TV for Oct. 25 – Oct. 31, 2009
TV film fare -- week of Oct. 25
The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of Oct. 25. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence and sexual situations.
Sunday, Oct. 25, 1:30-4 p.m. EDT (AMC) "Alien 3" (1992). Crash landing on an unarmed penal colony whose criminal inmates have embraced Christian fundamentalism, a space officer (Sigourney Weaver) finds she has brought along a murderous alien monster whose female version is nesting inside her body. Though this sci-fi sequel covers familiar territory and the religious angle is undeveloped, director David Fincher ekes out sufficient suspense to sustain interest in the outcome. Sporadic shadowy violence and much 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.
Sunday, Oct. 25, 6:15-8 p.m. EDT (TCM) "The Steel Helmet" (1951). Hard-bitten Korean War tale in which a veteran sergeant (Gene Evans) helps a green lieutenant (Steve Brodie) set up an observation post in a Buddhist temple, then leads its defense when the enemy attacks in force. Writer-director Samuel Fuller hinges the formula military proceedings on the tough-minded noncom who proves no less vulnerable to the emotional stress of battle than the others. Wartime violence, including the shooting of a captured soldier. 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, Oct. 27, 6:30-8 p.m. EDT (TCM) "High Noon" (1952). Message Western in which a veteran sheriff (Gary Cooper) is left on his own to face four vengeful gunmen when the citizens of the town he had freed of outlaws refuse to get involved. Tautly directed by Fred Zinnemann, the isolated frontier setting is used to probe the psychology of fear which immobilizes a law-abiding community before the inevitable showdown whose outcome will affect them all. Stylized violence. 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.
Friday, Oct. 30, 6:45-8 p.m. EDT (TCM) "Isle of the Dead" (1945). Science faces the supernatural during the 1912 Balkan War when a stern Greek general (Boris Karloff) quarantines an island beset by plague and gripped by fears of a vampire. Producer Val Lewton and director Mark Robson team to fashion a quite effective tale of psychological dread filled with dark, moody photography and talk of the living dead. Mostly spooky effects but some stylized violence. 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. 31, 8-11 p.m. EDT (HBO) "Australia" (2008). Sprawling, generally entertaining three-hour epic set just before and after the bombing of Pearl Harbor as a starchy English widow (Nicole Kidman) takes over her late husband's cattle station down under, and falls in love with a rough-hewn drover (Hugh Jackman) whom she hires to help drive cattle to sale ahead of a rival magnate's (Bryan Brown) villainous henchman (David Wenham). Despite some fanciful plot contrivances, director Baz Luhrmann's lavish homage to classic epics and Westerns brings back old-style Hollywood romance, courtesy of its magnetic leads, and carries an admirable message about racial tolerance. Moderate action violence, a mostly implied nonmarital relationship including a very brief sexual encounter without nudity, mild innuendo, one use of the F-word and some Aboriginal mysticism; 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. 31, 10-11:30 p.m. EDT (Cinemax) "The Uninvited" (2009). Restrained psychological thriller in which a mentally unstable teen girl (Emily Browning) and her sister (Arielle Kebbel) suspect their late mother's nurse (Elizabeth Banks) of murdering Mom to marry their father (David Strathairn). Directors Charles and Thomas Guard's mostly gore-free adaptation of a 2003 Korean film inspires a few chills the old-fashioned way, but its twisting plot is somewhat predictable. Brief nongraphic sexual activity, adultery, cohabitation, moderate violence, underage drinking, sexual and contraceptive references, occasional crass language and a few uses of profanity. 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 Oct. 25
Here are some television program notes for the week of Oct. 25 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. 25, 2-3:30 p.m. EDT (EWTN) "Mass of Thanksgiving for the Canonization of Jeanne Jugan (Live)." From the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, a celebration of the Eucharist with the Little Sisters of the Poor in thanksgiving for the canonization of their founder, St. Jeanne Jugan.
Sunday, Oct. 25, 8-9 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Cloud: Challenge of the Stallions." This latest chapter in filmmaker Ginger Kathrens' continuing saga of Cloud, the wild, white stallion now in his prime, returns viewers to the Arrowhead Mountains of Montana. Part of the series "Nature" (TV-G -- general audiences).
Sunday, Oct. 25, 9-11 p.m. EDT (check local listings) (PBS) "Endgame." Gripping fact-based drama about a series of secret meetings between a delegation of the African National Congress, led by Thabo Mbeki (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and a team of unofficial representatives of South Africa's Apartheid-era Afrikaner establishment, headed by philosophy professor Will Esterhuyse (William Hurt) that took place in Britain beginning in the late 1980s, and that eventually led to public negotiations and the transition to multiracial democracy. Director Pete Travis' tale of intrigue opens with the dogged efforts of a seemingly unlikely mediator, Michael Young (Jonny Lee Miller), public affairs director for a powerful mining concern, to organize the talks -- with behind-the-scenes support from his urbane boss, Rudolf Agnew (Derek Jacobi) -- and follows the scheming of the government's intelligence chief, Niel Barnard (Mark Strong), as he plots to drive a wedge between the Zambia-based ANC negotiators and the then-still-imprisoned Nelson Mandela (Clarke Peters).Though it's a well-acted, intelligently written study in the personal and political risks required to achieve peace -- taut throughout despite the historically determined outcome -- adult themes and a brief interlude of rough language in this "Masterpiece Contemporary" presentation, which originally aired on the United Kingdom's Channel 4, make it most suitable for mature teens and up. David Tennant hosts (TV-PG -- parental guidance suggested).
Monday, Oct. 26, 10-11 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Herbert Hoover: Landslide." This historical special tells the story of the nation's 31st president, Herbert Hoover (1874-1964), and his remarkable life before, during and after his time in the White House.
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 8-9 p.m. EDT (ABC) "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." This classic Halloween special, featuring Charles M. Schulz's beloved "Peanuts" characters, first aired in 1966.
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 9-10 p.m. EDT (History) "Pulsars and Quasars." This episode of the series "The Universe" looks at two types of heavenly bodies that sound alike, but are in fact tremendously different, both in size and structure.
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 10-11 p.m. EDT (EWTN) "A Parent's Guide: Teaching the Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality." This educational program provides an overview of a 1995 document of the Pontifical Council for the Family, "The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality: Guidelines for Education Within the Family," and includes insights from Catholic parents, educators and clergy.