West Herts Drivetime With Danny Smith

Things are going wild at the Film Club as Charlotte is setting our theme of the week as 'Animals'!Up first is Steven Spielberg's 1975 Shark classic "Jaws".This novel adaptation sees a town befaced by terror when a young woman is killed by a shark while skinny-dipping. The Police Chief of Amity Island, New England, finds himself coming to blows with the Mayor about the attack, as his demands to close the beach are rejected for tourist revenue, and must team up with an Ichthyologist and grizzled ship captain Quint to capture the killer beast.Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw star.

Here is Simon's choice of films on free-to-air tv for the forthcoming week:FridayWe’re the Millers9.00pm – 11.15pm5STARSaturday45 Years9.00pm – 10.50pmChannel 4SundayGravity7.10pm – 9.00pmITV2MondayThe Guest11.25pm – 1.25amFilm4TuesdayRoom10.00pm – 12.30amITV4WednesdayThe Artist11.45pm – 1.20amBBC1ThursdayRobocop9.00pm – 11.15pmFilm4

To conclude this week's Film Club, Charlotte and Danny look at recent release Steven Spielberg's "The Post".This Drama tells the historic tale of  The Washington Post's in-depth coverage of leaked secrets of the Vietnam War. Katharine Graham is the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, and works with her editor Ben Bradlee to expose the three decades of Government cover-ups, despite risk to their careers, and even their freedom.Meryl Steep and Tom Hanks star as Graham and Bradlee respectively, in addition to Bob Odenkirk, Bruce Greenwood and many others. 

Charlotte continues to discuss her most recent watches today with the recently released Winston Churchill Biopic "Darkest Hour".Gary Oldman stars as the Prime Minister during the heat of the Second World War, when he finds his country faced by the unstoppable Nazi forces rolling across Western Europe, with an unprepared public, a skeptical King, and his own party plotting against him. Faced by insurmountable odds, Churchill must withstand his darkest hour, rally a nation, and attempt to change the course of world history.Oldman won an Oscar for his portrayal of Churchill at this years awards show!

Continuing this week's Film Club theme of features Charlotte has seen most recently, today our focus is on the latest Marvel Cinematic release "Black Panther".After the events of "Captain America: Civil War", Prince T'Challa returns to take his rightful place as king of Wakanda, a hidden away Utopia of technology. However, following attacks from the dual-threat of Erik Killmonger and Ulysses Klaue, his capability as King and right to be the 'Black Panther' comes into question, and T'Challa must prove himself worthy of his people.The Star-Studded cast includes Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Forrest Whitaker, Andy Serkis and Martin Freeman.   

It's a Monday, which can only mean it's time to start another week of Charlotte's Film Club! This week, Charlotte is looking at a selection of Films that she has personally just seen.The first Film pick of this week is "Veronica", a Spanish Horror released in 2017. Based upon real-life reports, the Film tells the story of a teenage girl whose family is terrorized after a failed Ouija board test is conducted during a solar eclipse.The Film itself has even been named "the scariest horror film ever" by some critics. 

Concluding a week of 'Extraterrestrial' films, Charlotte looks at another classic with Ridley Scott's 1979 'Alien'.In deep space, the crew of the starship Nostromo is awakened from their cryo-sleep to investigate a distress call from an alien vessel. The terror begins when the crew encounters a nest of eggs inside the alien ship, and an organism from inside an egg leaps out and attaches itself to one of the crew.Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto, Helen Horton, and Bolaji Badejo all star.

Charlotte continues to look at Films of an 'Extraterrestrial' nature this week, with Denis Villeneuve's 2016 sci-fi "Arrival".Amy Adams stars as a linguistics professor who must lead an elite team of investigators when gigantic spaceships touch down in 12 locations around the world. As nations teeter on the verge of global war, the crew must race against time to find a way to communicate with the extraterrestrial visitors. Hoping to unravel the mystery, she takes a chance that could threaten her life and quite possibly all of mankind.Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker and Michael Stuhlbarg also star. The Film won one Oscar for sound editing, and was nominated for several more.

Today's Film Club pick is "War of the Worlds" from 2005, the sci-fi disaster thriller starring Tom Cruise based on the work of H.G. Wells.Cruise stars as a dockworker, struggling to get through to his children Rachel and Robbie emotionally following a divorce with his wife.What is expected to be a tense weekend changes as electromagnetic pulses of lightning strike the area, the beginning of an all-out alien invasion, which forces the family to free across the country in the search for refuge.

The Film Club is dedicated to the topic of  'Extraterrestrial Films' this week, with Charlotte choosing to start off with the classic that is Stanley Kubrick's  "2001: A Space Odyssey".This enigmatic adaptation of a short story by Arthur C. Clarke looks at how a strange dark artifact ties together ancient history and the far future. When Dr. Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea) and other astronauts are sent on a mysterious mission, their ship's computer system, HAL, begins to display increasingly strange behavior, leading up to a tense showdown between man and machine that results in a mind-bending trek through space and time.The film won an Oscar in 1969 for 'Best Effects, Special Visual Effects'.

23rd February 2018 – Films on TVChris fills Simon's shoes (though they are a bit tight, Chris has bigger feet) and he has picked some awesome films for you to watch for FREE! on free-to-air TV for the next 7 days.FridayAlienFilm49.00pm - 11.20pmSaturdayBabeITV23.10pm - 5.00pmSundayA Bridge Too FarChannel 51.50pm - 5.05pmMonday12 Years a SlaveFilm411.10pm - 1.50amTuesdayThe Girl with the Dragon TattooSony Channel9.00pm - 12.20amWednesdayBig EyesFilm49.00pm - 11.10pmThursdayPitch PerfectFilm49.00pm - 11.10pm

It's Thursday, meaning its the last day of Charlotte's Spy-themed Film Club. Today Charlotte's final pick of the week is the aptly named "Spy" from 2015.In this comedy Melissa McCarthy stars as an agent who has spent her entire career as a desk jockey even with full field training. Using high-tech equipment and a hidden earpiece, Susan is the guardian angel who helps Bradley Fine (Jude Law) avoid danger. However, when Bradley is assassinated by Bulgarian arms dealer Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne), Susan wrangles her way into her first undercover assignment to help capture Boyanov and avenge Bradley.Jason Statham, Miranda Hart and Morena Baccarin also star. 

More Spy films on the Film Club this week, as today Charlotte chooses stylish Guy Ritchie thriller "The Man from U.N.C.L.E" to be the point of discussion.Set during the height of the Cold War, a mysterious criminal organization planning to use nuclear weapons to upset the world's balance of power leads to an unlikely alliance between the US and Russia. CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and KGB agent Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) are forced to put aside their hostilities and work together to stop the world from being thrown into chaos, and  their only lead is the daughter of a missing German scientist, whom they must find soon to prevent a global catastrophe.Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki and Hugh Grant also star.

The espionage filled Film Club continues again today, as today Charlotte and Danny look at 2003 spy comedy Johnny English, featuring Rowan Atkinson.When a villain intent on stealing Britain's Crown Jewels has the country's top undercover agents murdered, mediocre spy Johnny English is the only one available to prevent further mayhem. But even with help from quick-thinking sidekick Bough, the goofy agent lands himself in one precarious situation after another. Only when he meets up with Interpol crime-fighter Lorna Campbell is Johnny able to really save the day.Along with Atkinson, John Malkovich, Ben Stiller and Natalie Imbruglia also star. 

This week, Charlotte is setting up a very secretive Film Club by choosing the theme of 'Spies'. The first pick of the week is 2004 thriller "The Bourne Supremacy".This second installment of the Bourne action-spy series sees Matt Damon take on the role of Amnesiac assassin "Jason Bourne"once more. While hiding in India Bourne is framed for stealing millions of dollars from the American CIA, and an attempt is made on his life which kills his girlfriend instead. Vowing revenge, Bourne sets out to prove his innocence and bring the culprits to justice, but has to evade CIA head Pamela Landry who is pursuing him relentlessly.Julia Stiles, Joan Allen, Karl Urban and Brian Cox also star. 

Our Valentines themed Film Club is coming to an end! Charlotte's last lovey pick for this week is "Me Before You" from 2016.This 2016 adaptation of JoJo Moyes popular romance novel sees young and quirky Louisa become a caregiver for Will Traynor, a wealthy young banker left paralyzed from an accident two years earlier. Will's cynical outlook starts to change when Louisa shows him that life is worth living. As their bond deepens, their lives and hearts change in ways neither one could have imagined.Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin star as the two focal characters in this emotional romantic comedy. 

The 'Love' themed Film Club continues in accordance with Valentines day, and today Charlotte discusses book adaptation "Fifty Shades of Grey".Released in 2015, Dakota Johnson stars as college senior Anastasia Steele, who is given the chance to interview prominent businessman Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) for their campus paper, pushing her down a life-changing path. Christian, as enigmatic as he is rich and powerful, finds himself strangely drawn to Ana, and she to him. Ana plunges headlong into an affair and learns that Christian's true desires push the boundaries of pain and pleasure.

The Film Club this week is still all about 'Love', continuing today with Charlotte's choice of La La Land, the 2016 musical.Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling both star as amateurs in Hollywood who have a common desire to do what they love which draws them together. But as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart.The Film won and was nominated for multiple Oscars, including  "Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role" for Emma Stone.

We're getting closer to Valentines day which can mean only one thing! That's right, a week of Film Club themes devoted to the theme of 'Love'. Charlotte's first pick for this week is "Atonement" from 2007.Based on the book by Ian McEwan, this English drama follows the lives of young lovers Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy). When the couple are torn apart by a lie constructed by Cecilia's jealous younger sister, Briony (Saoirse Ronan), all three of them must deal with the consequences. Robbie is the hardest hit, since Briony's deception results in his imprisonment, but hope increases when their paths cross during World War II.

9th February 2018 – Films on TVSimon Carver chooses his pick of films from free-to-air TV for your viewing pleasure across the week ending 9th Feb:FridayLooper (2012)11.05pm – 12.55amBBC2Saturday (2015)Lonely are the brave4.00pm – 6.15pmITV4SundaySpy (2015)9.00pm – 11.25pmChannel 4MondayBelle (2013)7.40pm – 9.50pmFilm4TuesdayRoom (2015)9.00pm – 11.20pmFilm4WednesdaySleepless in Seattle (1993)10.00pm – 12.05amChannel 5ThursdayThe Ladykillers (1955)3.00pm – 4.50pmFilm4