Monday 18th February


Film4 Listings for Monday 18th February



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11:00
Sabrina (Film)
Witty and sophisticated romantic comedy starring Audrey Hepburn as a Long Island chauffeur's daughter who is romantically pursued by two wealthy sons of an upper-crust family, business tycoon Humphrey Bogart and William Holden. With Walter Hampden and John Williams. Directed by Billy Wilder and written by Wilder, Samuel Taylor and Ernest Lehman, and based on Taylor's play Sabrina Fair.
Director: Billy Wilder
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, William Holden, Walter Hampden, John Williams, Martha Hyer
(Black and White, Subtitles, Audio Described, 1954, U, 4 Star)


13:15
The Anderson Tapes (Film)
Sidney Lumet's thriller stars Sean Connery as a master burglar who moves into Dyan Cannon's plush apartment block planning to rob the residents but not realising that, by chance, all his plans are being recorded and observed by a range of planted devices. Also starring Christopher Walken. Edited for content.
Director: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Sean Connery, Dyan Cannon, Martin Balsam, Ralph Meeker, Alan King, Christopher Walken
(Subtitles, 1971, 15, 3 Star)


15:15
Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (Film)
Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt return as Tom and Kate Baker, parents to 12 kids, in Adam Shankman's sequel to the comedy hit. The children are now older, and getting ready to leave home, so Tom arranges a final family holiday in rural Wisconsin. Unfortunately, Tom's rival Jimmy Murtaugh, his trophy wife Sarina and their eight offspring are also at the campsite. While the two men try to outdo each other, the two sets of kids become frie$$$, with Sarah Baker and Eliot Murtaugh touching as the two teenagers experiencing first love.
Director: Adam Shankman
Starring: Steve Martin, Eugene Levy, Bonnie Hunt, Tom Welling, Piper Perabo, Carmen Electra
(Widescreen, 2005, PG, 3 Star)


18:55
America's Sweethearts (Film)
Studio publicist Billy Crystal has a problem or two. The latest film he's promoting stars Catherine Zeta-Jones and John Cusack, happily together and loved by America until they split due to her $$$$$ery. Meanwhile, director Christopher Walken has spent the $86m budget but won't let anyone see the finished product and the press screening is imminent... Complicating matters is Julia Roberts, Zeta-Jones sister and PA, who pines after Cusack.
Director: Joe Roth
Starring: Julia Roberts, Billy Crystal, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Cusack, Hank Azaria, Stanley Tucci
(Edited for Language, 2001, 12, 3 Star)


21:00
My Sister's Keeper (Film)
Writer and director Nick Cassavetes' drama, based on the best-selling novel by Jodi Picoult, raises interesting ethical and legal questions. Eleven-year-old Anna Fitzgerald and her family tell, in flashbacks, the story of her older sister Kate's diagnosis of leukaemia and her mother Sara's and father Brian's decision to conceive a genetically engineered daughter for the express purpose of donating body parts to Kate. When Kate desperately needs a kidney, Anna decides that she doesn't want to donate hers and goes to the lengths of hiring a lawyer, Campbell Alexander, in her quest for medical emancipation from her family. Anna's decision se$$$ shock waves through the family, with angry Sara eventually taking their fight to court.
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Starring: Abigail Breslin, Walter Raney, Sofia Vassilieva, Cameron Diaz, Heather Wahlquist, Jason Patric
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2009, 12, 4 Star)




23:10
Once upon a Time in America (Film)
Sergio Leone's epic tale of New York gangsters stars Robert De Niro as David 'Noodles' Aaronson, a gangster returning to Brooklyn after 30 years in exile for betraying his frie$$$. While he waits to find out who has invited him back and why, the film reveals, in flashback, the story of his rise from street urchin to violent criminal alongside his childhood friend Max Bercovicz.
Director: Sergio Leone
Starring: Robert de Niro, James A. Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams, Tuesday Weld, Joe Pesci
(Subtitles, 1984, 18, 4 Star)

Monday 18th  February


Film4 Listings for Monday 18th February



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11:00
Sabrina (Film)
Witty and sophisticated romantic comedy starring Audrey Hepburn as a Long Island chauffeur's daughter who is romantically pursued by two wealthy sons of an upper-crust family, business tycoon Humphrey Bogart and William Holden. With Walter Hampden and John Williams. Directed by Billy Wilder and written by Wilder, Samuel Taylor and Ernest Lehman, and based on Taylor's play Sabrina Fair.
Director: Billy Wilder
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, William Holden, Walter Hampden, John Williams, Martha Hyer
(Black and White, Subtitles, Audio Described, 1954, U, 4 Star)


13:15
The Anderson Tapes (Film)
Sidney Lumet's thriller stars Sean Connery as a master burglar who moves into Dyan Cannon's plush apartment block planning to rob the residents but not realising that, by chance, all his plans are being recorded and observed by a range of planted devices. Also starring Christopher Walken. Edited for content.
Director: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Sean Connery, Dyan Cannon, Martin Balsam, Ralph Meeker, Alan King, Christopher Walken
(Subtitles, 1971, 15, 3 Star)


15:15
Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (Film)
Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt return as Tom and Kate Baker, parents to 12 kids, in Adam Shankman's sequel to the comedy hit. The children are now older, and getting ready to leave home, so Tom arranges a final family holiday in rural Wisconsin. Unfortunately, Tom's rival Jimmy Murtaugh, his trophy wife Sarina and their eight offspring are also at the campsite. While the two men try to outdo each other, the two sets of kids become frie$$$, with Sarah Baker and Eliot Murtaugh touching as the two teenagers experiencing first love.
Director: Adam Shankman
Starring: Steve Martin, Eugene Levy, Bonnie Hunt, Tom Welling, Piper Perabo, Carmen Electra
(Widescreen, 2005, PG, 3 Star)


18:55
America's Sweethearts (Film)
Studio publicist Billy Crystal has a problem or two. The latest film he's promoting stars Catherine Zeta-Jones and John Cusack, happily together and loved by America until they split due to her $$$$$ery. Meanwhile, director Christopher Walken has spent the $86m budget but won't let anyone see the finished product and the press screening is imminent... Complicating matters is Julia Roberts, Zeta-Jones sister and PA, who pines after Cusack.
Director: Joe Roth
Starring: Julia Roberts, Billy Crystal, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Cusack, Hank Azaria, Stanley Tucci
(Edited for Language, 2001, 12, 3 Star)


21:00
My Sister's Keeper (Film)
Writer and director Nick Cassavetes' drama, based on the best-selling novel by Jodi Picoult, raises interesting ethical and legal questions. Eleven-year-old Anna Fitzgerald and her family tell, in flashbacks, the story of her older sister Kate's diagnosis of leukaemia and her mother Sara's and father Brian's decision to conceive a genetically engineered daughter for the express purpose of donating body parts to Kate. When Kate desperately needs a kidney, Anna decides that she doesn't want to donate hers and goes to the lengths of hiring a lawyer, Campbell Alexander, in her quest for medical emancipation from her family. Anna's decision se$$$ shock waves through the family, with angry Sara eventually taking their fight to court.
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Starring: Abigail Breslin, Walter Raney, Sofia Vassilieva, Cameron Diaz, Heather Wahlquist, Jason Patric
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2009, 12, 4 Star)




23:10
Once upon a Time in America (Film)
Sergio Leone's epic tale of New York gangsters stars Robert De Niro as David 'Noodles' Aaronson, a gangster returning to Brooklyn after 30 years in exile for betraying his frie$$$. While he waits to find out who has invited him back and why, the film reveals, in flashback, the story of his rise from street urchin to violent criminal alongside his childhood friend Max Bercovicz.
Director: Sergio Leone
Starring: Robert de Niro, James A. Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams, Tuesday Weld, Joe Pesci
(Subtitles, 1984, 18, 4 Star)

Wednesday 20th February


Film4 Listings for Wednesday 20th February


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11:00
Brief Encounter (Film)
One of the timeless classics of British cinema, David Lean's Oscar-nominated, heart-breaking romantic drama stars Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard as Laura Jesson and Dr Alec Harvey, two married people whose chance meeting in a railway station's caf? sees them tempted to commit $$$$$ery. But will their marriages prove more important than fleeting happiness?
Director: David Lean
Starring: Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, Joyce Carey, Cyril Raymond, Everley Gregg
(Black and White, Subtitles, Audio Described, 1945, PG, 5 Star)


12:45
Donovan's Reef (Film)
John Ford directs John Wayne in this romantic comedy; their last film together. Wayne plays Michael Donovan who, with his ex-Navy pals Thomas Gilhooley and William Dedham, has ended up on a South Pacific island after the war. Trouble threatens their paradise when Dedham's estranged daughter Amelia arrives with news that he's heir to the family's shipping company; but he could lose the inheritance to her if he's seen to be living in an 'immoral' way. As Dedham is away, Donovan convinces her that he's responsible for Dedham's children and, while he maintains the subterfuge, the beauty of the island and its way of life get under Amelia's skin, as do Donovan's romantic overtures.
Director: John Ford
Starring: John Wayne, Lee Marvin, Elizabeth Allen, Jack Warden
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1963, U, 3 Star)


14:55
To be Announced (Film)
More information will be available closer to broadcast.
(PG)


17:00
Inkheart (Film)
Iain Softley's CGI fantasy adventure about a man with an extraordinary talent - and the consequences of his using it - stars Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany and Andy Serkis. Mo Folchart is a 'silvertongue' - someone who possesses the ability to summon forth characters from the pages of novels and bring them into physical being in the real world. But it's a gift he does his best to hide from the rest of us, because there's a terrible price to be paid: each time a fictional character is brought to life, the vacuum created within the written work must be filled by a real-life person. And this is how his wife Resa came to vanish, after he manifested three ne'er-do-wells from a story.
Director: Iain Softley
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Sienna Guillory, Eliza Bennett, Richard Strange, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren
(Premiere, Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2008, PG, 3 Star)


19:05
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Film)
Woody Allen's Spanish-set romantic comedy stars Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz. Christopher Evan Welch narrates the exploits of two American frie$$$, Vicky and Cristina, who are spending the summer in Barcelona. Vicky is engaged to Doug, who's back in the States, while Cristina is most definitely single, and adventurous. At an art exhibition, they meet Juan Antonio Gonzalo, artist and lothario, who takes a shine to both women, and invites them back to his hometown Oviedo, hoping to be more than just their tour guide. Vicky's initial unease at the jaunt is overruled by Cristina, and the visit sparks a complex romantic entanglement. But the fireworks are truly lit when Gonzalo's unstable wife Maria Elena arrives on the scene... Edited for content.
Director: Woody Allen
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Christopher Evan Welch, Chris Messina
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2008, 12, 4 Star)




21:00
Wolf (Film)
Director Mike Nichols' satirical updating of the werewolf legend. Jack Nicholson stars as the humble editor bitten by a wolf-creature, who then becomes a corporate predator, taking on slimy Stewart Swinton and power-hungry Raymond Alden, while romancing the fiery Laura Alden.
Director: Mike Nichols
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader, Kate Nelligan, Richard Jenkins
(Premiere, Subtitles, 1994, 15, 3 Star)


23:30
Aeon Flux (Film)
Karyn Kusama's sci-fi thriller is set in the 25th century, when, following the outbreak of a killer virus, the remnants of humanity live in the city of Bregna, ruled by Trevor Goodchild. But his draconian rule is threatened by a bunch of rebels led by Handler, who orders Aeon Flux to kill Goodchild. Aeon also has a personal reason to murder him, since he ordered the death of her sister Una. But when she breaks into his inner sanctum, she discovers awful truths about their joint pasts and why the population of the city is so stable and healthy.
Director: Karyn Kusama
Starring: Charlize Theron, Marton Csokas, Jonny Lee Miller, Sophie Okonedo, Frances McDormand, Pete Postlethwaite
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2005, 15, 3 Star)


01:15
The Passion of the Christ (Film)
Betrayal, torture, abandonment and crucifixion: Focussing on the last twelve hours of Jesus of Nazareth's life, this powerful and graphic account begins in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus has gone to pray after sitting the Last Supper and concludes with his trial and condemnation to death.
Director: Mel Gibson
Starring: James Caviezel, Maia Morgenstern, Hristo Jivkov, Francesco de Vito, Monica Bellucci, Mattia Sbragia, Toni Bertorelli, Luca Lionello, Hristo Shopov
(In Aramaic and Latin with English Subtitles, Widescreen, 2004, 18, 4 Star)

Friday 22nd February


Film4 Listings for Friday 22nd February




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11:00
Carry on Up the Khyber (Film)
Classic Carry On fun from stalwart director Gerald Thomas, featuring the core team of regulars. Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond is in charge of the motley kilted crew of the Third Foot and Mouth regiment at a British outpost in the Khyber Pass. The Khasi of Kalabar has other ideas and wants the 'British devils' dead, but his troops fear what they may or may not have under their 'skirts'. But when one of the regiment is seen wearing underpants the fate of the British in India is at stake.
Director: Gerald Thomas
Starring: Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Roy Castle, Joan Sims, Bernard Bresslaw
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 1969, PG, 3 Star)


12:45
The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (Film)
When his bride-to-be is shrunk by an evil magician, Sinbad has no choice but to head for the island of Colossa, where he must overcome a series of daunting adversaries and obstacles in a bid to retrieve both Aladdin's lamp and the piece of giant roc eggshell that will restore his fiancé to normal size. Directed by Nathan Juran, with special effects by Ray Harryhausen.
Director: Nathan Juran
Starring: Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Richard Eyer, Torin Thatcher, Alec Mango, Danny Green
(Subtitles, 1958, U, 4 Star)


14:30
Clash of the Titans (Film)
Desmond Davis's fantasy adventure, featuring the legendary stop-motion special effects of Ray Harryhausen. In Greece's mythical past, Perseus sets out on his quest to save the beautiful Andromeda from a sticky end at the tentacles of the fearsome sea monster the Kraken. But Perseus also has to deal with sundry other malevolent creatures along the way, including Medusa the snake-haired Gorgon and the two-headed wolf Dioskilos. Also starring Laurence Olivier, Claire Bloom, Maggie Smith and Ursula Andress.
Director: Desmond Davis
Starring: Harry Hamlin, Judi Bowker, Burgess Meredith, Maggie Smith, Ursula Andress, Claire Bloom
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1981, PG, 3 Star)


16:50
Five Children and It (Film)
John Stephenson's family adventure is based on the classic children's novel by E Nesbit. The First World War is underway and five London kids are packed off to the seaside when their father is dispatched to engage in the hostilities across the Channel. Once at the coast, the siblings lodge with their mildly eccentric uncle Albert at his rambling mansion, where they delight in breaking his various house rules. Then, one day, while at the beach, they find an odd creature called It. They soon discover their strange new friend is a sand fairy who possesses magical powers, which the children aren't slow to take advantage of - with varying degrees of success.
Director: John Stephenson
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Zoë Wanamaker, Freddie Highmore, Jonathan Bailey, Jessica Claridge, Poppy Rogers
(Subtitles, 2004, U, 3 Star)


18:40
Cutthroat Island (Film)
In Renny Harlin's swashbuckling adventure, Geena Davis plays Morgan Adams, whose pirate father bequeaths her one third of a treasure map. Her two uncles have the other two sections, while an evil third uncle, Dawg Brown, is after the complete map and the treasure. Matthew Modine plays William Shaw, a convict Adams buys at a slave auction to translate the map's Latin inscriptions and who soon becomes her love interest. The stage is set for storms, sea battles, swordfights and, of course, the discovery of the treasure and the final confrontation. Edited for content.
Director: Renny Harlin
Starring: Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, Frank Langella, Maury Chaykin, Patrick Malahide, Stan Shaw
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1995, PG, 3 Star)




21:00
Knight and Day (Film)
James Mangold's action-comedy is a jet-setting caper that opens June Havens crossing paths with Roy Miller at an airport. He's a CIA assassin whose colleagues think has turned rogue agent and are now out to put him permanently out of the game. He realises that, now she's met him, June's life is also in danger from those chasing him, so he kidnaps her to keep her safe. Forced to flee with him, the duo dash around the globe - with locations sweeping from the South Pacific to Seville - and must survive chase after chase in the fight to clear his name and return June to her 'regular' life in Wichita, Kansas.
Director: James Mangold
Starring: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Jordi MollĂ , Viola Davis, Paul Dano
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2010, 12, 3 Star)


23:10
Underworld: Evolution (Film)
The battle for supremacy between the vampires and the werewolves, as chronicled in Underworld, continues. The vampiric Selene and Lycan Michael have to deal both with their forbidden romance and those who now pursue them. The hunters are Marcus, who seeks Selene's knowledge of the whereabouts of his long-lost brother, and Alexander Corvinus, an immortal who, unknown to them, is the father of Marcus and his psychopathic Lycan brother. Len Wiseman's action fantasy thriller is fast-moving, with great special effects, and Beckinsale in particular is in thrilling form.
Director: Len Wiseman
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Tony Curran, Shane Brolly, Derek Jacobi, Bill Nighy
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2005, 18, 3 Star)


01:15
The Breed (Film)
Nicholas Mastandrea's chiller begins with a bunch of teenagers landing by seaplane at a deserted island, ready for a party weekend. But then from the woods comes a chilling howl. Slowly, the group, led by Nicki, realise that they are being hunted by a pack of genetically modified, highly intelligent super dogs that have escaped from a training establishment on the other side of the island. And the hou$$$ haven't eaten for a while.
Director: Nicholas Mastandrea
Starring: Michelle Rodriguez, Oliver Hudson, Taryn Manning, Eric Lively, Hill Harper, Nick Boraine
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2006, 15, 2 Star)

Sunday 24th February


Film4 Listings for Sunday 24th February




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11:00
Bless This House (Film)
Movie spin-off from the popular 70s TV series, starring Sid James as Sid Abbott, the middle-class, middle-aged father who doesn't understand the youth of the day; in particular his own children, Mike and Sally, who both seem keener to attend demos than get a job. Plus, he's also having problems with his new neighbour Ronald Baines. So when Baines's daughter Kate falls for Mike, comic confusions ensue.
Director: Gerald Thomas
Starring: Sid James, Diana Coupland, Sally Geeson, Peter Butterworth, Terry Scott, June Whitfield
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 1972, PG, 3 Star)


13:00
Hocus Pocus (Film)
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Thora Birch star in this slightly dark Disney family fantasy-comedy, directed by Kenny Ortega. Max is not happy that his family have moved to Salem, Massachusetts, and he's even less pleased that he has to look after his younger sister Dani on Halloween. While attempting to prove to his sister and his sweetheart Allison that Halloween is all just superstition and nonsense, he accidentally resurrects Winnie, Sarah and Mary, three witches put to death 300 years earlier for killing children to create rejuvenating potions. The revived crones resume their quest for eternal youth, and only Max, Dani and Allison can stop them.
Director: Kenny Ortega
Starring: Jason Marsden, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Omri Katz, Thora Birch
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1993, PG, 3 Star)


14:55
Explorers (Film)
Joe Dante's family sci-fi adventure stars Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix. When Ben Crandall's dreams inspire him and his friend Wolfgang to create a giant circuit board, they discover that they've invented a craft that can pass through solid matter. At first, they just enjoy the thrills, but they soon find the military interested in their exploits, as well as aliens who are rather disturbed by the implications of the kids' discovery.
Director: Joe Dante
Starring: Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Bobby Fite, Bradley Gregg, Georg Olden, Chance Schwass
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1985, U, 3 Star)


17:05
Inkheart (Film)
Iain Softley's CGI fantasy adventure about a man with an extraordinary talent - and the consequences of his using it - stars Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany and Andy Serkis. Mo Folchart is a 'silvertongue' - someone who possesses the ability to summon forth characters from the pages of novels and bring them into physical being in the real world. But it's a gift he does his best to hide from the rest of us, because there's a terrible price to be paid: each time a fictional character is brought to life, the vacuum created within the written work must be filled by a real-life person. And this is how his wife Resa came to vanish, after he manifested three ne'er-do-wells from a story.
Director: Iain Softley
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Sienna Guillory, Eliza Bennett, Richard Strange, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2008, PG, 3 Star)


19:10
My Super Ex-Girlfriend (Film)
In Ivan Reitman's comedy Uma Thurman plays dowdy Jenny Johnson, who falls in love with Matt Saunders, who she meets on the subway. But when he fi$$$ her a little too possessive he dumps her, a decision he soon regrets, because Jenny Johnson has an alter-ego: superhero G-Girl. Saunders soon fi$$$ out that hell hath no fury like a woman with super powers scorned.
Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Uma Thurman, Luke Wilson, Anna Faris, Rainn Wilson, Eddie Izzard, Stelio Savante
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2006, 15, 3 Star)




21:00
High Crimes (Film)
Legal thriller from One False Move director Carl Franklin. Ashley Judd stars as Claire Kubik, a successful lawyer who resigns her post in order to defend her husband Tom. He's been accused of committing war crimes during his time as a covert special ops Marine in El Salvador in the late 80s. She was blissfully unaware of his past, but remains convinced of his innocence. However, Claire needs some assistance with some of the more obscure aspects of military law and procedure, and so calls upon the services of Charlie Grimes, a washed up, alcoholic former military attorney. Can they establish that Tom wasn't involved in the massacre of civilians? Indeed, is he actually innocent?
Director: Carl Franklin
Starring: Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, James Caviezel, Adam Scott, Amanda Peet, Bruce Davison
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2002, PG, 3 Star)


23:15
Blood and Chocolate (Film)
Katja von Garnier's romantic horror film stars Agnes Bruckner as Vivian, a Romanian werewolf promised to pack leader Gabriel as his seventh wife; according to clan law, he must take a fresh young spouse every seven years. She is reluctant to take on the role, especially as she has fallen in love with graphic novelist Aiden, managing to conceal her secret from him. But Aiden has his own secrets which will threaten both their lives.
Director: Katja von Garnier
Starring: Agnes Bruckner, Hugh Dancy, Olivier Martinez, Katja Riemann, Bryan Dick, Chris Geere
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2007, 12, 3 Star)


01:10
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (Film)
Nicole Kidman plays Diane Arbus, the legendary photographer, in Steven Shainberg's imagined biography of her rise to fame. She breaks out of the shadow of her photographer husband Allan through a relationship with a neighbour, Lionel Sweeney, who has a physical hereditary trait that fascinates Arbus both as a photographer and as a woman.
Director: Steven Shainberg
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Robert Downey Jr., Ty Burrell, Harris Yulin, Jane Alexander, Emmy Clarke
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2006, 15, 3 Star)

Film4 Listings for Tuesday 26th February

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night


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11:00
The Seven Year Itch (Film)
Billy Wilder's comedy of the sexes stars Tom Ewell as Richard Sherman, a publishing executive who lives in New York with his wife of seven years and their son. While his wife and son decamp to the lakes for the summer, he is forced to stay behind in the sweltering heat to meet a deadline. But his discomfort may be alleviated by the girl who's just moved in upstairs. As the pair get to know each other, her innocent flirting begins to make him wonder whether, while the cat's away, it's time for the mouse to play. Ewell reprised his role from the Broadway hit, while Monroe was at her most luminously beautiful, epitomised by the iconic moment when the subway breeze provides her with some welcome cool air, and the audience a glimpse of her legs.
Director: Billy Wilder
Starring: Marilyn Monroe, Tom Ewell, Evelyn Keyes, Sonny Tufts, Robert Strauss, Oskar Homolka
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 1955, PG, 4 Star)


13:05
Seven Days to Noon (Film)
Barry Jones stars as Professor Willingdon, a leading atomic research scientist who rebels and devises a plan to prevent the potential for nuclear war: he steals an atomic bomb and announces that, unless all work on the atomic project stops, he'll detonate it in central London. Special Branch officer Superintendent Folland is given the thankless task of trying to track the scientist down. Co-starring Olive Sloane and Joan Hickson.
Director: John Boulting, Roy Boulting
Starring: Barry Jones, André Morell, Hugh Cross, Sheila Manahan, Olive Sloane, Joan Hickson
(Black and White, Subtitles, 1950, PG, 4 Star)


15:00
That Touch of Mink (Film)
Cary Grant and Doris Day star in Delbert Mann's delightful, frothy comedy-romance. She plays Cathy Timberlake, who falls for businessman Roger Adams when his car coats her in mud. Instantly attracted, she wants a ring while he just wants a fling. She figures the way to get him is to be the playgirl he desires, while his plan is to be a straight-ace guy. Inevitably, misunderstandings galore abound but the spark between the two leads is unmistakable. The supporting cast includes Gig Young, John Astin and Audrey Meadows, plus cameos from then-baseball superstars Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra.
Director: Delbert Mann
Starring: Cary Grant, Doris Day, Gig Young, Audrey Meadows, Alan Hewitt, John Astin
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 1962, U, 3 Star)


17:00
Akeelah and the Bee (Film)
Doug Atchison's charming drama stars Keke Palmer as Akeelah Anderson, a young girl attending a tough ghetto school in Los Angeles. When she sees the finals of the National Spelling Bee, she decides to enter the competition on the strength of her special skill at spelling. Despite her classmates derision and the antipathy of her mother Tanya, thanks to the efforts of her teacher Dr Joshua Larabee, she reaches the final. But when she meets her fellow competitors, she learns a lesson that will stand her in better stead in the future as she realises that coming first isn't everything in life.
Director: Doug Atchison
Starring: Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, Curtis Armstrong, J.R. Villarreal, Sean Michael Afable
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2006, 12, 4 Star)


19:10
Hocus Pocus (Film)
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Thora Birch star in this slightly dark Disney family fantasy-comedy, directed by Kenny Ortega. Max is not happy that his family have moved to Salem, Massachusetts, and he's even less pleased that he has to look after his younger sister Dani on Halloween. While attempting to prove to his sister and his sweetheart Allison that Halloween is all just superstition and nonsense, he accidentally resurrects Winnie, Sarah and Mary, three witches put to death 300 years earlier for killing children to create rejuvenating potions. The revived crones resume their quest for eternal youth, and only Max, Dani and Allison can stop them.
Director: Kenny Ortega
Starring: Jason Marsden, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Omri Katz, Thora Birch
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 1993, PG, 3 Star)


21:00
The Sentinel (Film)
Clark Johnson's thriller stars Michael Douglas as Peter Garrison, a veteran Secret Service agent guarding President Ballentine but, to complicate matters, Ballentine's wife Sarah is having an affair with Garrison. After an agent is shot dead trying to reach Garrison, a mole tells him there's a traitor in the White House bent on assassinating the President. When investigator David Breckinridge learns of this, he screens everyone and only one agent fails the test - Garrison. Garrison, now on the run, has to find the crucial information that will clear his name, expose the traitor and save Ballentine's life as the President prepares to attend a crucial summit.
Director: Clark Johnson
Starring: Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria Parker, Martin Donovan, Ritchie Coster, Kim Basinger
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2006, 12, 3 Star)


23:10
Oldboy (Film)
Chan-wook Park's visceral thriller begins when Dae-su Oh, an obnoxious drunk, is bailed from the police station yet again by a friend. But he's abducted from the street and wakes up in a cell where he remains for the next 15 years, drugged unconscious when human contact is unavoidable, otherwise with only the television as company. Then he is suddenly released and invited to track down his jailor. His path to revenge incorporates a superbly choreographed fight against multiple foes in which he is armed with just a hammer, and a scene which features the ingestion of a live octopus. It's not easy viewing but it's always compelling.
Director: Chan-wook Park
Starring: Min-sik Choi, Ji-tae Yu, Hye-jeong Kang, Dae-han Ji, Dal-su Oh, Byeong-ok Kim
(Subtitles, Subtitled, In Korean with English Subtitles, 2003, 18, 4 Star)


01:30
Walter (Film)
A chance to see the film that was screened on the very first night of Channel 4's existence. Ian McKellen stars in this moving drama, adapted by David Cook from his award-winning book, as Walter, a man with learning difficulties, who fi$$$ himself at the mercy of society's blinkered attitudes: some call him 'backward', some say he's 'handicapped' and others think of him as a joke. However, despite their hostility, he manages through his own efforts and the help of his mother to read, write and hold down a mundane job. But when his parents die, a nightmare begins, one which leads him through the forbidding doors of a long-stay mental hospital. Directed by Stephen Frears and filmed by Chris Menges, Walter was the first Film on Four - a series of feature films commissioned specially by Channel 4 at its birth, which marked a substantial boost for the British film industry as well as the beginning of the channel's longstanding and continuing contribution to British drama.
Director: Stephen Frears
Starring: Ian McKellen, Arthur Whybrow, Barbara Jefford, Frankie Connolly, Jim Broadbent, Garry Cooper
(Subtitles, 1982, 18, 3 Star)

Thursday 28th February
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Film4 Listings for Thursday 28th February

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night


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11:00
The Sea Inside (Film)
Javier Bardem plays quadriplegic Ramon Sampedro, who spent 29 years fighting for his right to die. Remarkable Spanish drama that won the 2005 Best Foreign Film Oscar.
Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Starring: Javier Bardem, Belén Rueda, Lola Dueñas, Mabel Rivera, Celso Bugallo, Clara Segura
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Subtitled, In Spanish with English Subtitles, 2004, PG, 4 Star)


13:25
The Gentle Sex (Film)
This Second World War documentary-style morale booster, directed by Leslie Howard, emphasised the role of women on the home front by following the fortunes of seven very different females, who all join the ATS on the same day. The story follows them through basic training to their eventual postings, when they are reunited at an anti-aircraft station.
Director: Leslie Howard, Maurice Elvey
Starring: Joan Gates, Jean Gillie, Joan Greenwood, Joyce Howard, Rosamund John, Lilli Palmer
(Black and White, Subtitles, 1941, U, 3 Star)


15:15
Carry on Up the Khyber (Film)
Classic Carry On fun from stalwart director Gerald Thomas, featuring the core team of regulars. Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond is in charge of the motley kilted crew of the Third Foot and Mouth regiment at a British outpost in the Khyber Pass. The Khasi of Kalabar has other ideas and wants the 'British devils' dead, but his troops fear what they may or may not have under their 'skirts'. But when one of the regiment is seen wearing underpants the fate of the British in India is at stake.
Director: Gerald Thomas
Starring: Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Roy Castle, Joan Sims, Bernard Bresslaw
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 1969, PG, 3 Star)


17:00
The Bridges of Toko-Ri (Film)
Mark Robson's vivid fact-based depiction of the US Navy's air support of ground troops during the Korean War stars William Holden as Lt Harry Brubaker, a Second World War pilot recalled from civilian life to serve in Korea. He's far from happy to be dragged from blissful domestic stability but dutifully follows orders to participate in a risky bombing raid on a series of bridges that are essential to North Korean supply lines. The Navy gave Robson access to film many of the ship and plane sequences, but the action is also backed up by convincing special effects, for which the movie won an Oscar.
Director: Mark Robson
Starring: William Holden, Grace Kelly, Fredric March, Mickey Rooney, Robert Strauss, Charles McGraw
(Subtitles, 1954, PG, 3 Star)


19:05
My Super Ex-Girlfriend (Film)
In Ivan Reitman's comedy Uma Thurman plays dowdy Jenny Johnson, who falls in love with Matt Saunders, who she meets on the subway. But when he fi$$$ her a little too possessive he dumps her, a decision he soon regrets, because Jenny Johnson has an alter-ego: superhero G-Girl. Saunders soon fi$$$ out that hell hath no fury like a woman with super powers scorned. Edited for content.
Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Uma Thurman, Luke Wilson, Anna Faris, Rainn Wilson, Eddie Izzard, Stelio Savante
(Widescreen, Subtitles, Audio Described, 2006, 15, 3 Star)




21:00
Adaptation (Film)
Drama about a screenwriter struggling to adapt a novel about an eccentric naturalist who illegally hunts down orchids in the Florida swamps. In an effort to rid himself of writers block he decides to visit the plant thief himself.
Director: Spike Jonze
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Cara Seymour, Tilda Swinton, Ron Livingston
(Premiere, Widescreen, Subtitles, 2002, 15, 4 Star)


23:15
Underworld: Evolution (Film)
The battle for supremacy between the vampires and the werewolves, as chronicled in Underworld, continues. The vampiric Selene and Lycan Michael have to deal both with their forbidden romance and those who now pursue them. The hunters are Marcus, who seeks Selene's knowledge of the whereabouts of his long-lost brother, and Alexander Corvinus, an immortal who, unknown to them, is the father of Marcus and his psychopathic Lycan brother. Len Wiseman's action fantasy thriller is fast-moving, with great special effects, and Beckinsale in particular is in thrilling form.
Director: Len Wiseman
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Tony Curran, Shane Brolly, Derek Jacobi, Bill Nighy
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2005, 18, 3 Star)


01:20
I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (Film)
The final film in this week's triple bill dedicated to the Korean director Park Chan-Wook is a deliriously daft romcom. Young-goon works in a maddening dead-end job making transistor radios. Flipping, she insists she's a cyborg and that she only needs to lick batteries for sustenance rather than eating. She's sent to a psychiatric ward where she's befriended by schizophrenic kleptomaniac Il-Sun. The two damaged souls fall in love, combating the staff at the hospital as Young-goon becomes a battle-bot in one of the many fantasy sequences shot in surreally bright colours that punctuate the film.
Director: Chan-wook Park
Starring: Su-jeong Lim, Rain, Hie-jin Choi, Byeong-ok Kim, Yong-nyeo Lee, Dal-su Oh
(Subtitles, Subtitled, In Korean with English Subtitles, Widescreen, 2006, 15, 3 Star)

Saturday 2nd March
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Film4 Listings for Saturday 2nd March

Listings: all day morning afternoon evening late night


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11:00
The Shanghai Gesture (Film)
Josef von Sternberg's 1940's drama is based on a then-daring Broadway play that was set in a brothel. In the port of Shanghai, Mother Gin Sling runs a crooked casino frequented by a variety of lowlife. She is informed that the owner of the property, Sir Guy Charteris, plans to close it down but, through her sources, she fi$$$ he had a daughter by a Chinese woman. That daughter, Poppy, is a selfish, addicted woman who, encouraged to gamble, soon runs up massive debts as well as being seduced by Dr Omar. But as well as arranging Poppy's downfall, Mother Gin Sling has another reason to hate Sir Guy, one that will become apparent at a climactic dinner on the casino's last night... The Hays Office turned down 15 film scripts before finally accepting Josef von Sternberg's version, which he went on to direct. Sternberg transferred his action from a brothel to a casino, but it is still a delirious story of decadence and depravity.
Director: Josef von Sternberg
Starring: Gene Tierney, Walter Huston, Victor Mature, Ona Munson, Phyllis Brooks, Albert Bassermann
(Black and White, Subtitles, 1941, PG, 3 Star)


13:00
To be Announced (Film)
More information will be available closer to broadcast.
(PG)


15:00
Kidnapped (Film)
Following a bloody defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, naive young David Balfour is cheated of his inheritance by his avaricious Uncle Ebenezer. Kidnapped to be sold into slavery by Captain Hoseason, Balfour meets Jacobite rebel Alan Breck aboard the slave ship. After the vessel runs aground, the pair are thrown into a succession of adventures that lead them to Edinburgh and a fight for justice. Based on the classic novel by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Director: Delbert Mann
Starring: Michael Caine, Trevor Howard, Jack Hawkins, Donald Pleasence, Gordon Jackson, Vivien Heilbron
(Subtitles, 1971, U, 3 Star)


17:15
To be Announced (Film)
More information will be available closer to broadcast.
(PG)


18:55
Mad Money (Film)
Callie Khouri's comedy crime caper stars Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes as Bridget Cardigan, Nina Brewster and Jackie Truman, three women employed as janitors at the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. Bridget has only taken the job because her high-earning husband Don has been downsized and somebody has to earn the money to keep up their lifestyle. It breaks her heart to see the old banknotes being sent for shredding - surely nobody will miss a few? Enlisting the other two, they find a 'foolproof' way of helping themselves to just a little. And when they go undiscovered, it's tempting for a little to become a lot - but only if no one suspects three such lowly female workers.
Director: Callie Khouri
Starring: Diane Keaton, Ted Danson, Katie Holmes, Adam Rothenberg, Queen Latifah, Peyton 'Alex' Smith
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2008, 12, 3 Star)




21:00
Forrest Gump (Film)
Lowly Southern boy Forrest starts off with his legs in metal clamps and e$$$ up running across America, after becoming athlete, war hero, ping pong genius and shrimper. Crowd-pleasing comedy drama which won Tom Hanks his second Oscar.
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright Penn, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, Sally Field, Rebecca Williams
(Subtitles, Audio Described, 1994, 12, 4 Star)


23:40
Predator 2 (Film)
The predator returns, this time hunting the streets of Los Angeles for his prey. The alien has decided to take the feuding drug-dealing gangsters who are threatening to overrun the city as trophies. But when he starts taking out the police as well, tough cop Lt Mike Harrigan and partners Danny Archuleta and Leona Cantrell set out on its trail. However, they must also contend with special agent Peter Keyes, who seems to know what happened to a mercenary patrol in the South American jungle.
Director: Stephen Hopkins
Starring: Kevin Peter Hall, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Rubén Blades, Maria Conchita Alonso, Bill Paxton
(Subtitles, 1990, 18, 3 Star)


01:50
The Future (Film)
Idiosyncratically quirky writer-actor-director Miranda July follows her 2005 debut, Me and You and Everyone We Know, with this existentialist comedy-drama that's narrated by a cat. Sophie and Jason are in their mid-30s, childless and stuck in jobs that were supposed to be 'just for now' - she teaches dance to kids, he operates an IT helpdesk from their shared home - but have seemingly set them on a road to nowhere. The realisation that, if they want to make something of their lives, they need to find direction pretty damn soon hits with a jolt. One upshot is that they decide to adopt a down-on-its-luck cat from a shelter; the feline, Paw-Paw, provides a commentary on the couple's lives. But Jason and Hamish are also prompted to change jobs and seek other new opportunities - which have rather more far-reaching consequences than taking in the moggie. Also starring David Warshofsky and Joe Putterlik. A Film4 production.
Starring: Hamish Linklater
(Widescreen, Subtitles, 2011, 12)