American citizens in spotlight James Croot
Horror gets a home
After being unable to air it in its regular spot for censorship reasons, TVNZ finally debuts The Simpsons‘ 600th episode – the latest instalment of the show’s annual Treehouse of Horror series. This time around the three stories involve a spoof of The Hunger Games, Lisa’s jealous imaginary friend and Bart discovering that Moe’s tavern is a front for an international super-spy organisation.
Saturday, 8.45pm, TVNZ2
Snowden in the spotlight
Whatever your take on Edward Snowden – whistleblowing hero or cowardly traitor – the 2014 documentary CitizenFour provides a fascinating account of the firestorm he created when he released details of America’s National Security Agency’s methods of gathering information, not only of United States citizens, but those around the globe. Contains compelling, yet personalised footage.
Tuesday, 8.30pm, Maori TV
The story of 10CC
Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman, Lol Creme and Kevin Godley reunited for the 2015 BBC documentary I’m Not In Love, to tell their story and share the secrets behind some of their most successful records, from the writing and recording to the tours and tensions. Having achieved more than 100 Top 40 hits worldwide, this documentary highlights the diversity of these four brilliant musicians’ songwriting talent and delves into the influence they had on other musicians, as well as the politics beneath their acrimonious split in 1976 – at the height of their fame.
Tuesday, 8.35pm, Prime
Brando – in his own words
Having already tackled West Indies cricket and the James Bond movie franchise in previous outings, British documentarian Stevan Riley took on the largerthan-life figure of acclaimed actor Marlon Brando in 2015’s Listen to Me Marlon. Built around the 1990 trial of Brando’s son Christian after he shot his half-sister Cheyenne’s boyfriend, Riley’s film charts the rises and falls and contradictions of the charismatic star of On the Waterfront, A Streetcar Named Desire and The Godfather. Audio-recordings, married to some archival gems and beautifully curated imagery show Brando both loved to flirt and was fiercely protective of his privacy. Confronting and compelling, this offers plenty of revelations about the latterly reclusive legend.
Wednesday, 8.30pm, Rialto
Portrait of a politician
One of the true highlights of last year’s New Zealand International Film Festival, Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg’s documentary, Weiner, is a fascinating, compelling, warts and all account of Democratic congressman Anthony Weiner. Having quit his post in shame after a series of compromising Twitter photos, the man with the unfortunate moniker thought he was on the comeback trail when he agreed to allow Kriegman and Steinberg to follow him on his New York mayoral campaign. He was horribly wrong.
Thursday, 8.30pm, Rialto.
Richter’s latest off the scale
As he showcases on his latest album Three Worlds ( ), Max Richter has the ability to repeat motifs which, if you open your mind to them, you might just find relaxing and yet invigorating. Surface-wise it is a smoke-and-mirrors trick, that of single piano notes and a cellobacking in many cases, or a singular ghostly voice and plucked strings that create tension and a linear movement. I would recommend his reworking of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons or Sleep before this disc, but nevertheless it remains a beautiful and open (to interpretation) classical work. – Colin Morris
More than a memento
I like to think that WOMAD 2017 ( ) is more than just a souvenir of the best music festival in New Zealand. but a portal into other worlds, an opportunity to discover other cultures and be reminded how music is the most healing of the arts with its ability to bring together performers of many different races, creeds and religion into one big melting pot. Of course, we all have favourites and this year, for me, it was The Specials, with their biggest hit A Message To Rudy included here. Then there’s Bebel Gilberto, who I’ve raved about for many years, even if she hasn’t brought anything new to the table in terms of Brazilian Bossa for a while now. Diversity comes in the form of Welsh band 9Bach and their take on native language folk with a rock leaning.– Colin Morris
The power of Disney
Falling silent at age 3, Owen Suskind’s parents feared he would never speak again. However, their routine of watching Disney animated classics together to forget about their troubles had an unexpected sideeffect, Owen began to re-engage with and make sense of the world through the prism of The Lion King and Aladdin. With the help of copious clips and endearing new animation, Roger Ross Williams’ documentary Life, Animated (PG, follows the now 20-something Suskind as he embarks on the next stage of his life – living alone. – James Croot
The song of Scotland
Shot partly in Canterbury, Terence Davies’ adaptation of Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s 1932 novel Sunset Song (M,
) is the tale of a young woman’s trials and tribulations in rural Scotland. Model Agyness Deyn is perfectly cast as the put-upon, but determined Chris Guthrie, who manages to overcome disappointment and despair, to find her place in the world in remote Aberdeenshire. – James Croot