The best films on TV this week

Co-directed by king of the genre John Ford, this epic Western is rightly regarded as a classic. With an all-star cast, including James Stewart, John Wayne, Gregory Peck, Henry Fonda, Debbie Reynolds, Lee J Cobb and Richard Widmark, the sprawling tale follows three generations of a pioneering family as they endure a series of ordeals and adventures in their endeavour to build a new life for themselves on the American frontier in the 19th century. Over the years, the family experiences the key events of the nation's history, including the Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the building of the railroads.

Titanic (1997) (Channel 4, 5.25pm)

Buoyed by the on-screen chemistry of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, James Cameron's mega-budget love story set sailed away with a record 11 Academy Awards and broke box office records until the filmmaker trumped himself with the equally epic Avatar. Titanic also installed Celine Dion at the top of global charts for what seemed like an eternity with My Heart Will Go On. The film begins deep underwater with Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) and his team of hi-tech treasure hunters scouring the submerged wreck. The search comes to naught until Brock meets 101-year-old survivor Rose DeWitt Bukater (Gloria Stuart). Staring transfixed at a sketch of her younger self (Winslet), Rose recalls her burgeoning romance with spirited artist Jack Dawson (DiCaprio) aboard the eponymous luxury liner.

A Star Is Born (2018) (BBC1, 10.25pm)

Following a concert, hard-drinking country music singer Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) heads to the nearest bar where he is stunned by a soaring impersonation of Edith Piaf by waitress Ally (Lady Gaga). Potential radiates from her every pore, and Jackson invites her to join him at his next gig where their on-stage performance goes viral and attracts the attention of cut-throat manager Rez (Rafi Gavron). As Rez propels Ally towards superstardom, Jackson's influence wains and fissures appear in the relationship. A Star Is Born is the third remake of the rags-to-riches story, but Bradley Cooper's directorial debut is far grungier and sexier than the previous incarnations. Gaga is undeniably luminous, but it's Cooper who truly dazzles in front of the camera, drenched in the self-loathing of a booze-soaked showman.

Sunday

Clueless (1995) (Channel 4, 2.00pm)

Writer-director Amy Heckerling's classic teen comedy takes the plot of Jane Austen's Emma and transports it to a Nineties Beverly Hills high school. Rich, spoilt, but essentially well-meaning student Cher (Alicia Silverstone) decides to use her popularity for good by taking an unfashionable new girl (Brittany Murphy) under her wing and finding her a suitable boyfriend. However, when her attempts at matchmaking end in disaster, Cher is forced to face the fact that she might be the one who's truly clueless. The film's success inspired a wave of teen updates of classic literature, but few managed it with such effortless charm and wit as Clueless. Much of the credit is due to Heckerling's endlessly quotable script but Silverstone should get her fair share of the praise too.

Paddington 2 (2017) (BBC1, 2.55pm)

Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) is happily installed in the attic of 32 Windsor Gardens, family home of the Browns. During a visit to antiques dealer Mr Gruber (Jim Broadbent), Paddington unearths a valuable pop-up book of London, which would make the perfect gift for Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton). But hilariously vain, fading actor Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant) steals the rare edition and Paddington is unfairly sentenced to 10 years for the crime. Paddington 2 is an unabashedly sweet, wholesome and crowd-pleasing sequel that promotes compassion and understanding as the foundations of a truly great Britain. The entire cast (including Brendan Gleeson as a fearsome prisoner) is fantastic, but Grant steals the film as well as the picture book by playing his scheming theatrical ham to the comic hilt.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) **** (ITV, 10.15pm)

Curiously, the Fast & Furious team's follow-up to 2017's F&F 8 wasn't number nine. Instead, it's a 'spin-off' featuring hulking lawman Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and lawless outcast Shaw (Jason Statham). For the past few films, they've been swapping body blows and smart talk as they try to take each other down. However, when a new foe appears in the shape of cyber-genetically enhanced Brixton (Idris Elba), who gains control of a bio-threat that could alter humanity for ever, the duo put their differences to one side as they take on a bad guy who may just be badder than they are. Of course, it's rubbish. But it's high-octane, action-filled rubbish. Enjoy!

Monday

The Post (2017) (Film4, 6.45pm)

Steven Spielberg's film is a handsome dramatisation of the high-profile 1971 legal showdown between President Richard Nixon and the free press, which feels uncomfortably relevant in a modern era of fake news. In 1966 Vietnam, military analyst Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys) reports back his grave concerns to Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara (Bruce Greenwood). Fearful that the administration is whitewashing the truth, Ellsberg leaks pages of the classified reports to The New York Times. Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) encourages reporter Ben Bagdikian (Bob Odenkirk) to chase down a copy of the report so The Washington Post can bloody its nose too. Publisher Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep), who is a good friend of McNamara, faces an impossible decision over whether to pursue the truth at the expense of a personal relationship.

Ricki and the Flash (2015) *** (GREAT! movies, 7.00pm)

Meryl Streep learnt how to play the guitar for this musical comedy drama about a rocker who must face the painful consequences of her decision to put fame before her family. Ricki Rendazzo (Streep) works as a cashier when she isn't playing with her band, pursuing giddy dreams of stardom. She is estranged from her loved ones, including her three children. Unexpectedly, Ricki's ex-husband Pete (Kevin Kline) asks her to atone for the sins of the past by visiting her daughter Julie (Streep's real-life offspring, Mamie Gummer) in Indianapolis. It transpires that Julie recently attempted suicide following her divorce from her cheating husband. Ricki faces staunch resistance from Julie and her two sons, and she faces bitter home truths from her children about her neglect.

Tuesday

Man of Steel (2013) (STV, 10.45pm)

When Kryptonian General Zod (Michael Shannon) stages a coup on his doomed world, scientist Jor-El (Russell Crowe) dispatches his only son, Kal-El, to Earth. Farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner, Diane Lane) raise the crash-landed infant and christen him Clark. From an early age, Clark realises he is different from the other children in Smallville. He leaves home to seek his destiny and many years later, Clark (now played by Henry Cavill) is tracked down by Daily Planet reporter, Lois Lane (Amy Adams), who agrees to keep his secret until war-mongering General Zod descends on Earth. Man of Steel is cast in the mould of Batman Begins, removing any traces of campness or charm that distinguished the 1970s and 1980s big screen incarnations, but it does boast some impressive set pieces.

Ravenous (1999) (Talking Pictures TV, 11.15pm)

Not to be confused with a French-language Canadian horror film released in 2017, this chilling mix of satire, scars, film noir and the western was directed by British auteur Antonia Bird, who cut her teeth on episodes of EastEnders and Casualty. The film reunited her with Robert Carlyle, with whom she'd previously worked on Priest and Face. It's a clever reworking of the zombie genre set in 1840s California during the Mexican-American War. Newly promoted officer John Boyd is sent to take over at Fort Spencer, from where several people have vanished in recent months. On his arrival he meets FW Colqhoun, who reveals in gory detail the story of a US Army colonel who murdered the passengers aboard a wagon train - and it's up to Boyd to figure out if he's telling the truth. Guy Pearce, David Arquette and Jeremy Davies co-star.

Wednesday

Laura (1944) (Talking Pictures TV, 3.00pm)

Director Otto Preminger's classic film noir stars Dana Andrews as New York detective McPherson. He's called in to investigate the murder of advertising executive Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney), who was killed with a shotgun blast to the face. As her mentor, newspaper columnist Waldo Lydecker (the excellent, acid-tongued Clifton Webb), playboy fiance (Vincent Price), and socialite aunt (Judith Anderson) paint a picture of the beautiful, successful Laura through flashbacks, McPherson becomes increasingly obsessed with the dead woman. Then the case takes an unexpected twist... Tierney is a little bland in the title role, but who cares when the direction, script and supporting performances are so compelling? A haunting theme from David Raksin adds to the atmosphere.

A Bronx Tale (1993) (GREAT! movies, 9.00pm)

Robert De Niro hasn't been a prolific director - he's only helmed two movies throughout his entire career - but he's certainly got the skills; clearly working with some of the greats, including his friend Martin Scorsese, rubbed off on him over the years. His debut behind the camera came with this coming-of-age crime drama, in which he also appears as bus driver Lorenzo, although it's his character's son, Calogero (Lillo Brancato Jr), who takes centre stage. At a young age, he becomes obsessed with the gangsters living in his neighbourhood, and becomes torn between their seemingly glamorous, wealthy lifestyle and the example set by his law-abiding family. Chazz Paminteri, who also wrote the play on which the film is based, co-stars as mobster Sonny.

Thursday

Meet Me in St Louis (1944) (BBC4, 8pm)

Set in 1903 in - wait for it - St Louis, Vincente Minnelli's enchanting musical follows a year in the life of the close-knit Smith family. The clan's happiness is threatened when the head of the household announces they're all moving to New York so he can take up a new job. His children are left fearing they'll miss out on all the excitement of the upcoming World's Fair - and teenage Esther (Judy Garland) worries about the future of her romance with the boy next door. Garland gets one of her best roles, as well as the chance to belt out classics such as The Trolley Song and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. However, the film is very nearly stolen from her by the extraordinary Margaret O'Brien, who plays her morbid little sister Tootie.

The Counselor (2013) (GREAT! movies, 9pm)

Whether you love or loathe his films, one thing you can never accuse Ridley Scott of being is boring. During the past 45 years he has delivered a wide variety of projects, and while some of them could be accused of favouring style over substance, others live long in the memory. The South Shields-born director is best known for Alien and Blade Runner, both futuristic tales, but here he tackles the crime thriller genre. Michael Fassbender (who had previously worked with Scott on Prometheus) takes the title role, that of a lawyer who represents drug dealers. He makes the mistake of taking a more active role in their activities, and soon finds himself dangerously out of his depth. Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem and Brad Pitt co-star.

Friday

A Fistful of Dollars (1964) (Channel 5, 10pm)

Clint Eastwood became a Hollywood superstar thanks to his first outing as The Man with No Name in this Western from director Sergio Leone. The mysterious gunslinger rides into a town on the Mexican border divided by two warring families. After killing the henchmen of one clan, he seems to have made it clear where his loyalties lie and is hired by their rivals. However, he is secretly planning to play them off against each other to his own advantage. As Westerns go, this and its sequels For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly are as good as they get. Eastwood is perfect in the role, and he's well supported by Gian Maria Volonte, who's equally impressive as Ramon Rojo.

The French Connection (1971) (BBC2, 11.05pm)

Two tough New York cops try to bust an international drugs ring after learning that heroin is being shipped in from France. Their investigation leads them to a sweet shop that's been selling more than candy, but for one of the officers in particular the case becomes an obsession, and he doesn't care how many rules he has to bend to get results.Is Viewers seeing The French Connection for the first time might think the plot is a bit cliched, but that's probably only because it inspired so many other TV shows and films. Although most people remember the iconic car chase, the gritty drama also boasts an extraordinary performance by Gene Hackman as Popeye Doyle, and an impressive supporting cast. No wonder it picked up five Oscars. Fernando Rey and Roy Scheider also star.