Great expectations upheld
The Queen 8.30pm, Maori TV Helen Mirren deservedly won an Oscar for her role as Elizabeth II in this 2006 drama which focuses on the fallout from the death of Princess Diana. ‘‘A fascinating mix of high-minded gossip and historical perspective, examines the clash of values – of ritual and traditions versus media savvy and political ambition – that leads to a crisis for the British monarchy,’’ wrote The
Kirk Honeycutt. Survivor: Game Changers 4.25pm, Three Premiering on New Zealand screens last Wednesday, the United States series’ 34th season sees 20 castaways from past seasons return for another chance to outwit, outplay, and outlast one another in the game they love the most. ‘‘There’s probably no escaping that this is a tougher season, because there are no gimmes,’’ host Jeff Probst explains. ‘‘It did feel very much to me like an all-star vinyl table at poker, where every single person is capable of running the table, and you have to be willing to go all in. And if you’re wrong, you’re out.’’ The series continues weekdays. Graham Norton: Big Red Chair Special 7.30pm, Three One-off special which sees the talkshow host explain how a precarious piece of flippable furniture came to be a universally loved feature of his show and how it has played host to some amazing audience anecdotes. Tonight, 7pm Three It was always going to be a hard act to follow.
Eleven Oscars, a worldwide box office of just under US$3 billion (NZ$3.65b) and the transformation of New Zealand cinema from near cottage industry to global player.
Then, as if the legacy of The Lord of the Rings trilogy wasn’t enough, came the troubled preproduction, blighted by MGM’s financial crisis, original director Guillermo Del Toro’s frustration and local squabbles that threatened to take Middle-Earth elsewhere.
So, it was a great relief to many that Sir Peter ‘‘Action’’ Jackson delivered, in late 2012, a rollicking adventure that more than satisfied Rings fans, even if it didn’t win over any new ones.
What is slightly strange, though, is that the spectre of not one, but two trilogies appeared to hang over the film.
In fleshing out Professor J R R Tolkien’s much slimmer, more child-orientated tale (written decades before Rings), to make it fit in with what they have X-Men 8.30pm, Prime The 2000 film that started all things Wolverine. Bryan Singer’s sci-fi action-drama follows two mutants who come to a private academy whose resident already committed to celluloid, Jackson and company find themselves facing the same jointhe-dots prequel dilemma as George Lucas set himself more than a decade earlier.
However, this Unexpected Journey is still one filled with ‘‘dark and powerful magic’’, a towering cast and plenty of hero shots of Aotearoa’s spectacular scenery. - James Croot