It's Christmas week

Well gentle reader we have reached Christmas week at last. Over the next few days I will be running a taxi service to meet the needs of my childrens social diaries. I have survived the office Christmas dinner and have been contemplating the week's film offerings.

Tonight is a veritable feast of entertainment if you love film with no less than 8 films worthy of attention. But before I get on to those I watched A History of Violence which I recommended as being worth a look a couple of weeks ago. On watching the film myself for the first time this week I have to confess to being a bit disappointed. It isn't that it's a bad film it is just not as good as everybody else seems to think it is. Also I was reading The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn which is to be made into a film. I couldn't really recommend it to anybody else as I lost interest in the story part way through.

All evening will see you battle with deciding what to watch and what to tape, always assuming that you have the option. At about seven o clock the choice comes between a quirky little Australian number and an American classic. The Dish (c4 7pm) is the story of how a small remote radio telescope played a part in the moon landings. Sam Neill is the 'star' of this piece but it is just a gentle film and more than worthy of note. However, it is up against The African Queen. This is one of those marvellous films which just transcends time. The two stars Bogart and Hepburn are just outstanding. The film White Hunter Black Heart is loosely based on the filming of this masterpiece.Look out for cameos from Richard Marner of Allo Allo fame, Walter Gotell (General Gogol in the Bond films) and Theodore Bikel (Rabbi Koslov in Babylon 5).

At about 9 o clock there are two more films. One I have never managed to see all the way through and the other is pure 80's class. A Knights Tale is the film that many would argue brought Heath Ledger to international notice (certainly to me). I hope to give this one a look. The other option is Gremlins. This is just a classic comedy, horror, christmas story. It does look a bit dated but the story is great. It is rated 15 and would probably be a 12 today but it is certainly not one for the kids.

The late shift features 4 films which clash with each other. Geronimo is a brilliant adaptation of the tale featuring Robert Duvall and Wes Studi. Again I have never managed to see this through to the end due to technical problems. MI2 whilst being a diverting film is not a patch on the first cinematic release. Fans of the X Men movies rejoice at the fact that Dougray Scott was delayed making this and so was unable to play Wolverine. V for Vendetta is something that I watched on DVD recently and although it is disowned by its creator Alan Moore is still worth a look and is certainly entertaining. Also Cliffhanger is on. Stallone is no great shakes as an actor, although he is much better than people give him credit for. This is one of his better offerings. He is acted off the screen by John Lithgow. In addition Janine Turner provides a welcome diversion.

Sunday brings us Finding Nemo which is OK if you like that kind of thing. The new version of King Kong which I haven't seen but which everybody says is not as good as the original with Fay Wray. Also there is Road House featuring Patrick Swayze and Sam Elliot.

Monday has Brothers Grimm which was slated but then Gilliam films frequently suffer this fate. I haven't seen it and so can't comment. There is also Pan's Labyrinth. Again I haven't actually managed to make it all the way through this film. Whilst being visually stunning which is undeniable I found the actual story slow and difficult and it wasn't because of the subtitles.

Tuesday brings us a sci-fi classic with 20000 leagues under the sea featuring Kirk Douglas and James Mason. This is well worth a look. There is wuirky comedy Overboard featuring Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. I caught this by accident once and found it to be mildly amusing. The film of the night though is Con Air. The cast in this film is just outstanding. Admittedly JOhn Malkovich steals the film, which he usually does, but Nick Cage, John Cusack, Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi and Colm Meaney all provide excellent entertainment. This is Hollywood blockbuster filmmaking of the highest order.

Early on Christmas morning we have a rare treat. Nothing says peace and good will to all men like a Chuck Norris fight fest. I will be keeping a look out for Good Guys Wear Black. In the afternoon there is Bill Murray at his laconic best in Scrooged. As an adaptation of A Christmas Carol it is extremely well done. However the best adaptation is the one by the Muppets and Michael Caine which was on last week.

Boxing Day brings Crocodile Dundee which is really starting to show its age but is still good fun. Pirates of the Caribbean 2 gets its terrestrial premiere. Also the surprise of the season is black comedy Death Becomes Her. The cast is terrific with marvellous performances from Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis and 'Muriel Strepsil'. Also Ingrid Bergman's daughter, Isabella Rossellini, features.

So seasons felicitations to all readers and family photos will make an appearance in the next couple of weeks.