THE BLOCK: FANS V FAVES UNLOCKED - NINE, 8.30pm
The Block may be on TV almost every night (and more than once a day, if you count all the daytime re-runs) with its renovation lingo and metaphorical dust, but that doesn't mean we don't have an appetite for more. Outside the thousands of hours of footage of the couples slaving away, there IS more. Shelley Craft hosts this "behind-the-scenes" look as the judges, Belle editor Neale Whitaker and interior designers Shaynna Blaze and Darren Palmer, reveal what they really thought of the week one guest bedrooms. We also get a peek into how the teams are coping with the stress of a triple-whammy - a three-room week.
MEXICAN FIESTA WITH PETER KURUVITA - SBS ONE, 7.30pm
Sydney chef Peter Kuruvita expands his culinary horizons in this new series as he moves away from his usual fare of seafood and the Sri Lankan cuisine of his childhood. After the charming My Sri Lanka, Peter again packs his bags to learn about the hot cuisine of the moment. You know, that one that involves black beans, chillies in adobo and lashings of fresh coriander. Yup, Peter is tackling Mexican fare, but one that is far removed from that Old El Paso dinner kit you have guiltily hidden in the pantry. From a Tex-Mex burrito to a new take on chilli con carne, Peter's travels are as fresh as a squeeze of lime juice.
MARATHON MAN - ABC1, 12.15am
Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, Roy Scheider. Midnight Cowboy director John Schlesinger re-teams with Dustin Hoffman to produce another '70s gem. Graduate student Hoffman, a marathon enthusiast, is embroiled in a missing-diamond plot involving a Nazi (Laurence Olivier) who worked as a dentist in concentration camps (a fact graphically disclosed in a ghastly torture scene). Olivier is unforgettable as the madman and Hoffman, in true method style, is a force of nature. A fine piece of moviemaking.
THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB - NINE, 1.00pm
Kathy Baker, Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Amy Brenneman. Maria Bello, Kathy Baker and The Devil Wears Prada scene-stealer Emily Blunt are three members of the titular group of avid readers who look to the legendary English novelist for clues about their own relationship predicaments. It's a chick flick through and through, but houses a witty, grown-up portrait of relationships that covers community, matchmaking, love, social standing, money and marriage - all the elements in an Austen novel. Austen lovers will get a kick out of the various episodes that unfold. Jimmy Smits, Amy Brenneman, Maggie Grace and Transamerica star Kevin Zegers round out the impressive ensemble cast.
ABSENCE OF MALICE - 7TWO, 2.00pm
Paul Newman, Sally Field, Bob Balaban. The power of the media is the focus of Sydney Pollack's well-handled drama. Sally Field is a reporter with a leaked story about a businessman (Paul Newman), which plays havoc with his career and personal relationships. Free speech and misrepresentation by the press in today's society is given a thorough examination in the courtroom scenes. Newman picked up an Oscar nomination for his role.
TOP GUN - 7TWO, 7.30pm
Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards. Typical, grandstanding Hollywood nonsense with Tom Cruise as a cocky young flying ace in attendance at weapons school where he has trouble aligning his crosshair on his sassy female flight instructor (Kelly McGillis). If watching these gung-ho antics for the umpteenth time bores the flight suit off you, try viewing it in a slightly camp kind of way - there's a lot more in it. Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Tim Robbins, Meg Ryan, Tom Skerritt and some impressive military hardware also star.
DOOM - 7TWO, 9.45pm
Karl Urban, The Rock, Rosamund Pike. Capturing little of the dread and atmosphere of the video game on which this action-horror hybrid is based, Doom is ultimately just another cookie-cutter "monsters running amok" saga. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson at least adds a bit of muscle as "Sarge", the leader of a crack squad of Marines who are sent to Mars to wipe out the swarm of mutated monsters who are terrorising scientists stationed on the Red Planet. It's nice to see The Rock brandish his effortless charisma in a surprisingly small role, but the rest of the cast (mostly unknowns) are just waiting to be devoured. Judging by the final product, it looks like it's game over for this film franchise.
THE MATRIX GO!, 8.30pm
Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving. Experiencing Andy and Larry Wachowski's thrilling sci-fi masterpiece is kind of like a rebirthing in the genre. Neo (Keanu Reeves) is a computer hacker who, guided by the mysterious Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), learns the true nature of his reality when he is sucked into a virtual world. His bewilderment gives way to self-belief that enables him to battle an evil government force. The miraculous production design opened up a seemingly infinite sense of narrative possibilities and as a result, it proved to be a yardstick for all contemporary action and effects-based cinema.
GABRIEL - GO!, 11.10pm
Andy Whitfield, Dwaine Stevenson, Samantha Noble. Stunning sets and effects give a grand feel to director Shane Abbess's daring debut, a supernatural thriller that centres on the endgame in the battle between good and evil. The late Andy Whitfield (TV's Spartacus) shines as the archangel Gabriel, who discovers the redemptive power of love in his battle to wrestle the balance of power back from the evil rulers of Purgatory. Look for Australian Erika Heynatz in a small role.
