Square Eyes

Television Reviews

Movie of the week: Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone, NBN, Sat, 7.30pm:

Just three short years ago, the Harry Potter phenomenon went truly ballistic with the start of the film version. The lad is 10, and heads off to a new school after discovering he's a wizard. It's a delightful, joyous yarn, with just enough gothic touches for older viewers who once enjoyed the Brothers Grimm. A marvellous cast, especially Robbie Coltrane's giant Hagrid, wonderful sets, fantastic special effects and a faithful rendering to Rowling's book (which is both good and bad), make it an absolute pleasure.

Burke's Backyard Finale, NBN, Fri, 7.30pm:

Was it really on for 17 years? Still, no mercy when the Packers show you the door. Who will road test pets for us now? As Zanetti suggested the other week, maybe now we can stop watching TV and go and do some gardening.

The Colour of War - the Anzacs, NBN, Fri, 9pm:

The remarkable thing about this doco about Aussies serving here and abroad is that footage up to 70 years old is in colour. It makes the conflicts palpable, unlike grainy black and white footage. Russell Crowe, whose granddaddy was a WWII cinematographer, narrates.

Australia's Brainiest Kid, Prime, Sun, 6.30pm:

An enjoyable quiz series for nippers who seem so smart, the Chateau Cardboard must have knocked off the brain cells where I would have otherwise known the answers. The kid keen to create a "silicon-based lifeform" is either scary or a Klingon or both. The winner scores $20,000, which sounds like child exploitation compared to the prizes on adult shows.

Taylor Made, ABC, Mon, 8pm:

Phil Taylor is an eccentric, colourful and enigmatic chap from Murwillumbah. He's run Taylor Made Car Sales and Hire for 20 years and lived in the town for all of his 55 years. This gently funny profile follows his efforts as he prepares his float for the Banana Festival parade.

Saddam Hussein - the trial the world will never see, SBS, Tues, 8.30pm:

Sure, he's an utter turd, but of our making as this depressing doco recounts, detailing the US, UK and French sales of military hardware to the dictator. For decades we turned a blind eye. The only consistency is that the poor Iraqis are still suffering.

The Karakoram highway, ABC, Weds, 9.30pm:

The remote Pakistani valley of Bagrot developed in splendid isolation, cut off from the world by the Karakoram mountains. But a new highway has changed everything - tourism, the internet - and a once self-sufficient village is now part of a complex global market. This is a fascinating and beautifully filmed doco about the changes wrought by globalisation, for better and worse.

Creature Comforts, ABC, Thurs, 8.30pm:

Wallace & Gromit creator Nick Park made this amusing series in which animated plasticine animals tell their story in doco style, from circus animals to pets. It's charming and a brilliant laugh.