Pick of the week
28 Years Later<\/p>\n
Danny Boyle and Alex Garland\u2019s zombie-like horror saga returns<\/a> \u2013 18 years later \u2013 with the first in a trilogy set in a Britain quarantined from the rest of Europe. Rather than being all running and dying (though there is a fair bit of that), this one follows humanity as it tries to protect the remnants of civilisation in the aftermath of the raging infection. Spike (Alfie Williams) lives with his mum, Isla (Jodie Comer), and dad, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), on the fortified isle of Lindisfarne. But forays to the mainland lead all three into danger. And what is Ralph Fiennes\u2019s mysterious doctor up to in the woods? A thrilling, visceral revisit to a dystopia where, despite everything, glimmers of hope remain. The Phoenician SchemeTremendous dispatch \u2026 Benicio Del Toro as Zsa-Zsa Korda and Mia Threapleton as Liesl in The Phoenician Scheme. Photograph: TPS Productions\/PA<\/p>\n You know what to expect from a Wes Anderson picture by now: surreal plots, detailed sets and deadpan performances from a preposterously starry cast. His latest<\/a> has all those, but adds a giddy quest narrative involving dodgy tycoon Zsa-Zsa Korda (Benicio Del Toro) and his Catholic novice daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton) on a fund-raising trip for his epic infrastructure project. There are assassins, love stories, political brouhaha \u2013 and a handy box of hand grenades. Ridiculous but entertaining. ElvisSuitably magnetic \u2026 Austin Butler in Elvis. Photograph: Collection Christophel\/Alamy<\/p>\n A fascinating double bill could be fashioned from Sofia Coppola\u2019s Priscilla<\/a>, screening on the BBC next week, and Baz Luhrmann\u2019s flamboyant biopic<\/a> of the beloved hip-swiveller. Austin Butler is suitably magnetic as Presley, though the film is just as interested in his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks, with a sort-of Dutch accent and a prosthetic hooter), who guides and manipulates his rock\u2019n\u2019roll cash cow. Their Svengali-like relationship drives the film, while Luhrmann, a master of the musical set-piece, gives Elvis\u2019s performances a real kick. FriendshipDisturbing comedy \u2026 Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd in Friendship. Photograph: Paramount Pictures<\/p>\n Left-field comic performer Tim Robinson continues to pick away at the absurdities and quirks of human behaviour in his first film<\/a> leading role. He plays a very Robinsonian character \u2013 the nerdy, socially awkward\/inappropriate Craig, who works in a nebulous office job and has a surprisingly normal wife and son. Paul Rudd plays his new neighbour, weather presenter Austin, who befriends Craig but then drops him after a faux pas. A bewildered, humiliated Craig\u2019s life then disintegrates to disturbing, comic effect. Marcel the Shell With Shoes OnDelightful \u2026 Marcel the Shell With Shoes On (voiced by Jenny Slate). Photograph: Everett Collection Inc\/Alamy<\/p>\n
New Year\u2019s Day, 6.30am, 8pm, Sky Cinema Premiere<\/p>\n
Saturday 27 December, 9.35am, 6.15pm, Sky Cinema Premiere<\/p>\n
Saturday 27 December, 7.45pm, BBC One<\/p>\n
Tuesday 30 December, 9.30am, 10.30pm, Sky Cinema Premiere\/Paramount+<\/p>\n