A week on the box: Jan 26 - Feb 1

Reviewer James Croot checks out the best shows and films on New Zealand television screens for the week of Tuesday, January 26 to Monday, February 1.

Tuesday, January 26

Deja Vu
8.30pm, TV2
****
Although a certain amount of disbelief suspension is a necessity for director Tony Scott’s 2006 sci-fi tinged thriller, everyone tries exceptionally hard, and succeeds in building a credible case.  The ever cool-as-a-cucumber Denzel Washington keeps the potentially preposterous premise afloat with just the right amount of gravitas and cynicism as he tries to foil a crime that’s already happened.

Cold Case
8.30pm, TV One
The seventh season kicks off with Detective Lilly Rush (Kathryn Morris) and the team re-opening the 1966 case of a young woman who it was assumed committed suicide off the SS Americana making its final round-trip voyage across the Atlantic. However, when her body is discovered is the bowels of the ship, it is evident she was murdered.

House
8.30pm, TV3
Season Six of this popular medico mystery series premieres outside of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Everyone’s favourite misanthropic doc Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) has been confined to a mental institution and this two-hour opener delves into the crabby character’s state of mind.

Departures
8.30pm, Rialto
****
Loosely based on Aoki Shinmon’s 2004 autobiography Coffinman: The Journal of a Buddhist Mortician, Departures was a surprising but deserving winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Film at  last year’s Academy Awards. Reminiscent of the works of Japanese film-making masters like Yasujiro Ozu (Tokyo Story) and Shohei Imamura (The Eel), the film takes its time to establish mood and characters but rewards the patient viewer. 

Wednesday, January 27

Lost in Palm Oil
7.10pm, TVNZ7
Ten years in the making, this 2007 documentary investigates how palm oil cultivation is contributing to global warming. Every day, thousands of hectares of rainforest in Sumatra are cleared to make way for palm oil plantations. International investors plan on turning an area the size of the United Kingdom into palm oil monocultures.

Day of the Triffids
8.30pm, TV2
John Wyndham’s 1951 post-apocalyptic novel gets a 21st century update in this 2009 BBC mini-series. Dougray Scott plays the world’s foremost authority on an extraordinary plant species that takes advantage of a freak electrical storm to conquer the world. Eddie Izzard and Joely Richardson co-star. Part 2 screens next Wednesday.

Definitely, Maybe
8.30pm, Sky Movies
***
Fluffy but engaging romantic-comedy about a 30-something dad in the midst of a divorce and the bedtime story he tells his 10 year-old daughter about his life before marriage. Ryan Reynolds keeps Abigail Breslin and the audience guessing as to whether Isla Fisher, Elizabeth Banks or Rachel Weisz is her mother.

The World’s Oldest Mum
9.30pm, TV One
2009 Channel 4 documentary that takes a look at four women choosing to ignore their body clocks, mortality, country’s regulations and an army of critics in their quests to become mums. Despite a combined age of more than 280, they've all chosen to have babies long after the menopause has put a stop to them doing it the old-fashioned way.

Thursday, January 28

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dean Man’s Chest
7.30pm, TV2
***
Things get much darker and spookier in this 2006 sequel. Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow finds himself up against Bill Nighy’s Davy Jones in a battle to save his soul. Plenty of viewers will notice the similarities between this and The Empire Strikes Back as the creators sought to set up a cliffhanger for the third part of the trilogy.

Survivor: Samoa
7.30pm, TV3
Three hour finale for one of the most dramatic seasons ever. As well as medical evacuations, escaped chickens and multiple hidden immunity idols it has also boasted oil company owner Russell Hantz, who some are claiming is the greatest player in the history of the show. He’s up against Mick, Natalie, Jaison and Brett for the US$1m prize.

The Thirties in Colour
8.30pm, Documentary
Debut of a fascinating four-part BBC series, narrated by Miranda Richardson, which offers a unique chance to glimpse life around the world in an era when colour film remained the preserve of the well-heeled and the professional. This was an age before mass tourism, the spread of Western cultural values, and most pertinently, the destructive power of a world war, which would transform life on Earth forever.

Calamity Jane
2.25am, TV2
****
TV2's little experiment of playing classic movies in the middle of the night continues with a screening of this 1953 Doris Day movie. Unable to get the right to Annie Get Your Gun, Warner studio head Jack Warner decided to especially create this musical, based on another "wild west woman" instead. Viva Las Vegas (***) screens at 2.40am on Saturday and Gone With the Wind (*****) 12.30am on Sunday.

Friday, January 29

Golf: The Michael Hill NZ Open
1pm, SKY Sport 1
The 92nd edition of New Zealand’s premier golfing championship takes place at the jewellery magnate’s own Arrowtown course – The Hills. Co-sanctioning as part of the US PGA’s Nationwide Tour means the field includes a strong American contingent. Coverage continues from the same time on Saturday and Sunday.

The Recruiter
7.30pm, CI
2008 feature-length documentary following the fortunes of the charismatic Sergeant First Class Clay Usie as he attempts to enlist new soldiers into the US Army. One of the most successful Army recruiters working in America, Usie firmly believes that every American should serve, and that it is his mission to recruit new soldiers from his hometown of Houma, Louisiana.

True Story of Charlie Wilson
8.30pm, History
The tale that inspired the Tom Hanks/Julia Roberts 2007 movie Charlie Wilson’s War. In the 1980s, the Central Intelligence Agency began covertly arming the Afghan Mujahideen in what became the CIA's largest and most successful campaign in history. This documentary profiles the two men who conceived it and the journey they took to see it through.

Eagle vs Shark
8.30pm, TV3
***
Conchord Jemaine Clement plays another sad-sack oddball in this hilariously offbeat Kiwi romance. His video-game store clerk connects with an eccentric fast-food waitress and hopeless romantic (Loren Horsley) at a "dress as your favourite animal party", although he is sidetracked by an important revenge mission. Fans of the Conchords will love it, others may be somewhat confused.

Saturday, January 30

Indian Jones And the Temple of Doom
7.30pm, TV3
***
Although the least loved of the original trilogy, perhaps largely to whining love interest and overly chatty sidekick, there’s still plenty to enjoy in this darker Indy adventure. However, the eating of monkey brains, children in peril and hearts being ripped out of chests means it isn’t for younger audience members.

Transamerica
8.30pm, TV One
***
Desperate Housewife Felicity Huffman significantly extends herself by playing a man in the process of becoming a woman in this 2005 drama. Things get really complicated in this road movie when he/she discovers that he/she fathered a son. Nominated for two Oscars.

In The Valley of Elah
8.30pm, Sky Movies
****
Inspired by actual events in 2003, writer-director Paul Haggis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby) crafts a superbly-paced, finely nuanced military-themed mystery that also takes some well-placed jabs at the Bush administration. Tommy Lee Jones earned a well-deserved Oscar nomination for his performance as a father who will stop at nothing to find his AWOL war veteran son.

Tennis: Australian Open Women’s Final
9.30pm, Sky Sports 1
The first Grand Slam of the season reaches its climax this weekend. First up is the women’s crown which this year boasts one of the most open fields in years. The draw prevents an all-Williams Sister battle but tennis fans are dreaming of a Clijsters or Henin versus Serena clash. The men’s final screens 9.30pm Sunday.

Sunday, January 31

Cricket: Twenty20 Final
1.30pm Sky Sport 2
New Zealand’s expanded domestic Twenty20 competition have proved to be a real hit this summer with crowds turning out in droves to see the Black Caps enjoying their time away from the international scene. The winner really does take all in this final with a place in the lucrative international Champions League at stake.

Robocop Trilogy
4.50pm, Sky Movies Greats
Sky Movies Greats continues its series of Super Sunday screenings with this action trilogy that epitomizes the law of diminishing returns. Paul Verhoeven’s original 1987 story about a policeman brought back from the bed is a subversive and pyrotechnic-filled delight (****). The 1990 sequel (6.35pm, ***) ups the violence but misses the point, while 1993’s Robocop 3 (8.30pm, **) doesn’t even star Peter Weller.

Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium 7pm, TV2 ***1/2
The winsome and wonderful Natalie Portman takes a break from serious drama and big costumes in this eccentric but engaging  family adventure. She plays a worker at the toy store of the title whose magical owner is starting to feel his age. Jason Bateman and Dustin Hoffman co-star.

Reggie Perrin
9.30pm, TV One
Modern update of the classic late 1970s British comedy series about a man facing up to a midlife crisis. Martin Clunes replaces the late, great Leonard Rossiter in title role. “Very funny, largely because Clunes lumbers through home, his daily commute and his office life, like a giant suffering the early stages of pathological disinhibition,” wrote The Times’s Andrew Billen. A second series has already been commissioned.

Monday, February 1

Football: Arsenal v Manchester United
4.55am, Sky Sports 2
A couple of months ago Arsenal were well adrift of United and Chelsea at the top of EPL. However, a recent revival of fortunes has seen the Gunners turn the title race into a three-way battle. Expect plenty of fireworks during this match at the Emirates Stadium. Follows big-spenders Manchester City’s match with struggling Portsmouth (2.25am). 

Grammy Awards: Live From the Red Carpet 
Midday, E!
With nobody taking the ceremony live and delayed coverage looking increasingly unlikely this might be your only chance to experience the American music industry’s night of nights. And you can always expect the unexpected when it comes to Grammy fashion. Preceded by a celebration of former Grammy winners (10.10am) and a one-hour pre-walk countdown (11am).

The Sarah Jane Adventures
6.35pm, Nickelodeon
Hopefully this will keep Doctor Who fans happy while waiting for Prime to schedule David Tennant’s final two outings as the man in the Tardis. This second spin-off series, following Torchwood, is more kid-friendly adventures led by popular third/fourth and 10th Doctor companion Sarah Jane Smith. Screens each weeknight with repeats at the weekend.

Die Hard 4.0
8.30pm, TV3
***
Also known as Live Free or Die Hard. After a gap of 12 years, Bruce Willis dusted off the trademark singlet for this 2007, more family orientated action-adventure. This time John McClane is up against an Internet-based terrorist organisation. While there are still plenty of pyrotechnics, fans of the original trilogy may balk at this film’s relative sanitisation.

- © Fairfax NZ News