Critics' Choice

Sun Herald

Sunday July 8, 2007

Rachel Browne, Rob Lowing, Scott Elllis

Sunday July 8

Have gavel, will travel

The Circuit

9.30pm, SBS

Rating: 4/5

How ironic that the so-called ethnic broadcaster seems to be the only one telling uniquely Australian stories? They don't come any more particular to Australia than The Circuit, which focuses on the Kimberley Circuit Court. The first episode is largely spent establishing the regular characters: there's out-of-towner lawyer Drew Ellis (Aaron Pedersen), magistrate Peter Lockhart (Gary Sweet), assorted court officers and a meddling journo. Together they undertake a five-day 2000-kilometre round trip to hear cases. The locations are stunning, David Bridie's musical score more so and it does not shy away from some ugly truths about life in the outback. RB

Support Your Local Gunfighter

11am,

Channel Seven

Rating: 4/5

MOVIE

James Garner is clearly having a ball here as the con man who stumbles into the middle of a wild west feud and is mistaken for a hired gun. Seizing the opportunity to make some dollars, he doesn't disabuse the locals of their misconception, until of course the real gunman shows up. SE

SPORT

Rugby league

4pm, Nine: Sharks v Bulldogs. Friday, 7.30pm and 9.30pm: Sea Eagles v Tigers, then Cowboys v Broncos.

AFL

1pm, Seven: Swans v Dockers, midnight: Blues v Demons.

Friday, 11.30pm: Saints v Crows.

Cycling

10.30pm, SBS: Tour De France, stage one.

Motor sport

11.10pm, Ten: British Grand Prix.

Tennis

10.30pm, Nine: Wimbledon men's final.

Monday July 9

Surf Patrol

8pm,

Channel Seven

Rating: 3/5

DOCUMENTARY First came Bondi Rescue, now Seven swims in with this new series about the dangerous job of surf lifesavers. First up is a lost child on the Gold Coast, a stricken boat off Sydney and a Surfers Paradise rip. Judging by the roast-chook look of those being rescued, however, they seem more at risk from skin cancer than drowning. RB

The Secret Garden

noon,

Channel Nine

Rating: 4/5

MOVIE Copying Beethoven director Agnieszka Holland delivers one of the stand-out versions of the beloved book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. When her parents are lost in an earthquake, a spoilt girl is sent to live in her uncle's mansion, where a gloomy existence is relieved by a lovely garden. Charming 1993 tweeny feature. RL

Mom.common

Wife Swap

10.35pm, Channel Nine

Rating: 3/5

Honestly, does television get any better than this utterly surreal slice of middle-American life? Probably not. This week the Stonerock family, outdoorsy Christian types who believe in God, America and all things wholesome, switch mums with the Finlays, ultra-hip, net-savvy types who run a website devoted to atheism. Predictably, both households are thrown into righteous uproar and we get to watch as two cultures (such as they are) collide. As Mrs Stonerock herself said, "Many lives were changed" as a result of this episode. SE

Tuesday July 10

Light fingers and plot

CSI: New York: Some Buried Bones

8.30pm, Channel Nine

Rating: 3.5/5

Singer Nelly Furtado guest stars in this episode, but you'll have to watch closely to spot her. She plays an imaginative shoplifter with very expensive tastes. But are they worth killing for? Detective Stella Bonasera (Melina Kanakaredes) investigates while her colleague Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) wrestles with a darker plot. A college student is found dead in a hedge maze. At first it seems to be a fraternity prank gone wrong but further investigation reveals more sinister forces at work. While the latter plot is utterly absurd, the production is reliably slick and it's not a bad option for those wanting an hour of escapism. RB

It Takes Two

7.30pm,

Channel Seven

Rating: 3.5/5

REALITY We've watched - and cringed - as a group of celebrity singers have bravely warbled their way through classic rock, pop and disco. Now it's grand-final time in the current series. This might be about as cheesy as television comes but, that said, at least it's good old-fashioned family entertainment, something of a rarity these days. RB

The Prince And The Pauper

noon,

Channel Nine

Rating: 3/5

MOVIE Routine 2000 British TV-feature version of Mark Twain's famous book about a poor boy and a prince who switch places, with each making unwelcome discoveries. The plot's inherent suspense should hook the kids; they won't mind stodgy young lead players Robert and Jonathan Timmins. RL

Wednesday July 11

My Brother Vinnie

8pm, SBS

Rating: 3.5/5

DOCUMENTARY This touching, affectionate and searingly honest story is about actor Aaron Pedersen's relationship with his mentally disabled brother Vinnie. Pedersen, born into abject poverty, has carved out a respectable acting career (see our cover story). This looks at his early life and how he coped during the time he was his brother's primary carer. RB

In The Company

Of Men

midnight,

Channel Nine

Rating: 4/5

MOVIE Provocative drama about two misogynous bosses who decide to have their revenge against all women by singling out one and ruining her life. Predictable in that it all goes wrong, but director Neil LaBute's skewering of office emasculation is worth catching for future Thank You For Smoking star Aaron Eckhart. RL

Tapping into mystery

Without A Trace: Desert Springs

9.30pm, Channel Nine

Rating: 4/5

A particularly timely story given the state of Australian workplace relations. When the team investigate the disappearance of a water-plant supervisor they discover a long list of suspects after he helped implement a raft of job layoffs. Still, as is always the case here, the truth is often not what we first suspect, so Jack (Anthony LaPaglia) and Sam (Poppy Montgomery) continue to dig and find he just might have had other reasons for taking himself out of circulation. Who did it? Did anyone? As usual we're left guessing by a solid plot and excellent performances from two Australians shining in Hollywood. SE

Thursday July 12

Salts getting peppySea Patrol

8.30pm, Channel Nine

Rating: 3/5

The second episode of Nine's flagship (excuse the pun) series lives up to promise, with an action-filled story of the Hammersley on the tail of a high-tech drug-smuggling gang after accidentally running across - quite literally - a buoy used by the bad guys to guide their shipments to shore. And for those wanting a bit more depth to the characters, we have, Nikki (Lisa McCune) finding herself increasingly drawn to ET and deciding to hide her feelings, which is always going to be a tough call when you're trapped on a ship with the object of your affections. Adventure and romance on the high seas, what's not to love about that? SE

Lost

9.30pm,

Channel Seven

Rating: 3.5/5

DRAMA As Lost heads towards the end of its third series, it gets stranger and stranger while somehow managing to keep its fans guessing over the past three years. And it gets no better in this episode. However, it does reveal how the creepy Ben (Michael Emerson) arrived on the island as a boy and what made him the way he is. RB

Malta Story

2.45am Friday, ABC

Rating: 3/5

MOVIE You couldn't say Alec Guinness was slumming, but this is not exactly stretching material. Still, fans will appreciate efficient co-stars, such as Jack Hawkins and Anthony Steel, in a well-made 1953 black and white action drama. Guinness is the English World War II pilot forced to jettison romance to help Maltese locals repel a German attack. RL

Friday July 13

The Growing Pains Movie

noon, Channel Nine

Rating: 3.5/5

MOVIE An absolute must for fans of this classic 1980s sitcom. We meet the Seaver family a few years on to see how they all ended up - and it's in Washington, where Jason (Alan Thicke) is still a psychiatrist, but with high-profile patients; Mike (Kirk Cameron) is married; and Maggie (Joanna Kerns) is breaking the scoops. One for the nostalgia set. SE

Pretty Woman

8.30pm,

Channel Seven

Rating: 4/5

MOVIE Once you get past the fact this story basically revolves around a bloke whose method of meeting ladies is the same one that got Hugh Grant into so much trouble, this turns into quite a nice fairytale. Richard Gere plays an uptight businessman who meets a prostitute (Julia Roberts) and against the odds, finds true love. SE

Scotching the gloss

Taggart: The Best And The Brightest

8.30pm, ABC

Rating: 3.5/5

This final episode in the current series will satisfy fans of this no-frills Scottish crime drama. Grim as it always looks, Taggart makes a distinct change of pace from all those glossy US potboilers. Not all the actresses are thin, pretty and coiffed to a standstill. Some of the actors are losing their hair. Some even skipped an orthodontist in their teen years. In short, they all look like real people even if the crime scenarios played out aren't particularly realistic. This week a young university researcher is found dead in her lab. Then another student turns up worse for wear. While the killer's identity is flagged way too early, this is still a solid whodunit. RB

Saturday July 14

Misfits kick a goal

Nerds FC

7.30pm, SBS

Rating: 3/5

You could be mistaken for thinking that Nerds FC is actually about football. In fact it's the old fish-out-of-water scenario in a new cloak. That said, the series works well largely due to its cast of 14 socially challenged and yet surprisingly endearing misfits. This week, the team returns to the ACT Academy of Sport to see how their fitness is improving before taking off for more exotic territory - Gove in the Northern Territory - where they immerse themselves in the local culture. After the predictable struggles with spear throwing, fishing and didgeridoo playing, they actually play some football. RB

Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

7.30pm,

Channel Nine

Rating: 5/5

MOVIE The third in the classy series has boy wizard Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) facing werewolves and a violent escaped prisoner (Gary Oldman), ensuring this is all too much for littlies. As dark as it is, the film is still fun, with loveable giant Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) and striking special effects. RL

SPORT

Netball

2pm, ABC: Australia v Jamaica 2 highlights.

Rugby Union

3pm, ABC: Shute Shield major semi-final, live.

Bowls

5pm, ABC: World Team Cup, England Invitational v Ireland in the women's singles.

Motor Sport

1.30pm, Seven: Carrera Cup highlights. Noon, Ten: the Otago Rally.

AFL

2pm, Ten: Cats

v Magpies, 10.30pm, Bombers v Bulldogs.

© 2007 Sun Herald

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