Entertainment picks: River Queen is worth a punt

Movies
Will you or won't you go and see River Queen? Or should that be Drama Queen?

After all the rigmarole that went into the making of it - Samantha Morton being too cold; on again, off again filming; and, of course, Samantha Morton being too cold - it's worth it just to see how it turned out.

Set in the 1860s, this is the story of a young Irish woman who finds herself caught in the middle of the war between Maori tribes and the colonials.

Also starting on Thursday is Munich. In 1972, 11 Israeli athletes were murdered at the Munich Olympics. Directed by Steven Spielberg, this film tells what happened next, when a squad was assembled to assassinate the Palestinians believed to be responsible for planning the killings.

Elsewhere we have Swedish film As It Is In Heaven, and lastly, the old interrelated New York stories drama, Heights.

As It Is In Heaven is the story of a successful conductor who returns to his childhood village in Norrland, in Sweden's far north. When he is asked to come along and listen to the church choir, which practises every Thursday, nothing in the village is ever the same again.

Heights is set in the Big Apple and follows five interrelated characters over the course of 24 hours.

There's Isabel, a photographer, who is having second thoughts about marrying Jonathan, a lawyer. Then there's Isabel's mother, Diana, who is in an open marriage but finds out her husband has a new lover and begins to re-think her life. The pairs' lives converge when Alec, a young actor, and Peter, a journalist, come on to the scene. Sort your lives out, guys.

Television
After TV3 introduced four new shows last Wednesday, this week is relatively quiet for new-season programmes. Of those new shows I can recommend Everybody Hates Chris (TV3, Wednesday, 7.30pm) for a light-hearted chuckle.

The two newbies this week are Bad Girls (TV One, tomorrow, 8.30pm) and Panui Pasifika (Maori, Wednesday, 10pm).

We all know Bad Girls - a kind of sexed-up Prisoner - but the new series is apparently more outlandish than ever.

On a more informative note, Panui Pasifika, is a show about the history and future of Maori and Pacific Islanders. Hosted by new presenter, Tuaratini, the first show looks at Maori action group Tamatoa and the birth of the Polynesian Panthers.

There are still lots of films on, including everything from The Wedding Planner (TV2, tonight, 8.30pm) to Hulk (TV3, tonight, 8.30pm), the hilarious Meet The Parents (TV2, Wednesday, 8.30pm) to the soppy Sliding Doors (TV3, Thursday, 9pm).

Music
This may sound odd, but why not start your week off tomorrow night with some minimal, glitchy electronica, courtesy of Vienna-based musician Peter Rehberg (aka Pita).

I don't know too much about this guy, but apparently he is an electronic music pioneer.

One person I do know about is Rosy Parlane, who along with Lovely Midget is supporting Rehberg at the Classic in Queen St.

I reviewed Parlane's latest album, Iris, early last year and it is a beauty - brittle, piercing and icy.

Minimal electronic gigs are weird because there is seemingly not much going on. Plus, you can't help wondering why it takes that much concentration to make a sound that you can hardly hear.

You'd better not make a sound either. I got shushed at one a few years back. Hey, I needed to go to the men's.

But these concerts are an interesting experience and more like an art exhibition than a gig. Check it out.

Meanwhile, down at Auckland Zoo, Katchafire get their skank on Sunday night with support from local funkateers One Million Dollars.

This is the second in a series of seven concerts at the zoo which run until March 5 and include performers such as Nesian Mystik, Che Fu, Pluto, Don McGlashan and the Black Seeds.

More information on www.aucklandzoo.co.nz.

For something a little more brutal, Auckland metal band Sinate kick off their Beyond Human Tour in Hamilton at the charmingly named 6 Foot Under on Thursday.

Sinate features Sam and Matt Sheppard, former members of 8 Foot Sativa, and their debut album Beyond Human is pure, unadulterated death metal. Other Sinate dates this week are Brewers Bar, Mt Maunganui (Friday); Ibanez Bar, Whangarei (Saturday); and the Podium, on the North Shore (Sunday).

And for a further change of pace, singer/songwriter Luke Hurley starts a 50-plus date nationwide tour tomorrow at the Swamp Palace Cinema in Oruru, in the Far North.

Hurley is a well-known busker around the country and has released eight studio albums.

He's probably best known for the song Mona Lisa, released in the 80s. Remember the line? "Through plateglass they let me see her ... I'm in love with the Mona Lisa."

He plays pretty much non-stop - down country and back again - with the final gig on April 8 at the Wine Cellar in Auckland. Now that's a tour.