film focus
More than seven years in the making and spectacular on an unprecedented scale, Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a cinematic landmark in every sense. Arguably the finest of the three films, The Return of the King (TVB Pearl, tonight at 8.35pm) provides a stirring conclusion to J.R.R. Tolkien's epic yarn, following Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Gollum (voiced by Andy Serkis) as they travel to Mordor on the hobbit's mission to destroy the One Ring. At the same time, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen; left) leads a final stand against the forces of Sauron at Minas Tirith. Overflowing with imagination, action, attention to detail and eye-popping special effects, The Return of the King is destined to dazzle fresh devotees for years to come - even if the ending does seem ... well ... never-ending.
Over on Star Movies, the week's big premiere is Be Cool (tonight at 9pm), which stars John Travolta and Uma Thurman. The sequel to 1995's slick Elmore Leonard adaptation Get Shorty, Be Cool finds retired gangster Chili Palmer (Travolta) becoming involved in the music industry, using his blend of mafioso tactics and natural charm to propel his new charge, Linda Moon (Christina Milian), to stardom.
Unfortunately, this disjointed affair is not a patch on Get Shorty, with a somewhat strained plot and even the usually reliable Travolta failing to shine. Cool by name, but not by nature.
A much better bet is Happy Gilmore (Star Movies, Tuesday at 9pm), a riotous reminder of the days before Adam Sandler elected to make safe and moralistic family fare. Sandler stars as the eponymous slacker, who discovers he can strike a golf ball further than the pros and sets about using his newfound talent to save his grandmother's house from being repossessed. His efforts are hindered by his firecracker temper and by the machinations of nefarious rival Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald), until his mentor (Carl Weathers) helps him find his 'happy place', complete with joyful midgets on tricycles. Silly, smashing fun.
Finally, romantics should catch Billy Wilder's 1954 classic Sabrina (ATV World, next Sunday, 12.10am), which sees Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn in sparkling form as two sides of a precarious love triangle. They don't make them like this any more.