TG4 has released its much-anticipated line-up of films to be shown over Christmas, with classic films at 10am and lunchtime from December 23, as well as a daily family and primetime film.
Highlights this year include the Irish film Sing Street on Christmas Day, 80’s classic La Bamba on December 28 and Good Morning, Vietnam on December 30.
For families this year, an Irish language version of Sherlock Gnomes will air for the first time on Christmas Day, an Irish version of Dr. Seuss the Lorax on Christmas Eve, and families around the country will get to enjoy The Karate Kid on December 30.
Scent of a Woman, 18th December @ 9:30pm
(1992, Drama) Starring Al Pacino, Chris O’Donnell and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Directed by Martin Brest. A prep school student needing money agrees to “babysit” a blind man, but the job is not at all what he anticipated.
Pulp Fiction, 20th December @ 9:30pm
(1994, Drama) Starring John Travolta, Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson. Directed by Quentin Tarantino. The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.
Notting Hill, Christmas Eve @ 9:20pm
(1999, Comedy) Starring Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant and Richard McCabe. Directed by Roger Michell. The life of a simple bookshop owner changes when he meets the most famous film star in the world.
Sing Street, Christmas Day @ 11:15pm
(2016, Comedy) Starring Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Aidan Gillen and Maria Doyle Kennedy. Directed by John Carney. Aiming to win the heart of the über-cool and beautiful Raphina, 14-year-old Conor forms a band with a few lads, and the group pours their heart into writing lyrics and shooting videos in 1980s Dublin.
O Brother Where Art Thou, St. Stephen’s Day @ 10:35pm
(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.
Bridesmaids December 27th @ 9:20pm
(2011, Comedy) Starring Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Rose Byrne. Directed by Paul Feig. Competition between the maid of honour and a bridesmaid, over who is the bride’s best friend, threatens to upend the life of an out-of-work pastry chef.
La Bamba December 28th @ 10:40pm
(1987, Biography) Starring Lou Diamond Phillips, Esai Morales and Rosanna DeSoto. Directed by Luis Valdez. Biographical story of the rise from nowhere of early rock and roll singer Ritchie Valens who died at age 17 in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper.
Withnail & I December 29th @ 00:45am
(1987, Comedy) Starring Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann and Richard Griffiths. Directed by Bruce Robinson. In 1969, two substance-abusing, unemployed actors retreat to the countryside for a holiday that proves disastrous.
Good Morning, Vietnam December 30th @ 10:20pm
(1988, Biography) Starring Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker and Tom. T. Tan. Directed by Barry Levinson. In 1965, an unorthodox and irreverent DJ named Adrian Cronauer begins to shake up things when he is assigned to the U.S. Armed Services radio station in Vietnam.
Veronica Guerin New Year’s Day @ 9:30pm
2003, Biography) Starring Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell and Brenda Fricker. Directed by Joel Schumacher. An Irish journalist writes a series of stories about drug dealers.
Moulin Rouge 2nd January @ 11:10pm
(2001, Musical) Starring Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor and John Leguizamo. Directed by Baz Luhrman. A poor Bohemian poet in 1890s Paris falls for a beautiful courtesan and nightclub star whom a jealous duke covets.
Calendar Girls 3rd January @ 9:15pm
2003, Comedy) Starring Helen Mirren, Julie Walters and Penelope Wilton. Directed by Nigel Cole. A Women’s Institute chapter’s fundraising effort for a local hospital by posing nude for a calendar becomes a media sensation.
For the Family
Dr. Seuss The Lorax, Christmas Eve @5:20pm (Irish language version) & New Year’s Eve @ 5:20pm (English Version)Â
2012, Animation) Ted, a 12-year-old boy, sets out to search the long-extinct Truffula tree to impress the girl of his dreams. However, in his journey, he has to overcome a number of obstacles.
Into the West, Christmas Day 6:45pm
(1992, Adventure) Starring Gabriel Byrne, Ellen Barkin and Ciarán Fitzgearld. 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.
Sherlock Gnomes, Irish Language Version Christmas Day @ 2:50pm, English version, St. Stephen’s Day @ 1pm
(2018, Animation) When Gnomeo and Juliet first arrive in London with their friends and family, their biggest concern is getting a new garden ready for spring. When everyone in the garden suddenly goes missing – there’s only one gnome to call – Sherlock Gnomes.
A Dennis the Menace Christmas, December 28th 5:25pm
(2007, Comedy) Starring Maxwell Perry Cotto, Robert Wagner and Louise Fletcher. Directed by Ron Oliver. To make sure that his beloved neighbour, Mr Wilson, has the perfect Christmas, the neighbourhood’s lively six-year-old, Dennis Mitchell, makes a long list of things one needs to make it work; however, will the old man ever change?Â
Paper Planes, December 29th 5:10pm
(2014, Drama) Starring Sam Worthington, Ed Oxenbould and Deborah Mailman. Directed by Robert Connolly. An imaginative children’s film about a young Australian boy’s passion for flight and his challenge to compete in the World Paper Plane Championships in Japan.
The Karate Kid December 30th @ 4:40pm
(1984, Action) Starring Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita and Elisabeth Shue. Directed by John G. Avildsen. A martial arts master agrees to teach karate to a bullied teenager.
