Tiffs, tragedies in tear jerker
99 Homes 8.30pm, Maori TV A heady mix of Faustian drama and social realism rippedfrom-the-headlines, writerdirector Ramin Bahrani’s 2014 film is both sobering and rageinducing viewing. Evoking memories of the likes of Margin Call, Wall Street and A Most Violent Year, 99 Homes is a complex and compelling story of innocence corrupted and what one man will do to keep his American Dream alive. Andrew Garfield creates a likeable, identifiable everyman who wears his heart on his sleeve and his emotions all over his face, while the bear-like Michael Shannon somehow manages to persuade us that his reptilian real-estate man is as much a victim of the current economic situation as the families he is helping turf out of their homes. Soundbreaking 8.30pm, Prime A welcome repeat of this excellent eight-part 2016 documentary series. Featuring more than 150 original interviews with some of the most celebrated recording artists, producers and music industry pioneers of all time, it charts a century’s worth of innovation and experimentation and offers a behind-the-scenes look at the birth of brand new sounds. Interstellar 8.45pm, TVNZ2 Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain star in Christopher Nolan’s 2014 sci-fi action adventure about a team of explorers who travel through a wormhole in space in Tonight, 8.35pm Three While professional bull riding and the liberal Black Mountain College art movement represent something of a departure from your typical Nicholas Sparks thematic backdrop, The Longest Ride doesn’t stray too far from his wildly successful template.
The usual tropes of thunderstorms, tiffs and tragedies abound in this somewhat predictable and slightly hokey tale that’s both a celebration of North Carolina’s painters and the lost art of letter writing.
As expected, hankies will be required before the end credits roll, as two love stories (one modern day, one set in the 1940s) intertwine in the author’s beloved resident state.
Writer Craig Bolotin’s dialogue feels somewhat forced, particularly the cliched commentary surrounding the professional bull-riding scenes, while the plot device used to take us back into the past is neither consistent or convincing.
Thankfully Scott Eastwood’s (son of Clint) cheekbones and perky Britt Robertson’s chutzpah just about carry the creaky plot home.
However, it’s veteran Alan Alda ( M*A*S*H) who steals the show. He adds grace and gravitas as a dying man determined to keep his dearly departed wife’s memory alive.
While it might not be A Walk to Remember, it’s still better than Nights in Rodanthe. – James Croot Dog Squad 7.30pm, TVNZ1 This popular Kiwi working canine reality series returns with more stories about those pooches protecting our streets and borders. This time the net is widened, as the shows features the work of Department of Conservation dogs trained to detect young kiwi, a penguin detector dog, and the world’s only trained Argentine ant-detecting dog. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 7pm, Maori TV A screenplay by Roald Dahl from a novel by Ian Fleming? How can you resist this zany 1968 family fantasy-adventure about a down-on-his-luck inventor who turns a broken-down Grand Prix car into a fancy vehicle for his children. ‘‘An object lesson for purveyors of young cinema – be silly, be clever, but always, no matter how much nonsense is on show, be real,’’ wrote Empire’s Neil Jeffries. Cast Away 8.50pm, TVNZ2 Before Life of Pi’s boy and his tiger, there was this 2000 adventure about a FedEx worker and his volleyball. Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt and ‘‘Wilson’’ star. ‘‘Hanks towers as a near-naked, near-biblical man. [Director Robert] Zemeckis tells his story with a control magnificent in what isn’t shown as much as in what is,’’ wrote Entertainment Weekly’s Lisa Schwarzbaum.