August 9 - August 15, 2009
TV film fare -- week of August 9
The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of Aug. 9. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence and sexual situations.
Sunday, Aug. 9, 6-8 p.m. EDT (TCM) "To Catch a Thief" (1955). Fluffy romantic thriller set on the French Riviera where a string of jewel robberies have the local gendarmes chasing a one-time cat burglar (Cary Grant) who uses an heiress (Grace Kelly) to catch the real crook. Alfred Hitchcock directs the chic proceedings with his usual flair for the eccentric and offbeat, but there's more romance than suspense. Some stylized violence and veiled sexual references. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.
Tuesday, Aug. 11, noon-2:30 p.m. EDT (TCM) "The Nun's Story" (1959). Sent by her religious community to be a nurse in the Belgian Congo, a young nun (Audrey Hepburn) resists her feelings of love for the doctor (Peter Finch) with whom she works, returns to Belgium and, after struggling with the routine of convent life, leaves for the world beyond the wall. Sensitively directed by Fred Zinnemann, the fact-based story focuses on the interior conflict between the nun's idealism and her growing sense of her own needs as an individual. Convincing portrayal of religious life as a vocation requiring more than good intentions. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.
Tuesday, Aug. 11, 8-10 p.m. EDT (AMC) "Get Shorty" (1995). Black comedy finds parallels between moviemaking and racketeering when a gangster (John Travolta) tries to collect a debt owed by an inept movie producer (Gene Hackman), then decides to produce movies with him instead. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld from Elmore Leonard's novel, the fast-paced, wickedly funny satire lampoons the Hollywood world of unabashedly greedy, would-be movers and shakers. Brief violence, restrained bedroom scenes and recurring rough language. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Friday, Aug. 14, 8-10:15 p.m. EDT (TCM) "A Raisin in the Sun" (1961). Fine screen version of the Lorraine Hansberry play about a young black man in a Chicago slum (Sidney Poitier) whose ambitions to get ahead in the world come into conflict with the values of his mother (Claudia McNeil in a remarkable performance). What keeps this story about the evils of racial segregation from being dated is that director Daniel Petrie and a very capable cast have focused their energies on depicting human aspirations common to all and transcending limits of plot and period. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.
Saturday, Aug. 15, 8-10 p.m. EDT (ABC) "Shark Tale" (2004). Visually sparkling, but otherwise underwhelming deep-sea animated comedy about a jive-talking little fish (voiced by Will Smith) who, after taking undeserved credit for slaying a great white shark menacing his coral reef community, finds himself up to his gills in trouble with the shark's dad (voiced by Robert De Niro), the godfather of the underwater underworld. Directed by Vicky Jenson, Bibo Bergeron and Rob Letterman, the vibrant fish fable is swimming with clever mob-movie references, but founders when it comes to story and characters, several of whom may be perceived as reinforcing negative ethnic stereotypes. An instance of violently descriptive dialogue and some mildly crude language and humor. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
Saturday, Aug. 15, 8-10:15 p.m. EDT (HBO) "The Express" (2008). Inspiring fact-based sports drama, set against the background of the civil rights movement of the late 1950s and early '60s, in which a hard-driving Syracuse University coach (Dennis Quaid) hones the skills of a gifted African-American football player (Rob Brown) while he, in turn, challenges the coach's conservative reaction to changing times. Director Gary Fleder's rousing tribute to the first African-American recipient of the Heisman Trophy, which also features Omar Benson Miller as the star's best friend, highlights the role faith played in shaping his values while effectively personalizing the problems and lessons of the era. Brief nongraphic premarital sexual activity, occasional crude and crass language, some uses of profanity and racial slurs; possibly acceptable for older teens. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
Saturday, Aug. 15, 10-11:45 p.m. EDT (Cinemax) "The Rocker" (2008). Musical adventures of a likable lunkhead (Rainn Wilson) who, 20 years after being dumped by his band mates just before they catapulted to stardom, gets a second chance at fame when he joins a group made up of his socially challenged nephew (Josh Gad), a too-cool-to-smile guitarist (Emma Stone) and an angst-ridden singer-songwriter (Teddy Geiger), his bond with the last being strained by a budding romance with the lad's mother (Christina Applegate). Director Peter Cattaneo's sporadically funny comedy touches on themes of maturity and reconciliation and, though its values are somewhat hedonistic, this is largely a matter of talk, since Mom goes on tour as chaperone. Brief rear nudity, nonmarital cohabitation, sexual and scatological humor, one use of the F-word and some crass language, and drug and venereal disease references. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
TV program notes -- week of Aug. 9
Here are some television program notes for the week of Aug. 9 with their TV Parental Guidelines ratings if available. They have not been reviewed and therefore are not necessarily recommended by the Office for Film & Broadcasting.
Sunday, Aug. 9, 10-11 p.m. EDT (EWTN) "A Hand of Peace: Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust." Well-crafted historical documentary refuting the "black legend" of Pope Pius XII's supposed indifference toward the fate of the Jewish people under Nazism's genocidal oppression. Filmmaker David Naglieri uses archival footage and interviews with Jesuit Father Peter Gumpel, the postulator of Pope Pius' cause for canonization, scholar Sister Margherita Marchione, a member of the Religious Teachers Filippini order, and, most significantly, famed British-Jewish historian Sir Martin Gilbert to vindicate the pope's policy, which emphasized concrete, behind-the-scenes actions over public denunciations which, as the pontiff had good reason to believe, might only have resulted in intensified persecution.
Monday, Aug. 10, 9-10 p.m. EDT (PBS) "History Detectives." This episode examines an instrument that may have been recovered from the Hindenburg blimp, which in 1937 caught fire and was destroyed as it tried to dock; a book that may have been a gift from John Adams, the second U.S. president, to his son, and a home in the Bronx borough of New York that may have been the birthplace of hip-hop. Hosted by Elyse Luray, Gwendolyn Wright and Tukufu Zuberi (TV-G -- general audience).
Wednesday, Aug, 12, 8-10 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Joshua Bell and the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra." The Mostly Mozart Festival marks the 200th anniversaries of Haydn's death and Mendelssohn's birth. Maestro Louis Langree leads the festival's orchestra and master violinist Joshua Bell in two works by Mendelssohn: the illustrious Violin Concerto and his stand-alone concert work, "The Hebrides"; other pieces include Haydn's Symphony No. 104 in D Major ("London"); and Mozart's Rondo for Violin and Orchestra in C Major and Adagio for Violin and Orchestra in E Major. A "Live From Lincoln Center" presentation (TV-G - general audience).
Thursday, Aug. 13, 8-10 p.m. EDT (Animal Planet) "Into the Pride." Premiere of a new series in which animal expert Dave Salmoni heads into the African bush to save a rogue pride of lions from elimination. In the first two back-to-back episodes, "The Bush Rules" and "A Tale of Two Alphas," Salmoni and his crew locate the core pride within Namibia's Erindi Private Game Reserve, and Salmoni decides to take on Brutus, the group's dominant male, to gain the trust of the other lions. Future episodes will be shown Thursdays, 8-9 p.m. EDT (TV-PG -- parental guidance suggested).