Square Eyes

Television Reviews

Movie of the week, Lolita, SBS, Weds, 10pm:

Kubrick's 1962 adaptation of the infamous novel about a middle-aged man sexually besotted with a young, precocious teenage girl remains deeply unsettling to this day. For such dark subject matter, it's a wickedly black satire and murder mystery, with much to say about the nature of obsession, desire and our willingness to pursue things at all costs. James Mason is a tragic Humbert, and Peter Sellers a brilliant Quilty.

The Sweetest Thing, Fri, Prime, 9pm:

A bad girl-power ripoff of There's Something About Mary, complete with crude jokes, appalling sentimentality and inane sight gags, right down to Cameron Diaz as a girl with a crush on the chap she's setting up for her best friend (Christina Applegate). Park you brain at the door.

All Points Of The Compass, ABC, Sun, 7.30pm:

Charles Tran Van Lam was South Vietnam's foreign minister when Saigon fell 30 years ago. He sent privileged children overseas for their education and the nine never returned, having carved out successful careers around the globe. This Aussie doco is a moving tale of the cost of conflict, exile, family and new beginnings.

The Logie Awards, NBN, Sun, 8.15pm:

Oh look, the shelves need dusting... this orgy of congratulations for not much at least makes cleaning the oven seem appealing. The initial red carpet frock fest is perhaps appealing to celebrity spotters.

The Second Coming, ABC, Sun, 8.30pm:

Easily amused minds will be unable to resist thinking of Monty Python's Life of Brian, despite the quality of this gripping drama about a chap (the new Dr Who, Christopher Ecclesston) who turns up on a northern English moor claiming to be the Son of God. He announces Judgement Day in a footy stadium, and the crowd and the media go berserk. It's an extraordinary adventure.

Family First: A federal crusade, ABC, Sun, 10.20pm:

Remember all the carry on during the federal election about the evangelical Christian vote? The always excellent spiritual program Compass follows the fledging Family First Party as it tries to make a splash on the political stage in a doco that explores the party's motivations.

Soldier's Heart, SBS, Tues, 8.30pm:

War is hell - an inhuman moment that kills more than the body. They used to call it shell shock, but now it's PTSD and this American doco tells of the psychological costs, like Marine Rob Sarra, who opened fire on an Iraqi woman he thought was a suicide bomber, but turned out to be waving a white flag. War changes everything, but most of all, those involved. The question is are the political masters doing enough to help them deal with it.

Peter Berner's Loaded Brush, ABC, Thurs, 8.30pm:

Comedian and one-time artist Peter Berner decided to try his hand at painting for the Archibald Prize with a self-portrait in this amusing look at the famed portrait competition and what makes it so popular. Artists, sitters and critics all add their two cents worth.