DAVID ATTENBOROUGH'S RISE OF ANIMALS - ABC1, 7.30pm
It's the final episode in David Attenborough's far-reaching series charting the rise of backboned animals - the vertebrates. Focusing on mammals, he explores how, in the wake of the extinction of dinosaurs, they evolved from tiny nocturnal forest dwellers to the dominant form of animal life on the planet. He begins with a visit to southern China, where one of the world's earliest mammals has been found. Later, Attenborough ends his exploration with a look in the mirror - well, at homo sapiens. No bones about it, the revered naturalist knows the world's creatures like nobody else.
THE BLOCK: FANS V FAVES - NINE, 6.30pm
This season of The Block really is the most challenging yet. With no internal walls already drawn up by architects to guide the floorplans of the contestants' cavernous apartments, they really could stuff this up. The thought of one team creating a truly terrible space might be thrilling (and far more interesting) to some, but you can rest assured this lot do have their heads screwed on properly - most of the time. Expect more achingly on-trend designs tonight as the teams deliver their laundries, bathrooms and drying terraces. While one team's creation seems to have taken the judges by surprise, the drawn-out antics of host Scott Cam as he reveals the scores definitely won't.
BLACKOUT - SBS ONE, 8.30pm
Ever wondered what would happen if the entire country lost power? Besides being dark and eerily quiet, what would happen and how would the masses react? This scary documentary cleverly brings to life the aftermath of a situation where Britain has been victim of a devastating cyber attack on its national electricity grid. And it's not just pure scare value either - using expert advice and fastidious research, a realistic account of Britain plunged into darkness is created with CCTV archive footage and fictional scenes. You'll pinch yourself as you wonder if it is real footage as a cast of actors play out the disastrous scenario.
BEVERLY HILLS NINJA (1997) - 7TWO, 2.00pm
Chris Farley, Chris Rock, Nicollette Sheridan. On the comedy scale, the late Chris Farley shared the low-brow area occupied by Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey - self-styled comedians who evolved from the Saturday Night Live gig. For some, Farley's form of humour might be as fun as piles, for others, the sight of an overweight American buffoon lampooning chop-socky flicks is as good as it gets. Go figure.
SHANGHAI KNIGHTS (2003) - 7MATE, 6.30pm
Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Donnie Yen, Fann Wong. In a welcome sequel to Shanghai Noon, Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson return as Chon Wang and Roy O'Bannon. This time it's destination London (with all British stereotypes accounted for) to track down the man who killed Chon's dad, aided by his equally lethal sister (Fann Wong). Of course, there's a villainous aristocrat (The Wire's Aidan Gillen) and his right-hand man (Donnie Yen) to deal with, which the unlikely heroes do in typically unorthodox style. Incorporating sly literary and film references and affording Chan ample time to kick some 19th-century butt, this is one of his better Hollywood outings to date.
CROCODILE DUNDEE II (1988) - GO!, 5.50pm
Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, John Meillon. Australia's favourite larrIkin adventurer returns for more escapades, this time involving a gang of New York City drug dealers and thugs. Taking the sequel gamble, Paul Hogan's follow-up inverts the original's premise, with the croc wrestler now based in the US. But he returns Down Under to protect his wife Sue (Linda Kozlowski) who is being hunted down by gangsters. While it remains watchable, its lack of freshness is unappealing and Hogan brings absolutely nothing new to his character.
WOLF CREEK (2005) - GO!, 9.30pm
John Jarratt, Cassandra Magrath, Kestie Morassi, Nathan Phillips. After a likeable Sydney lad (Nathan Phillips) and his British backpacker companions (Kestie Morassi and Cassandra Magrath) make a pilgrimage to a renowned crater at Wolf Creek, a spot of car trouble leaves them in the company of the ocker, seemingly friendly Mick Taylor (John Jarratt), who comes to their aid but soon the road trip turns into a frenzied fight for survival. With a chilling portrait from Jarratt and devastating portrayals from Magrath and Morassi, director Greg McLean's clinical, brutal and uncomfortably realistic handling of what is essentially a genre piece transcends the material in a manner akin to The Silence of the Lambs.
THE TIME MACHINE (2002) - GEM, 6.30pm
Guy Pearce, Mark Addy, Phyllida Law. Square-jawed Aussie leading man Rod Taylor reached the peak of his fame four decades back with one of the more interesting H.G. Wells film adaptations. Sadly, the sight of fellow local lad Guy Pearce is the only redeeming feature of this below-par remake. Wells's great-grandson Simon tries to take a trip down memory lane and falls way short in his role as director, providing little more than a shift in location from dapper England to New York. With only lip-service paid to the various social issues of the book and first film, this is little more than a glossy effects piece with sizeable helpings of romance and action. Disappointing.
CONTACT (1997) - GEM, 8.30pm
Jodie Foster, James Woods, Matthew McConaughey. Based on Carl Sagan's book, this story of a woman's quest to find life on another planet features some truly awe-inspiring moments. The first, and most dazzling, is a hard act to follow. It consists of a single, sustained backward zoom through space and time, accompanied by a fuzzy, static-drenched soundtrack that fades into dead quiet. It's a rare feat of cinematic power that sets the tone for this two-act epic that's as thoughtful as it is provocative. Jodie Foster is faultless as the determined astronomer, helping the spiritual reverence of director Robert Zemeckis' vision reach the same heights as Spielberg's Close Encounters.
JUNO (2007) - ELEVEN, 8.30pm
Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner. The trend of pregnancy-themed comedies (Knocked Up, Waitress) continued with this smart-mouthed bundle of cinematic joy from director Jason Reitman (Up in the Air). When 16-year-old Juno McGuff (Ellen Page, Whip It) enlists her best friend Paulie (Arrested Development's Michael Cera) to become her first sexual partner, little does she consider the outcome. Pregnant, Juno decides to offer the baby up for adoption - the prospective parents are the Lorings, wonderfully portrayed by Jennifer Garner and Cera's Arrested dad Jason Bateman. The script, bursting with wit, earned Diablo Cody Oscar gold. Juno is a class act all the way.
