FILM
THE MIDNIGHT SKY (Cert 12, 122 mins, streaming from December 23 exclusively on Netflix, Sci-Fi/Drama/Action/Romance)
IN FEBRUARY 2049, three weeks after a global catastrophe known as “the event”, scientist Augustine Lofthouse (George Clooney) lives out his final days alone at the Barbeau Observatory in the Arctic Circle, one of the few places yet to be choked by dangerously high levels of radiation.
He performs blood transfusions to counter the cancer ravaging his body and awaits the inevitable, until he stumbles upon a young girl named Iris (Caoilinn Springall) left behind in the evacuation.
They form an unlikely double act as Augustine prepares to contact returning spacecraft Aether under the control of Commander Tom Adewole (David Oyelowo).
The crew is unaware of the devastation and Augustine needs to warn Tom and his team – Maya (Tiffany Boone), Mitchell (Kyle Chandler), Sanchez (Demian Bichir) and Sully (Felicity Jones) – that life on Earth will soon be extinct.
Adapted by screenwriter Mark L Smith from Lily-Brooks Dalton’s novel, The Midnight Sky is a ponderous sci-fi drama that orbits in the same galaxy as The Martian and Gravity.
With the exception of a spacewalk sequence, which is genuinely thrilling and cranks up tension with clinical precision, Clooney’s return to the director’s chair after a three-year hiatus wheezes and puffs almost as much as his character.
Logic deserts the script at critical junctures but Clooney and luminous co-star Springall bravely soldier on.
JIU JITSU (Cert 15, 102 mins, Signature Entertainment, Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller/Romance, available from December 21 on Amazon Prime Video/BT TV Store/iTunes/Sky Store/TalkTalk TV Store and other download and streaming services, available from January 4 on DVD £15.99/Blu-ray £19.99)
AS A comet snakes across the sky over Burma, the concussed body of Jake Barnes (Alain Moussi) is scooped from the ocean and delivered into the care of American soldiers commanded by Captain Sand (Rick Yune).
Jake claims to have lost his memory and when intelligence officer Myra (Marie Avgeropoulos) injects truth serum, the secrets of his past are shrouded in fog.
Soon after, a robed figure named Keung (Tony Jaa) forcibly infiltrates the American stronghold and orders Jake to follow him.
It transpires that the amnesiac is a skilled Jiu Jitsu fighter, who has been chosen to face an extra-terrestrial predator named Brax (Ryan Tarran) as part of a ceremonial hunt that takes place on Earth every six years.
Bookmarked into chapters by animated comic strip panels, Jiu Jitsu is a gung-ho retread of Predator, which delivers far less of the titular martial arts than you might sensibly expect.
Digital effects are unconvincing and occasionally laughable while choice lines of perfunctory dialogue feed best into Nicolas Cage’s typically manic supporting performance as a shaggy-haired mentor with a personal stake in Jake’s victory.
THE RACER (Cert 15, 97 mins, Vertigo Releasing, available from December 18 on Amazon Prime Video/BT TV Store/Curzon Home Cinema/Google Play/iTunes/Microsoft Store/PlayStation Store/Rakuten TV/Sky Store/TalkTalk TV Store/Virgin Media and other download and streaming services, Drama/Romance)
THE physical and psychological toll of success at the world’s most prestigious cycling event weighs heavily on one cheating athlete in Kieron J Walsh’s blackly humorous drama, co-written by Ciaran Cassidy.
After years of illegal doping masterminded by team masseur and best friend Sonny (Iain Glen), cyclist Dom Chabol (Louis Talpe) prepares for his final challenge: the 1998 edition of Le Tour de France.
Before the opening stages, which have been relocated to Ireland, Dom is unceremoniously dropped from the team.
He adjusts awkwardly to the harsh reality of life on two feet with the help of a young Irish doctor called Lynn (Tara Lee).
Then fate intervenes and Dom is unexpectedly thrown back into the saddle and told to perform cleanly for the first time in years.
AFTER WE COLLIDED (Cert 15, 105 mins, streaming from December 22 exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, Romance/Drama)
IN 2019, Jenny Gage directed the romantic drama After, based on the hugely popular online novel written by Anna Todd, which charts the tempestuous romance of 18-year-old college freshman Tessa Young (Josephine Langford) and brooding British student Hardin Scott (Hero Fiennes Tiffin).
After We Collided continues the story as Tessa comes to terms with everything she has sacrificed to be with Hardin including study, friendships and a blossoming relationship with nice guy Noah (Dylan Arnold).
The closer she looks into the past of her enigmatic beau, the more concerned Tessa becomes that she has made the wrong decision.
Hardin must prove her wrong by confronting his past and changing his ways.
ROALD & BEATRIX: THE TAIL OF THE CURIOUS MOUSE (Cert PG, 90 mins, streaming from December 24 exclusively on NOW TV, Comedy/Romance/Fantasy)
THE true story of an encounter between two British literary treasures provides the inspiration for a heart-warming Christmas film directed by David Kerr, which screens on Christmas Eve on Sky One and streams exclusively on NOW TV.
Six-year-old Roald Dahl (Harry Tayler) is blessed with a vivid imagination and he is enamoured with the books of Beatrix Potter (Dawn French), who writes so wonderfully about the animal residents of her cottage.
Roald sweetly asks his mother Sofie (Jessica Hynes) to take him to visit his idol at Hill Top in Ambleside.
When his pleas fail to yield results, Roald embarks on a grand adventure on his own terms to prove that you are never too young to chase your dreams.
Bill Bailey, Rob Brydon and Alison Steadman co-star.
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK: AFTER EVER AFTER (Cert PG, 60 mins, streaming from December 23 exclusively on NOW TV, Comedy/Romance)
FOLLOWING the success of last year’s festive fable, Cinderella: After Ever After, Sky One welcomes back David Walliams as co-writer and star of a sequel to Jack (Eddie Karanja) and his magic beans, which streams exclusively on NOW TV.
The beanstalk-clambering tyke discovers that The Giant (Walliams) isn’t dead – the hulking oaf is suffering from memory loss as a result of concussion.
To avoid being eaten, Jack pretends to be friends with The Giant and hatches a daring plan to shepherd his former enemy back home without arousing the suspicions of his mother Pat (Jocelyn Jee Esien) and the other villagers.
Unfortunately, the angry mob includes world famous giant-killer The Woman With No Name (Sheridan Smith) and con man Dodgy Dave (Blake Harrison).
SYLVIE’S LOVE (Cert 15, 110 mins, streaming from December 23 exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, Drama/Romance)
WRITER-director Eugene Ashe questions the true price of love in a romantic drama which begins in the summer of 1957 in New York.
Gifted saxophonist Robert (Nnamdi Asomugha) plays in a jazz quartet, concealing his talent behind a well-known bandleader who covets the plaudits.
He takes a part-time job at a record store and meets the owner’s daughter, Sylvie (Tessa Thompson), whose fiance is overseas, serving his country.
Sylvie dreams of a career in television and her lust for life sparks a passionate connection that shakes Robert to his core.
Alas, as the summer ends, so too must their relationship until many years later, when Robert and Sylvie’s paths cross again.
BOX SETS/SERIES
ON POINTE (6 episodes, streaming from December 18 exclusively on Disney+, Documentary)
CHRISTMAS often heralds productions of the seasonal ballet The Nutcracker set to Tchaikovsky’s sumptuous score in which Clara witnesses her toys come to life before she battles with the Mouse King.
Six-part documentary series On Pointe goes behind the scenes of the renowned School Of American Ballet in New York City to follow students aged eight to 18 as they rehearse and perform in New York City Ballet staging of The Nutcracker choreographed by George Balanchine.
En route to a moment in the spotlight at Lincoln Centre, students face growing pains, self-doubt and injuries that could seriously hamper their efforts to rigorously train for professional careers.
