Had they not been recently picked, three strong films would have been, two of them screening today (Crazy, Stupid Love, 8.55 am, Adventures of Tintin, 11 am HBO) and the other having two screenings in the coming week (Animal Kingdom, BEST FILM OF THE WEEK 7 pm Monday, again 9 pm Friday, HBO). Today's also-rans include the Clint Eastwood recreation of the Thailand tsunami that was mind-blowing until The Impossible came along (Hereafter, 2.15 pm HBO) and one of Peter Jackson's many great works (Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 8 pm HBOF and again Thursday at 5.40 pm). Like last week, two excellent films screen back-to-back, but on the old movies cable channel this week, allowing lavish indulgence in popcorn and nostalgia.
Today's best film:Lifeboat (Alfred Hitchcock/1944/USA/Thriller-War-Drama/97 mins/G) 1 pm Turner Classic Movies. Watch this if you liked 12 Angry Men, Dial M for Murder or Sleuth. A rare chance to see one of Hitch's great films–with a screenplay begun by Nobel prizewinner, John Steinbeck! Set almost entirely on a lifeboat adrift in the open ocean, it's claustrophobic and tense–but the real strength is the drama between the human beings trapped together. Not for the action junkies, though. Clearly, last Sunday night's Best Director Oscar winner, Ang Lee, studied this film closely before making Life of Pi.
In tandem with:Von Ryan's Express (Mark Robson/1965/USA/Adventure-War/117 mins/PG), 2.45 pm today, Turner Classic Movies. Watch this if you liked The Dirty Dozen, The Eagle Has Landed or The Great Escape. This Frank Sinatra POW escape flick begins in Bridge Over the River Kwai mode but soon accelerates into all-out The Great Escape adventure territory as the entire population of a WWII Italian war prisoner camp escape, stealing German uniforms and a whole train on the way. Splashes of humour lighten tension-filled scenes and even Sinatra is good. Far grittier than any La-La Land, pre-Watts Riots Hollywood movie could reasonably be expected to be, particularly in the last frames.
Rest of the week:Up (Pete Docter/2009/USA/Animation-Fantasy-Children-Family/96 mins/PG for some peril and action), 6.55 pm Friday, HBO Family. Watch this if you liked Finding Nemo, Zathura or the Toy Story films. Another Disney Pixar animated feature that can be thoroughly enjoyed by grownups, too. It might be stretching it to say that this tale of an elderly man, a former balloon salesman, whose wife dies and leaves him alone is life-changing, but it is heart-warming for sure. Set aside two bags of popcorn for the film and schedule a family hug for the credits.
Best of the rest: Mon: *Get Low 5.15 pm HBOC; Tues: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, 6.30 pm HBOF: Wed: The Eagle Has Landed, 4 pm TCM; Thurs: Big Fish 6.15 pm HBOC; Fri: Million Dollar Baby 6 pm MaxW; Sat: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 5.30 pm TCM.
*Starred films have been chosen before. Scheduled Internet times often vary on the day.