Pick of the week
The Fabelmans
Steven Spielberg mines his own history for his most personal film yet, an emotional 1950s-set drama about family, growing up and the power of cinema. It follows Sammy Fabelman (played by Gabriel LaBelle as a teenager), who becomes obsessed with movie-making at a young age and persists with his celluloid dream as the family relocate from New Jersey to Arizona to California. Although there is nostalgia for the post-war age of opportunity, there is antisemitism, too – and domestic turbulence between his parents (Michelle Williams and Paul Dano). But through Sammy’s creations, Spielberg reminds us how films can both uncover the truth and distort it.
Friday, 8pm, Sky Cinema Premiere
***
Henry V
For his first feature as director, stage star Kenneth Branagh took on a historical drama with history: Shakespeare’s tale of a young leader proving himself on the battlefield was also Laurence Olivier’s debut behind the camera. Undaunted, Branagh created a version that is more tense and brutal – and muddier – than his thespian forebear’s, while retaining the poetry and passion of the play (“We few, we happy few” etc). A weighty supporting cast including Judi Dench, Paul Scofield and Brian Blessed help bring to life a film of fervour and finesse.
Saturday, 1.15pm, BBC Two
***
Minority Report
Another terrific sci-fi film culled from the writings of Philip K Dick, this Tom Cruise/Steven Spielberg collaboration melds the best of them both. Cruise plays a cop in the Precrime unit in 2054 Washington, which uses clairvoyants to predict murders before they happen. When his name comes up as a future killer he goes on the run, with Samantha Morton’s in-house psychic the focus of his attempt to prove his innocence. Cruise’s action chops (all that running!) and Spielberg’s skilled world-building make this thriller a must-see – but you knew that already …
Saturday, 11.05pm, Channel 4
***
Open Range
Between actor-directors Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood, the flame of the Hollywood western has been kept flickering since its golden age. Costner’s accomplished 2003 offering luxuriates in the cinematic expanses of Montana as it tells a hardy yarn of free-grazers v cattle ranchers. Robert Duvall’s Boss leads a herd alongside the taciturn yet loyal Charley (Costner), but they fall foul of Michael Gambon’s landowner. The lure of putting down roots – embodied in doctor’s sister Annette Bening – becomes a factor for Charley, though there’s a reckoning to be had first.
Sunday, 6.10pm, 5Action
***
Candyman
Nia DaCosta’s gripping, gory sequel to the 1992 chiller nestles nicely within its producer and co-writer Jordan Peele’s trademark African American folk horror realm. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Chicago artist and his curator partner (Teyonah Parris) find their middle-class life crumbling when he researches the city’s now demolished ghetto Cabrini Green and its hook-handed bogeyman. Aside from the expertly handled scares, DaCosta’s depiction of Black urban life proves pleasingly complex.
Sunday, 10pm, BBC Three
***
Rashomon
The phrase “fake news” could have been invented for Akira Kurosawa’s knotty 1950 period drama, the film that brought him global recognition. A series of people give evidence to a court about the murder of a samurai and the rape of his wife – including the accused bandit, the dead man’s spouse, a woodcutter who found the body and even the victim (via a medium). However, none of their narratives tally – so who’s lying, or are all of them? A disquieting look at the imperfect edges of human nature, where self-aggrandisement sits side by side with fear.
Monday, 6.15pm, Sky Cinema Greats
***
Land
Living off the grid might seem like a good idea when the weight of the world is getting too much. But, as Robin Wright’s grieving Edee finds when she moves to a remote cabin in Wyoming after her son and husband are killed, abandoning all mod cons merely gives you more time to dwell on the past. She’s also useless at self-sufficiency, which is where local Miguel (Demián Bichir) comes in, teaching her how to survive and, slowly, how to accept both death and life. Wright’s directorial debut is incredibly touching, with a feel for nature’s glories and human frailty.
Wednesday, 9pm, Film4
