Affliction (Paul Schrader, 1997)
8pm, FilmFour
In a snowy New-England town, local cop Wade Whitehouse is falling apart. He's separated, trying but failing to maintain a relationship with his eight-year-old daughter; ditto with his girlfriend (Sissy Spacek). He's drinking too much, a figure of fun, and he's afflicted by a grinding toothache and by the memories of his father's violence when he was a boy. Then a hunting accident throws up his big chance to prove himself to others and to himself: was it murder, part of a bigger plot? Nick Nolte's poignant portrayal of the gruff, hurting, all-but-doomed loser is superb, and James Coburn as the bullying, drunken father won an Oscar: a relentlessly bitter, all-American tragedy.
Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999)
8pm, Sky
Premier Lucas's hugely anticipated prequel had fans paying at the box office just to catch the trailers, but the end result is disappointing. We're now focusing on the childhood of young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) the nascent Jedi who will become Darth Vader; his mentors are Ewan McGregor's youthful Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Liam Neeson's ageing-hippy Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn. We should be talking space epic, but apart from the occasional flurry of computer-generated mayhem, it is surprisingly dull - hopefully episode two, due in early summer, will be better but the early signs aren't promising. Star of this show is martial arts expert Ray Park as the evil-incarnate Darth Maul; we don't see enough of him.
Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
10pm, FilmFour
Probably the definitive Scorsese movie, this potent drama charts a descent into the abyss of a squalid New York. Robert De Niro's Travis Bickle is one of his finest incarnations, a taxi driver seemingly inured to the seamy underworld around him until involvement with a teenie hooker - stunningly played by Jodie Foster - sparks extreme violence. From the fun of "You talkin' to me?" in the mirror to Mohican-haired menace, De Niro exudes a demonic force.
Broadcast News (James L Brooks, 1987)
10.10pm, Sky Cinema
Sharply focused account of a love triangle complicating life behind the scenes of a US television station. Holly Hunter is the star producer; Albert Brooks a brilliant researcher unable to convey the news that he loves her; William Hurt the dim glamour-boy reporter being groomed to replace veteran anchorman Jack Nicholson. A satisfyingly jaundiced examination of the media's information/ entertainment interface.
The Beguiled (Don Siegel, 1970)
10.45pm, The Studio
Brooding, gothic western with Clint Eastwood's wounded Union soldier seeking refuge in a seminary for Confederate ladies. As anyone in a skirt starts chasing him round the corridors, and he on one leg gets caught often, it veers close to farce, but grows darker as sexual tensions rise. Siegel cooks up menacing tones, while the women, Geraldine Page and all, are chilling: don't eat those mushrooms, Clint!
