Things take a dramatic turn
Fairfax’s James Croot picks out the best on the box for the week ahead.
I think we’re all terrified that’s something they might want to do. ‘‘Oh , it’s too brutal – don’t do it.’’ If they want to act, they can do plays at school. It’s certainly a different experience. On Sunny, we’re all The Level is a tense new five-part British drama set in sunny Brighton. Detective Sergeant Nancy Devlin (Karla Crome) has a secret double life. Her exemplary police career masks a covert attachment to a shady businessman and drugs trafficker. ‘‘Like an antidote to moody Nordic or Celtic noir. This is Albion Blanc, a new genre – south coast, pacey, sunny, not too heavy,’’ wrote The Guardian’s Sam Wollaston. Continues daily until Thursday.
Sunday, 8.30pm, TVNZ1
After she thwarted a terrorist attack in Berlin and with Peter Quinn’s life hanging in the balance, the end of last season left Homeland‘ s Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) grappling between starting a new life and returning to her old one. Season six picks up several months later, with Mathison back on American soil, living in Brooklyn, New York. She has begun working at a foundation grown-ups and friends and although the scripts are fabulous once we get a scene we just play around, listening to and improvising with each other. Here, the kids just want to please me and do it right. So it’s a little bit more technical. I have to help them carve out what each scene is. But it’s all so sweet and wonderful. whose efforts are to provide aid to Muslims living in the United States. ‘‘A show that continues to flaunt great performances — no matter how many times you’ve seen Danes make her crying face — and float some interesting ideas and compelling cliffhangers,’’ wrote The Hollywood Reporter‘ s Daniel Fienberg.
Monday, 8.30pm, SoHo
Next week marks the start of a new, four-episode run of the popular UK show Gadget Man. This sees comedian Richard Ayoade investigating the latest technology which can assist with our everyday lives. First up, it’s the weekend, with Steve Jones, Al Murray and Sara Pascoe helping I would like to think that people would have been open to it a few years ago. I think there’s been a long, slow, steady road paved for women and I think there are a lot of people I can thank for that. I’m glad it’s something people are excited about right now. I don’t know why it took so long – I certainly have a lot of people in my own life who are extremely funny women, but I’ll just embrace it and be grateful for the fact that it’s here. I love working with funny men and women. I wasn’t setting out to do a female-driven comedy, I was just setting out to do a funny show. And I feel perfectly comfortable being at the helm of it and being a female is secondary – for me. ❚ The Mick 8.30pm, Mondays, TVNZ2. test drive a variety of timeextending gadgets.
Monday, 8pm, TVNZ1
November 2016 marked the 20th anniversary of Crowded House’s iconic farewell performance on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. To mark this special occasion and their induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame, the band reformed for four shows only. Prime Rocks: Crowded House – Live From The Sydney Opera House captures all the music, magic and mayhem. ‘‘These are musicians at the top of their game; playful, joyful and thrilled to be back doing what they love best. It seems it wasn’t their time to go after all,’’ wrote The Guardian‘ s Alexander Spring about the concerts.
Tuesday, 8.30pm, Prime
If you thought Touching the Void was the last word in mountaineering tales, be prepared to be shocked by the breathtaking 2015 Australian documentary Sherpa, one doesn’t need to resort to dramatic recreations. Caught up in the events of one of Everest’s darkest days, April 18, 2014, director Jennifer Peedom brings home the risks the sherpas take in assisting others achieve their dreams and allows both sides of an increasingly tense standoff between commerce and local culture to have their say.
Thursday, 8.30pm, Rialto. For the most part, The Rolling Stones’ Blue & Lonesome ( ★★★★ ) is a wonderful return to the sixties white-boy blues of England. But in some respects, it’s almost a wasted opportunity because they rely on too many tracks written by Chicago blues singer-songwriters. Little Walter (aka Walter Jacobs) and Willie Dixon dominate, with the other tracks written by Howlin’ Wolf (Chester Burnett), Magic Sam (Samuel Gene Maghett) and the like. Still, for the most part it is an incendiary disc, with some of the best harp playing by Jagger in years and there is the inevitable swagger of Keith Richards guitar work. Sometimes a vanity exercise like this exceeds expectations. An album worth embracing.– Colin Morris
In a recent interview, Enigma (aka Michael Cretu) talked about a progression and not wanting to copy himself in this his first new album in eight years. Yet, to be honest, all I hear on The Fall of a Rebel Angel ( ★★★ is a repeat of previous albums – the same rhythmical lines, pulses and whispered vocals, the same Gregorian chants, swelling keyboard riffs and faux poetry scattered among the 12 tracks that we are led to believe makes perfect sense if you surrender to the experience. The weird thing is that this is not an unlistenable album, especially if you like Jean-Michel Jarre, Mike Oldfield, Deep Forest and the many others that walk the same path. – Colin Morris
With a sluggish plot and unconvincing composite animation, 1977’s Pete’s Dragon was not a Disney classic. So it’s perhaps no surprise that out of all the recent live-action reimaginings ( Cinderella, The Jungle Book), this New Zealandshot tale ( ★★★ ) had the most potential to improve on the original. It does that seamlessly thanks to writer-director David Lowrey’s tinkering with the storyline, dropping the songs, tightening the narrative and handing his main character over to the wizards of Weta Digital. – James Croot
A tale full of weighty themes and dramatic artifice, Alison McLean’s somewhat loose adaptation of Eleanor Catton’s 2008 debut novel The Rehearsal ( ★★★ ) never truly compels, despite the presence of plenty of Kiwi acting luminaries. McLean and writer Emily Perkins seem caught between trying to create a more cinematic story from Catton’s book and remaining true to her prose – some of the descriptive, evocative speeches feel like they’ve come straight from there. – James Croot