Space Cowboys (PG)

Producer and director Clint Eastwood stars as a retired engineer dragging former teammates, including Tommy Lee Jones and Donald Sutherland, out of 40-year retirement and onto a space mission to stop a failing Russian satellite plummeting to Earth.

December 17, Channel 5, 6.25pm

The Amazing Spider-Man (12A)

Andrew Garfield portrays Spiderman’s Peter Parker in the latest adaptation of Marvel’s longest running comic book. After a mutant spider bite bestows him with superpowers, Parker sets out to unravel New York’s criminal underworld and the mysterious circumstances of his parents’ death.

December 18, ITV2, 7.10pm

Madagascar (U)

Comedy pair Ben Stiller and Chris Rock voice Alex the Lion and Marty the Zebra who abscond from their cosy Manhattan Zoo, and adoring public, out of curiosity over a life in the wild. Aided by a troop of penguins, they land in a Madagascan lemur kingdom and a tougher time than they bargained for. Genuinely funny.

December 19, BBC1, 3.50pm

22 Jump Street (15)

So many comedies are made by Hollywood each year, and so many turn out to be about as funny as Christmas in the workhouse. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s 21 Jump Street (2012) was an honourable exception to the trend, and here, for your delight and childish giggles, is the 2014 sequel. This time, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum’s undercover cops trade high school for college. Just don’t expect any more maturity.

December 20, Channel 5, 11.05pm

The Ides of March (15)

It has been quite the year for politics, so in honour of would-be Machiavellis everywhere, here is George Clooney’s stylish political drama set on the US campaign trail. As well as directing, Clooney stars as a governor seeking election, with Ryan Gosling his scheming aide and flak catcher. Goes for all the obvious targets, but it is stylishly executed.

December 21, BBC4, 10pm

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (15)

He might not be the biggest fan of the press, but the media, and just about every one else, loves Steve Coogan’s comic creation Alan Partridge. Here, North Norfolk’s finest DJ and celebrity sweater-wearer starts what he thinks is just another working day, little knowing that sackings, and worse, are on their way. Truly, madly, spectacularly daft.

December 22, BBC2, 11.05pm

Saving Mr Banks (PG)

Tom Hanks plays Walt Disney with Emma Thompson as PL Travers in this tale of how Mary Poppins came to the big screen. Legend has it the author was fiercely reluctant to let her quintessentially English creation be swallowed up by America. As Disney tries to woo her, he also tries to find out the real story behind Mary Poppins and the Banks family she comes to help. Hanks and Thompson are class acts, and the scenes where the songs are composed go down like a spoonful of sugar.

December 23, BBC2, 8.30pm

One Hundred and One Dalmations (U)

The only puppies you should be giving house room to this Christmas (a dog is for life, kidz, not just for December 25) are these animated ones from Disney. This is the best, animated version from 1961 complete with genuinely terrifying villainess Cruella De Vil (voiced by Betty Lou Gerson) and some utterly adorable spotted puppies. 101 to be exact.

Christmas Eve, ITV, 4.20pm

The Lady in the Van (12)

Even though he mined a play and a film out of the experience, Alan Bennett was still something of a saint for allowing Mary Shepherd to park her van in his north London driveway and stay there for 15 years. Directed by Nicholas Hytner with Maggie Smith superb as Shepherd and Alex Jennings an uncannily accurate Bennett, this 2015 picture is as slyly funny as one might expect, but there are several moving moments besides.

Christmas Eve, BBC2, 9pm

Frozen (PG)

You’ve been to see it in the cinema at least three times. You have the DVD, the PJs, the toys, the books. The CD has been on a loop in the car so long even the dog now sings along. But hey, let it go, let it go … and enjoy again the Snow Queen-inspired story of sisters Elsa and Anna and their chilly kingdom. Smashing songs, exquisite animation, and an avalanche of laughs from Olaf the Snowman.

Christmas Day, BBC1, 3.10pm

Dallas Buyers Club (15)

Jean Marc Vallee’s drama, based on a true story, about a hustler who puts his wits to life-saving use during the Aids crisis won Oscars for Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, and deservedly so. This was McConaughey’s big chance to show he was more than a rom-com leading man, and he tears the bones out of it with a powerhouse performance as unlikely hero Ron Woodroof.

Christmas Day, Channel 5, 10.30pm

Captain Phillips (12)

It’s that man Hanks again, showing the versatility for which he is noted by taking the lead in this thriller about a hijacked cargo ship. Based on a true story, the tension jumps sky-high as Somali pirates board the MV Maersk Alabama and begin to make their demands. Hanks is the titular captain who must keep everyone as calm as possible despite the explosive situation. Directed by Paul “Bourne” Greengrass, the action is as finely crafted you would expect and the final scene, with Hanks front and centre, is one you’ll never forget.

Boxing Day, ITV, 9pm

Pride (15)

Another true story, this British comedy about an alliance between gay activists and miners during the 1984 strike could have gone horribly wrong, being either excessively worthy or annoyingly trivialised. But in the hands of director Matthew Warchus, screenwriter Stephen Beresford, and a cast that includes Dominic West, George MacKay and Bill Nighy, it is a funny, wise, and pitch perfect story of unlikely friendships formed in the heat of battle.

Boxing Day, BBC2, 10.30pm

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (18)

This is the 2009 European version of the first of Stieg Larsson’s “Girl with…” crime trilogy. Some might prefer the Hollywood remakes with Rooney Mara as computer hacker extraordinaire Lisbeth Salander, but for this critic’s money one cannot beat Noomi Rapace when it comes to portraying the troubled, angry, soul that is Salander. As the 18 certificate suggests, it is pretty tough viewing in parts.

December 27, Channel 4, 12.40am

Chicago (12)

The schedules are packed as usual this year with all the old Hollywood classic musicals, from Singin' in the Rain to Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. All definitely worth catching, but so is this Rob Marshall adaptation of the hit stage musical. The all-star, all-singing, all-dancing cast includes Renee Zellweger as wannabe star Roxie Hart, Catherine Zeta-Jones as big shot Velma Kelly, and Richard Gere as Billy Flynn, the fast-talking, devilishly cunning lawyer who has to pull poor Roxie out of a spot of trouble. The dance routines are razor sharp and the catchy songs, from Mr Cellophane to All that Jazz, will tap their way into your brain.

December 28, W, 8.30pm

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (12A)

In the murky, sixth, instalment in J K Rowlings' series, Harry delves into the dark past of nemesis Lord Voldemort, discovering the extent of the perils facing both him and his schoolmates through a mysterious book marked Property of the Half Blood Prince.

December 29, ITV, 9pm

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (12)

Now working for spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D, Steve ‘Captain America’ Rodgers (Chris Evans) faces not only a fight to adjust to his new, modern, surroundings, but a bigger battle against an assassin known as The Winter Solider.

December 30, BBC1, 10.30pm

Pulp Fiction (18)

The lives of a mobster’s wife, a criminal couple, a boxer, and two philosophical hit men, spiral into a star-studded collection of tales with a classic Tarantino mix of crime and comedy. Stars Samuel Jackson, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, and John Travolta.

December 31st, Channel 5, 10.30pm

What We Did on our Holiday (12)

This comedy drama set in Scotland starring David Tennant, Rosamund Pike and Billy Connolly is an odd but endearing in parts carry on about what happens when an extended family gather for one last hurrah with grandpa (Connolly). It’s the time for some home truths, and plenty are queuing to reveal them. Written by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin (of Outnumbered and Drop the Dead Donkey) the humour is distinctly left-field and might not suit all, but Connolly is a full on treat.

New Year’s Day, BBC2, 10pm

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (12)

It’s New Year’s Day, you don’t want to think much, just watch good-looking people running and jumping while things blow up around them. Tom Cruise is always yer man for that gig. In this 2011 instalment in the hit franchise, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is forced to go even deeper undercover after the IMF (that’s the Impossible Missions Force, not the international finance bod) is accused of a dreadful deed.

New Year’s Day, Channel 4, 9pm

The Shawshank Redemption (15)

Frank Darabont’s drama, based on the short story by Stephen King, makes many a top five film list, and watching it again you will see why. Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman are outstanding as the prison newbie and the old lag who takes him under his wing. Prepare to cheer and shed a tear at the same time.

4 January, STV, 10.40pm

Robin Hood (12)

Directed by Ridley Scott of Gladiator fame, this historical adaptation of the Robin Hood legend is set in 12th century England with Russell Crowe, as Robin, leading the suffering people in an uprising against their despotic sheriff and eventually England’s king.

January 5, Film4 - 6.20pm

The Hunger Games (12)

In the first silver screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ dystopian book series, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to take her sister’s place in an annual, televised, fight to the death between youngsters randomly picked to represent each of her country’s 12 districts.

January 6, Film4, 9pm