One for the Weekend...

Continuing my look at the best on the box this week with Stephen Daldry's The Reader (2008) which gets its premiere on Channel 4/4HD this Sunday January 15th 2012 at 9pm.

This drama, set in post-war Berlin, focusses on the story of Michael Berg (David Kross and Ralph Fiennes) as he begins a secret relationship with an older woman, living alone, who seeks company and his storytelling. After going off to study criminlogy years later and observing the Nazi War crime trials, Berg learns the shocking truth of Hanna Schmitz' (Kate Winslet) involvement in the concentration camps. A powerful drama with unsurprisingly brilliant performances particularly from Winslet who, after having been nominated 5 times for various Best Actress Oscars, was finally granted with the golden statue for this film. Highly recommended.

If you're looking for something a little lighter, you can't go wrong with Entrapment (Jon Amiel, USA, 1999), a cat and mouse thriller with Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta Jones which, though often implausible, is great entertainment. This can be seen on Channel 4/4HD on Sunday 15th January 2012 at 3.15pm.

Failing that, if screwball comedy is your cup of tea, give one of Jim Carrey's zaniest films a whirl. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (Tom Shadyac, USA, 1993) is full of laughs and good Sunday afternoon fun. This is showing on Sunday 15th January 2012 on Channel 5/5HD from 5.00pm.