Square Eyes

Television Reviews

Movie of the week, Jackie Brown, NBN, Fri, 8.30pm:

Tarantino delivers a crisp rendering of an Elmore Leonard crime thriller about a drug running flight attendant (Pam Grier) who decides to make off with the cash. To succeed, she has to play off her sleazy dealer (a scary Samuel L Jackson) and the cops on her tail (Michael Keaton and Robert Forster). She also has to keep Robert de Niro and Bridget Fonda guessing. For once, Tarantino doesn't go over the top, and it's his restraint that makes this a good movie - even if it feels a little too long.

Bowfinger, Ten, Fri, 8.30pm:

Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy face off in this comic romp about a dodgy small-beer producer (Martin) trying to scam together a B-grade flick using a hot star (Murphy), who doesn't even know he's in the film. It's an amusing spoof of Hollywood foibles, from Scientology to empty promises, but also manages to celebrate movie magic while poking fun at it. Director Frank Oz lets his stars ham through it to good effect.

The Third Reich in Colour, SBS, Sat, 7.30pm:

This is both frightening and amazing- the footage ranges from amateur to Nazi propaganda, but all of it was shot in colour. Much of it was discovered recently. Keep an eye out for Marlene Dietrich and JFK, aged 22, as well as the Warsaw ghetto.

Living Famously: Alfred Hitchcock, ABC, Sat, 7.30pm:

This revealing and excellent series profiles 20th century entertainers, kicking off with the master of fear. London-born Hitch was a fat kid who grew up to put his deepest fears on the silver screen. His obsession with Tippi Hendren would be his downfall. Friends and family fill in some of the mystery surrounding him.

The Adventure of English, SBS, Sun, 7.30pm:

English intellect Melvyn Bragg presents a four episode exploration of how our language descended from German and a myriad of other tongues to dominate the world. It all came about in the 5th Century, as it pushed Celtic and Latin aside. If you love language, this is a fascinating series.

Undercover Angels, SBS, Weds, 7.30pm:

Three Aussie gals - a Greek single mother, a wannabe actress and a waitress who wants to play femme fatale - have just graduated from PI school and now face their first real assignments. If they can cut it, there's a job with a prestigious PI firm, run by a chap called Charlie. A eye-opening doco on the salacious world of private detectives.

Mr Patterns, ABC, Weds, 8.30pm:

Papunya Tula art, aka dot painting, is now regarded as one of the greatest art movements of the 20th century. This doco tells the story of Geoff Bardon who was posted to the settlement as an art teacher in the 70s, who gave the artists commercial nous, in defiance of the authorities, and at great personal cost.