The first BC on TV week of 2013 seems lucky enough: films that didn't make today's cut include a kiddie flick that was on last Sunday's best family DVDs of the year list (The Smurfs, 5.05 pm HBOC) and another that might make a best family movie top ten list anytime (Toy Story 2, 1 pm HBOC). Additionally, several good films couldn't even make the best pick for the rest of the week (Calendar Girls, 6 pm MaxW and The Eagle Has Landed, 5.50 pm Monday TCM, Down in the Valley, 4 pm Tuesday MaxW, The King's Speech, 5.15 pm HBO & Winter's Bone, 11.10 pm Thursday Max).
Today's best film: The Seven Year Itch (Billy Wilder/ 1955/ USA/ Romantic Comedy/ 105 mins/ Unrated but probably G), 3.10 pm Turner Classic Movies. Watch this if you liked Some Like It Hot, Easy A or The Kids Are All Right. Marilyn Monroe's most famous film-it includes that shot of her skirt blowing up over the heating vent-succeeds because of excellent comic performances from her and male lead, Tom Ewell, flawless direction by one of the best and a sparkling script. Marilyn's confiding that, in hot weather, she keeps her undies in the icebox remains hot 58 years later.
Rest of the week:Tintin (The Adventures of) (Steven Spielberg/ 2011/ USA-New Zealand/ Action-Animated-Thriller/ 107 mins/ PG for adventure action violence, some drunkenness and brief smoking), 7 pm today and again 8 pm Wednesday HBO. Watch this if you liked Raiders of the Lost Ark, Super 8 or Toy Story. For anyone who's read the source comics, the movie brings The Secret of the Unicorn to big screen life in a way that will not disappoint-apart from the odd "enhancement". For those completely ignorant of the French Herge's young English reporter-adventurer, the special effects and the action will thrill. The animation, though different, is as pleasing and as distinctive as the book art.
Bruno (2009/ Larry Charles/ USA / Comedy / 81 mins/ R for pervasive strong and crude sexual content, graphic nudity and language), 9 pm Friday MaxW. Watch this if you liked Borat, Ali G Indahouse or The Onion Movie. If there is only one British genius working in Hollywood today, it's not Ricky Gervais, it's Sacha Baron Cohen. Like Ali G and Borat, two other over-the-top fictional characters created to underline how petty real modern prejudices are, Bruno, Cohen's camp homosexual fashion TV presenter, is at his best when he is most shocking. Highly offensive and even more hilarious.
Best of the rest:Mon: High Anxiety 10 pm TCM; Tues: The Social Network 8 pm HBO; Wed: Ironclad 9 pm HBOC; Thurs: The Silence of the Lambs 10 pm TCM; Fri: *Death at a Funeral 7.15 pm HBOC; Sat: *127 Hours 3.55 pm MCH.
*Starred films have been chosen before. Scheduled Internet times often vary on the day.
