New Zealand TV-obsessed website The Spinoff curates Weekend Watch, their selection of the best places to rest your weary eyes on your days off, selected by Spinoff editor Duncan Greive (DG) or staff writer Alex Casey (AC). Enjoy!
X Factor NZ, TV3 Sunday 7pm
I trained for a quarter marathon last year. At first I was excited, training regularly, enthusing to my friends and family, keeping tabs on progress. Things were looking positive, but as the weeks dragged on I found myself waning, the endorphins had long worn off and the harsh reality of the situation slowly was setting in. The two sassy and wildly erratic instructors had been fired from my local gym and there was no reason to go anymore. What I'm saying is, this years X Factor has been exactly like that, and I can't wait to lumber my butt over that harbour bridge, wheezing and dry-retching as the final stretch draws near.
The X factor judges panel.
What happened to this season? We lost the two most dreadfully dynamite venom-filled judges, and gained a man who knows the word 'industry' and a lady who used to be on Neighbours. We lost frontrunner Finlay early on, and only just farewelled the teacher from Invercargill who has already had 20 bites of the reality cherry. Even Tiki Taane is fed up. The final performances on Sunday and Monday will see either Beau, Nyssa or Brendon Thomas and the Vibes win this competition. At the very least, we can all congratulate ourselves for having an act with the word 'Vibes' in their name making it to the top three. / AC
Noel Fielding has recently fled our shores on a cloud made out of inflated shower caps and unicorn dreams. His appearance in the NZ comedy festival in An Evening With Noel Fielding was a delight unlike any comedy show I've seen before. Bringing the best of his Mighty Boosh characters to the stage, and so much more, Noel's show was a crucial reminder to stay weird and do whatever. To tie a plastic cup to your chin and hope for the best - and not in a Kylie Jenner way. That's why this weekend I highly recommend watching The Mighty Boosh for a sufficient dose of surrealism to transcend you high above the rain, royal visits and rising house prices.
Noel Fielding and Julian Barret star in The Mighty Boosh.
The brain child of Noel Fielding and Julian Barrett, The Mighty Boosh is a UK comedy unlike any other. Fleshing out a whole new Zooniverse unlike any seen in this galaxy, The Mighty Boosh is full of song, dance, costumes and characters that live in the no man's land between hilarious and chilling. It is perhaps the oddest and most psychedelic corner of the television universe, combining high concept comedy with extraordinarily low-fi costuming. You'll be pulling out the sellotape and plastic cups in no time, I promise. / AC
Do the Right Thing, Maori TV Saturday at 9.15pm
A scene from the movie Do the Right Thing.
Why not spend your Saturday evening becoming a part of late '80s Brooklyn during the hottest day of the year? Spike Lee's 1989 masterpiece Do the Right Thing examines the cultural melting pot of the Bedford-Stuyvesant district in Brooklyn, comprised mostly of Hispanics and African Americans all trying to get by in each other's space. Gliding through the technicolour neighbourhood, it's easy to get lost in the vast array of vibrant characters, as well as distracted by the array of familiar faces. The late Ruby Dee, star of our own Toa Fraser's No. 2 reclines in the blistering sun. A young Martin Lawrence makes his onscreen debut. Spike Lee himself appears as Mookie. It's as much a launchpad for extraordinary talent as it is important social and moral quandaries. Racial tensions meet boiling point in Do the Right Thing as the suffocating heatwave forces frustrations to bubble over in the district. What follows is a riotous domino effect of violence, full of grit, bravado and a strong message for society that still carries as much resonance in light of recent riots in America. There's a reason this is one the greatest films of the '80s - because it still matters. / AC
Brown Eye, Maori TV, Friday at 9.30pm
The hosts of Brown Eye Bailey Mackey and Nathan Rarere.
Since the demise of Eating Media Lunch after eight (!) glorious seasons, televised satire has been pretty thin on the ground in New Zealand. It's a shame, because the last few years of our political life, from Kim Dotcom to Ponygate, have felt like hokey satire, and we've desperately needed a show ready to parse it. Brown Eye looks like that vehicle, a majestically-named oasis in the desert, promising "satirical news entertainment with a Maori perspective on the big topics affecting New Zealanders". My high hopes for it, sight unseen, is principally driven by the talent involved. Nathan Rarere returns to primetime, 20 years after Ice TV, and is saying all the right things in interviews. EML's Paul Casserley is a writer, and Taika Waititi is running history lessons. All of which suggests we're in for a show which has the potential to be the year's best local debut.
Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of, Prime Friday at 9.30pm
The Backstreet Boys.
A slot clash with the above means you're forced to choose between Backstreet Boys and Brown Eyes - a dilemma all humans dread. Brown Eye has the edge, but Show 'Em What You're Made Of looks exceptional too. Backstreet Boys were the biggest pop group in the world for most of the '90s, dressing like aliens, singing like angels. Assembled and orchestrated by their svengali Lou Pearlman, they sold tens of millions of CDs and had hits which soundtracked a thousand school socials, peaking with the heavenly glory that is I Want it That Way. But all the while they were growing up, leading one member to ask poignantly "what do you do when you're a full grown man in a boy band?" That's part of the documentary's thrust, figuring out how these young babes dealt with life at the centre of a hurricane. There's also a good section looking at the dastardly deeds of Pearlman, who ripped the Boys off, never paid taxes, started N*Sync - their key competition - and now languishes in jail. All this is framed by their comeback tour, where the Backstreet Middle-Aged Men comeback to an older but still adoring audience. Essentially viewing for pop music nerds.
