Sunday’s TV tips

A quiet Sunday in with the tellly. Lovely.

Sunday’s TV tips

FILM: ParaNorman (Channel 4, 4.50pm)

(2012) “What’s happening?” Grandma (voiced by Elaine Stritch) asks Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) as he stares at a zombie tucking into the brains of a hapless female victim on the TV screen.

“He’s eating her head,” replies the boy nonchalantly.

“He’s going to ruin his dinner,” notes the old dear, one of the earthbound spirits that appear to Norman, but remain invisible to the lad’s parents Perry (Jeff Garlin) and Sandra (Leslie Mann), and his sister Courtney (Anna Kendrick).

A surprise visit from deranged uncle Prenderghast (John Goodman) casts a dark cloud over the sleepy New England town of Blithe Hollow.

“The witch’s curse is real and you’re the only one who can stop it!” Prenderghast instructs Norman. Terrific animated adventure with a huge heart. Recommended.

FILM: Labyrinth (Channel 5, 5.15pm)

(1986) A spoilt brat teenager (Jennifer Connelly) has to save her kidnapped baby brother (Toby Froud) from the clutches of nasty Jareth (David Bowie, sporting terrifying tights and a Tina Turner fright wig).

The sub plot about kids accepting responsibility hangs rather heavy in what is a rather good fantasy in its own right.

Terry Jones provided the script, but full marks to conceptual artist Brian Froud, who borrows liberally from artist MC Escher, in his creation of the imaginative fairytale world and its bizarre characters.

Some of the effects, especially a once-groundbreaking CGI owl in the opening titles, have dated badly, but there’s substance to this beloved saga, and a remake wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

The Voice of Ireland (RTE One, 6.30pm)

The final four contestants battle it out for the grand prize of a recording contract with Universal Music and the title of the Voice Of Ireland

The Final

All four acts perform with a special guest of their choice with the top three acts being voted through on public vote only to a second performance on the night.

After a second count of public vote only, one act will be crowned The Voice of Ireland and win a recording contract with Universal Music. Presented by Kathryn Thomas.

FILM: Cold Light of Day (TV3, 9pm)

(2012) Golden Globe winner Bruce Willis and Oscar nominated Sigourney Weaver star in this gripping suspense thriller.

After his family is kidnapped during their sailing trip in Spain, a young Wall Street trader is confronted by the people responsible: intelligence agents looking to recover a mysterious briefcase.

Starring: Bruce Willis, Sigourney Weaver, Henry Cavill

FILM: The Impossible (Channel 4, 9pm)

(2012) Henry (Ewan McGregor) and Maria (Naomi Watts) arrive in the tropical paradise of Thailand with their three sons, Lucas (Tom Holland), Thomas (Samuel Joslin) and Simon (Oaklee Pendergast).

They open Christmas presents on the patio overlooking the sea, unaware of the horror to come.

The following day, flocks of terrified birds take to the skies, heralding a wall of water that careens through the complex. Maria and Lucas are carried away by the surge and when the water eventually recedes, they hobble through mud and detritus in search of survivors.

Meanwhile, Henry is forced to leave his two youngest boys in the care of strangers in order to learn the fate of his wife and eldest child. It’s a harrowing tale, but stick with it and the movie pays dividends.

FILM: The Last Stand (Channel 5, 9pm)

(2013) Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return to movies after a spell in politics proved hit-and-miss.

He plays Ray Owens, sheriff of the sleepy town of Sommerton Junction, which nestles on the US-Mexico border. Ray is looking forward to a day off, leaving his three deputies – Sarah Torrance (Jaimie Alexander), Jerry Bailey (Zach Gilford) and Mike Figuerola (Luis Guzman) – in charge.

Alas, news filters through that notorious drugs kingpin Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega) has escaped FBI custody and is heading south in a specially outfitted Corvette ZR1 with Agent Ellen Richards (Genesis Rodriguez) as a hostage.

While lead agent John Bannister (Forest Whitaker) and his team race to Sommerton Junction, Ray rallies his troops to form a human barricade against the bad guys.

Hunters of the South Seas (BBC2, 9pm)

Writer and explorer Will Millard heads to the Indonesian village of Lamalera, which is one of the Coral Triangle’s most notorious communities as the inhabitants have survived for centuries by hunting manta rays, dolphins, sharks and whales.

Using hand-thrown harpoons, the fisherman are the last people on earth who continue to hunt whales in this traditional manner and Will goes out to sea with them to witness their hunts first-hand, testing his Western values to the limit.

Kate Middleton: Heir We Go Again (ITV3, 9pm)

Just over a year after the birth of Prince George, the Duchess of Cambridge announced her second pregnancy.

For much of the media, this has been an opportunity to monitor her choices in maternity wear, and the size of her ’bump’, but this programme looks at some of the bigger questions raised by the upcoming birth of Kate and William’s second child.

In a 21st-century monarchy, what sort of role is there for the ’heir to the spare’, and how will the new arrival affect the dynamics of the royal family?

Britain’s Biggest Diamond Heist? The Inside Story (BBC2, 10pm)

Not everyone was taking it easy over the Easter weekend, one six-man gang targeted a vault in London’s Hatton Garden, making off with the contents of security deposit boxes estimated to be worth millions.

The incident has caught the public’s imagination, perhaps because in these days of ’cyber crime’, there’s something rather old-fashioned about a jewel heist.

But how exactly did the gang manage to get past the security guards, CCTV, alarms and other 21st-century security measures to grab their haul?

Declan Lawn is journeying into Britain’s criminal underworld in search of answers. But just in case it all starts to seem a little too much like a Hollywood caper movie, we’ll also hear from the victims.

Perspectives: Len Goodman – For the Love of Fred Astaire (ITV, 10.15pm)

The Strictly Come Dancing judge travels across America exploring the extraordinary life of his hero.

Finding out how and why Fred Astaire became one of the world’s greatest movers, Len heads to New York, where the star began dance classes at the age of six, and learns about the years he spent touring a vaudeville act through the US in the shadow of his sister, an experience that taught him to strive for perfection.

In Los Angeles, Len meets Barrie Chase, one of Astaire’s old performing partners, and a visit to his daughter Ava Astaire McKenzie provides insight into the man behind the fame.

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