EASTER SUNDAY
Abominable TVNZ 2, 4.15pm
Voices Chloe Bennet, Albert Tsai.
Think ET, but with a yeti rather than an extra-terrestrial. Set in China, it concerns a young yeti who escapes from a compound run by a businessman and is looked after by a teen in her apartment building. The girl then tries to reunite the yeti with his family on Mt Everest. Notably, the film was banned in several southeast Asian countries for depicting disputed territory as Chinese. ★★★★
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway TVNZ 2, 7pm
Starring James Corden, Rose Byrne.
James Corden once again voices Peter Rabbit while Rose Byrne reprises her role as a sassy Beatrice Potter in this charming live action follow-up to the 2018 original. Here, Bea marries Tom, which puts Peter’s whiskery nose out of joint after being portrayed as naughty in her new books.
So he runs away and starts a new round of adventures. Lots of fun and at least as good as the original. ★★★
Red, White And Brass
Three, 7pm Starring Joh-Paul Foliak, Dimitrius Koloamatangi. Who can forget the sheer excitement of the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, arguably this country’s biggest sporting event? And Tonga’s ardent supporters were among those who gave their hearts and souls to support their team. This New Zealand movie draws, somewhat loosely, on true events. Tonga supporter Maka can’t get a ticket for the Tonga v France pool game (remember the shock result?). So he come up with the idea of forming a brass band to perform during pre-match entertainment. Lovely feel-good movie. ★★★★
Couples Retreat
Bravo, 7.30pm Starring Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman.
The idea of four couples – played by a variety of talented actors, including Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman and Malin Akerman – who are forced to undergo extensive couples therapy while holidaying at a beautiful beach resort is a movie idea that is not without some merit. Unfortunately, this potential for what might have been a sharp, witty and insightful comedy has somehow been squandered, becoming lost in a sea of mediocre jokes, unrealistic dialogue and unnecessary absurdities. ★★
Everything Everywhere All At Once TVNZ 2, 8.30pm
Starring Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu. Existentialism, nihilism, absurdism. If those philosophical concepts don’t ring your bell, there’s a hefty dollop of theoretical physics, questions of racial identity and Gen Z sexual politics, too. Well, not quite everything but a lot nevertheless. Michelle Yeoh plays a Chinese American woman who enters the multiverse after the IRS audits her laundromat. It’s weird and wacky, but a lot of fun, and you don’t need to have a degree in philosophy to grasp its fundamentals. ★★★★
The Blind Side
Eden, 8.30pm Starring Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Tim McGraw.
Engaging real-life drama in which wealthy white mum Sandra Bullock spots a shambling black youngster roaming the streets one night and,
on a whim, takes him into her home, gives him his own room and buys him a new SUV. He just happens to seize that chance and become a top NFL football star. Sandra Bullock is superb in the role that won her the Oscar, and if it didn’t happen quite this way, it’s still a great story. ★★★★
The Old Way
Sky Premiere, 8.30pm Starring Nicolas Cage, Ryan Kiera Armstrong. At the age of 60, Nicolas Cage has made his first Western. Perhaps he’s wishing he hadn’t as it reinforces the perception that this once-fine actor will accept any old role. Here, he plays a reformed gunfighter who picks up his Colt once again after outlaws kill his wife in revenge for something that happened 20 years previously.
It’s watchable, then forgettable. ★★
Around The World In 80 Days
Three, 8.35pm Starring Steve Coogan, Jackie Chan.
Not a bad version of the Jules Verne classic but, unfortunately, the talents of Steve Coogan are largely wasted here, as are the kinetic mannerisms of Jackie Chan. Verne’s best-known work was first adapted for the cinema in 1956, starring David Niven as Phileas Fogg, and Mexican actor Cantinflas as his French valet Passepartout. This version was much more faithful to the 1876 novel, but not as funny as this 2004 one. And, of course, the very notion of it being difficult to circumnavigate the world in 80 days will leave most under 30s scratching their heads in disbelief. ★★★
Hathi
Whakaata Māori, 8.40pm Starring Noorullah.
Boy meets elephant, boy loses elephant, boy gets elephant. It’s a well-made Indian movie with that classic bond between a human and an animal, although the latter are usually dogs. Not reviewed.
The Lady In The Van TVNZ 1, 10.20pm
Starring Alex Jennings, Maggie Smith. Playwright Alan Bennett befriended a homeless woman in the 1970s and let her park her van temporarily in the driveway of his London home. She stayed there for 15 years and this is the true story of their turbulent relationship. Bennett had moved into the trendy London suburb of Camden, when the highly eccentric Mary Shepherd is harassed by some youths. A neighbour buys her a new van and Bennett suggests she live on his property, learning over time her fascinating yet tragic story. A deeply nuanced, clever and funny movie. ★★★★
Little Monsters TVNZ 2, 11.35pm
Starring Lupita Nyong’o, Alexander England. Sort of Shaun Of The Dead, funded by Screen Australia. While that might not sound promising, Little Monsters manages to wring a few more laughs out of the zombie horror/comedy genre. It’s set around a children’s school camp which is invaded by undead creatures from a nearby US testing facility. ★★★