Lydia Jenkin's week of it

NZ Herald

Ryan Adams will fill The Civic this evening. Photo / Supplied

MOVIES
Brilliant New Zealand documentary Brother Number One opens this week, charting the story of Kiwi Olympian rower Rob Hamill who goes to Cambodia to retrace the events that saw his brother Kerry caught, tortured and murdered by the Khmer Rouge in 1978. Directed by award-winning documentarian Annie Goldson, it's a stunning film simultaneously full of hope and sadness, and even the trailer brings tears to my eyes every time.

Also beautifully rendered is My Week With Marilyn. Based on two written memoirs, it stars Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe at the height of her career in Britain filming The Prince and the Showgirl with Sir Laurence Olivier. It's told from the perspective of lowly production assistant Colin Clark (played by Eddie Redmayne) who spends a week showing her round and tending to her needs after Monroe takes a shine to him.

There's also Norwegian heist thriller Headhunters, based on a book by award-winning Norwegian novelist Jo Nesbo.

TV
David Attenborough's latest BBC series Frozen Planet wraps up this week with a special "Making Of" episode on Tuesday at 8.30pm, TV One. For everyone who's ever watched some of the crazy underwater footage, or an impressive close-up, and wondered how they did it without disturbing all those amazing creatures, then this is a must-see.

Also potentially worth tuning in for is David Hasselhoff's all-too-appropriate guest appearance as a porn king in this week's episode of Sons of Anarchy, on TV3, Wednesday 9.30pm.

And in other guest appearances, He's Just Not That Into You star Justin Long begins a guest role on New Girl this week as Jess's first real love interest on Four, Tuesday 8pm.

MUSIC
One of this generation's most prolific troubadours, alt-country songsmith Ryan Adams will fill The Civic this evening with the slightly softer, intimate sounds of his latest album Ashes & Fire, though there will no doubt be room for a good dose of folk rock too.

Ariel Pink and the Haunted Graffiti will woo the Kings Arms with their freaky, provocative, indie pop stylings on Tuesday, while instrumental mood artists The Dirty Three will be welcomed back to the Powerstation on Wednesday, having impressed with their previous performance here at 2009's inaugural Laneway festival.

Plus the weekend has plenty on offer for those hungry for music with bFM holding their annual Summer Series festival down at Silo Park on Saturday from 12pm to 6pm, headlined by The Checks, and Die! Die! Die!, while Western Springs will be taken over by the giant Pasifika festival, celebrating 20 years with performances from 10am to 5pm. Get yourself some 'Ota 'Ika or a pork bun while you watch some Cook Island drumming, or listen to some lovely harmonies.

OR...
as the Volvo Ocean Race boats arrive in our harbour sometime over the next few days (weather permitting, and hopefully with Team Camper in the lead) the Auckland Viaduct is hosting the Race Village from today until March 18 while the teams take a break from racing and fix their boats up. Get out on the water to welcome them in, and enjoy the huge array of entertainment, including live music, grinding challenges, and race simulators. See www.volvooceanraceauckland.com.