West Herts Drivetime With Danny Smith

This week on the Film Club, Charlotte is talking about the her four most recent watches. Up first is 'Spotlight', the 2015 Drama/Thriller.Nominated for 6 awards and the Best Picture winner of the 2016 Oscars, it tells the story of the ‘Spotlight’ team, a group of investigative reporters at the Boston Globe who uncover horrific stories of child abuse within the Catholic Church, and the Church’s attempts at covering it up.Directed by Tom McCarthy, it stars Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, Brian d’Arcy James, John Slattery and Stanley Tucci. 

Simon's Top Picks for the free-to-air TV over the next week:FridayInvictus (2009)10.45pm – 1.15amITVSaturdayEuropa Report (2013)7.15pm – 9.00pmFilm4SundayTremors (1989)9.00pm – 11.00pmITV4MondayMission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)9.00pm – 11.35pmFilm4TuesdayShutter Island (2009)10.40pm – 1.20amFilm4WednesdaySupport Your Local Gunfighter (1971)3.10pm – 5.00pmFilm4ThursdaySword of Sherwood Forest (1960)1.10pm – 2.50pmFilm4

To conclude a week of plot twists, today the Film Club looks at psychological thriller 'Secret Window'.Johnny Depp stars as writer Mort Rainey, who moves to a remote cabin during the process of a difficult divorce with his wife. Attempting to recover his mental health, Rainey has the misfortune of being found by John Shooter (John Turturro), a farmer who claims Rainey plagiarized his work. At first, Rainey ignores the accusations, but Shooter has no intention of quietly disappearing. 

Today's Film with a twist is 'Fight Club' from 1999.Edward Norton suffers from insomnia and depression, and meets a strange soap salesman named Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) and soon finds himself living in his squalid house after his perfect apartment is destroyed. The two bored men form an underground club with strict rules and fight other men who are fed up with their mundane lives. Their perfect partnership frays when Marla (Helena Bonham Carter), a fellow support group crasher, attracts Tyler's attention.David Fincher directs, and Jared Leto and Meatloaf also star. 

Another classic today as the Film Club keeps looking at twists, with classic 'The Sixth Sense'.Young Cole Sear is haunted by a dark secret: he is visited by ghosts. Cole is frightened by visitations from those with unresolved problems who appear from the shadows. He is too afraid to tell anyone about his anguish, except child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe. As Dr. Crowe tries to uncover the truth about Cole's supernatural abilities, the consequences for client and therapist are a jolt that awakens them both to something unexplainable.Haley Joel Osment and Bruce Willis star in this thriller by M. Night Shyamalan.

This week on the Film Club, Charlotte is focused on great Plot Twists! This week, we start with the Alfred Hitchcock classic 'Psycho'.Secretary Marion Crane is on the run after stealing $40,000 from her employer so she can get away from her boyfriend, Sam Loomis. Traveling on the back roads to avoid the police, she stops for the night at the ramshackle Bates Motel and meets the polite but highly strung proprietor Norman Bates, a young man with an interest in taxidermy and a difficult relationship with his mother.Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles and John Gavin star.

Today Danny and Simon talked for the nearly the longest time anyone has ever talked about films... 35 minutes! At some point Simon mentioned that there were some free-to-air films available for the listeners to catch:FridayFour Weddings and Funeral (1994)9.00pm – 11.20pmFilm4SaturdayHomefront (2013)11.35pm – 1.40am5STARSundayTinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011)11,00pm – 1.25amChannel 4MondayThe Silent Child (2017)12.15am – 12.35amBBC2TuesdayI give it a year (2013)11.15pm – 1.10amFilm4WednesdayTransporter 2 (2005)9.00pm – 10.40pmFilm4ThursdayA Bigger Splash (2015)9.00pm – 11.30pmFilm4

The final sports film of this week's Film Club is the documentary/drama "Concussion" from 2015.Will Smith stars as pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu, who while conducting an autopsy on former NFL football player Mike Webster (David Morse),  discovers neurological deterioration similar to Alzheimer's disease. Omalu names the disorder chronic traumatic encephalopathy and publishes his findings in a medical journal. As other athletes face the same diagnosis, the crusading doctor embarks on a mission to raise public awareness about the dangers of football-related head trauma.

The Film Club continues to look at great sporting flicks this week, with today's pick being "Creed" from 2015.Michael B. Jordan stars as Adonis Johnson, who never knew his famous father, boxing champion Apollo Creed. However, boxing runs in Adonis' blood, and he finds himself driven to find the iconic Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) to be his trainer. Rocky sees much of Apollo in Adonis, and agrees to mentor him, even when faced by his own troubles. From the combined efforts of the two, Adonis' is able to secure a shot at the title, but does he have the drive to make it?Ryan Coogler directs this continuation of the famous 'Rocky' series. 

After the Bank holiday weekend the Film Club is back! This week we're looking at sporty films, starting with "Bend it Like Beckham".Jess Bhamra, the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, is not permitted to play organized football even though shes 18. On a day of playing a casual match, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton, who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with the romantic feelings she feels for her coach, Joe.Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley and Jonathan Rhys Meyers star. 

For the final episode of a week dedicated to the mythical, Charlotte looks at the sinister with the 2017 horror "The Ritual".The film follows a group of college-pals, reuniting after the tragic death of their friend by setting out on a hike through the Scandinavian wilderness. A wrong turn leads them into the mysterious forests of Norse legend, where an ancient evil exists and stalks them at every turn.

More mythical creatures for this week's Film Club, as Charlotte and Danny discuss Disney classic "The Little Mermaid" today.A rebellious teenage mermaid named Ariel is fascinated with life on land, and on a secret visit to the surface falls for a human prince. Determined to be with her new love, despite her father King Triton's rulings, Ariel makes a dangerous deal with the sea witch Ursula to become human for three days. But when plans go awry for the star-crossed lovers, the king must make the ultimate sacrifice for his daughter.Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, Samuel E. Wright, René Auberjonois and Kenneth Mars all star. 

Continuing to look at Films starring mythical creatures this week, today Charlotte looks at "Avatar", the cgi extravaganza about the far-away planet of 'Pandora'.On the lush alien world of Pandora live the Na'vi, beings who appear primitive but are highly evolved. Because the planet's environment is poisonous, human/Na'vi hybrids, called Avatars, must link to human minds to allow for free movement on Pandora.  A formerly paralyzed marine named Jake Sully finds himself  mobile again through one such Avatar, and slowly falls in love with a Na'vi woman as he spends more time understanding their culture. However as the military plans to destroy the native landscape become apparent, Sully must choose a side.Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver and Scott Lang star.

As it is Good Friday tomorrow, Simon Carver joined us a day early to discuss the UK cinema box office top 10, the new cinema releases, and his choice of the best fils on free-to-air TV for the next week:FridayFast and Furious 79.00pm – 11.30pmITVSaturdayBack to the Future6.45pm – 9.00pmFilm4SundaySelma11,00pm – 1.00amBBC2MondayPaddington4.40pm – 6.30pmFilm4TuesdayGrand Budapest Hotel11.05pm – 1.10amFilm4WednesdayRed Heat11.00pm – 11.10amITV4ThursdayPride and Prejudice and Zombies9.00pm – 11.10pmFilm4

23rd March 2018 – Films on TVSimon Carver brings you his pick of the week's free to air TV:FridayCrazy, Stupid Love (2011)8.00pm – 10.20pmITV2SaturdayGuardians of the Galaxy (2014)10.30pm – 12.25amBBC1SundaySkyfall (2012)8.00pm – 10.50pmITV2MondayThe Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)9.00 – 11.25pmFilm4TuesdayThere’s something about Mary (1998)10.00pm – 12.25am5STARWednesdayPulp Fiction (1994)9.00pm – 12.05amFilm4ThursdayAnchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)10.55pm – 12.45amFilm4

It's a Thursday, and almost time to conclude on this week's Film Club theme, and so Charlotte concludes a week of game-themed picks with the grand game presented in "Rat Race" from 2001. Led by a single Las Vegas Casino tycoon, a group of rich philanthropists devise the perfect game, by pitting six ordinary people against each other in a wild dash for $2 million jammed into a locker hundreds of miles away. The film tracks each contestant as they find themselves in increasingly wild and wacky situations. The only rule is there are no rules!An ensemble cast carries the film, and includes stars such as Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jnr, Seth Green and John Cleese. 

The Film Club this week is still 'Game' themed in all shapes and sizes, and so today Charlotte looks at the aptly named "Game Night".This recent release sees competitive couple Max and Annie and their group of friends get their weekly game night shaken up when Max's brother Brooks arranges a murder mystery party, that doesn't go as planned. As the competitors set out to solve the case, they start to learn that neither the game nor Brooks are what they seem to be.Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Jesse Plemons and Kyle Chandler are just a few of the stars in this comedy-thriller.

It's time for Charlotte to conclude this week's Film Club, and so our last animal themed Film is 1999's Lake Placid.When a man is violently killed in a Maine lake, Jack Wells, the local game warden, looks into the bizarre case, along with Sheriff Hank Keough and visiting paleontologist Kelly Scott. Looking for clues via a large monstrous tooth found at the scene, Kelly and the others eventually locate the culprit; an enormous reptile that threatens to eat the whole town.Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman and Brendan Gleeson star.

Today's 'Animal' focused Film is "War Horse", a war drama released in 2011.Albert lives on a farm in the British countryside with his Horse Joey, who he spares a special bond with. At the outbreak of World War I, the two are forcibly parted when Albert's father sells the horse to the British cavalry. Against the backdrop of the Great War, Joey begins an odyssey full of sadness and joy as he travels with the British Cavalry, while Albert tours the French battlefield, searching for his friend.Directed by Steven Spielberg, the Film stars Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, Tom Hiddlestone, Benedict Cumberbatch and many more. 

Animals are still the theme of this week's Film Club, and so today Charlotte chooses to talk about a cult classic from 2006 "Snakes on a Plane".The Film title does a good job of summarising the story, as thousands of snakes are released onto a plane in order to kill a key witness to a crime, and FBI agent Nelville Flynn, played by Samuel L Jackson, has to protect everyone on board.