Top films to watch on TV this week

The Great Escape (1963) Film4, 11a.m.

During the Second World War, a group of Allied prisoners, famed for repeatedly fleeing from various prisons, are sent to a supposedly escape-proof maximum-security detention camp. However, the soldiers aren’t willing to remain in German custody and soon formulate an ingenious mass breakout via underground tunnels. Whenever a list is made of the greatest war films, this movie always appears somewhere near the top.

The Oscar-nominated film is a gripping and thoroughly rewatchable tale which was inspired by a true story. Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, James Coburn, Donald Pleasance, James Garner, Charles Bronson and David McCallum are among the all-star cast.

THURSDAY, MARCH 28

Trainspotting (1996) Film4, 10.45p.m.

Heroin addict Renton (Ewan McGregor) makes periodic attempts to get clean, but finds his friends are more of a hindrance than a help. Fellow junkies Spud (Ewen Bremner) and Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller) don’t offer much encouragement, and while his mate Begbie (Robert Carlyle) may not touch drugs, he is prone to random bouts of violence. It seems Renton’s only chance of escaping the self-destructive cycle may be to leave his native Edinburgh behind.

Director Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting became an instant cult classic on its release, and it’s not hard to see why. From the opening scene, cut to Iggy Pop’s Lust for Life, it’s clear the audience is in for an exhilarating mix of grit, energy and black humour, with the odd surreal flourish thrown in for good measure.

FRIDAY, MARCH 29

La La Land (2016) BBC2, 11p.m.

Aspiring actress Mia (Emma Stone) works as a barista between auditions, which repeatedly end in crushing rejection. On a traffic-jammed Los Angeles freeway, she crosses paths with talented pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), who reveres jazz in its purest form.

They meet again at a party in the Hollywood hills, where they share hopes for the future beneath the twinkling stars of the Californian night sky. But can they follow their dreams and keep their artistic integrity without sacrificing their relationship?

It may have famously missed out on the Best Picture Oscar, but La La Land is a visually sumptuous, unabashedly swooning valentine to the golden age of Hollywood musicals. Gosling and Stone are individually luminous – and electrifying as a double-act in high-energy song and dance sequences.

SATURDAY, MARCH 30

Kick-Ass (2010) BBC3, 10p.m.

This enjoyably edgy comic-book action comedy sees rumoured new James Bond actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson cast as an American teenager who becomes a real-life superhero. Although his amateur crime-fighting adventures make him a media sensation, he is soon in over his head as he crosses paths with a gangster and a lethal father-daughter vigilante team (played by Nicolas Cage and Chloe Grace Moretz).

Director Matthew Vaughn and co-writer Jane Goldman proved you don’t need a huge budget and a well-known comic-book series to make a great movie. Their tale, based on a Mark Millar comic, is superbly crafted, and the movie is brilliantly cast with Moretz stealing the show as foul-mouthed young crime-fighter Hit-Girl.

SUNDAY, MARCH 31

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) ITV, 12.25p.m.

For the uninitiated, Roald Dahl’s classic story follows Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum), a poor youngster who finds a rare golden ticket in a special chocolate bar which enables him to take a trip to a magical confectionary factory. What he finds inside its doors are beyond his wildest imagination, but it turns out that it’s a dangerous place for children who don’t do as they’re told…

There are bound to be comparisons with Tim Burton’s big-budget remake (and the recent prequel starring Timothée Chalamet), but while the sets may not be as lavish, this 1971 offering remains a classic, thanks to Gene Wilder’s definitive performance as Willy Wonka. He manages to be charmingly playful and slightly sinister at the same time.

MONDAY, APRIL 1

Easy A (2010) BBC3, 10p.m.

Future double-Oscar-winner Emma Stone gives a star-making performance as Olive, a high-school misfit who lies to her best friend that she lost her virginity to a college student. Before she knows it, the story has gone round the school, and Olive finds she quite likes the attention. So, when a bullied classmate asks her to stop the speculation about his sexuality by claiming they slept together too, she doesn’t see the harm. Unfortunately, Olive is about to learn that just because she created her bad-girl reputation, it doesn’t mean she can control it.

Providing you can believe that it would take a false rumour to make the boys notice doe-eyed, husky-voiced Stone, this is a sharp teen comedy that even finds decent roles for grown-ups Stanley Tucci, Lisa Kudrow and Patricia Clarkson.

TUESDAY, APRIL 1

Rocketman (2019) Film4, 11.15p.m.

Taron Egerton dons the rhinestone glasses, sequinned jumpsuits and platform boots to take on the role of Elton John in this biopic of the singer-songwriter. Directed by Dexter Fletcher – who already had a bit of practice helming musical movies, having worked on Bohemian Rhapsody – the film details Elton’s breakthrough years, touching on his relationships with his lyricist Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell) and manager-lover John Reid (Richard Madden). It also doesn’t shy away from the singer’s troubles with addiction.

But whereas the Queen movie was a straight nuts-and-bolts narrative, this is anything but. Typical of anything made in Elton’s name, it’s a fantasy version of the singer’s life, jumping around from one time period to another, and using the most appropriate songs for that point. This one’s for you.