Staying in this weekend? Still haven't been paid yet? Not to worry, here's our pick of movies on the TV this weekend.

 

Saturday - RTE 2

9.30PM - Michael Collins

Liam Neeson stars in the big-budget retelling of Michael Collins' war for Irish independence with a supporting cast by Julia Roberts, Alan Rickman and Aidan Quinn as Harry Boland, Collins' confidant and friend. Neil Jordan's splashy, over-wrought direction works perfectly with the heightened drama on display and Neeson chews the scenery whenever he can as The Big Fella himself whilst Rickman gives a blatant villainy performance as DeValera. Highly inaccurate but wonderfully entertaining.

 

Saturday - BBC Two

10.30PM - Birdman

A faded movie star famous for his role in a series of superhero movies 20 years previously tries to reclaim his artisitic integrity by directing and starring in a Broadway play. The experience plunges him into a personal crisis as both the production and his own family are beset by a series of disasters. Weird, but stick with it.

 

Sunday - Channel 4

11PM - Side Effects

This is a modern-day Hitchcockian medical thriller starring Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Rooney Mara about a psychologist who's assigned to a troubled young woman who's testing a new type of antidepressant. Directed by Steven Soderbergh of Ocean's Eleven and Out Of Sight fame, it's a slick, well-made thriller with some unbelievable twists and some gorgeous-looking cinematography. Highly recommended.