Beautiful Wodaabe men in Human Planet, and The Adventures of Merlin is like a medieval Smallville.
TV
Human Planet
Human Planet (Prime, 7.30pm). One of those wonderful BBC series that spans the globe in glorious living colour. It took three years to film and the producers shot 70 stories in around 40 countries. The series explores the ways humans have adapted to every environment on Earth, from the sand dunes of the Sahara to nature’s deep freeze in the Arctic. Tonight’s episode, Deserts – Life in the Furnace, features a sandstorm in Mali, Tubu women in the Sahara, camel herders in the Gobi Desert, and an unusual beauty contest in Niger. Wodaabe men are the ones on display, and high-born women get to judge – and pick a new husband if they like. The beauty contest is called the Gerewol and they celebrate the fertility the rains bring to the Sahara. The BBC film crew was lucky to capture such an event, as it is only when there is enough water that the small nomadic groups who live on the edge of Chad and Niger can gather together. It was the first Gerewol after six years of drought.
The Jonathan Ross Show (TV1, 8.30pm). Jonathan may have a bigger set, but the format is the same, which means he gets to have a nice chat with his guests. And on his couch tonight are Helen Mirren, over-the-top dancer Louie Spence (who appeared in the reality series Pineapple Dance Studios), and music from Kasabian.
Wonders of the Solar System (BBC Knowledge, Sky 072, 8.30pm). One of those wonderful BBC series that spans the universe in glorious living colour. Presented by Brian Cox – who else? – the five-part series describes the laws of nature that mean we have such wonders as the atmosphere of Titan or giant fountains of ice erupting from the surface of Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons. Naturally, all this explainin’ means Cox travels to the ends of the Earth, from tornadoes in Oklahoma, to an ice-choked lagoon in Iceland, to the volcanic landscape of Ethiopia. It was not for naught, however; the series won a Peabody Award earlier this year.
aimRenderAd(300, 250, '300X250','ContentRect','/POS=POS2'); if(!$.browser.msie){ ContentRect_frame = $("#ContentRect")[0]; ContentRect_frame.src = ContentRect_frame.src; }The Adventures of Merlin (Prime, 8.35pm) Like a medieval Smallville. Merlin (Colin Morgan) is a teenager in the court of Camelot and is learning his craft from Gaius (Richard Wilson), the court physician. Unfortunately, King Uther Pendragon (Anthony Head) has banned sorcery and imprisoned the last dragon (voiced by John Hurt). Merlin protects a young Arthur, the king’s son, and is friends with Guinevere. The first series was so-so (AA Gill called it bland, but he would, wouldn’t he?), but four seasons have been made, with a fifth ordered, so it must be doing something right. The second series begins tonight with an appearance by Mackenzie Crook (Gareth from The Office) as a duplicitous servant; no bad thing.
Australian Kids Choice Awards 2011 (Nick, Sky 044, 9.30pm). They like to have their own American-style awards in Australia, and here’s the one for the kids that usually involves buckets of slime being poured on Tom Cruise. The slime may be directed at iCarly stars Jennnette McCurdy and Nathan Kress instead, as they are flying in to host. The awards are all voted for by kids, and the categories include the “Super Fresh Award” and the “Awesome Oldie Award”. Kids were also asked to vote for their favourite “Slime Minister” – Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott.
The Late Show with David Letterman (Prime, 11.30pm). Tonight, George Clooney, and music from Mastodon.
FILM
Alien 3 (Four, 8.30pm). Quit while you’re ahead. Or while you’ve still got a head. David Fincher directed the third film in the series, but even though it was his first feature, he wouldn’t put up with studio interference and walked away before editing began. (Kiwi Vincent Ward had already had a crack at it but was apparently fired after several disagreements with the producers, although he did contribute the original story.) And Aliens director James Cameron called it “a slap in the face” to the franchise. Anyway, the slimy saga continues and this time a rottweiler gets it. Never liked them anyway. (1992) 6 – Diana Balham
Avatar (Sky Movies, Sky 020, 8.30pm). James Cameron’s epic is really only epic in 3D; without the dazzling depth, it’s just a high-tech Dances with Wolves. A colonial (Sam Worthington) infiltrates the tribe, and becomes one of them. Literally in this case. But what special effects they are – our 2009 interview with Weta Digital’s visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri here. (2009) 8
Shakespeare in Love (Movies Greats, Sky 022, 8.30pm). The delightful romcom that charmed both the Academy and Bafta committees in 1998. Writers Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard joyfully imagine an Elizabethan age of back-biting theatre, raucous taverns and hot-blooded meetings between Joseph Fiennes, as Shakespeare, and Gwyneth Paltrow, as his muse Viola, in which dialogue spills into real life and back again. The cast is chocker with England’s finest: Colin Firth, Tom Wilkinson, Imelda Staunton, Simon Callow, Rupert Everett. Geoffrey Rush is hilarious as the producer who needs a new play from the author (Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter is not really cutting it), and Judi Dench, despite her mere eight minutes on screen, won an Oscar as the supercilious Queen Elizabeth I. (1998) 9
Apocalypto (Maori, 9.30pm). Now that we know some of the thoughts that are lodged in Mel Gibson’s head, it’s easier to understand why he likes to make movies like this. In this mercilessly bloody account of the fall of the Mayan empire, Gibson chronicles every gore-splattered moment on its way down. As violent as Braveheart, but the Scots are replaced by actors with names like Rudy Youngblood and Morris Birdyellowhead. Historically accurate, apparently, but how would you know? (2006) 7 – Diana Balham
RADIO
Music Alive (Radio New Zealand Concert, 8.00pm). A Tribute to Stan Kenton is a salute to the artistry of the jazz legend who was born 100 years ago, and features British singer Claire Martin and the BBC Big Band, conducted by Jiggs Whigham. – Diana Balham
No comments:
Post a Comment