Web site TV for Jan. 31 – Feb 6, 2010

TV film fare -- week of Jan. 31
 
The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of Jan. 31. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence, and sexual situations.

Sunday, Jan. 31, 10 p.m.-midnight EST (TCM) "Annie Get Your Gun" (1950). Big and brassy version of the Irving Berlin musical in which rustic Annie Oakley (Betty Hutton) gets some polish working with Frank Butler (Howard Keel) in a sharpshooting act, then finds fame and finally gets her man Butler after Buffalo Bill (Louis Calhoun) makes her a star in his Wild West Show. Directed by George Sidney, this show has lots of stunt riding, staged Indian attacks and shootouts which make a suitable backdrop for Hutton's overcharged performance, with the result memorable chiefly for its songs ranging from the romantic "The Girl That I Marry" to the comedic "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly" and "Anything You Can Do" and the signature tune, "There's No Business Like Show Business." 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.

Tuesday, Feb. 2, 3-5:30 a.m. EST (TCM) "Becket" (1964). Superb adaptation of Jean Anouilh's classic play about the deep friendship and later conflict between England's King Henry II (Peter O'Toole) and his friend, Sir Thomas a Becket (Richard Burton), later canonized, and how their days of drinking and womanizing came to an end when the monarch appointed Becket archbishop of Canterbury, leading to Becket's spiritual transformation and ultimate martyrdom. Director Peter Glenville's film is rather stagy and leisurely paced, but the Oscar-winning dialogue is uncommonly literate, and the performances are brilliant. Some crass expressions and (by today's standards) tame sexuality. 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.

Thursday, Feb. 4, 8-10 p.m. EST (TCM) "The Uninvited" (1944). A writer (Ray Milland) and his sister (Ruth Hussey) move into a house apparently haunted by the troubled spirit of the mother of a young woman (Gail Russell) who once lived there. Director Lewis Allen's intriguing ghost story revolves around solving the mystery of the mother's death in a movie buttressed by the whimsical attitude of the skeptical writer and a number of spooky effects. Some mild scares and restless spirits. 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.

Thursday, Feb. 4, 8-10:30 p.m. EST (AMC) "The Untouchables" (1987). Brian De Palma, not known for directorial subtleties, provides an almost camp parody of the TV original as federal agent Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner), portrayed as an inept family man, gets the goods on infamous Chicago gang boss Al Capone (Robert De Niro). The violence is dreamlike and distanced in a highly stylized crime-stopper movie which has some harsh language and brutal intensity. 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, Feb. 5, 8-11 p.m. EST (AMC) "Space Cowboys" (2000). Enjoyable action-adventure flick about four retired Air Force pilots (Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner and Donald Sutherland) sent into space 40 years past their prime because only their technical knowledge can stop a malfunctioning Russian satellite from smashing into Earth. While the narrative's plausibility is questionable, director Eastwood's casually paced film maintains interest with colorful characters, impressive visual effects and slight intrigue as well as an unexpected conclusion. Brief menace with intermittent crass language and some profanity. 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.

Saturday, Feb. 6, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. EST (AMC) "Broken Lance" (1954). Western family saga in which a ruthless, aging cattle baron (Spencer Tracy) tries to keep the inroads of civilization and the law from limiting his rule of the range, while his sons (Richard Widmark, Hugh O'Brian and Earl Holliman) feud with their stepbrother (Robert Wagner) over the future of the family empire. Directed by Edward Dmytryk, some rugged outdoor action helps pace the story of a domineering father whose spiteful sons conspire to take over his vast ranchlands, with tragic results. Stylized violence and family conflicts. 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, Feb. 6, 2:45-5 p.m. EST (TCM) "Maverick" (1994). Spirited Western in which a high-stakes, winner-takes-all card game on board a paddle-wheeler attracts a gun-toting gambler (Mel Gibson), the light-fingered lady (Jodie Foster) who has lifted his wallet and a veteran lawman (James Garner) hired to keep the assorted disreputable players from cheating their way to claiming the half-million-dollar pot. Richard Donner directs an appealing cast of double-crossing critters in a featherweight but crowd-pleasing near-spoof of Western conventions in which substance is gleefully tossed aside in favor of style and escapist fun. Some stylized violence, a brief, discreet bedroom scene and a few coarse expressions. 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.

 

TV program notes -- week of Jan. 31

Here are some television program notes for the week of Jan. 31 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, Jan. 31, 10-11 p.m. EST (EWTN) "Franciscan University Presents: How to Effectively Present the Pro-Life Position." Host Franciscan Father Michael Scanlan and panelists Regis Martin and Scott Hahn of Ohio's Franciscan University of Steubenville will discuss the most effective arguments for conveying pro-life truths with their guest, Francis Beckwith, professor of philosophy and church-state studies at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

Monday, Feb. 1, 10:30-11 p.m. EST (PBS) "Before There Were Parks: Yellowstone and Glacier Through Native Eyes." This special explores modern indigenous peoples' perspectives on the great wilderness areas now called Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks (TV-G -- general audience).

Tuesday, Feb. 2, 8-9 p.m. EST (PBS) "Ghosts of Machu Picchu." A look at the "Lost City of the Incas." Perched atop a Peruvian mountain crest, and mysteriously abandoned more than four centuries ago, Machu Picchu is the most famous archaeological ruin in the Western Hemisphere and an iconic symbol of the power and engineering prowess of its builders. Part of the series "Nova" (TV-PG -- parental guidance suggested).

Tuesday, Feb. 2, 9-10 p.m. EST (History) "Mt. St. Helens." This episode of the series "How the Earth Was Made" recounts the story of Washington state's volcano which, though thought to be dormant, dramatically erupted in May 1980.

Tuesday, Feb. 2, 9-10:30 p.m. EST (PBS) "Digital Nation." This "Frontline" presentation explores how, within a single generation, the World Wide Web and digital media have transformed work, learning and social interaction in ways that we are only beginning to understand.

TV REVIEW

Front of the Class

 In 1997, novice educator Brad Cohen received Georgia's Sallie Mae First Class Teacher of the Year award for outstanding work in his initial year in the classroom. What made the selection especially noteworthy was that Cohen has been battling the effects of Tourette's syndrome -- a neurological disorder marked by involuntary vocal noises and body movements -- since the age of 6.

The uplifting story of Cohen's lifelong struggle is recounted in the "Hallmark Hall of Fame" drama "Front of the Class," being rerun Saturday, Feb. 6, 8-10 p.m. EST on CBS. Jimmy Wolk plays the irrepressibly optimistic Cohen, who arrives in Atlanta from his native St. Louis, determined to become "the teacher I never had."

Through flashbacks -- Dominic Scott Kay plays the beleaguered younger Cohen -- director Peter Werner's film poignantly conveys the endless frustration of growing up with a condition that was, at the time, relatively little known.

Mocked by his peers and labeled a troublemaker by school authorities, the isolated Cohen was even misunderstood by his impatient father, Norman (Treat Williams), who was sure the otherwise normal boy was just seeking attention. Only his unconditionally supportive mother, Ellen (Patricia Heaton), believed him when he insisted that his physical and verbal tics were involuntary, and set out to discover a medical explanation.
 
A major turning point, movingly portrayed here, came when a sympathetic principal asked Cohen a series of simple questions about his illness in front of an all-school assembly, gaining the embarrassed but courageous young man the understanding of his fellow students. From this experience sprang his interest in teaching.

Both Wolk and Kay handle the obvious physical challenge inherent in their roles with remarkable deftness, contributing to the winning portrait of a man gently but firmly determined to vindicate his human dignity, despite formidable odds.