September 27 - October 3, 2009
TV film fare -- week of September 27
The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of Sept. 27. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence and sexual situations.
Sunday, Sept. 27, 2-4:30 p.m. EDT (AMC) "October Sky" (1999). Uplifting tale set in 1957 rural West Virginia where a miner's son (Jake Gyllenhaal) defies his father's (Chris Cooper) insistence that he come work in the mines and instead enlists three schoolmates to help build a functioning rocket in hopes of winning a college scholarship. Director Joe Johnston's atmospheric, fact-based drama captures the impoverished community, familial conflicts and the dogged ambition of youngsters to persevere and better themselves with higher education. A mining tragedy, fleeting parental abuse and a few muttered profanities. 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.
Monday, Sept. 28, 2-3:30 a.m. EDT (TCM) "The Flowers of St. Francis" (1950). Remarkable Italian production about the beginnings of the Franciscan order as its founder sets the example of humility, simplicity and obedience for his first followers at Portiuncula, a little chapel near Assisi, from which they depart into the world to preach peace. Directed by Roberto Rossellini from a script co-written with Federico Fellini, the movie's form is as simple and sincere as the subject of the narrative which relates a series of little incidents realistically, yet marvelously, conveyed with an infectious sense of joy by an anonymous cast of monks from a Roman monastery. Subtitles. 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 1, 8-10:45 p.m. EDT (TCM) "Bound for Glory" (1977). Screen adaptation of the 1943 autobiography of folk singer Woody Guthrie (David Carradine) follows his odyssey among America's dispossessed from the Oklahoma Dust Bowl to migrant labor camps in California where his songs about these experiences led to a national radio career. The outstanding achievement of director Hal Ashby's dramatization is its faithful re-creation of the Depression era and Guthrie's passion for social justice. Restrained depiction of promiscuity. 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.
Friday, Oct. 2, 8-10:30 p.m. EDT (AMC) "Field of Dreams" (1989). When an Iowa farmer (Kevin Costner) begins hearing voices, he and his supportive wife (Amy Madigan) use the family savings to turn a cornfield into a baseball field, whereupon the spirits of Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) and others appear to play ball, with their visions and voices enabling a reconciliation between the farmer and his deceased father. Adapted by director Phil Alden Robinson from W.P. Kinsella's novel, it's filled with happy, confounding surprises that some may dismiss as heavy-handed fantasy, though others will be refreshed by its positive point of view, wonderful mystical characters, love of baseball lore and respect for those who follow their dreams. Minor rough language. 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. 3, 8-10 p.m. EDT (HBO) "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" (2008). Lavish but lightweight adventure sequel in which an archaeologist (Luke Ford) joins forces with his explorer father (Brendan Fraser) and scholar mother (Maria Bello) to prevent the titular resurrected ruler (Jet Li) from reviving his terracotta legions to tyrannize the world, while falling for the immortal maiden (Isabella Leong) who holds the secret to the monarch's destruction. Director Rob Cohen's breathlessly paced epic is long on special effects and battle sequences and, though short on wit or convincing emotion, does feature respectable family values and a positive image of a marital partnership. Moderate action violence, brief innuendo, some crass language and a couple of profanities. 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.
TV program notes -- week of Sept. 27
Here are some television program notes for the week of Sept. 27 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, Sept. 27, 8-10 p.m. EDT (PBS) "The Scripture of Nature." The first of six installments of distinguished filmmaker Ken Burns' documentary, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" (check local listings for additional broadcasts), chronicling the movement to protect areas of the United States remarkable for their natural beauty or historical significance. In this episode, Burns and longtime colleague Dayton Duncan, who wrote and co-produced, focus on the establishment of the two earliest parks in what is now a 58-strong nationwide system: California's Yosemite and Yellowstone, shared by Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. The results are predictably lavish with stunning landscapes showcased to their full advantage and the frequently intriguing history -- the first white men to discover Yosemite, we learn, came there in pursuit of an extermination campaign against Native Americans -- related in an easily approachable manner. As the title suggests, the spiritual sentiments which the countryside evoked among many early conservationists -- like John Muir, Scottish-born champion of Yosemite's preservation -- are fully explored, though there are hints of a pantheistic confusion of Creator and creation, and nature-surrounded, usually solitary, worship is celebrated to the implied disparagement of indoor communal prayer. Continues each night 8-10 p.m. EDT through Friday, Oct. 2 (TV-G -- general audience, except Oct. 1: TV-PG -- parental guidance suggested).
Monday, Sept. 28, 8:30-9 p.m. EDT (CBS) "Accidentally on Purpose." New comedy series about Billie (Jenna Elfman), a 30-something San Francisco newspaper film critic who, after being dumped by her commitment-shy boyfriend -- and boss -- James (Grant Show), has what she intends to be a one-night fling with much younger recent acquaintance Zack (Jon Foster) but becomes pregnant. In the pilot episode screened, Billie resolves to keep the baby and, after Zack proves anxious to be involved in the child's future, he and Billie become platonic roommates. While the sinful option of abortion is essentially dismissed in a single line of dialogue, neither Billie's initial desire to marry James nor Zack's belated sense of responsibility compensate for the misguided values inherent in the premise or for the excess of sexual humor that overshadows the occasional flash of well-delivered wit on other subjects.
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 9-10 p.m. EDT (History) "Star Clusters." This episode of the series "The Universe" looks at star clusters, concentrations of more or less closely grouped stars that are particularly valuable for scientific research.
Friday, Oct. 2, 8-9 p.m. EDT (TCM) "The Suspenseful World of Thrillers." First episode of a new series, "A Night at the Movies," designed to introduce viewers to different genres of cinema. Guests on this program include novelist Ken Follett, and actors Kenneth Branagh, Martin Landau and Norman Lloyd.
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2-3 p.m. EDT (EWTN) "The Papacy of Reason." An overview of the principal themes in Pope Benedict XVI's pontificate, this special examines the unique approach he uses to guide the church, and includes interviews with ecclesiastical leaders, Vatican experts and prominent Catholic journalists.