October 4 - October 10, 2009
TV film fare -- week of October 4
The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of Oct. 4. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence and sexual situations.
Sunday, Oct. 4, 11:45 a.m.-2 p.m. EDT (AMC) "Lucas" (1986). Bright 14-year-old boy nearly kills himself trying to impress his best and only friend, a 16-year-old girl who is attracted instead to one of the school's football stars. This teen drama offers thoughtful and sensitive characterizations and insightful depiction of high school socializing. Its gentle tone is slightly jarred by some foul language and locker room high jinks. 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-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
Monday, Oct. 5, 7-9 p.m. EDT (Showtime) "Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns" (2008). Listless romantic comedy about a struggling inner-city Chicago single mother (Angela Bassett) who falls for her son's (Lance Gross) generous basketball trainer (Rick Fox) while also getting to know her long-absent, recently deceased father's other children (Jenifer Lewis and David Mann, among others). Writer-director Perry's screen adaptation of his own play interweaves predictable dramatic developments with broad, sometimes off-color humor. Some sexual and scatological jokes, occasional crude and crass language, a brief scene of drug use, and an abortion reference. 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.
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 10 p.m.-midnight EDT (TCM) "Million Dollar Mermaid" (1952). Loosely based on the life of Annette Kellerman, the Australian swimmer (Esther Williams) imported by a carnival showman (Victor Mature) to turn-of-the-century America, where she raises eyebrows in a one-piece bathing suit, becomes the aquatic star of New York's Hippodrome whose owner (David Brian) wants to marry her, then goes to Hollywood where she's injured making a silent movie. Director Mervyn LeRoy's episodic success story moves briskly along, abetted by a charming romantic subplot and several eye-filling water ballets staged by Busby Berkeley. Sentimental but easy-to-take family fare. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-I -- general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.
Thursday, Oct. 8, 8-9:45 p.m. EDT (TCM) "Sullivan's Travels" (1942). Wacky comedy about a lightweight Hollywood director (Joel McCrea) who wants to make a serious movie on the struggles of poor people, sets out to research the subject dressed in rags and winds up on a chain gang where he learns the universal value of laughter. While satirically whaling the tar out of Hollywood and its pretensions, writer-director Preston Sturges uses the comic misadventures of the director's sojourn into the real world to demonstrate the refreshing attributes of a good laugh. Some menace and minor romantic complications. 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, Oct. 10, 8-10 p.m. EDT (HBO) "Marley and Me" (2008). Heartwarming, often rambling, but consistently likable true story about a journalist couple (Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston) in West Palm Beach, Fla., who adopt an unruly Labrador whose companionship sees them through the joys and vicissitudes of family life. Director David Frankel's adaptation of John Grogan's best-seller is deceptively plotless, but the leads are most engaging, the affirmation of marriage and parenthood strongly positive, actions always motivated by compassion and decency, and there's a bittersweet ending that will speak powerfully to anyone who's ever had a deep emotional connection to a pet. A few crass words and expressions, brief mild innuendo and sexual references. 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, Oct. 10, 10 p.m.-midnight EDT (Cinemax) "Eagle Eye" (2008). Well-executed action yarn about two strangers, a gifted underachiever (Shia LaBeouf) and a divorced mother (Michelle Monaghan), who are thrown together when they become the unwilling agents of an anonymous, seemingly all-powerful entity that uses technology and personal information to blackmail them into obedience, while an FBI agent (Billy Bob Thornton) and an Air Force investigator (Rosario Dawson) try to track them down. Though its solution is hardly original, director D.J. Caruso's sleek puzzler provides sufficient diversion along the way. Moderate action violence, brief sexual humor, one use of the F-word, much crude language and some uses of profanity; 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-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
Saturday, Oct. 10, 11 p.m.-1:30 a.m. EDT (AMC) "Chisum" (1970). Boisterous, good old-fashioned Western stars John Wayne as cattle baron John Chisum, who figured prominently in the bloody Lincoln County cattle wars involving the likes of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen with the usual oversimplification of moral issues in the taming of the West, the movie will appeal to those who like action at the expense of historical accuracy. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-I -- general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was G -- general audiences. All ages admitted.
TV program notes -- week of Oct. 4
Here are some television program notes for the week of Oct.4 with their TV Parental Guidelines ratings if available. They have not all been reviewed and therefore are not necessarily recommended by the Office for Film & Broadcasting.
Sunday, Oct. 4, 9-10 p.m. EDT (CBS) "Three Rivers." Premiere of a new hospital drama chronicling the work of an ensemble of doctors (principally Alex O'Loughlin, Katherine Moennig and Daniel Henney) at a Pittsburgh organ transplant center. In this episode, Ryan Abbott (Christopher J. Hanke), an inexperienced new transplant coordinator, struggles to make up in resourcefulness what he lacks in medical training, while the team battles such complications as a hurricane and a legal dispute between a potential donor's Jewish husband and her (presumably) fundamentalist Christian mother. The script wisely emphasizes the human dimension underlying the medical crises which, combined with an energetic pace and polished performances, raises this above the average. A few mildly crass expressions aside, objectionable material is nil.
Monday, Oct. 5, 9-11 p.m. EDT (PBS) (Check local listings) "Inventing L.A.: The Chandlers and Their Times." Emmy-winning filmmaker Peter Jones recounts the saga of the most powerful family in Los Angeles history: the Chandlers. For four generations, they wielded unique influence through their newspaper, the Los Angeles Times. Actor Liev Schreiber narrates (TV-PG -- parental guidance suggested).
Monday, Oct. 5, 10-11 p.m. EDT (History) "The Lord of the Rings." This episode of the series "Clash of the Gods" looks at Catholic novelist J.R.R. Tolkien's fantastical world of hobbits, orcs and wizards, and uncovers the real-life influences that shaped his epic fantasy, "The Lord of the Rings."
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 10-11 p.m. EDT (PBS) "The Buffalo Flows." Arkansas' Buffalo River, born in the Ozark Mountains, is one of the nation's remaining free-flowing rivers. This program outlines the "Battle for the Buffalo," the efforts of conservation groups to prevent damming, and captures the river's natural beauty over four seasons (TV-G -- general audience).
Thursday, Oct. 8, 10-11 p.m. EDT (PBS) "The Power of the Poor." This documentary tells the story of a small group of economists who helped defeat Peru's brutal Shining Path terrorists, pressured the government into making legal reforms that have lifted millions out of poverty and, in the process, became repeated targets for bombing and assassinations (TV-PG -- parental guidance suggested).
Saturday, Oct. 10, 8-9 p.m. EDT (History) "Pearl Harbor." This special, part of the series "What Went Down," weaves together interviews with survivors and computer animation to recreate the Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Hawaii's Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The program features Donald Goldstein, co-author of the best-seller "At Dawn We Slept."