Films on Freeview w/e 14th January 2011

Well Happy New Year to all my readers and apologies for not posting anything recently. I will explain my absence tomorrow all being well.

Over the next week on the Freeview channels there are a number of films of note to watch. For new readers these films are not necessarily the best in cinematic terms but are films I like and that I would recommend to anybody.

Today we have had a few films which on any given day would be my film of the day and even occasionally a film of the week. The day got under way with The Searchers starring John Wayne and directed by John Ford. Arguably this, or one of the Cavalry trilogy, should have been the film that Wayne won an Oscar for instead of True Grit which has just been remade and is due at cinemas imminently. Wayne plays against type to a degree and is not at all likeable as a character. As usual he has his reliable acting troupe around him. At around the same time there was Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country. This was one of the best of the movies and many argue that it was the best. It is worth a look in its own right. One slightly odd recommendation is Cronos by Guillermo Del Toro. It is a slightly odd 'vampire' movie and is worth a look.

Sunday brings The Princess Bride. This film is a work of genius and you should not trust any human being who says that they don't like this film. In the evening there is a plethora of films to choose from. You have The Long Kiss Goodnight with Geena Davis, Samuel L Jackson, Brian Cox to name but a few of the cast. This is a brilliantly comic action film. You have The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise, Billy Connolly and Ken Watanabe. This is a beautiful film and one of my favourites. There is also The Hunt For Red October with its all star cast. or my money this is thebest of the Jack Ryan movies and Alec Baldwin is a better Ryan than Harrison Ford for my money. One last recommendation is to avoid Aeonflux like the plague. Now I like pointless films and mindless violence but this is just utterly without redeeming features.

Throughout the week on ITV2 theya re showing the Bourne films one after another. They are all worthy of a look. Monday night sees Mars Attacks (ITV4) a gloriously anarchic film. The film was based on a set of cards and is brilliant and the all star cast just go for it. Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Rod Steiger the list goes on. A little later on there is Alien Nation (Film4) which is a quirky little film and which is generally underrated by most people.

On Tuesday is South Park Bigger Longer and Uncut. Much like the cartoon series this film is a bit hit and miss but for me the stand out bit is the musical number 'Bomb Canada'. Wednesday night brings possibly Arnold Schwarzenegger's finest film (OK I know that that isn't saying a lot) The Terminator. It is a film that stands out and which is still as effective as it was when it first came out.

Enjoy your films.