tv previews
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday February 28, 2011
Aboriginal Art Durham County ICC World Cup: Australia v Sri Lanka Rage: Mardi Gras SpecialAboriginal Art Ten, 3.30pmThis lively overview of contemporary indigenous art, presented with infectious enthusiasm by 22-year-old Aboriginal artist Sarrita King, is wasted in this timeslot. Then again, you could argue it's wasted on this channel, which is not noted for its commitment to the arts or indigenous issues.King provides a potted history of Aboriginal art - "the oldest ongoing tradition of art in the world" - before going on to explain the various schools of contemporary indigenous art from around the country. This might not have the intellectual heft of Hetti Perkins's recent series Art + Soul but King does a good job explaining the vibrant indigenous art scene in an accessible, unpretentious way.Durham CountyABC1, 11pmAll three seasons of this unsettling Canadian drama have aired on ABC2 but for those who have yet to discover it, ABC1 is going back to the beginning from tonight. Be warned, though: it's not forthe faint-hearted and is unlikely to help you sleep soundly afterwards.After a sinister opening scene involving two schoolgirls and a man in a forest, we meet the lead character, homicide detective Mike Sweeney (Hugh Dillon), and his family as they head for their new home. During the episode we learn his police partner was recently murdered in front of him in Toronto and his wife is undergoing treatment for cancer. As a result, he has moved back to his home town - a bleak, drizzly place full of soulless housing developments, monstrous power lines and lots of creepy, miserable people with horrible secrets.Creepiest of the lot is Mike's childhood nemesis, Ray Prager (Louis Ferreira), an embittered psycho who Mike inconveniently moves in across the road from. Clearly no good will come of this.As the episode unfolds, brutal crimes are committed, dark secrets are hinted at and the scene is set for five more thrilling episodes.ICC World Cup:Australia v Sri LankaNine, 11.30pmAfter losing its two warm-up matches and then posting an unconvincing victory over Zimbabwe in its first competition game, Australia had an easy win against New Zealand last Friday.It's still early days but on the available evidence at the time of writing, it's hard to see Australia winning the cup for a fourth consecutive time come April 2.Although the team performed well against England recently, it is struggling against spin on the slow Indian pitches. Its opponent tonight, meanwhile, looks to be in fine form, having crushed Canada early in the tournament. This game is crucial, providing a true gauge of Australia's competitiveness in south Asian conditions, and has added piquancy due to the fact Sri Lanka was the team Australia beat in the last World Cup final.While it's great to see the World Cup in India, the tournament remains too long and it's good to know the competition will be cut from 14 to 10 teams in 2015. Hopefully, Australia will be among the 10.Rage: Mardi Gras SpecialABC1, 11.50pmIf you want to get into the Mardi Gras spirit tonight but are feeling a bit old for sequins, leather chaps and party pills, let Rage do the work for you. Expect wall-to-wall campery, with clips from Queen, Village People, Sister Sledge, Madonna, Wham! and Lady Gaga, among others.
© 2011 Sydney Morning Herald