A week on the box: June 15-21

Reviewer James Croot checks out the best shows and films on New Zealand television screens for the week of Tuesday, June 15 to Monday, June 21.

Tuesday, June 15

House
8.30pm, TV3
On tonight’s season finale, a crane collapse leaves House (Hugh Laurie) and Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) struggling to see eye-to-eye. Her revelation that she is engaged to private investigator and former House-friend Lucas sends him into a tailspin that begins to affect his judgement.

True Stores: Real Vampire Chronicles
9.35pm, Prime
British Channel 4 documentary about a boy from a small town in Scotland who attacked and killed his best friend and drank some of his blood, before hiding his body in a dustbin and burying it in a shallow grave. Combines testimony from both boys’ friends and family with dramatic reconstructions.

Ip Man
8.30pm, Rialto

Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen stars in this 2008 semi-biographical account of Ip Man, the first martial arts master to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun. "Yen, is aces as Ip, with a simply dignity that exactly mirrors the movie’s own and gracefulness in combat that’s very different from his trademark whiplash style," wrote Variety’s Derek Elley.

Fifa World Cup: New Zealand v Slovakia
11pm, TV One
The All Whites kick off their World Cup campaign with perhaps their best chance of a win at the tournament. While Slovakia are no mugs, their style is similar to the Serbians who the Kiwis picked off recently. The All Whites also play on Sunday morning (2pm) against defending world champions Italy.

Wednesday, June 16

I Can’t Believe I’m Telling You This
7.10pm, TVNZ7
Screening as part of Men’s Health Week, this 2009 British documentary charts a year in the life of three very different men dealing with prostate cancer, who have found strength and each other, online. The trio include professor of archaeology Martin Jones who was determined to know as much as possible about his options after his initial diagnosis.

SVU: Special Victims Unit
9.30pm, TV3
Two-time Academy Award nominee Ann-Margret (Bye, Bye Birdie, The Cincinnati Kid) and former Charlie's Angels star Jaclyn Smith team up in this week’s episode. Margret plays a star of commercials that were made in the 1970s, while Smith plays a retired cop who works with Benson and Stabler to solve an old crime.

Prime Rocks: Pink Floyd Which One’s Pink
9.30pm, Prime
2007 BBC documentary that takes the audience on a journey from the band’s humble beginnings in 1965 when fallen star Syd Barrett fronted the band, through a turbulent career spanning four decades and ending with 2005’s Live 8 reunion performance. Includes interviews with David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright, plus archive performance footage and promo videos.

Real Life: The World’s Strangest Plastic Surgery and Me 
9.30pm, TV One
Mark Dolan continues his encounters with the weird and wonderful of humanity tonight by meeting those addicted to plastic surgery. Those visited include a woman nicknamed the Texan Barbie Doll, the holder of the Brazilian record for the most plastic surgery and a man who is trying to transform himself into a tiger.

Thursday, June 17

Go Girls
8.30pm, TV2
Tonight’s season finale is billed as action-packed. As Britta (Alix Bushnell) prepares to take the plunge with Joseph (Blair Strang), Brad (Matt Whelan) decides it's time to win her from her fiancé's clutches. Meanwhile, Kevin (Jay Ryan) continues his witchy liaisons, Cody (Bronwyn Turei) regains hope for her marriage and Olivia (Esther Stephens) realises there's nothing stopping her going back to New York - or is there?

Hot Fuzz
8.30pm, TV3

After savaging zombie movies in Shaun of the Dead, Nick Frost, Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg set their sights on bombastic police action movies in this hilarious 2007 action-comedy. Pegg plays a top London cop whose jealous colleagues get him transferred to a small town and paired with a witless partner (Frost).

My Best Friend’s Wedding
9.30pm, Prime

Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz square off in this 1997 romantic-comedy about a woman (Roberts) who discovers she is in love with her best friend on the day he announces he is getting married. Directed by Muriel’s Wedding’s P J Hogan, the film is saved by a scene-stealing Rupert Everett and toe-tapping soundtrack.

Army Wives
10.30pm, TV2
Season 4 opens with Denise (Catherine Bell) and Frank (Terry Serpico) facing the aftermath of the gunshot that was fired in their home.  Meanwhile, Trevor (Drew Fuller) and Roxy (Sally Pressman) celebrate the impending arrival of their new baby, but Roxy is hesitant to share the good news with the rest of the tribe.

Friday, June 18

US Open
8am, Sky Sport 1
California’s Pebble Beach Golf Links hosts the 110th United States Open Golf Championship. Its the fifth time the course has hosted the major tournament and the first time in a decade. 155 other golfers will line up on the opening day hoping to topple defending champion Lucas Glover over four rounds on the par 71 course. Coverage continues from 8am each day until Monday.

International Rugby: NZ Maori v Ireland
7.25pm, Sky Sport 1
Fresh from taking on the All Blacks, the visiting Irish rugby team play a special one-off encounters against the New Zealand Maori as part of the latter’s centenary celebrations. The visit to the Rotorua International Stadium will also provide the Emerald Isle side with an opportunity to scout locations before their World Cup match there in September next year.

The Potato Factory
8.30pm, Vibe
Two-part 2000 mini-series based on Bryce Courtenay’s novel of the same name. It tells the tale of Ikey Solomon, his wife Hannah and his mistress, the poor but determined Mary Abacus, who changes their lives. Stars Ben Cross, Lisa McCune and Sonia Todd. Part 2 screens next Friday from 8.30pm.

Father Ted
8.35pm, Prime
Probably the classic episode from this seminal mid-1990s comedy. The sacking of Craggy Island's playboy milkman, Pat Mustard, leads to Dougal taking on the local milk round. A jealous Pat plants a bomb on the milk float and from then on, it's a race against time to avert disaster.

Saturday, June 19

International Rugby: All Blacks v Wales
7.25pm, Sky Sport 1
Another condensed, action-packed night of international rugby kicks off with what should be the last All Blacks test match at Dunedin’s Carisbrook. Followed by Robbie Deans’s Wallabies taking on England at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium (9.55pm) and the Springboks hosting Italy (12.50am).

Toy Story
7.30pm, TV2

Ground-breaking 1995 computer-animated tale that still looks crisp and packs an emotional punch today. Launched the brand name Pixar on the world and used an eclectic vocal ensemble that included Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, John Ratzenberger and Jim Varney to create such memorable characters as Woody and Buzz Lightyear. The second sequel is released in 3D in New Zealand cinemas next month.

Last Chance Harvey
8.30pm, Rialto

Winning and winsome 2008 romantic-drama that succeeds despite the unlikely lead pairing of Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. Hoffman plays a struggling voice-over artist who finds his romantic spirits lifted by an airport worker (Thompson) while in London for his daughter’s wedding.

Independence Day
8.30pm, TV3

Cinemas around the globe screened Roland Emmerich’s disaster movie 24/7 when it was first released in 1996. After all who doesn’t want to see the White House and other major landmarks blown up? After that it is a little downhill though as the alien plot to destroy the earth is curtailed by a mix of xenophobia, jingoism and unlikely computer viruses.

Sunday, June 20

Doctor Who
7.30pm, Prime
Tonight’s episode sees the return of one of the Tardis dwellers old foes – the Silurians. The year is 2020 and the most ambitious drilling project in history has reached deeper below the earth’s crust than ever before but now the ground itself is fighting back. The first part of a two-part story.

Blue Velvet
8.30pm, Rialto

Now likely to be seen as a tribute to the late Dennis Hopper, the Rialto Channel continues its Sunday Classic season with demented director David Lynch’s 1986 mindbender. A young Kyle MacLachlan discovers a sinister underworld, which includes Hopper’s deranged Frank Booth, lying just beneath his idyllic suburban home town.

Platoon
8.30pm, C4

The Vietnam generation’s equivalent of Hurt Locker, Oliver Stone’s what would now be seen as star-studded drama took home the top honour at the 1987 Academy Awards. Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, Johnny Depp, Forrest Whittaker and Charlie Sheen all feature.

Patti Smith: Dream of Life
9.30pm, Documentary

2008 multi-award winning documentary which plunges into the philosophy and artistry of the cult rocker. Known as the godmother of punk, Patti Smith emerged in the 1970s, galvanizing the music scene with her unique style of poetic rage, music and trademark swagger. Narrated by her the film explores spirituality, history and self expression through her spoken words, performances, lyrics, interviews, paintings and photographs.

Monday, June 21

Felicity
6.10pm, Vibe
Those missing Lost could do worse than checking out this end of the 20th century coming-of-age drama from creator JJ Abrams. It’s the story of 17-year-old Felicity Porter (Keri Russell) who rejects her predetermined path of Stanford University pre-med for the bright lights of New York. Screens from the very beginning on weeknights.

E’s Maxim’s Hot 100 2010 
8.30pm, E!
Maxim magazine and E! Channel countdown their annual list of the world’s most beautiful women. Last year’s top 10 included Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jordana Brewster, Rihanna, Adriana Lima, Eliza Dushku, Mila Kunis, Malin Akerman, Bar Refaeli and Megan Fox, with House’s Olivia Wilde top of the pile.

NCIS: Los Angeles
9.30pm, TV3
Last week’s twist, where a guest villain was revealed to be an undercover cop, continues to offer intrigue tonight. Having been revealed as LAPD Special Agent Marty Deeks, mixed martial artist Jason Wyler (Eric Christian Olsen) is now enlisted to help the NCIS team solve a murder case involving an infamous socialite.

International Tennis: Wimbledon
TV2
Sky’s focus on the football World Cup has an unexpected spinoff for free-to-air tennis lovers, coverage of the 124th All England Lawn Tennis Championships will screen exclusively live on TV2. The action will also be streamed live through the night on tvnz.co.nz and replay and catch up matches will be hosted on both tvnz.co.nz and TVNZ 7. Afternoon highlights will play daily on TV2 from 3pm to 4pm.

- © Fairfax NZ News