The Weekly Retro Movie Rundown – 444
Bursting through the week like a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier, we're flying through another movie packed weekend! Dipping our wings, we're pointing out some of our favourite movie picks to set your sights on. Enjoy!
SATURDAY 18th September
Lost in Space (1998) 5STAR 11:55am-2:35pm
A pioneering scientist takes his family out into space to colonise another planet. However, a saboteur has infiltrated their craft, and his meddling leaves them stranded in unknown territory on the other side of the galaxy. Sci-fi adventure based on the 1960s TV show, starring William Hurt, Matt LeBlanc, Gary Oldman, Mimi Rogers and Heather Graham.
Labyrinth (1986) 5STAR 2:35pm-4:40pm
A teenager wishes her baby brother would be taken away, only to have her request granted by a band of goblins and their sinister king. She regrets her decision and sets out to rescue him, but to reach the castle where he is being held, she must find her way through a magical maze full of strange creatures. Jim Henson's fantasy adventure, starring Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie.
Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) Paramount Network 2:35pm-4:40pm
The maverick haulier must overcome a crisis of confidence when he and his friends are hired to transport a pregnant elephant to Texas, a mammoth task that proves far from easy, especially with their old enemy in hot pursuit. Road comedy, with Burt Reynolds, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Dom DeLuise and Sally Field.
Liar Liar (1997) ITV2 2:45pm-4:30pm
A lawyer whose underhand ploys to win cases leaves him little time to see his son discovers he is incapable of lying after the boy's birthday wish makes his dad tell only the truth. However, this causes a host of problems as the attorney tries to muddle his way through a high-profile divorce settlement. Comedy, with Jim Carrey, Maura Tierney, Justin Cooper, Jennifer Tilly and Cary Elwes.
Deep Impact (1998) Film4 3:40pm-6:00pm
A TV reporter investigating a presidential misdemeanour stumbles on evidence that a comet is on a collision course with Earth, threatening the future of the human race. Meanwhile, an astronaut prepares to lead his crew on a do-or-die mission to intercept the danger. Sci-fi drama, starring Robert Duvall, Tea Leoni, Morgan Freeman and Elijah Wood.
Wild Wild West (1999) 5STAR 4:40pm-6:45pm
A government agent teams up with a gadget-mad master of disguise to investigate the disappearance of several scientists. Their search leads them to an evil genius who is plotting to kill the US president with some bizarre inventions of his own. Sci-fi Western comedy, starring Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, Salma Hayek and Ted Levine.
Despicable Me (2010) ITV2 4:40pm-6:30pm
A criminal mastermind hopes to seal his reputation as the greatest villain of them all by stealing the Moon. First, he needs to get his hands on a shrinking ray owned by a rival evil genius, and adopts three orphan girls to help him - but finds that fatherhood brings out his long-buried caring side. Animated comedy, with the voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand and Julie Andrews.
The Abyss (1989) Film4 6:00pm-9:00pm
An American nuclear submarine is sunk after a collision with a mysterious object, and the US government asks oil workers to help with the rescue. However, when they and a Navy Seal team arrive at the location of the vessel, a series of strange incidents lead to an encounter with aliens living in the depths. James Cameron's sci-fi thriller, starring Ed Harris, Michael Biehn and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio.
Independence Day (1996) E4 6:10pm-9:00pm
A fleet of huge flying saucers launches a devastating and unprovoked attack on Earth. As survivors try to flee the seemingly unstoppable alien invaders, the courageous US president, an ace pilot and a computer genius come up with a plan to take the fight to the enemy and save the human race. Roland Emmerich's sci-fi adventure, starring Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Randy Quaid, Robert Loggia and Harry Connick Jr.
Deadpool (2016) Channel 4 9:30pm-11:40pm
A fast-talking former mercenary develops terminal cancer and agrees to be the subject in a shady experiment in the hope of a cure. The procedure leaves him horribly disfigured, but also possessing superhuman abilities which he immediately puts to use in a quest for revenge on the man responsible for his hideous appearance. Superhero comedy adventure, starring Ryan Reynolds and Morena Baccarin.
Platoon (1986) ITV4 11:00pm-1:35am
A raw recruit is thrown into the thick of the Vietnam War along the Cambodian border, where he finds himself caught up in a lethal feud between two sergeants. Oliver Stone's Oscar-winning drama, the first of his Vietnam trilogy, starring Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, Forest Whitaker, Kevin Dillon, Johnny Depp and John C McGinley.
SUNDAY 19th September
Crocodile Dundee (1986) Film4 12:45pm-2:35pm
A New York reporter searches the Australian Outback for a maverick hunter with a legendary reputation and invites the adventurer back to America. But the die-hard Aussie needs to draw on all his survival skills to adjust to life in the urban jungle. Comedy adventure, written by and starring Paul Hogan, with Linda Kozlowski, John Meillon and Mark Blum.
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (2005) ITV2 1:20pm-3:00pm
Shy bridegroom Victor unintentionally gets himself hitched to a ghostly bride, who lures him down into the netherworld. But as he strives to find his way back to the land of the living, a treacherous aristocrat is scheming to marry Victor's flesh-and-blood fiancee. Tim Burton's stop-motion animated fantasy, with the voices of Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Christopher Lee and Richard E Grant.
The Karate Kid Part III (1989) Channel 4 1:30pm-3:45pm
The teenage martial arts expert becomes obsessed with defending his championship title, but his wise mentor Mr Miyagi is not prepared to help him fight for such a shallow goal. Seeking someone else to help guide his career, he falls under the influence of a crooked trainer - who is secretly plotting his downfall with the help of an old adversary. Adventure sequel, starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita.
Crocodile Dundee II (1988) Film4 2:35pm-4:45pm
The rugged Australian adventurer sets out to save his reporter girlfriend from New York drug dealers. Having rescued her from their clutches, he realises they will soon be coming after him - so he decides to even the odds by luring them to the Outback for a final showdown. Comedy adventure sequel, starring Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, John Meillon and Charles S Dutton.
Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) BBC One 2:50pm-4:35pm
Alice Kingsleigh has spent three years sailing the high seas. Upon her return to London from China, she returns to the magical world of Underland and takes a journey back in time to save the Mad Hatter and her friends. Fantasy adventure sequel, starring Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway.
Edward Scissorhands (1990) E4 3:45pm-5:50pm
A reclusive genius creates a boy but dies before completing him, leaving his brainchild with scissor-like blades in place of hands. A kindly woman from a nearby suburb takes pity on the lonely figure and welcomes him into her home. He quickly becomes a hit in the neighbourhood - but then his new friends start to turn against him. Tim Burton's fantasy, starring Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest and Vincent Price.
The Day After Tomorrow (2004) Channel 4 5:20pm-7:30pm
A climatologist warns global warming will soon result in destructive freak weather or even another ice age. He thinks the world still has time to prepare for the worst, but the crisis happens almost immediately - and as storms, earthquakes and hurricanes strike in terrifying fashion, he races across America to rescue his son from a frozen New York. Disaster thriller, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Dennis Quaid.
School of Rock (2003) ITV2 6:45pm-9:00pm
A slobbish guitarist dreams of stardom, but his hopes are dashed when the other members of his band kick him out. Struggling to make ends meet, he takes a job as a supply teacher at an exclusive private school, and sets about moulding his pupils into rock gods. Comedy from director Richard Linklater, starring Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White and Sarah Silverman.
The Greatest Showman (2017) Film4 7:00pm-9:00pm
After losing his job as a bank clerk, PT Barnum creates and develops his circus in New York in the mid-1800s with the help of playwright Phillip Carlyle and an adopted family of entertainers shunned by society. A musical drama, starring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) E4 8:00pm-10:50pm
Dwarf king Thorin reclaims control of his homeland, but his descent into madness places him on the brink of war with his human and elven allies. As Thorin's Hobbit friend Bilbo tries to save the tormented ruler from himself, a vast horde of orcs gathers to destroy them all. Conclusion of the fantasy adventure trilogy, starring Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ian McKellen, Luke Evans and Orlando Bloom.
The Green Mile (1999) 5STAR 9:00pm-12:45am
A convicted child-killer of towering height and massive build is condemned to death row but astonishes the guards with his good nature and miraculous healing powers. They believe the gentle giant is incapable of crime, and emotions run high as they realise there is no hope of overturning his death sentence. A supernatural drama, based on a novel by Stephen King, starring Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse and Harry Dean Stanton.
The Rock (1996) Channel 5 10:25pm-1:05am
A renegade general and his crack team of mercenaries take over the abandoned fortress prison of Alcatraz and threaten San Francisco with toxic nerve-gas rockets to extort a massive ransom. To break their stranglehold on the city, the FBI sends in a chemical weapons expert and a jailed SAS veteran, chosen because he is the only man to have ever escaped from the infamous penitentiary. Action thriller, with Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris.
Boyz N the Hood (1991) BBC Two 10:45pm-12:30am
A bright but underachieving teenager with a domineering single father strikes up a friendship with two brothers, and over time, the three young men each follow their own path - but a tragedy eventually leaves them facing a dangerous choice. Drama, starring Cuba Gooding Jr, Laurence Fishburne, Morris Chestnut and Ice Cube.
Whatever you're up to this weekend, there is a lot of power in having a cuppa before making a big decision.