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I did like the anecdote in the discussion about Nick Freand Jones being called up and berated by the producer of some Timewatch documentaries that aired just before Cox's introduction to The Parallax View in that "Kennedy Night"! No wonder they got so riled up when Cox talks about documentary crews thinking they are breaking new ground by interviewing those involved and then reporting the established line as gospel - even if he had not intended it to be a slight against the documentaries shown beforehand, the reaction of the Timewatch person probably revealed that at least they thought so!
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Lots of stuff next week. jlnight has mentioned the best stuff but there are a lot of big films too. On BBC1 at 2 p.m. on Saturday 26th is a bizarre oddity called Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile with Javier Bardem in a children's musical film(?!?!) - I may just stick to reptile monster films scripted by John Sayles though.

Everything clashes together on Saturday evening, with BBC1 showing Avengers: Infinity War for the first time at 8 p.m. (which is apparently going to be edited for violence. So hopefully they will give it a happy ending this time around?); that goes up against BBC2 doing a Whitney Houston night, the centrepiece being Kasi Lemmons's Houston biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody at 9 p.m.; and BBC4 has Aki Kaurismäki's Fallen Leaves at 9:45 p.m.

Another three-way clash occurs on Sunday 27th, as Ron Howard's Thailand cave rescue biopic Thirteen Lives shows at 10 p.m. on BBC2; whilst ITV1 shows Creed III at 10:15 p.m. (though that does get repeated at 10:45 p.m. on Friday 1st August); and then as jlnight has noted BBC4 has a rare repeat of the 1975 TV movie The Little Minister with a new ten minute introduction by Helen Mirren at 10:40 p.m.

The most interesting programme of the week is BBC4 showing the 90 minute NHK documentary Kamikaze: an Untold History at 9 p.m. on Monday 28th. In a similar vein on Wednesday 30th BBC4 is showing the first of a three part series "Japan's Master of Restoration" about antique restorer Koji Mayuyama at 9 p.m., just before the double bill of The War Game and Threads.

Film4's big premiere of the week is of Hirokazu Kore-eda's foray to South Korea for Broker at 11:25 p.m. on Wednesday 30th.
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Repeat-wise, the big thing is of course the first showing of Peter Watkins' nuclear war docu-drama The War Game since 1985, with a new introduction by Michael Aspel at 10 p.m.

In addition to Fallen Leaves, there are a lot of other Mubi-released films getting repeated on television, with Shiva Baby showing at 2:20 a.m. in the early hours of Wednesday 30th; and Polish film Sweat gets its first un-DOG-tagged screening also on Film4 at 1:40 a.m. in the early hours of Friday 1st.

Return of a Stranger (1961), Sat 2nd Aug, Talking Pictures.
The Comic (1969), Sat 2nd Aug, Talking Pictures. (last on Channel 4 in 1993) Or...
Cairo Conspiracy (Boy from Heaven), Sat 2nd Aug, BBC4.

The Walking Target, Sun 3rd Aug, Talking Pictures.
The Drum (1938), Sun 3rd Aug, Talking Pictures.

The Proud and Profane (1956), Tue 5th Aug, Talking Pictures.

The Bat (1959), late Fri 8th Aug, Rewind TV. (last on TPTV)


I attended the screening of The California Dolls, with Nick Jones introducing. I thought he was just going to do the intro then go home but no, he sat through the whole thing. Afterward at least one audience member approached him to sign their Moviedrome Guide, which he did. I spent a few hours in the BFI library beforehand - managed to find info that Electra Glide in Blue got about 3m viewers on its Moviedrome screening. That would have been about average for that timeslot wouldn't it?

Quieter next week. We are getting a few oddities though, with Egyptian film Cairo Conspiracy turning up on BBC4 at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday 2nd, and Kensuke's Kingdom showing on BBC1 at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday 3rd.

Also on the "Legend" digital channel at 9 p.m. on Thursday 7th there is the premiere of the Dolph Lundgren and Danny Trejo film Accelaration.
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Repeat-wise, the only thing that particularly caught my attention is a screening of The Great Caruso on BBC2 at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday 2nd.

Linda (1960), Sat 9th Aug, Talking Pictures.
The Odd Job (1978), Sat 9th Aug, Together TV. Or...
Autumn Leaves, Sat 9th Aug, Talking Pictures.

By the Dome It's Known (Southend Kursaal doc), Sun 10th Aug, Talking Pictures.
The Cure for Love (1949), Sun 10th Aug, Talking Pictures.
The Lineup (1958), Sun 10th Aug, Talking Pictures.
Jimmy's Hall, late Sun 10th Aug, Film4. (on before)

Reservoir Dogs, Tue 12th Aug, ITV4. (been on Freeview)

Shock (1946), late Wed 13th Aug, Rewind TV. Or...
Scarface (1983), late Wed 13th Aug, Film4. (on before, ex-Moviedrome)

Hidden Homicide, Thu 14th Aug, Talking Pictures.
Grand Hotel (1932), Thu 14th Aug, BBC4.
The Story of Esther Costello, Thu 14th Aug, Talking Pictures.


Managed to get around to watching One for the Road. The digital 'camcorder' look made it resemble an episode of Shameless. The best bit was Hywel Bennett's VHS dating tape for a prospective bride: "your journey to my heart begins from your country of origin (!) and ends here [walks down staircase of mansion], in the heart of England".

Great news about Grand Hotel. Has that shown on television since its last Channel 4 screening in September 1999? (Although I recorded it back on its 1996 Channel 4 screening where it showed in an unacknowledged John Barrymore season along with Rasputin and the Empress and Arsène Lupin).

I cannot find where it was mentioned now but I think it was also annouced that this upcoming screening of Grand Hotel is also going to air alongside a rarely shown vintage Garbo documentary too?

Relatively quiet next week. Apparently Creed III was postponed from premiering on ITV1 last week so is getting its first UK television screening at 10:15 p.m. on Sunday 10th instead, where at least this time around it is not clashing against two other things simultaneously! The only other premiere of the week is the Adam Driver sci-fi film 65 on Film4 at 9 p.m. on Monday 11th (which may be most culturally notable as the film that caused A.O. Scott to give up on film criticism as a profession in despair! Although I guess 65 just had the misfortune of being his final reviewed film rather than the cause of something that had been building for a while!)
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Other than that the big event of the week as jlnight has noted is Grand Hotel appearing on UK television for the first time since 1999, showing on BBC4 at 7 p.m. on Thursday 14th. That is followed by the even more rarely shown Garbo, by Joan Crawford documentary from 1969 (written by film critic Alexander Walker!) at 8:50 p.m.

BBC4's 'archive television' screening is notable too: Stephen Poliakoff's 1999 series Shooting The Past with all three episodes showing together from 10:15 p.m. on Wednesday 13th, preceded by a new 15 minute introduction by Poliakoff at 10 p.m. - as a frustrated never-to-be librarian/archivist but with all of the romantic notions of wanting to have been one, this is my favourite Poliakoff series, and I have romanticised about it a bit in other threads. So it is nice to see it air again, although I am curious as to whether they are also going to show those ten minute interstitial to-camera pieces by various characters or not - here's the one with Emilia Fox, and I think there was one by Billie Whitelaw's character too.

The Great Escape, Sat 16th Aug, Sky Arts.
The Odessa File, Sat 16th Aug, Talking Pictures. (last on Film4?) Or...
Hounds (2023), Sat 16th Aug, BBC4.

Song of Summer (BBC Omnibus 1968), Sun 17th Aug, BBC4.
Baby Ruby (2022), Sun 17th Aug, Channel 4.

The Little Princess (1939), Mon 18th Aug, Rewind TV.
Go Tell the Spartans, Mon 18th Aug, Great Action. Or...
Escape From New York, Mon 18th Aug, Legend. (been on Freeview, ex-Moviedrome)

Darkman, Fri 22nd Aug, Film4. (on before, ex-Moviedrome)

A couple of interesting things next week. jlnight has noted the two premieres of the week with BBC4's world cinema film being the Moroccan film Hounds showing at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday 16th, and Baby Ruby showing on Channel 4 at 11:55 p.m. on Sunday 17th.
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Repeat-wise jlnight has noted the repeat of the Ken Russell Omnibus film Delius: Song of Summer on BBC4 at 9:45 p.m. on Sunday 17th. That coincides with The Silence of the Lambs, which has always been shown on ITV from its television premiere in 1994 on, making its move to the BBC and showing on BBC2 at 10 p.m. on Sunday 17th.

Following Shooting The Past this Wednesday, BBC4 does the next Poliakoff series from 2001, Perfect Strangers which all three parts showing in a row from 10:15 p.m. on Wednesday 20th, preceeded by another new 15 minute introduction from Poliakoff at 10 p.m.

Shaft (1971), Sat 23rd Aug, BBC2. (on before, ex-Moviedrome)

The Fly (1958), Sun 24th Aug, Talking Pictures. (on before, ex-Moviedrome)
The Big Gundown, Sun 24th Aug, 5Action. Or...
Barquero, Sun 24th Aug, Great Action.
It's the Only Way to Go (short), Sun 24th Aug, Talking Pictures.
Adventures of a Plumber's Mate, Sun 24th Aug, Talking Pictures.

D.O.A. (1949), Tue 26th Aug, Talking Pictures. (on before, ex-Moviedrome)
Big Banana Feet, Tue 26th Aug, BBC4.

Seriously Red, Thu 28th Aug, Film4.

Mostly quiet next week. jlnight has noted the big premieres of the week with the unearthed Billy Connolly concert film Big Banana Feet appearing on BBC4 at 9 p.m. on Tuesday 26th as part of a night devoted to Connolly, with an airing of his 1994 Face To Face interview at 10:15 p.m. and both parts of the 2018 series Billy Connolly: Made In Scotland from 10:55 p.m.

The only film premiere is of Australian film Seriously Red on Film4 at 10:50 p.m. on Thursday 28th (with Rose Byrne as an Elvis impersonator?!?!?)

Although the most notable film-related thing turns up on the radio, with Radio 4 airing four thirty minute episodes at 7:15 p.m. from Monday 25 to Thursday 28th of "Hollywood and the Adland Five" in which "Christopher Frayling and Christopher Nolan tell the story of five filmmakers coming from advertising: Hugh Hudson, Adrian Lyne, Alan Parker and Tony and Ridley Scott". Since it will be radio-based it will probably be worth cross-referencing with the visuals of the adverts themselves, most of which can be found on the Bob the Fish episodes (including the 2001 monolith-style Benson & Hedges advert with its bombastic score, which I guess Nolan will really like!) - and here's a collection of Ridley Scott ads.
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Repeat-wise, the most notable thing is the BBC grabbing the Godfather trilogy off of Channel 4/Film4 and showing all three films across the week (BBC2 actually premiered The Godfather Part III back on Christmas 1994, but this will be the first time that channel will be showing the new "Coda" version, which only Channel 4/Film4 has shown until now). And Chariots of Fire is showing on BBC2 at 2:15 p.m. on Sunday 24th, which I presume is tying in with the above radio series (though it would perhaps have been more exciting to have shown the more rarely broadcast Greystoke film!)

Adventures of a Private Eye, Sat 30th Aug, Talking Pictures.

Assault on Precinct 13, late Tue 2nd Sep, Legend. (on before, ex-Moviedrome)

The Trial (1993 Screen Two), Wed 3rd Sep, BBC4.
Monday (2020), Wed 3rd Sep, Film4.

The Long Haul, late Thu 4th Sep, Talking Pictures. (on before) Or...
Chino (The Valdez Horses), late Thu 4th Sep, Rewind TV.

The Grand Duel, late Fri 5th Sep, Rewind TV. (last on London Live)



Escape from New York on Legend was inexplicably replaced by Hot Seat!

Lots of things next week. In terms of premieres Film4 is showing Monday on Wednesday(!) at 10:50 p.m. and Reality starring noted jean genie model Sydney Sweeny at 9 p.m. on Thursday 4th. BBC3 has a rare premiere, of The Inspection at 10 p.m. on Friday 5th, which unfortunately clashes against the first episode of the first new sketch series from Mitchell and Webb in fifteen years starting on Channel 4 at 10 p.m., Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helping. Which has been the first Channel 4 show (comedy or otherwise) to catch my interest since Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared back in October 2022! Will we get new sketches to reach the iconic status of their BBC series from the 2000s such as "Are we the bad guys?", "I'm looking for a gift for my aunt", "Angel Summoner & BMX Bandit", or the problems of who to invite to your soirees, or how to assassinate inconvenient Royals. The big question is: will we get more Numberwang lore? Or anything to rival Old Holmes, which was the previous capstone to their sketch shows?
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The most interesting things are in the repeats though, with jlnight having noted a 1993 version of The Trial starring Kyle MacLachlan and Jason Robards (plus David Thewlis pre-Naked and Anthony Hopkins) and adapted by Harold Pinter on BBC4 at 10 p.m. on Wednesday 3rd (unfortunately clashing with Monday)

There is also a Peter Sellers night on BBC4 on Tuesday 2nd, showing all three episodes together of the 1995 The Peter Sellers Story from 9 p.m.

Film-wise Misery transfers across to the BBC from its previous screenings on Channel 4, showing on BBC2 at 10 p.m. on Sunday 31st. And Peter Mullan's Orphans is showing on Film4 at 1:45 a.m. in the early hours of Tuesday 2nd.

First Man Into Space, Sat 6th Sep, Talking Pictures. (last on Legend)
Atomic Submarine, Sat 6th Sep, Talking Pictures. (last on London Live)
The First of the Few, Sat 6th Sep, Talking Pictures.

A Price Above Rubies, late Sun 7th Sep, Film4.
Witchfinder General, late Sun 7th Sep, Legend. (on before, ex-Moviedrome)

Ulzana's Raid, Mon 8th Sep, Legend. (on before, ex-Moviedrome)

Loving Feeling (1968), Tue 9th Sep, Together TV.

Dead of Night (1945), Thu 11th Sep, Film4. (on before, ex-Moviedrome)

Not too much of note at all next week. No premieres on the Freeview channels at all, which is the first time I remember seeing this happen in over thirty years of following the listings (though to be fair all of Channel 5's afternoon TV movies, which have been propping up the figures for the last decade or so, have been replaced by a series of five new 90 minute entries in "The Sunshine Murders" series, which have been classed as television programmes rather than films in the RadioTimes)
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So its entirely up to repeats (and Film4) next week. As jlnight notes there is a rare screening of the 1997 Renee Zellweger Hassidic film A Price Above Rubies on Film4 at 1:20 a.m. in the early hours of Monday 8th (which was kind of the more successful version of the 1992 Melanie Griffiths A Stranger Among Us, which itself was probably coming about from 1985's Witness), which has not been shown on UK television for over a decade or so.

The big film of the week is Film4 showing The Killing Fields at 9 p.m. on Tuesday 9th, which will be the first showing of the film since 2014.

Beyond that Film4 is mostly repeating stuff that previously aired on Channel 4 for the first time un-DOG-tagged, with the 2022 Memory film showing at 9 p.m. on Wednesday 10th (amusingly in a double bill followed by Memento) and the French film Rodeo showing at 1:30 a.m. in the early hours of Thursday 11th.

South of the Rio Grande (1945), Sat 13th Sep, Talking Pictures.
Fiend Without a Face, Sat 13th Sep, Talking Pictures. (been on Legend, ex-Moviedrome) Or...
The Doctors: 30 Years of Time Travel and Beyond (1995 doc), Sat 13th Sep, Rewind TV.
Biggles: Adventures in Time, Sat 13th Sep, Talking Pictures. (been on Freeview)
The Pope's Exorcist (2023), Sat 13th Sep, Channel 4.

St Martin's Lane, Sun 14th Sep, Talking Pictures.
Cream: Farewell Concert, Sun 14th Sep, Talking Pictures. Or...
Tar, Sun 14th Sep, BBC2.
Nothing Compares, late Sun 14th Sep, Sky Arts.

Twiggy (2024), Mon 15th Sep, BBC2. Or...
Black and White in Colour: Television, Memory, Race (both parts), Mon 15th Sep, BBC4.

Talk About Jacqueline, Wed 17th Sep, Talking Pictures.
The Firm (1989 BBC TVM + intro), Wed 17th Sep, BBC4. (last on London Live)

Autobiography of a Princess (1975), Fri 19th Sep, Talking Pictures.
The Lamp in Assassin Mews, Fri 19th Sep, Talking Pictures.

As jlnight has noted at least there are a few new films next week, and mostly spread out to avoid clashes as well. The Pope's Exorcist is on Channel 4 at 9 p.m. on Saturday 13th (A24-style nervy strings ahoy!), which appears to be kind of an outgrowth of both the 2010's era 'Devil Inside Me/Sinister/Last Exorcism/Conjuring' style of modern possession horror crossbred with that 2017 William Friedkin/Mark Kermode collaborative The Devil and Father Amorth 'documentary'.

On Sunday 14th at 10 p.m. BBC2 is showing Todd Field's Tár (which unfortunately clashes with a repeat of the Willem Dafoe narrated documentary River on BBC4 at 11:40 p.m.), and then on Monday 15th at 9 p.m. BBC2 is showing Sadie Frost's documentary about Twiggy (hopefully we will get lots of behind the scenes details of the 1986 Harold Ramis film she did with Robin Williams, Peter O'Toole, Rick Moranis and Jimmy Cliff(!), Club Paradise!)
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Repeat-wise, jlnight has noted the very rare screening on BBC4 of Alan Clarke's 1989 football hooligan film starring Gary Oldman The Firm at 10:20 p.m. on Wednesday 17th, preceded by a new 20 minute introduction by co-star Phil Davis at 10 p.m. (the BBC is also showing Bram Stoker's Dracula twice over the week too, presumably to do a Gary Oldman tie-in).

The great Wes Craven non-horror film Red Eye is on BBC1 at 10:40 p.m. on Tuesday 16th; and Film4 is showing Capernaum at 1:25 a.m. in the early hours of Monday 15th.

The Night of the Shooting Stars, Sat 20th Sep, Talking Pictures.

Cyberon (2000), Sun 21st Sep, Rewind TV. Or...
Carrie (1976), Sun 21st Sep, BBC2. (on before, ex-Moviedrome)

Night of the Big Heat, Tue 23rd Sep, Talking Pictures. (last on Legend)

Man Accused (1959), Wed 24th Sep, Talking Pictures.

Carlito's Way, Thu 25th Sep, Film4. (on before, ex-Moviedrome)

Quite a lot of interesting things next week. The big film is the sci-fi film The Creator showing on Channel 4 at 9 p.m. on Saturday 20th.

Rather annoyingly everything clashes together on the night of Wednesday 24th - BBC1 is showing the Jake Gyllenhaal starring and Doug Liman directed 2024 remake of Road House at 10:40 p.m., whilst over on Film4 at 11:05 p.m. is the premiere of How To Blow Up A Pipeline, which must mean that we are far enough away from that German pipeline being mysteriously destroyed to allow the film to be scheduled now! (Although maybe a film focused on Left wing violence might be a bit edgy right at this particular moment in time)
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Both of the premieres on Wednesday evening also have to compete against BBC4 pulling out a 1993 Screen Two film from their archives, the Jeanne Moreau(!), Julie Walters and Joan Plowright fim The Clothes in the Wardrobe at 10:15 p.m., preceded by a new fifteen minute introduction from director Waris Hussein at 10 p.m.

BBC4 is also doing a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the "Arena" documentary strand on the evening of Monday 22nd with an introduction from Anthony Wall at 10 p.m. followed by three documentaries: 1979's My Way (about the various versions and performances of the Paul Anka Song), 2012's The Dreams of William Golding, and 1997's The Banana which "looks at the cultural significance of the fruit, including John Cale telling the story of the Velvet Underground's debut album sleeve"!

Also Matthew Harris and his Bob the Fish Productions channel have drawn my attention to next Monday being the 70th anniversary of the commercial ITV channels beginning broadcasting in the UK in 1955. Apparently Harris is going to be getting a video piece about the various terrifying franchise rounds that the various ITV regions went through out next week, which should be worth looking out for (and his "ITV In The Face" series tracking the trials and tribulations of each of the various regional franchises within the ITV network through their changing idents is a great watch and potted history of a bygone era of regional television), but ITV themselves are marking the anniversary with a programme which annoyingly is not on the actual anniversary itself on Monday 22nd but inevitably on the evening of Wednesday 24th, therefore clashing against everything else that night with ITV News at 70: The Stories That Shaped Our Nation at 10:45 p.m.

Hand in Glove (1955 short), Sat 27th Sep, Talking Pictures.
The Hound of the Baskervilles (2002 TVM), Sat 27th Sep, Talking Pictures. Or...
Evil Does Not Exist, Sat 27th Sep, BBC4.

American Fiction, Sun 28th Sep, BBC2.

Joyland (2022), late Mon 29th Sep, Film4. Or...

Holding Liat, Tue 30th Sep, BBC4. Or...
Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream, Tue 30th Sep, Sky Arts.
Berlin (2023), late Tue 30th Sep, Channel 4.

Brothers in Trouble (Screen Two), Wed 1st Oct, BBC4.

The Field (2018 short) + I for India, late Thu 2nd Oct, Channel 4.

Rye Lane, Fri 3rd Oct, BBC2.
Slow West, late Fri 3rd Oct, Film4.

Lots of esoteric things next week. The big premiere of the week is of Ryusuke Hamaguchi's drama Evil Does Not Exist on BBC4 at 10 p.m. on Saturday 27th.

I had wondered when the annual Indian (now "South Asian") film season would be on Channel 4, and it starts off with Joyland on Film4 at 12:35 a.m. in the early hours of Tuesday 30th, which is a Pakistani film about a man tempted to commit adultery on his wife with the transexual performer that he works as a backing dancer for(!). That is followed by Indian film Berlin on Channel 4 at 2 a.m. in the early hours of Wednesday 1st. The short film The Field shows on Channel 4 at 2:15 a.m. in the early hours of Friday 3rd, followed by a repeat of 2005 documentary I For India at 2:30 a.m.

The other strand are "Black" oriented films, with American Fiction on BBC2 at 10 p.m. on Sunday 28th (which looks like it could be the modern day Bamboozled!). The feature directing debut of actress Sanaa Lathan On The Come Up is on Film4 at 11:40 p.m. on Tuesday 30th. And BFI/BBC co-production Rye Lane is on BBC2 at 9 p.m. on Friday 3rd (which unfortunately clashes against the latest Alan Partridge series on BBC1 at 9 p.m. and the continuing Mitchell and Webb series on Channel 4 at the same time)

BBC4's Storyville documentary series continues with Israeli film Holding Liat at 10 p.m. on Tuesday 30th.

There are also five new TV movie premieres during the weekday afternoons on Channel 5, including a new David DeCoteau joint, 2024's Million Dollar Lethal Listing. I have seen this already however as it has been tackled by Jay Harangue's channel, which is probably more entertaining than watching the entire thing! Sadly Million Dollar Lethal Listing does not have Vivica A. Fox in the cast, which means it does not have an alternative "The Wrong..." title and Fox intoning "Looks like you hired the wrong real estate person!" sassily at the end, athough the final wrap up scene does take place in the same distinctive office location that bookends DeCoteau's The Wrong Life Coach! Is knowing that bit of trivia a sign of having watched too many of these films? Both films star the same lead actress too!

(EDIT: Stop the presses! There is a new film The Wrong Obsession made this year with both Fox and Morgan Bradley in it from this year! Fingers crossed that Jay Harangue gets to that one at some point!)

Also now that E4's Adult Swim block in the early hours of Friday mornings has ploughed through all of episodes of the Mike Tyson Mysteries series, the new Robot Chicken series is starting at 1:45 a.m. on Friday 3rd.

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Repeat-wise, The Old Man & The Gun is showing on Film4 at 7:10 p.m. on Tuesday 30th as a quick tribute to Robert Redford. The Sound of Music is showing on BBC2 at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday 28th and on BBC4 at 7 p.m. on Thursday 2nd to tie in with Julie Andrews turning 90. Also on BBC4 on Thursday 2nd is a "This Cultural Life" half hour interview with Gillian Anderson at 10:30 p.m. followed by Viceroy's House at 11 p.m.

BBC4 is also showing both parts of the 1982 Arena documentary The Orson Welles Story at 10 p.m. on Monday 29th. And on the Wednesday evening 'archive night' there is a screening of the 1995 film Brothers in Trouble at 10:15 p.m., preceeded by a new 15 minute introduction from actor Bhasker Patel at 10 p.m. I don't think that has shown on television in decades, maybe not repeated since its BBC2 premiere back on 21st June 1997! That's directed by Udayan Prasad just before his much better known (and more regularly shown on UK television) 1997 adaptation of a Hanif Kureishi story My Son The Fanatic.

Dune (2021), Sat 4th Oct, ITV1. Or...
Rosalie (2023), Sat 4th Oct, BBC4. Or...
The Lost World (2001 TVM, part one), Sat 4th Oct, Talking Pictures. Or...
Girls Come First (1975 short), Sat 4th Oct, Together TV.
Angel (1984), Sat 4th Oct, Talking Pictures.

Adventures of a Taxi Driver, Sun 5th Oct, Talking Pictures.

The Painted Smile, Mon 6th Oct, Talking Pictures.
Io Capitano, Mon 6th Oct, Film4.

The Librarians (2025), Tue 7th Oct, BBC4. Or...
She Played with Fire (Fortune is a Woman), Tue 7th Oct, Talking Pictures. (on before)
Saba (2024), late Tue 7th Oct, Channel 4.

A Woman's Temptation, Wed 8th Oct, Talking Pictures.
The Case of the Frightened Lady (1983 BBC TVM), Wed 8th Oct, Talking Pictures.

In Flames (2024), late Thu 9th Oct, Channel 4. Or...
Once Before I Die (1966), late Thu 9th Oct, Rewind TV.

That's Your Funeral, Fri 10th Oct, That's TV.

American Fiction was really interesting. While it kind of does what A Man Called Otto did a few months back by throwing in every possible current zeitgeist issue into the mix in quite a contrived way, the difference is that A Man Called Otto felt deadly earnest, whilst this feels darkly satiricial. Whilst a couple of films came to mind - The Player for the industry satire aspect (love the multiple ending(s) to the story, which is something I have not seen done since Clue!), and that this is kind of the ultimate barbed response to the acclaim for something like Precious (Base on Nol By Saf) (Based on the novel "Precious" By Sapphire) - instead of Bamboozled this felt much more in the tradition of something like the adaptation of John Irving's The World According To Garp, just with radical feminism swapped out for race as the 'big issue' that is buffeting the main character around and which is getting tackled with refreshing irreverence mixed with boldness. It even has the dark aspects of family tragedies; thwarted ambition when individual talent is stymied by not being the flavour of the moment; an overbearing mother figure; and even the potential salvationary romance that sort of curdles due to the main character being unable to prevent themselves from falling into bitter cynical despair at the world.

The best joke is of course the one that comes at the climax to the run of discussions around judging the book of the year, especially when Thelonius' 'gangsta novel' inevitably gets added to the roster as a late addition.

Spoiler

With the five judges being rather split on the book, as the three white judges get amusingly enamoured by the 'gritty urban-ness' of it all, whilst Thelonious and the other black judge, Sintara (who had just been the toast of the town for her own 'done in the language of the ghetto' book, much to Thelonious's displeasure, and was the catalyst for his response novel) get outvoted three to two, and we end with the white female judge dreamily saying:

"I think the time has come to listen to Black voices"

in support of the book, whilst ignoring the concerns of both the guy who wrote it as a scathing indictment of what is expected of 'Black' authors, who sits aghast that its been taken at face value; and Sintara who as the OG 'true believer' herself is also going through a bit of a dawning existential crisis in coming to see a kind of even cruder copycat of her own naive but likely earnestly held style now getting all of the acclaim instead, her own 'sell out and populist' work quickly passed over for the Next Big Thing.

Lots of wacky (and exhausting, or at least patience testing to watch!) things next week, including the first Christmas themed TV movie premiere on Channel 5, of Take Me Back For Christmas at 12:20 p.m. on Saturday 4th October!!!! Luckily they return back to premieres of drama-thrillers like "A Pie To Die For" and "One Bad Apple?" throughout the rest of the week, including another premiere of a TV movie that Jay Harangue has already riffed on, the 'chained up and forced to become an Amish wife' film Stalked By My Amish Boyfriend, which is hidden away under the alternate title "Forever Mine?", showing at 2:15 p.m. on Thursday 9th. Let's see how much of that remains unedited in its afternoon timeslot!

Lots of things on Saturday 4th overall. ITV1 has two premieres, first at 7:50 a.m. with the animation Ozi: Voice of the Forest (with the voices of Laura Dern and Donald Sutherland, and it is apparently a Leonardo DiCaprio produced film, so its probably going to be a heavy-handed ecological take on Madagascar) and the big film of the week with the premiere of Dune: Part One at 9:15 p.m.

Because Dune: Part One runs for three hours with ads, that clashes against everything else going on at the same time: BBC1 is showing the first two episodes of the first series of Twisted Metal, based on the videogame, from 11:55 p.m; BBC2 is showing Nashville-country music-race documentary Rebel Country at 11:40 p.m.; and BBC4's 'world cinema' entry, the hairy lady French film Rosalie at 9 p.m

Matteo Garrone's Senegal-set film paen to migration Io Capitano is Film4's one premiere of the week, at 11:35 p.m. on Monday 6th. Activist documentary The Librarians is BBC4's Storyville documentary showing at 10 p.m. on Tuesday 7th.

Channel 4's South Asian film season continues with Bangladeshi drama Saba at 2:45 a.m. in the early hours of Wednesday 8th and Pakistani horror film In Flames at 2 a.m. in the early hours of Friday 10th
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In terms of repeats, BBC4's 'archive television' strand is showing the 1988 Screen Two drama "Sweet As You Are", starring Liam Neeson and Miranda Richardson at 10:15 p.m. on Wednesday 8th, preceded by a new 15 minute introduction from the writer William Nicholson at 10 p.m., and there is a tribute to Robert Redford on BBC4 on the evening of Thursday 9th from 8 p.m., which inevitably is going to be Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All The President's Men.

Plus after repeating Joker last weekend, Batman Begins turns up on ITV1 at 10:50 p.m. on Thursday 9th, so presumably they'll be showing the rest of the Nolan trilogy again in the coming weeks.

Also a few interesting films on the "Legend Xtra" channel with the unfortunately titled in retrospect Mickey Rourke film Johnny Handsome at 11:15 p.m. on Sunday 5th (that's the film I'm most looking forward to of the week though), and Richard Kelly's last directed film to date, 2009's The Box, which riffs on a small Twilight Zone moral fable and explodes it out so much that it eventually encompasses meditations on existentialism, disability and fate; as well as NASA and alien conspiracies; on top of being a 1970s paranoia thriller period piece - so bonkers its worth watching at least once (and with probably Cameron Diaz's best performance) that's on at 9 p.m. on Wednesday 8th.

The Shop at Sly Corner, Sat 11th Oct, Talking Pictures. (last on London Live)
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Sat 11th Oct, Channel 4. Or...
The Lost World (2001 TVM, part two), Sat 11th Oct, Talking Pictures. Or...
I'm Not Feeling Myself Tonight, Sat 11th Oct, Together TV.
Auntie Lee's Meat Pies, late Sat 11th Oct, Talking Pictures.

Skyfire (2019), Sun 12th Oct, Together TV.

The Lost Films of the Kursaal, Mon 13th Oct, Talking Pictures.
A Taste of Money (1960), Mon 13th Oct, Talking Pictures.
Ayena, late Mon 13th Oct, Channel 4.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Wed 15th Oct, ITV4. (on before, ex-Moviedrome)
Minimum (2024), late Wed 15th Oct, Channel 4.



Girls Come First was a no-show. (EDIT: this did appear on the Monday night and was awful! It did feature an early 80s pop star who perhaps would rather remain nameless).

Next week is the meta-Nicolas Cage film The Unberable Weight of Massive Talent on Channel 4 at 9 p.m. on Saturday 11th, which is up against the first two episodes (of four total) of French 'nanny from hell' thiller series The Intruder on BBC4 also at 9 p.m. Horror film The Boogeyman (dark 'n' moody take on an old song ahoy!) is on BBC1 at 11:45 p.m. on Wednesday 15th.

Channel 5 has two more Christmas movies on Saturday 11th October with Take A Chance At Christmas and A Merry Royal Christmas.

Channel 4's South Asian film season continues with Indian acid attack documentary Ayena at 3:15 a.m. in the early hours of Tuesday 14th. The curio of the week is the 2024 Belgian-Indian co-production(!) Minimum showing at 2 a.m. in the early hours of Thursday 16th, which stars Naseeruddin Shah and appears to have only had one cinema release so far, in the 2024 "UK South Asian Film Festival", and has no BBFC rating (or trailer!) either. The write up in the RadioTimes for this is: "Fauzia moves to Belgium for a transactional marriage with Ali, but is imprisoned by her mother-in-law. As her life crumbes, hope arrives in the form of her French tutor."

BBC4's Storyville documentary strand continues with Mr Nobody Against Putin at 10 p.m. on Tuesdsay 14th.
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Repeat-wise, not too much, although the Legend Xtra channel is showing Sidney Lumet's Q&A at 11:40 p.m. on Friday 17th.

And despite Channel 5 bringing out the baubles, the rest of the schedules are gearing up for Halloween. In addition to the premiere of The Boogeyman the BBC is showing a repeat of the two Escape Room films together in one block on BBC3 from 10 p.m. on Friday 17th; The Blair Witch Project is on BBC1 at 12:35 a.m. in the early hours of Saturday 18th; and Film4 is showing a double bill of The Black Phone and Berberian Sound Studio from 11:20 p.m., also on Friday 17th (the same day that Black Phone 2 comes out in the cinemas in the UK).

The big 'archive television' programme of the week is BBC4 showing "Angela Lansbury at the NFT", a 1973 interview of the actress with Rex Reed, at 8:45 p.m. on Thursday 16th.