Home viewing roundup: What's available to stream and what's on horizon

The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies available now for streaming or scheduled for broadcast on network or cable television during the week of April 7, as well as notes on TV programming for the same week. Televised films may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence and sexual situations while the programs listed have not been reviewed and therefore are not necessarily recommended by OSV News.

Streaming Now

“Charlie’s Angels” (2019; Hulu)

This third film iteration of the iconic 1976-81 television series turns out to be, overall, a charmer, an old-fashioned popcorn movie overstuffed with preposterous action sequences, exotic locales and good humor. A secret organization recruits women from around the world to serve as spies, or “Angels.” When the outfit’s leader (Patrick Stewart) retires, he is succeeded by a former agent (Elizabeth Banks, who also directed and wrote the screenplay). Two of her operatives (Kristen Stewart and Ella Balinska) join forces with an engineer (Naomi Scott) whose invention, a sustainable energy source, has been stolen by her wicked bosses (Nat Faxon and Sam Claflin) who plan to weaponize it. A globetrotting game of cat and mouse ensues, with enough twists and double-crosses to keep viewers guessing until the very end (though the message of female empowerment and equality is a bit heavy-handed). One of the Angels is coy about her sexual preference. While the matter is dealt with obliquely, at least some grown viewers may want to steer clear. Frequent but bloodless action sequences, some sexual innuendo and fleeting references to homosexuality, occasional profane and crude language, an obscene gesture. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

“The Disaster Artist” (2017; Netflix)

The eccentricities of a notorious self-funding filmmaker (James Franco, who also directed) and the story of the friendship (with Dave Franco) that led to the making of his famously bad 2003 movie “The Room” provide steady laughs but will also touch viewers’ hearts as the relationship at the center of this fact-based comedy endures through numerous strains. The humor occasionally goes astray, particularly in scenes playing male nakedness for laughs, and the dialogue is overstuffed with vulgarity. But adults willing to overlook such flaws will find this study in strangeness, adapted from the 2013 book by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell, richly entertaining. Recurring rear nudity, brief simulated sexual activity, cohabitation, about a half-dozen uses of profanity, a milder oath, frequent rough and crude language. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

“Friday Night Lights” (2004; Amazon Prime)

Hard-hitting drama about a season in the life of a small-town high school football team (coached by Billy Bob Thornton) as it struggles to make it to the Texas state championship. Based on the nonfiction best-seller by H.G. Bissinger and directed by Peter Berg, the film is an engrossing, at times unsettling, portrait of the lives and fragile dreams of young athletes which exposes the unhealthy pressure-cooker environment where teenagers are asked to shoulder the expectations of an entire community. Much football violence, some underage drinking, two sexual situations, one with partial nudity, an abusive father-son relationship and some crude language. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 — parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Looking Ahead

Sunday, April 7, 1:30-4 p.m. EDT (EWTN) “Mass and Celebration of the Divine Mercy.” Live broadcast from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts (TV-G – general audience).

Monday, April 8, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. EDT (EWTN) “Solemn Mass of the Annunciation.” Live from Nazareth, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, celebrates the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord at the Basilica of the Annunciation (TV-G – general audience).

Tuesday, April 9, 8-10 p.m. EDT (TCM) “Picnic at Hanging Rock” (1975). On a sunny St. Valentine’s Day in 1900, a group of Australian schoolgirls go off on a picnic to a strange and foreboding place called Hanging Rock where three of the girls and one teacher disappear without a trace. Director Peter Weir’s fact-based, never-solved mystery creates an eerie, otherworldly atmosphere as the girls explore the ledges and recesses of the ancient rock formation. The somberness of the theme and an emphasis on suppressed sexuality make it mature fare. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

Wednesday, April 10, 4:45-8 p.m. EDT (AMC) “Open Range” (2003). Well-crafted Western about a pair of cowboys (Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall) who must stand up to a ruthless rancher looking to run them out of town. While walking a fine line in its treatment of justice versus revenge and saddled with moments of heavy-handed melodrama, Costner, who wore a director’s cap under his Stetson, effectively captures the big sky grandeur and mythic romance of the Old West at its sunset. Recurring gunplay, including a violently jarring image and minimal vulgar language. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Saturday, April 13, 6:27-8 p.m. EDT (Cinemax) “Source Code” (2011). Taut direction by Duncan Jones and game performances all around help disguise the logical conundrums underlying this sci-fi thriller. As part of a cutting-edge antiterrorism operation, a heroic Afghan War veteran (Jake Gyllenhaal) is enabled to inhabit the body of a stranger during the last minutes of the other man’s life when he and his girlfriend (Michelle Monaghan) were passengers on a doomed Chicago commuter train. By repeatedly reliving this brief period, under the initially opaque guidance of the officer (Vera Farmiga) running the program, the vet hopes to identify the plotter who bombed the train and thus forestall a far worse follow-up attack. The claustrophobic atmosphere of the sometimes grim proceedings is offset by an emphasis on the central character’s humanity, while the script’s musings on life, death and parallel existences are too confused either to challenge or reinforce beliefs of any stripe. Recurring action violence, some of it potentially disturbing, brief gory medical images, about a half-dozen uses of profanity, at least one instance of the F-word, some crude language. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Saturday, April 13, 8-9:48 p.m. EDT (HBO) “The Zone of Interest” (2023). The details of ordinary domestic life take on a surreal quality when the head of the household is Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Hoss (Christian Friedel). In a comfortable home just outside the walls of the notorious concentration camp, he and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Huller) have achieved their version of success and contentment. But a bureaucratic shakeup in the SS threatens to spoil it for them. Writer-director Jonathan Glazer’s loose adaptation of Martin Amis’ 2014 novel is a painfully ironic study in mental compartmentalization as the couple raise their children and enjoy their thriving garden, ignoring the occasional anguished screams and gunshots in the distance. It’s a strong brew, with neither the slow pace of the film’s surface tranquility nor the horrors unfolding outside the frame qualifying as the ingredients of ordinary entertainment. Possibly acceptable for older teens based on its potential educational value. Offscreen adulterous activity that may constitute rape. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Home viewing roundup: What’s available to stream and what’s on horizon

Streaming Now

Looking Ahead

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