Your night in: Every movie on TV tonight rated or slated
There are just some movie scenes that must be seen to be believed, and a whole heap of them are on TV tonight. From one of the most infamous scenes in Hollywood history, to the best movie ending of the year, tonight’s movie line-up is a goldmine of movie magic.
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PAYBACK (MA15+)
***1/2
8.30PM 7MATE
A marked change of pace for Mel Gibson, playing a hand-to-mouth thief out for gun-to-the-head revenge. Just why this petty crim is up on his high horse is spelt out to us in flashback mode (and some terrific narration from Gibson, whose rich voice is one of his chief assets as a performer). After his junkie wife leaves him for dead in a cash grab gone wrong, Mel embarks on a crusade to level the score with the missus and he co-conspirators. Directed with panache and gritty authenticity by first-timer Brian Helgeland (who also penned the excellent screenplays for LA Confidential and Mystic River).
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL (M)
****
8.30PM, CH. 9
Even when it hits a flat spot, this franchise-rebooting fourth instalment is never less than good. And when it really picks up the pace, a genuinely great action movie bursts to the fore. At its very best, Ghost Protocol has a leanness and meanness at its core that transcends all earlier M: I efforts. A gritty, globetrotting adventure begins in the heart of Moscow, where veteran IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team (Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Jeremy Renner) are blamed for the destruction of the Kremlin. To clear their name, the trio must take on dangerous undercover assignments in Dubai (watch out for a standout scene on the world’s tallest building) and Mumbai. A fine effort, largely thanks to the inventive direction of Brad Bird (The Incredibles), and a starker tone more in keeping with Matt Damon’s Bourne series. Stunt work, special effects and combat choreography are all first-class, as is Cruise’s less-needier-than-usual performance.
AMERICAN PIE (M)
***
8.30PM GO!
It is all too easy to blame American Pie for lowering the bar for the slew of pathetic and tasteless teen comedies that sprung-up in its wake. Despite the many monsters it spawned, the tight writing and direction underpinning this very likeable ensemble chuckler nails every tacky joke and surreal sight gag with considerable aplomb. Apologies in advance if Jason Biggs’ now-infamous seduction of an unwitting pastry puts you off dessert for the rest of the month.
THUNDER ROAD (M)
***1/2
7.45pm WORLD MOVIES
Do not miss the start of this intermittently astounding comedy-drama. For it is all about the opening scene when it comes to Thunder Road. Filmed in one excruciating, exhilarating and exponentially gripping extended take, those first 12 incredible minutes herald the arrival of a fully-formed new filmmaking talent. The entire movie is the work of its lead actor, writer and director, Jim Cummings, and his assurance before and behind the cameras is there for all to see. Particularly in that incomparable opening sequence, in which a heartfelt funeral eulogy goes off the rails repeatedly. The speaker, a Texan policeman named Jim Arnaud (Cummings), intends to pay tribute to his late mother. By the end of his rollercoaster of a ramble, we have been taken on a full guided tour of Jim’s frazzled mind. And it ain’t pretty in there. The movie goes on to explore how Jim may have worked himself into this sad, sorry and sort-of funny state. Not all of what it finds makes sense, but when this deceptively insightful character study is on target, you won’t miss the point at all.
CHARLIE’S COUNTRY
****
9.35pm NITV
This stark, affecting drama is a passion project for longtime collaborators David Gulpilil and Rolf de Heer. During a troubled personal period for Gulpilil, the acclaimed director de Heer (The Tracker, Ten Canoes) persuaded the charismatic actor to channel his creative energies into a story worthy of filming. Gulpilil’s intense and intriguing response is a partially autobiographical yarn about an indigenous man facing a personal crisis relatively late in life. There is no point in trying to find the point where the real Gulpilil ends, and the character of Charlie begins. The actor keeps shifting it as he pleases, often astonishingly so (a feat which landed Gulpilil a landmark 2014 Best Actor win at the Cannes Film Festival).
Three movie picks for streaming or rental to get you through the evening …
THE FAREWELL (PG)
****1/2
AMAZON; or rent via GOOGLE PLAY, ITUNES, YOUTUBE MOVIES
This utterly beautiful movie is the embodiment of a small gem to be always treasured. You would not call it polished, but The Farewell never fails to catch the light. And oh, how it can sparkle when you least expect it. (If there has been a more perfect ending to a movie in the past year, I would be genuinely surprised.) Walking the thinnest imaginable tightrope between heart-lifting humour and heart-sinking poignancy, the movie tells a true story of an extended Chinese-American family who conspire not to tell their beloved matriarch – a beloved mother, grandmother and mentor to all – that she is soon to die from a terminal disease. Instead, the clan improvise a wedding from within their ranks, using the occasion to get together and say their last goodbyes by stealth. To sweet’n’bossy old Nai Nai (an amazing Zhao Shuzhen), this is the reunion she’d always wished for. To everyone else, this is the wake they never wanted. This exquisite experience is not depressing in the slightest. Conversely, you will leave in a state of hope and happiness most movies could never hope to inspire.
THE VOW
***
FOXTEL; or rent via GOOGLE PLAY, ITUNES, YOUTUBE MOVIES
This kooky romantic drama has a happy knack of wrong-footing viewers the right way, time and time again. Supposedly based on a true story, the premise pitches Rachel McAdams as a funky sculptor who contracts amnesia in a car accident, and no longer recognises hunky record-producer hubby Channing Tatum. While she reverts to a past life as a straightlaced law student, he frets and frowns upon how to rewrite a marriage that could already be history. There are some scenes where it is miraculous that Tatum and McAdams were able to remain upright, what with the huge nuggets of guilty-pleasure gold unceremoniously plonked in their way. Definitely one for both avid chick-flickers and the so-bad-it’s-good crowd.
BAD EDUCATION (MA15+)
****
New on BINGE
Based on a true story, this riveting drama – which can also assume the form of a black comedy when least expected – features what is close to a career-best performance from Australian star Hugh Jackman. While ol’ Hugh has always been fast to demonstrate his versatility as a performer, he doesn’t always give the impression he is pushing himself all that hard. Can’t be sayin’ that here though. Wow: Jackman hits it well and truly out of the park in the role of Frank Tassone, a popular school administrator who found himself at the eye of a storm of controversy in the early 2000s. A truckload of government funds went missing – we’re talking millions and millions of bucks here – and everyone seemingly looked the other way while the cash vanished. Well, everyone except the rookie teen journalist who exposed the scandal while penning a seeming puff piece for a school newspaper. Whatever you do, don’t look up details of this fascinating affair before you see the movie, as it is highly capable of getting you truly sucked in as a whodunnit (or is that who-took-it?).
Originally published as Your night in: Every movie on TV tonight rated or slated
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