Francine Stock and star guests on the latest cinema releases, DVDs and films on TV. Friday 4.30pm - 5pm
This week
Friday 5th January 2007
Ewan McGregor on playing Beatrix Potter's publisher; Garrison Keillor on Robert Altman's last film, A Prairie Home Companion; and Mark Kermode profiles Mel Gibson.
Ewan McGregor Francine Stock meets Ewan McGregor, who, in a new biopic of Beatrix Potter plays the author's publisher - and suitor - Norman Warne. He explains what he looks for in a director, and talks about his recent experience working with Woody Allen. Miss Potter (PG) is out now.
Mel Gibson Francine is joined by the critic Mark Kermode to discuss the career of Mel Gibson. Apocalypto, his fourth film as director, is a violent and spectacular action movie about the decline of the Maya civilisation. Gibson's previous film The Passion of the Christ used Aramaic and Latin dialogue, and Apocalypto is similarly uncompromising, with ancient Yukatek Maya the only language spoken. Mark Kermode traces Mel Gibson's unlikely career path, from action movie hero to director of subtitled epics. Apocalypto (18) is out now.
The Year in Film The critics Adam Dawtrey and Nigel Andrews join Francine to look back at the film successes of 2006 and pick out some highlights of the year to come.
A Prairie Home Companion Francine talks to Garrison Keillor. For his last film, the legendary director Robert Altman chose to make a whimsical fantasy centred on A Prairie Home Companion, the equally whimsical radio show presented and written for the last thirty years by Keillor. The writer - who as well as starring in the film wrote the screenplay - talks about fictionalising his own work, and about collaborating with Altman on his final work. A Prairie Home Companion (PG) is out now.
