KEY POINTS:
9.30AM TV ONE
THE BOOK SHOW
Just the ticket for the morning after ... Emily Perkins and friends sitting around and chewing the fat over Michael Ondaatje's potboiler Divisadero.
4.20PM TV ONE
ITM FISHING SHOW
Who knew mistreating innocent fish could be so down with the kids? Today's mission sees our daring doer Matt attempt to catch, pat and release an amply toothed Great White.
7:30PM PRIME
LIFE IN THE UNDERGROWTH - THE SILK SPINNERS
Speaking of bothering critters, David Attenborough, the most urbane critter-botherer of them all, gets on his hands and knees to point at the amazing hanging threads of Aotearoa's very own fungus gnat.
7.30PM TV2
AMAZING RACE ASIA
You know the drill - enthusiastic couples grow to despise each other while offending the natives of umpteen nations as they race up hill and down dale before ending up back where they started.
MOVIES
8.30PM, TV3
Herald rating: * * * * *
OUT OF THE BLUE
See TV picks, page 23. (2006)
8.40PM, TV2
Herald rating: * * *
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
The Rock plays a bounty hunter on a jungle mission. Surprisingly entertaining. (2003)
10.45PM, TV2
Herald rating: * * *
ROCKY II
Sylvester Stallone's first Rocky sequel stands up pretty well - but he should've called it quits after this one. Here he takes Rocky Balboa, who fought his way to world domination the first film, back to underdog status. Rocky blows a lucrative endorsement opportunity and, broke and humiliated, agrees to a rematch with Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). (1979)
8.30PM, SKY MOVIES
MATCH POINT
London-based crime drama from Woody Allen examining themes of morality and infidelity. A tennis coach (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) starts dating the sister of one of his wealthy students, but is distracted by an aspiring American actress (Scarlett Johansson). Gnaws its way slowly into psychological thriller territory. (2005)
OUT OF THE BLUE
8.30pm, TV 2
An account of the infamous 1990 Aramoana massacre, where David Gray killed 13 people before police shot him.
Using only a couple of brief flashbacks, the film traces the 24-hour period of the rampage, until reaching its conclusion just after Gray is shot dead by police 22 hours later.
We witness the greatly disturbed Gray (Matt Sunderland) calmly execute his neighbours and anyone else who got in the way.
Director Robert Sarkies' film is a riveting masterpiece, with outstanding cinematography and a great performance from Sunderland.
Based on Bill O'Brien's book Aramoana: Twenty Two Hours of Terror, Sarkies and Graeme Tetley turn out a screenplay that avoids the usual thriller cliches.
Sarkies uses the details wisely - the occasional use of blurred visuals reflects David Gray's mental state and his poor eyesight. One of the most powerful pieces of New Zealand cinema ever. (2006)
A TASTE OF HOME
7pm, TV One
In her past shows Peta Mathias has been an enthusiastic supporter of New Zealand produce and cuisine but this time she takes a slightly different tack.
For this series she investigates the cuisine that has been brought to our shores by migrants and how they go about sourcing traditional ingredients.
She meets people from countries such as Russia, India, France, Brazil, North Africa and the Middle East, and shares a meal with them.
Mathias says making the series was a real eye-opener. "The Russians turned out to be intense, fun-loving, and absolutely adore their traditional dishes like borscht (soup) and kulich (bread); the Koreans were so nice and their home cooking is really delicious; and I cried and danced all the way through the Iraq segment - they were distinguished by their generosity and love of good things like slow-cooked lamb and sugar-riddled sweets."