A week on the box: March 30 - April 6

Reviewer James Croot checks out the best shows and films on New Zealand television screens for the week of Tuesday, March 30 to Monday, April 6.

Tuesday, March 30

Eco Trip: The Real Cost of Living
7.30pm, TVNZ6
Debut of this eight-part 2009 American documentary series that explores the origin and environmental impact of common everday products. Hosted by eco-adventurer David de Rothschild, it follows the life cycle  (from production to disposal) of iconic items from cotton t-shirts and paper napkins to salmon and cell phones. First up is chocolate.

The Class
8.30pm, Rialto

Palm d’Or winning, Oscar-nominated 2008 class act about a teacher negotiating a year with a group of racially mixed students in a tough Parisian neighbourhood. Cultures and attitudes often clash in the classroom, which can be seen as a microcosm of contemporary French society.

Real Crime: The Truth About Us
9.30pm, One
New Zealand documentary that looks at the issue of child abuse and in particular the shocking murder of three-year-old Nia Glassie. As well as investigating the Curtis family’s background, it also suggests ways in which young people affected by family violence might be helped.

True Stories: Naked Parents
9.40pm, Prime
2008 UK documentary looking at parents who fly in the face of convention and bare all, sometimes to the horror of their children. It follows three couples and asks how their naked behaviour makes their children feel and what do their friends think about it. Also, why do they think it’s so important to let it all hang out?

Wednesday, March 31

MasterChef New Zealand
7.30pm, TV One
The top six contestants are rudely awakened at the crack of dawn by judges Simon Gault and Ross Burden. The reason for their early morning start is soon made clear - the contestants face a team challenge - to cook a seafood barbecue lunch for guest chef Peter Thornley, executive chef of Auckland's Kermadec restaurant, at a mystery location.

He’s Just Not That Into You
8.30pm, Sky Movies

Notable more for its star-studded cast than its searing drama or insight, this 2009 Baltimore-set romantic-comedy focuses on the challenges of reading and misreading human behaviour. Based on the popular book by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, featured actors include Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Connelly, Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck and Drew Barrymore.

Real Life: Girl Fights
9.30pm, TV One
Cage Fighting, also know as Mixed Martial Arts, is one of the world’s fastest growing sports. It can be brutal, violent, shocking, some say barbaric, but its popularity is growing. While men dominate the sport, female fights are now becoming an increasing attraction. This documentary fortunes of two British female fighters as they travel to America for the biggest bouts of their lives.

Lost
9.30pm, TV2
James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Hollway) is the focus of tonight’s episode. Off the island he is now a detective for the LAPD and searching for the man who conned his parents. Back in the jungle he is sent on a reconnaissance mission to the smaller Hydra Island to spy on the survivors of Ajira Airways Flight 316, where he encounters an old nemesis.

Thursday, April 1

Spirit of the Marathon
8.30pm, Rialto

Mixing fascinating archival and comments from former champions like Alberto Salazar and Greta Weitz, with the build up to the 2005 Chicago Marathon, director Jon Dunham’s 2007 film successfully attempts to convey why anyone would take on such a physical and mental challenge. Borrowing the now well-worn Spellbound/Mad Hot Ballroom documentary template, he follows a variety of competitors in their race to reach the startline in Chicago.

I Get That A Lot
8.30pm, TV3
Fittingly screening on April Fools Day, this Candid Camera style show features stars playing practical jokes on unsuspecting fans in a case of "mistaken celebrity". Working everyday jobs, the celebrity participants confuse customers who can’t decide if it’s the actual celebrity or an astonishing look-alike. Snoop Dog, Paris Hilton, Tony Hawk and Gene Simmons feature on this particular instalment.

Project Runway
9.30pm, TV3
Tonight the designers are required to make a dazzling and show-stopping stage look for singing sensation Christina Aguilera. This outfit is intended to catch the attention of the audience in the back of the theater, as well as appear chic on camera close-ups. And just to make it even more challenging, one of the other guest judges is legendary designer Bob Mackie.

Lions for Lambs
9.30pm, Prime

Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise and Robert Redford (who also directs) all star in this earnest but only sporadically engaging 2007 drama. Injuries sustained by two Army ranger behind enemy lines in Afghanistan set off a sequence of events involving a congressman, a journalist and a professor, as director Redford takes aim at the US government’s involvement in the Middle East.

Friday, April 2

Zathura: A Space Adventure
4.40pm, TV2

Strange events begin to happen to two brothers and their house when they play a board game in this 2006 family adventure.  If the premise sounds familiar, that's because this was author Chris Van Allsburg's follow-up to Jumanji. What places Zathura in the upper stratosphere of recent children's movies is its grounding in real life. Danny and Walter behave like normal feuding siblings, while their father faces very real stresses trying to juggle work and family.

Real Swiss Family Robinson
7.15pm, Prime
Four-part 2000 BBC reality series in which different families leave their regular lives behind and sample life on a desert island.. Tonight we meet the Dyes. They’ve lived the good life for the last decade but are now catapulted 10,000 miles to the island of Anariki in Kiribati where they are left to cope alone in a beautiful paradise.

Rebel Sport Super 14: Hurricanes v Crusaders
Sky Sport 1, 7.30pm
Fresh from a week off, the high-flying Crusaders travel to Westpac Stadium to take on their old foes the Hurricanes.     The red and blacks may have won six out of their last seven competition meetings, but it was the Wellington side who came up trumps last year, 30-24 in Christchurch. Prime replays the action from 9.15pm. Meanwhile, the Chiefs take on the battling Highlanders at Mt Maunganui from 7.30pm Saturday.

Dexter: Season 3
8.30pm, The Box
Latecomers to this excellent serial-killer themed drama, especially those who have watched C4’s recent screening of Season 2, can revel in a weekend-long celebration of Michael C Hall’s (Six Feet Under) charismatic anti-hero. This time around his nemesis is a deputy district attorney out for revenge (Jimmy Smits). And even more excitingly this precedes Season 4’s premiere on April 4.

Saturday, April 3

The Lost World: Jurassic Park
7.30pm, TV3

A rare Stephen Spielberg foray into sequel city, this 1997 follow up to the box-office behemoth that was Jurassic Park is a bit of a mixed bag. Sam Neill and Laura Linney are sorely missed, however Julianne Moore almost makes up for their absence. Likewise it is great to see the dinosaurs off the island, although the similarities to King Kong are perhaps a little on the nose.

Saturday Night Live
8.30pm, Comedy
For the first time in New Zealand history, America’s most famous sketch comedy series will be showing on TV screens across the land. The 35-year-old programme has helped launch the careers of comedians like Dan Ackroyd, Bill Murray, Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy and Tina Fey. Tonight kicks off with the first of a few best-of-the-best episodes from the last couple of years.

Baby Faced Bodybuilders
10.30pm, Prime
2007 British documentary which follows three teenagers whose bodybuilding obsession is so extreme it’s becoming a clinical problem. They include Danny, who is preparing for his first big competition by transforming his body in a matter of weeks. He is ‘bigorexic’ - psychologically obsessed with being big - and it has taken over his life.

English Premier League: Man Utd v Chelsea
12.30am (Sun), Sky Sport 2
This is the big one. While Arsenal’s relatively easy run-in means they could steal the title off both these sides, this Old Trafford clash is a potential six pointer that could tip the balance for either team. Amongst a plethora of exciting personal matchups, it’s the clash between England team-mates John Terry and Wayne Rooney that is the most mouth-watering.

Sunday, April 4

Alice
8.30pm, Prime
Hot on the heels of the theatrical release of Tim Burton’s reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s characters comes the New Zealand premiere of this 2009 two-part mini-series. Starring Tim Curry, Kathy Bates and Harry Dean Stanton, this contemporary version features Alice as an independent 21-year-old who was abandoned by her father as a child. Concludes tomorrow night.

Commando
8.30pm, C4

A cheesy classic, this 1985 Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie provides plenty of entertainment provided you don’t take it too seriously. The Governator plays John Matrix, a retired elite commando who only has a few hours to find and rescue his daughter from an exiled dictator. Altogether now – “Let off some steam, Bennett”.

Gran Torino
8.30pm, Sky Movies

Flinty Clinty Eastwood directs, stars and even sings in this superb 2008 drama about an ageing and disgruntled Korean War veteran who sets out to reform his Hmong neighbour who tried to steal his prized possession, a 1972 Gran Torino. Best described as the thinking person’s Dirty Harry movie.

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
8.30pm, Documentary

Three years in the making, this 2004 documentary provides a fascinating, in-depth portrait of the most successful heavy metal band of all time, as they faced monumental personal and professional challenges while recording their first studio album of original songs in five years. As filming began, Metallica unexpectedly split with their long-time bassist Jason Newsted and relations between the longtime band-mates were at an all-time low.

Monday, April 5

Live the Dream: As Seen on Screen
4.30pm, Living
What would Pride and Prejudice be without Pemberley? Or Only Fools and Horses without Nelson Mandela house? In many of our most loved dramas the locations and settings have become as familiar to us as the characters. This 2009 ITV series takes viewers on a tour of 18 of Britain’s most famous and beautiful properties, all with a film or television connection.

Life After People
7.30pm, History
New Zealand premiere for the second series of this American series that explores a world wiped clean of humanity. Tonight’s episode predicts the fate of humanity's religious symbols and artifacts after the disappearance of man – such as the Christ the Redeemer statue which stands over Rio de Janeiro and the Shroud of Turin.

The Daily Show
10.30pm, Comedy
Jon Stewart’s Emmy and Peabody Award-winning alternative and humorous take on news, trends, pop culture, current events, politics, sports and entertainment finally finds a new home on Comedy Central. Each weeknight episode is followed by the equally popular The Colbert Report (11pm).

The Escapist
8.30pm, Rialto

Those who loved Prison Break should definitely check out this fantastic 2008 thriller. Brian Cox plays an institutionalised convict who is 14 years into a life sentence without parole. When his estranged daughter falls ill, he is determined to make peace with her before it’s too late. Of course that requires an escape plan. Also stars Joseph Fiennes and Band of Brothers’ Damian Lewis.

- © Fairfax NZ News