70 LISTENER SEPTEMBER 7 2019
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
assertion that zombies don’t
run (where’s the fun in that?),
it’s all on for young and old.
Repeatedly. Messily. Gorily.
(2006)28 Days (TVNZ 2, 10.45pm).
It was despised by the rehab
community for the implication
that a month in a nice facility
will cure what ails you, but
still, there are good messages
delivered in a non-sugary
way. In fact, it’s the script by
Susannah Grant (who wrote
Erin Brockovich), full of casually
cynical zingers, that makes the
film – as well as an empathetic
Sandra Bullock, and a flash
cast that includes Dominic
West, Viggo Mortensen, Steve
Buscemi and a very funny
Alan Tudyk as an emotional
German. Why, we don’t know.
(2000)Runner Runner (Three, 11.15pm).
Lightweight crime thrillernonsense with
a surprisingly
good cast. Director
Brad Furman (The
Lincoln Lawyer), working with
producer Leonardo DiCaprio,
snags Justin Timberlake, Ben
Affleck and Gemma Arterton
for a bog-standard story about
a guy who is sucked into the
orbit of a big-noting douchebag
and begins to suspect he’s not
on the level. Well, duh. Affleck
rescues the movie somewhat
with his impression of a Bond
villain (he has crocodiles!),
but this is an empty exercise.
(2013)SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 8
The Mountain Between Us
(TVNZ 2, 8.00pm). A survival
romance starring Britain’s
most gorgeous: Idris Elba and
Kate Winslet. They’re strangers
who crash in the Utah
wilderness, but near-death
experiences with freezingwater, cougars, bear traps and
a mountain’s worth of snow
will make lovers of us all. Daft,
but still. Idris Elba and Kate
Winslet. Sigh. (2017)The Remains of the Day (Māori
TV, 8.30pm). The 1989 novel
by Kazuo Ishiguro was already
considered a masterpiece
when it won the Booker
Prize; thank goodness James
Ivory’s adaptation does it
justice. Anthony Hopkins is
agonising as the repressed
butler, Stevens, whose world is
shaken by Emma Thompson’s
housekeeper, Miss Kenton.
But his overwhelming sense
of duty means he continues
to serve his employer (James
Fox), despite m’lord’s fascist
sympathies in the lead-up to
World War II. So melancholy,
your heart will break many
times. (1993)Phar Lap (Choice
TV, 8.30pm).
Horses and
other animals
seem to have
been a theme for
Australian director
Simon Wincer, who
also directed Free Willy, terrible
comedy-western Lightning
Jack and 2011’s The Cup,
another Melbourne Cup story.
Working from a script by
David Williamson (who wrote
Gallipoli and Balibo), Wincer
doesn’t pull punches about the
dodgy dealings surrounding
Phar Lap after the big horse
began to win and the tensions
between his trainer, Harry
Telford (Martin Vaughan),
owner David Davis (Ron
Leibman) and strapper Tommy
Woodcock (Tom Burlinson).
The cinematography is by
Russell Boyd, who worked on
Gallipoli and Picnic at Hanging
Rock and won an Oscar for
Master and Commander: The
Far Side of the World. Phar Lap
is played by Towering Inferno.
(1983)THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 12
Transformers: Age of Extinction
(Three, 7.30pm). More punish-
ing special effects from Michael
Bay, who throws in dinobots
and upgraded Decepticons for
his city-destroying set pieces.
Of note: the Chinese product
placement, locations and
actress Li Bingbing, all part of
a production deal that helped
it become the highest-grossing
film in China up till then. In
general, however, it’s like being
beaten about the head with a
plastic toy. (2014)Postcards from the 48% (Rialto,
Sky 039, 8.30pm). The case for
remaining in the European
Union is calmly laid out in this
documentary and, conse-
quently, the case for still trying
to overturn Brexit. Director
David Wilkinson features
experts, campaigners, writ-
ers and famous faces such as
Patrick Stewart, Bob Geldof and
Miriam Margolyes to explain
why Brexit is A Very Bad Idea.
Sadly, despite Remainers being,
as author Ian McEwan quips,
“hobbled by a fatal attraction to
rational argument”, 48% is still
not a majority. (2018)FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 13
Mt Zion (Māori TV, 8.30pm).
In his first feature, Tearepa
Kahi (Poi E and Herbs: Songs
of Freedom) gives singer Stan
Walker space to do his thing,
but wisely relies on more expe-
rienced actors such as Temuera
Morrison, David Wikaira-Paul
and Miriama Smith to carry
the movie. It’s set in 1979, and
Turei (Walker) dreams of win-
ning a competition to support
Bob Marley at Western Springs.
The main competition is a
Golden Harvest-like profes-
sional outfit, but he’s also up
against his whānau responsi-
bilities on the Pukekohe potato
plantation. (2013)Films are rated out of 5:
(abysmal) to (amazing).The Mountain
Between Us, Sunday.The Remains of
the Day, Sunday.Be
stmurder
myste
ryBE
AS
TRialto,^ S
aturday
,8.^30 pm