Square Eyes

Television Reviews

Movie of the week: Secrets & Lies, Prime, Fri, 9.40pm

Mike Leigh's award-winning film beautifully captures the raw emotional tension between relationships. Hortense decides to find her birth mother, Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn) after burying her adopted mother in the first scene of the movie. Leigh captures beautifully the complicated relationship people have with the truth and the need they feel for others. A very realistically shot movie with a great script and wonderful cast, Secrets and Lies has something in it for everyone who's ever bent the truth (even for a good reason) without being too sentimental.

Charlie's Angels, Ten, Sun, 8.30pm

At the other end of the movie scale this multi-million dollar Hollywood slick chick action flick has plenty of computer-enhanced fighting, babes, expensive outfits and very nice shoes. Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz show how easy it is to outwit evil computer geeks using ridiculous technology, very good fighting techniques and outfits supermodels would kill for - a light-hearted romp that doesn't pretend to be anything else and probably the best of the 70s TV show remakes that get a run this week. Bill Murray cast as Bosley almost makes it all worthwhile.

The Green Mile, Prime, Sun, 8.30pm

Tom Hanks presence aside, this adaptation of the Stephen King book is worthwhile viewing with compelling performances and a not- too-subtle statement about prisons.

M*A*S*H: Prime, weekdays, 5pm

This is probably the only series that has been re-run more times than Fawlty Towers. The swift one-liners from Hawkeye and BJ bounce off each other while the simpering whinging from Frank drips like an overflowing IV line - still, it probably has more political truth in it than the other options on at the same time.

Wimbledon, NBN, various times

Is there anything like watching the All England Lawn Tennis Club championships for making Australians feel superior to the Poms? Even with little Lleyton bowing out (and you can take your pick of who to blame - the ATP, his parents, Kim, Jason Stoltenberg) Australia still has a better chance of winning a singles title than England - back the Poo over Henman any day - and even if they don't you can take heart from the fact that the weather over there is roughly the same as it is here - and we're in the middle of winter.

The Bill: ABC, Sat, Tue, 8.30pm

ust when you thought your favourite coppers' lives couldn't get any more dramatic, they do. PC Klein's flushed the drugs ("you're nicked") and is on the hunt for Hunter and then Cass (in that order), while the WPC in question goes from crusading street fighter to damsel in distress. Has the Sun Hill serial killer struck a devastating blow while England's finest dance to 70's music?

Life Support, SBS, Mon, 9pm

Even in re-runs, this Aussie pisstake on the copious 'lifestyle' programs filling the airwaves of the commercial channels has some classic moments and observations that can have you rolling on the floor. Coupled with South Park, it offers a much more amusing way to pass an hour than Eddie McGuire.