Sunday Night Movies

The stations are bringing out the big guns in the Sunday night movie slot at the moment. Even SBS has thrown its hat into the ring, changing its prime movie slot to 9.30pm on Sunday. Last week the lyrical, if overly wholesome Castaway (Channel 9) won the ratings race, with Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (Channel 10) not far behind. This week Indiana is back at 8.30pm with the second instalment in the trilogy: The Temple of Doom. Only two weeks ago I was eating chickpea curry and bread on the Phatankot railway station, near, supposedly, the Phathankot Palace and the aforementioned temple of doom that lies below it. But I'm afraid this film didn't remind me for a moment of India. Certainly not the endless shots of rocking-moaning-turbaned guys under Kali's evil power, nor the monkey brains desserts. Though I suppose if I made a habit of criticising action films for being factually inaccurate, I wouldn't bother getting up in the morning. So for some more reasonable criticism: the love interest in this sequel squeals at a high pitch for most of the film. Sean Connery, Indiana's offsider in the The Last Crusade (Channel 10, November 9, 8.30pm) certainly has a lot more going for him.

If it's real heroes you want this week watch The Buena Vista Social Club. (SBS, 9.30pm). In 1996 Ry Cooder went to Cuba and collaborated with some of the greatest names in the history of Cuban music, many of whom had fallen into obscurity or poverty. The album, The Buena Vista Social Club, went on to sell millions of copies worldwide and won a Grammy award. In 1998 Ry Cooder returned to Cuba with Wim Wenders and this film is the result. The moment when the band year walks on stage at Carnegie Hall is more dramatic, and indeed moving, than any other in tomorrow night's movies - though I can't vouch for what may happen in the brutal heroics of the rugby (Channel 7, 8.30pm).

On principal I can't bring myself to recommend What Women Want (Channel 9, 8.30pm) because the whole idea that Mel Gibson, after a freak accident, can suddenly can read women's minds, is too stupid. But I will admit it does have a few very good laughs and Helen Hunt is a terrific comic. And perhaps I'm biased. To me Mel Gibson, circa Tim and Mad Max, was the perfect man. Now I find out he's a right wing conspiracy theorist making allegedly anti-Semitic films in Aramaic. As has been widely reported, Jim Caviezel who plays Jesus in Gibson's The Passion Of Christ was hit by lightening last week on the set. For the second time. Describing the second lightning strike, one eyewitness said: "I'm about a hundred feet away when I glance over and see smoke coming out of Caviezel's ears." Perhaps Mel, as the film's director, will be suddenly be visited by some kind of divine intervention and understand what kind of respect Jewish people want?

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