Cheap and nasty night's viewing
WHAT a memorable night's viewing Saturday was. One minute Pearl was showing quality political documentary Thatcher: The Downing Street Years, the next it plummeted to the depths of inane titillation of the cheapest kind in the Sex Life of the Animal Kingdom.
The latter consisted of endless shots of various birds and animals mating - or rather ''caught in their private scenes of love'' as the increasing offensive voice-over put it. Introduced as ''vastly entertaining'' and of ''high educational value'' the mating scenes were interspersed with random shots on animal genitalia and vicious fights between various creatures.
The final fight, in which a male tiger and female lion were enclosed in a cage and encouraged to savage each other, was particularly offensive. Entertaining? No. Educational? Certainly not. Just cheap and very nasty. And what was it doing on primetime TV? INCREDIBLE special effects and some brilliantly manipulative editing are the factors that lift Alien (Pearl 9.30pm, Original Running Time 117 mins) from being a routine sci-fi horror.
The plot - crew of commercial spacecraft terrorised and slaughtered by stowaway monster - bears a strong resemblance to the 1958 movie, It! The Terror From Outer Space. Director Ridley Scott (Blade Runner ) brings it right up to date (well up to 1979 when it was made, anyway) through skilful use of shock tactics and gore - who could ever forget John Hurt's stomach scene? He also throws in a fair few shots of Sigourney Weaver gratuitously wandering round in her underwear, which no doubt gave the box-office a little lift.
Alien was followed by two less successful, but more gory sequels. Where the original film scored over these was that Scott never allowed his audience to get a good look at the monster, thereby rendering it far more menacing.
IF you've been glued to the BBC documentary Thatcher: The Downing Street Years for the past four Saturdays, don't miss 20/20 (Pearl, 8.55pm) on which the former PM gives her first interview for American TV following the publication of her controversial memoirs.
Thatcher discusses what she considers her greatest achievements; her views on American presidents past and present; and how she thinks Saddam Hussein should have been handled.
THOSE who like their entertainment noisy and simple should adore Navy SEALS (World 9.30pm, ORT 113 mins), a GI Joe-style actioner that should come with a warning to audiences to check their brains at the door before viewing.
Inspired by an actual commando unit set up during John F Kennedy's presidency, this sees an elite band (SEa Air and Land) nipping off to the Middle East to kick some ass. Given the amount of heavy duty, high-tech weaponry the SEALs are toting this is notdifficult.
Charlie Sheen plays the leader of this band as if he were an over-excited schoolboy with a very big cap gun. Admittedly, the final scenes of the invasion of Beirut are spectacular, but will anyone stick with it that far? SYDNEY Biddle Barrows was the former debutante and socialite who had her 15 minutes of fame in 1984 when she was arrested for operating a high-class call girl agency catering to affluent businessmen and dignitaries in New York. Barrows, dubbed Mayflower Madam by the press, refused to name any names and nearly a year later a court decision dismissed all felony charges against her.
This is the kind of true story, Hollywood producers usually only dream of, yet Mayflower Madam (STAR Plus 8.30pm) is a decidedly uninspired biopic. Even Candice Bergen as Barrows can't prevent herself from looking bored.
IN The Pearl Report (7.20pm), Lulu Yu examines the territory's English language press - the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong Standard and the soon to be launched Eastern Express.
JANINE Graham looks at Hong Kong's controversial sex selection clinic for Inside Story (World, 8.30pm), while Joanne Gilhooly takes a light-hearted approach to the fad for New Age concepts like channelling and re-birthing.
