TV Movie Guide
SATURDAY
Peter Pan Three, 3.45pm Starring Jason Isaacs, Lynn Redgrave. This beautifully filmed live-action adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s enduring classic makes excellent viewing for both the young and young at heart. ★★★★
Flubber
TVNZ 2, 7pm
Starring Robin Williams. A special-effects-heavy remake of the 1961 Disney fantasy The Absent-Minded Professor about a gooey green energy source with a mind of its own. Surprisingly dull, despite star Robin Williams’ trademark slapstick treatment. ★★
Cowgirls ’N Angels M ori TV, 7pm Starring Bailee Madison, James Cromwell. Well-received family film about a 12-year-old girl who joins up with a touring troupe of women performers, The Sweethearts Of The Rodeo, and uses the opportunity to look for the father she never met, who was a rodeo rider. It’s a cut above such usual family fare, with well-developed adult characters. ★★★★
Night At The Museum Three, 7pm Starring Ben Stiller. Family-friendly tale starring Stiller in the role of a down-on-his-luck divorced father who takes a job at a museum and discovers that all of the exhibits come to life when the museum is closed. Reminiscent of Jumanji, it’s a surprisingly delightful romp with plenty of action, humour and great special effects, although the story does have some slow patches. ★★★
Rugrats In Paris: The Movie Choice, 7pm Voices Christine Cavanaugh, Elizabeth Daily. This follow-up to the original Rugrats movie is an odd beast in that it is very much a movie for young children but with adult emotional themes. Chuckie is the Nickelodeon show’s main character and she becomes concerned when her dad starts dating again. It’s a quality effort which scores on its plot rather than its animation. ★★★★
Death Wish Sky Premiere, 8.30pm Starring Bruce Willis. The original Death Wish came out in 1974, and its vigilantism led to vigorous public debate. Four decades on, little has changed apart from the fact that the original’s sexual violence has been toned down and few are outraged by this stuff any more. ★★ Carriers Choice, 8.30pm Starring Chris Pine, Piper Perabo. Competently made but familiarly plotted apocalypse-themed contagion thriller in which four friends hit the road in an attempt to survive and find sanctuary after a viral pandemic sweeps America. ★★★
East West East: The Final Sprint M ori TV, 8.30pm Starring Shkumbin Istrefi, Nela Lucic. Comedy about an amateur cycling team from Albania en route to France when revolution engulfs their homeland. Its novelty makes it worth the watch. ★★★
Romy And Michele’s High School Reunion
TVNZ 2, 8.40pm
Starring Mira Sorvino, Lisa Kudrow. This mostly likeable bubblegum comedy in which two ditzy blonde pals hit the road for their 10-year high school reunion is well cast, if a little silly at times. ★★★
The Aviator
TVNZ 1, 9pm
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett. While history remembers Howard Hughes as a recluse with foot-long fingernails, this excellent biographical drama focuses on the legendary entrepreneur’s