Press
Lots of Movies to Enjoy on TG4 Throughout the Christmas Season
06.12.23
Pic: Scannán: Almost Christmas
Movies as Gaeilge for all younger viewers which will be shown on TG4 and on the children’s channel Cúla4 simultaneously include:Smurfs: The Lost Village (Christmas Day 8am), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (Christmas Day 2pm), The Boss Baby (St. Stephen’s Day 5pm), My Little Pony (New Year’s Day 8am), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (1/1/24 5.30pm).
There’s a range of films from classics to Westerns to Contemporary international cinema.
Among these are:
Diary of a Wimpy Kid – 22nd December 5pm
(2010, Comedy, Family) Starring Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron & Rachael Harris. Directed by Thor Freudenthal. Greg Heffley is a 12 year old who is fresh out of elementary and transitions to middle school, where he has to learn the consequences and responsibility to survive the year.
Gangs of New York – 22nd December 9:50pm
(2002 Crime) Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz & Daniel Day-Lewis. Directed by Martin Scorsese. In 1862, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher, his father’s killer.
The Misfits – 23rd December 1:15 pm
(1961, Western) Starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift. Directed by John Huston. A divorcée falls for an over-the-hill cowboy who is struggling to maintain his romantically independent lifestyle.
The Philadelphia Story – Christmas Eve 10am
(1940, Romantic Comedy) Starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart. Directed by George Cukor. When a rich woman’s ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.
Annie – Christmas Eve 1:10 pm
(1982, Comedy-Drama film) Starring Aileen Quinn, Albert Finney and Carol Burnett. Directed by John Huston. A spunky young orphan is taken in by a rich eccentric, much to the chagrin of the cantankerous woman who runs the orphanage.
Dr Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas – Christmas Eve 5pm
(2000, Comedy, Family) Starring Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen and Kelley. Directed by Ron Howard. On the outskirts of Whoville lives a green, revenge-seeking Grinch who plans to ruin Christmas for all of the citizens of the town.
Die Hard – Christmas Eve 9:30 pm
(1988, Action) Starring Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman and Bonnie Bedelia. Directed by John McTiernan. A New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.
Miracle on 34th Street – Christmas Day 12:20pm
(1947, Comedy) Starring Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O’Hara and John Payne. Directed by George Seaton. After a divorced New York mother hires a nice old man to play Santa Claus at Macy’s, she is startled by his claim to be the genuine article. When his sanity is questioned, a lawyer defends him in court by arguing that he’s not mistaken.
Into the West – Christmas Day 6:15pm
(1992, Adventure) Starring Gabriel Byrne, Ellen Barkin and Ciarán Fitzgerald. Directed by Mike Newell. Grandpa Ward gives a horse he found to his grandchildren, who keep it in their tower-block flat in Dublin. The horse is stolen from them, and the two young boys set out to find it and flee on it.
Cine4: Róise & Frank – Christmas Day 8pm
Award winning Irish language film. Róise is still grieving the loss of her husband, Frank, two years after his passing, when a mysterious dog shows up at her door. The dog loves sport and steaks, and has taken to a particular armchair in the house – Frank’s old spot. This series of coincidences convinces Róise that this dog is her husband, Frank, reincarnated. Her son thinks she has completely lost her mind, but the rest of the community begins to believe it too. Starring Bríd Ní Neachtain who received IFTA best Actress in lead role 2023 for her performance in this film.
Mise Éire – St. Stephen’s Day 9pm
Mise Éire tells of events in Ireland leading up to, during, and immediately after the 1916 Easter Rising, extensively using original footage such as newsreels from the time. Produced by Gael Linn in 1959 it was the first feature length film made anywhere on the basis of such actuality material. Featuring the evocative music of Seán Ó Riada.
Dirty Dancing – St. Stephen’s Day 11:40 pm
(1987, Music, Romance) Starring Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey and Jerry Orbach. Directed by Emile Ardolino. In the summer of 1963, 17-year-old Baby is vacationing with her family at a mountain resort when she is drawn to the staff quarters by stirring music. There she meets Johnny, the hotel dance instructor, and they fall in love despite everyone’s warnings.
The Blues Brothers – 27th December 10:20pm
(1980 Music) Starring John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd &,Cab Calloway. Directed by John Landis. Jake Blues rejoins with his brother Elwood after being released from prison, but the duo has just days to reunite their old R&B band and save the Catholic home where the two were raised, outrunning the police as they tear through Chicago.
Gone With the Wind – 29th December 9:45am
(1939 War, Romance) Starring Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh & Thomas Mitchell. Directed by Victor Fleming, George Cukor & Sam Wood. American motion picture classic in which a manipulative woman and a roguish man conduct a turbulent romance during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – 29th December 10:20pm
(1969 Western) Starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford & Katharine Ross. Directed by George Roy Hill. In 1890s Wyoming, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid lead a band of outlaws. When a train robbery goes wrong, they find themselves on the run with a posse hard on their heels. After considering their options, they escape to South America.
There’s Something About Mary – 30th December 10:20pm
(2006, Comedy) Starring Cameron Diaz, Ben Stiller and Matt Dillon. Directed by Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly. A man gets a chance to meet up with his dream girl from high school, even though his date with her back then was a complete disaster.
Singin’ In the Rain – New Year’s Eve 12:50pm
(1952, Comedy) Starring Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds. Directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly. A silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his delusionally jealous screen partner are trying to make the difficult transition to talking pictures in 1920s Hollywood.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? – New Year’s Day 11:00pm
(2000, Comedy) Starring George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson. Directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. In the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman goes after them.
A Man of No Importance – 2nd January 10:30 pm
(1994, Comedy) Starring Albert Finnerty, Brenda Fricker and Michael Gambon. Directed by Suri Krishnamma. Alfred Byrne is a middle-aged bus conductor in Dublin, Ireland in 1963. He would appear to live a life of quiet desperation: he’s gay, but firmly closeted, and his sister is always trying to find him “the right girl”. We follow him as he struggles with temptation, friendship, disapproval, and the conservative yet oddly lyrical world of Ireland in the early 1960s.
Cool Hand Luke – 3rd January 10:55pm
(1967, Crime) Starring Paul Newman, George Kennedy and Strother Martin. Directed by Stuart Rosenburg. A man refuses to conform to life in a rural prison.