Square Eyes

Television Reviews

Movie of the week, Underground, ABC, Thurs, 11pm:

This wildly vivid mix of politics, war, surrealism, passion, slapstick and black comedy is one of the great tragic farces. It's a 167-minute epic that sums up the ancient faultlines of the former Yugoslavia. Blackie and Marko are old friends with much in common - especially their carousing - who, over 50 years, encompassing WWII and Tito's communist regime, drift apart as they pursue different paths. It's a devastating indictment of human greed and venality, told at a rollicking pace, with breathtaking exuberance and sprawling excess. It manages to be both funny and painfully sad.

One day cricket final, NBN, Fri, 2pm:

The kids are back at school, the ratings are back on TV and now the final between Australia and Pakistan heralds the last days of summer. Where did it all go so quickly? The second game is on Sunday.

The King and I, Prime, Fri, 8.30pm:

Yul Brynner shines as the arrogant king of Siam in this enjoyable reworking of the Rogers and Hammerstein musical. Deborah Kerr is the English schoolteacher in charge of teaching his kids, not to mention the uppity monarch, a thing or two about good manners. Some jolly songs and a happy ending combine for a pleasant interlude.

Foyle's War, ABC, Sun, 8.30pm:

This marvellous wartime police drama returns with detective Foyle (Michael Kitchen) investigating the suspicious death of the son of one of the top brass. As always, there's lots more at stake than first appears. It's spiffing stuff - tally ho!

Opal Fever, ABC, Tues, 8pm:

The mad buggers who head for Coober Pedy and spend their lives underground trying to strike it rich offer some colourful stories and characters in this four-part series, including a Sydney street kid and his dad Stu, who lobbed in town a decade ago, made $280 just by looking around and have been addicted ever since.

Aussie Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Ten, Weds, 7.30pm:

Just what the nation needs - five gay boys giving blokes a makeover in a copy of the US series. The most interesting thing will be whether the Aussie lads can out-gay their American rivals. Will our antipodean Carson ever get an invite to the Kentucky Derby?

Lost, Prime, Thurs, 8.30pm:

This American series about 48 survivors of a plane crash spares no expense. It seems a little like a dramatic recreation of Survivor, but it's no less compelling, with plenty of great twists and turns.

The Staircase, SBS, Thurs, 8.30pm:

This eight-part doco series follows a criminal case from the alleged offence to the court case and final verdict. When a newspaper columnist calls in because his wife has fallen down the stairs in a fatal accident, the police think otherwise. The coming weeks give some idea of just how complex the law really is, and just how grey the truth can be when you're trying to decide guilt or innocence.