Square Eyes

Television Reviews

Movie of the week, Antilles-Sur-Seine, SBS, Thurs, 11.55pm

It's a poor week for flicks, which are mostly repeats of Bruce and Arnie bifforamas. This French-Creole comedy-drama at least has local resonance. The mayor of an idyllic Caribbean seaside village has so far resisted attempts to turn it into a tacky resort. But the developers kidnap his wife. It's a bemusing romp in which the bad guys finally get their comeuppance. If only real life were that simple.

AFL Grand Final, Ten, Sat, 2pm

If you're really keen, 10 starts broadcasting Aussie Rules stuff from 8am. C'arn the Lions! (For those who don't follow the game, Eddie Maguire's Collingwood team are the Manly of AFL).

The Tramp and the Dictator, ABC, Sun, 7.30pm

This is a truly fascinating doco about Charlie Chaplin's great satire of Hitler, The Great Dictator, which shows the two men shared similar backgrounds. Chaplin was a force for good, and his ambitious satire exposed Hitler's brutality.

The paramount race against Thorpe, Prime, Sun, 8.30pm

90 minutes of inane stupidity as B-grade celebrities who know as much about swimming as they do brain surgery take on Thorpie over 1000 metres. The biggest challenge is how they make a 10 minute swim last so long.

Reindeer Games, NBN, Sun, 8.30pm

This piece of implausible tripe is an insult to the intelligence of even the most brain dead of Sunday night viewers. Ben Affleck plays Rudy, a car thief due for release from prison. His cellmate is off too - and plans to meet a penfriend Ashley (Charlize Theron). Benny decides to impersonate the cellmate after bringing about his untimely demise. She's spunky, has a prisoner thing , and a psycho brother wanting to rob an Indian casino. Rudolph the red-nosed getaway driver in a witless B-grade Looney Tune cartoon of a thriller.

Musical renegades - ACO, SBS, Sun, 8.40pm

The Australian Chamber Orchestra is now 28 years old, but under spunky young director/violinist Richard Tongetti, looks and talent have combined to make it one of the world's great ensembles. They've made 17th century music sexy and this doco shows Aussies can be world beaters at classical music as well as footy.

Case for the Coroner, ABC, Tues, 8pm

This impressive behind-the-scenes look at the work of John Abernathy concludes with the horror of the Bali bombing. Identifying bodies is fraught with problems. Grieving relatives see victim ID as a sea of red tape from an uncaring bureaucracy, and the coroner faces a tough task. This is a moving, powerful doco.

Profits or people, SBS, Tues, 8.30pm

This is an appalling story about how the pharmaceutical industry will help middle class blokes sustain erections because there's big bucks in it, while millions die because the drugs are too expensive or there's no money in it. This doco tells it like a John Le Carre thriller.

Australian Rugby, ABC, Weds, Sun, 8.30pm

Larikin former Wallaby Peter FitzSimons presents this two-part series charting the rise of the Australian team, starting with the '84 tour of Britain.