KEY POINTS:
8.30pm, Sky Movies
THE PRESTIGE
An entertaining suspense film with a hint of the supernatural, directed by Christopher Nolan and co-scripted by his brother Jonathan, who wrote the original story for Nolan's outstanding memory-challenged thriller Memento.
The story: Two young magicians (Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale) work together under the guidance of an older magician (Michael Caine). A tragedy occurs during a performance and the two become arch-enemies, each trying to outdo the other's stage show. To create some real magic, Jackman's character heads to the USA, where he has real-life inventor Nikola Tesla (David Bowie) build a machine that transcends the laws of physics.
By making the audience concentrate on figuring out how the tricks are done, Nolan acts as the trickster himself, creating a larger illusion in the background. But like a Batman villain, he peppers the film with clues the whole way. (2006)
8.30pm, TV One
MARIAN, AGAIN
Chris Bevan (Stephen Tompkinson) is a relatively happy family man until his life is turned upside down by the reappearance of an old girlfriend, Marian (Kelly Harrison). She has been presumed dead for 15 years, and Chris has blamed himself for her death as he was the last person to see her alive after dropping her off late one night.
Chris becomes obsessed with finding out why she disappeared and what has happened to her since. But the woman denies any knowledge of him and claims her name is Susie. Chris discovers that Marian is now married to Bernie (Owen Teale), a plumber and keen amateur magician. Chris hounds Marian, forcing her to question her own identity, a painful process that she resists.
As this two-part show unfolds, we find out that Bernie abducted Marian and kept her captive until he had conditioned her to believe she was his wife Susie. The second episode screens on Monday at 8.30pm.
7.30PM, TV ONE
MICHAEL PALIN'S NEW EUROPE
Palin continues his trek through the obscure and unpronouncable parts of the EU. Tonight he travels from the Estonian capital of Tallinn down through Estonia and Latvia to Lithuania in the South before heading out into the Baltic from Kaliningrad, the Russian enclave which was formerly East Prussia.
8.30PM, TV ONE
SUNDAY THEATRE: MARIAN AGAIN
See TV Picks, page 19.
9.50PM, TV ONE
THE UNAUTHORISED HISTORY OF NEW ZEALAND
Jeremy Wells' journeys into our past take him back to Papakowhai School in 1976, where the students of the day had a go at predicting what life would be like in the year 2000.
10.25PM, TV ONE
ROME
Mark Antony has his hands full when Cleopatra arrives in Rome.
MOVIES
7PM, TV2
FINDING NEMO
Herald Rating: * * * *
Fantastic kids' film about a young clownfish who gets separated from his dad. (2003)
8.30PM, C4
COOL AS ICE
Herald Rating: * *
The infamous Vanilla Ice stars in a crappy comedy that sticks to the basic plot of Rebel Without a Cause and offers lines like "Drop that zero and get with the hero!" (1991)
8.30PM, SKY MOVIES
THE PRESTIGE
Herald Rating: * * *
See TV Picks, page 19. (2006)
10.40PM, SKY MOVIES
BORAT
Herald Rating: * * * *
Sacha Baron Cohen's hit comedy, in which the controversial Kazakhstan reporter takes on the back blocks of America. (2006)
SPORT
NOON, TV2 LIVE
BEACH VOLLEYBALL TOUR
Wellington hosts the fourth leg of this tour, contested by local and overseas players, before the NZ Open in Auckland next weekend.
4PM, TV3
SWIMMING: NZ OCEAN SWIM SERIES
Highlights of the first event of the series held in the Waitemata Harbour.
