What are you lookin' at?

It is not uncommon for a friend to ask me on Monday “So what’s on this week?” for normal people who have rich and fulfilling social lives the answer may be “work, dinner out, band, play, footy, lunch, love, drive, whatever”.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to try and fit all those fantastic things in too, but as my friends know, when you ask me “what’s on?” I’m more than likely to respond with “Well Monday there is a great late night movie on the ABC, Tuesday I have to get up at 5am to watch Cape Fear, Wednesday I’m going to watch as many episodes of Little Britain as I possibly can etc etc”

This Weeks Viewing

MONDAY

Mythbusters (730pm ABC). I’m a latecomer to this show but I can tell you now I’m riding the geek train with everyone else on this one. This week they try raising a sunken boat using ping pong balls. Madness!

Pret-A-Porter (10pm Movie Extra) – Robert Altman’s shambolic and glamorous look at Paris fashion week. Dahrling it’s worth it just to see Richard E Grant hamming it up. The perfect antidote to Mondayitis.

I'll probably also catch Barnaby Joyce in Antarctica on Australian Story and John Anderson on Enough Rope, bit of an Aunty feast!

TUESDAY

SET (10pm ABC) The Necks are the kind of band that people keep telling me I’ll love. I’ll give it ten minutes and if I hate it I’ll switch over to

The Cars That Ate Paris (10pm Show Greats) a great early early (1974!) Peter Weir film. Creepy tale of a man trapped in a small country town where the locals force tourists to have car accidents so they can salvage the car parts. Gritty and weird.

WEDNESDAY

In The Mood For Love (10pm SBS) – those of you that saw the beautiful 2010 last year from director Wong Kar-Wai should try and catch this prequel. It’s as sexy and languorous as the second film, and easier to understand (no weird sci fi sub plots). Another Christopher Doyle D.O.P masterpiece.

THURSDAY

West Wing (9.30 ABC) I just spent a couple of hours reading up on every plot line for the final season (I’m a sucker for spoilers). It’s still a while away here, we’re only mid season 5. Season 6 is out May 9 on Amazon…woo hoo!

The Fountainhead (10.50 TCM). I know Ayn Rand was a nutcase but I have a real fondness for stories about architects. It’s already been a year since I last watched it so it’s due for a revisit. Any excuse to watch Gary Cooper (super duper!)

FRIDAY

Daria (ABC 530pm). One of the smartest animated shows to come out of the U.S (so smart you’d swear it was Canadian). I wish I could say she reminds me of me but I’m just not that cool. I find it amazing that the (animated) cheerleader Brittany is dating quarterback Kevin...I always knew there was something weird about that Spears girl…

Jackie Brown (8.30 movie extra) I think this is Quentin Tarantino’s most underrated film. Pam Grier is so hot as Jackie, in fact the casting of it is impeccable. And every time I see it I remember how much I liked Bridget Fonda…where has she gone? But because I only watched this a couple of months ago I may switch over to...

...The Chasers War on Everything (ABC 9pm) I can’t tell if these guys are private school upstart morons who are all ego and exhibitionism or if they are in fact our only hope of getting all our anger, disappointment and disgust at the current state of political affairs out in a public forum. But maybe they are just idiots. Never quite sure…

SATURDAY

Thunderbirds (6am Nine). I will still be in my pajamas I will have an enormous mug of coffee and I will start my weekend feeling nostalgic, dorky and well nourished.

Iron Chef (8.30 SBS) The Americans in their usual foolhardy way just tried to recreate this with Wolfgang Puck at the helm. It failed miserably and was yanked after only 5 episodes. How they thought it could work I’ll never know. What will the secret ingredient be this week? Same as always…Japan!

930 Swordfish (9.30 NINE). I will watch the first 40 minutes of this crap film for two things. The opening sequence is an astounding piece of filmmaking (which only makes the rest of the film so much more disappointing) and to see Hugh Jackman without his shirt on – which I paid good money to see in the cinema and was well worth putting up with the next two hours of crapola – for the boys there is a flash of Halle Berry topless too but it’s not half as good as Hugh so I’ll have already switch over to


Shaolin Soccer (10.40 Show Greats) I haven’t seen it and I know I should have. Tonight is the night!

SUNDAY

The Insiders (9am ABC). This is a Sunday morning breakfast special for me. I'm quite fond of Barrie Cassidy and the gang (well not that Bolt fellow, he’s a tool). It’s a nice idea, to get smart journo types in a room and get their take on the week that’s been no matter their pesonal political bent. At least I feel I can go forward into the new week a little more informed.

When (and if) I leave the couch I’m hoping to see the new Terence Malick film The New World.