed and is 'unbreakable' Jackson on the other hand is practically made of glass. Jackson is ultimately the bad guy and Willis a force for good. It is an intriguing watch. Kickboxer is one of the few Jean Claude Van Damme offerings that actually made it into the cinemas. As an action packed violence fest it is actually not bad at all. It does nothing to dispel the opinion that Van Damme couldn't act his way out of a paper bag but is nonetheless a diverting evening's entertainment.

Wednesday presents a number of alternatives. Heaven Can Wait is a remake of the 1940s film Here Comes Mr Jordan. It is widely acknowledged as being one of the best remakes in cinema history. Well worth a look. Steven Seagal gets a look in twice with two formulaic offerings in Belly of the Beast and The Foreigner. If you have seen any of his offerings you will pretty much know what happens in both of these. Lastly is the End of Days. Arnie gets all apocalyptic. He gets acted off screen by Gabriel Byrne as Satan.

Thursday brings Mission Impossible 2 and Murder By Decree. The first is the big budget sequel to Mission Impossible. It is not nearly as good as its predecessor but then few sequels ever are. For trivia fans the villain in this film is played by Dougray Scott. Had this film not overrun we would never have had Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in the X Men films. Murder By Decree is a Sherlock Holmes solves Jack the Ripper story. Christopher Plummer is OK as the great detective. Unfortunately this focuses on the version of the myth that says it was the Freemasons covering up for the Royal family. It is about as plausible as Patricia Cornwell's version of the myth.

Friday night is the pick of the week. The outstanding offering is The Shawshank Redemption. This is without doubt the best adaptation of a Stephen King work ever committed to screen. OK it takes a few liberties with the story but it still works. The performances particularly by the two leads are stellar. But the supporting cast is also outstanding in particular Bob Gunton and Clancy Brown. Also outstanding this week is The Jackal. It is a remake of The Day of the Jackal. OK it shifts everything to the US it introduces the world to Richard Gere's terrible Irish accent but it maintains the good bits of the original. It is cracking entertainment. Also check out Wargames and Chicken Run. This final film is Aardman does The Great Escape. It is fabulous family entertainment.