Bruce Willis and Jessica Alba feature in the all-star underworld movie Sin City, shown on Saturday
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TV Choice: Sin City, Surf's Up & Chilean Mine Rescue
By Hugh FortOctober 21, 2010
Sin City, BBC Two, Saturday, 11.15pm
This grisly comic book adaptation is not for the faint hearted.
It features a cast to die for including (deep breath) Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Benecio Del Toro, Michael Clarke Duncan and Clive Owen.
With that lot in tow, it’s got to be good. But it is grim.
It’s very clever, tying in three seemingly separate stories together in a glorious culmination.
It’s shot in a comic book-style with occasional glimpses of colour.
And it focuses on the seedy underbelly of a city. Prostitutes, criminals all feature heavily and director Frank Miller presents an interesting contrast of people doing the right thing in the wrongest of ways.
Rourke is sensational in his role as Marv, the psychotic monster with a good heart.
This is something totally different, gripping and enthralling and I’d recommend it.
Surf’s Up, Five, Sunday, 5.35pm
This is the story of a talking surfing penguin who ditches life in Antarctica to go to Hawaii and pursue his dream.
This isn’t David Attenborough’s new programme using the very latest wildlife technology, but a CGI film starring the voices of Jeff Bridges, James Woods and Transformers star Shia LeBouf.
The penguin surf dude is Cody Maverick and he’s sick of life in the cold, dreaming dreams of being a surfer.
The elder penguins view him as a bit of a loser for surfing all the time. Despite this, he vows to win the world’s leading surfing competition.
Standing in his way is the current champ, a ruthless ego-maniac penguin (now there’s a phrase you don’t hear often) called Tank “The Shredder” Evans, who isn’t prepared to give up easily. Does Cody win? Will he get distracted by a fish? Or does he realise there’s more to life than winning?
You’ll have to watch it to find out.
Street Market Chefs, Five, Tuesday, 7.30pm
The only things on TV at the moment are period dramas, cop dramas where the main character is unhinged but gets the job done, reality TV, soaps and food programmes with a twist.
In this one, Amanda Lamb descends on the nation’s markets armed with celebrity chefs.
The idea is they get ingredients from the markets stalls and make a meal there and then on the street.
She starts in York with Stephanie Moon and Robert Ramsden, who have to make dishes involving honey. I’m hoping York market doesn’t actually sell honey, which would be funny.
Judges are York City footballer Neil Barrett and Michelin-star chef Frances Atkins.
Buried Alive: The Chilean Mine Rescue, Channel 4, Wednesday, 8pm
Channel 4 wins the race to put out the first of many documentaries about the incredible story of the Chilean miners who were trapped after an accident buried them alive.
For those of you who live in caves (or have got stuck down a mine), the miners were down the mine for 69 days, more than two months.
It was certainly one of the biggest news events in my lifetime and an extraordinary tale of human spirit and never-give-upness.
Channel 4’s documentary looks at how the 33 men were found, how they survived and how the rescue operation was planned.
The whole thing was an amazing tale and could turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to the miners as the world’s media will now pay them lots of money for their extraordinary tale.
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