Square Eyes

Television Reviews

Movie of the week, The Fugitive, ABC, Weds, 1am:

Don't get it confused with the old TV series and Harrison Ford movie about the doctor. This 1947 drama is director John Ford's adaptation of Graham Greene's allegorical masterpiece The Power & the Glory. Henry Fonda stars as a flawed and tormented priest hiding in a village church after the Mexican Revolution's anti-clerical purges of the post-Revolution era. It's beautifully shot and Ford softens the edges of the novel, without blunting its intent. An uplifting morality tale about serving God.

Grammy Awards, Ten, Fri, 9pm:

Just in case you're thinking, gee, it seems like the last Grammy's only just happened, you're right - it was six weeks ago. Award ceremonies are dull enough, but waiting that long before screening it is an insult. Bring back The King of Kings.

Il Postino, Prime, Fri, 10.35pm:

Chilean poet Pablo Neruda was living in exile on an Italian island when he befriended the shy local postman. When the postie falls for a barmaid, Neruda mentors the romance, writing love poems on his friend's behalf. This charming and bittersweet comic romance is a joy to watch in a soulless week for films.

Stupid Behaviour: Caught on tape, Prime, Sat, 8.30pm:

A video of someone watching this crap would be a good example.

Elizabeth, Prime, Sat, 9.30pm:

You won't learn a lot about the Virgin Queen, indeed some things are simply wrong, but this lush costume thriller is worth watching for Cate Blanchett's stunning performance. It's all intrigue, power plays and bloodlust, like an Elizabethan Godfather, propelled by a great cast, including Geoffery Rush, Dicky Attenborough and Joseph Fiennes. Alas it's a convoluted plot and you wonder why people run around so miffed. Just sit back and enjoy the costumes.

Where Easter Began, ABC, Sun, 10.05pm:

Some contemplation of Christianity's Holy day, retracing Christ's steps in the last days of His life as the academics separate myth from fact.

The Op Shop Ladies of Emerald Hill, ABC, Tues, 8pm:

This affectionate doco tells a familiar story. Mavis and Lil have helped in a Melbourne op shop for 40 years. It muddles along until rising property prices have the Council contemplating flogging off the site. The community rallies to save it.

Broken Dreams & Promises, SBS, Weds, 7.30pm:

Michelle, 24, comes from a long line of alcoholics, and her liver is twice her age. She's tried and failed to give up the booze, but gives it one more go to see her young son again. This fraught doco charts her struggle and deceptions, but despite its bleakness, it's not without hope.

Piggy: 110kg in 25 weeks, SBS, Thurs, 8.30pm:

This Dutch doco on the cruelty of current pig farm practices will do more to put you off bacon than Babe could ever tell you. It's a story that demeans people as well as animals and ponders how greed has destroyed the fabric of rural life.