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 Feb, 16, 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
“Happy Feet” (2006; Netflix)
Computer-animated fable set in the Antarctic about a young emperor penguin (voiced by Elijah Wood) whose inability to carry a tune and propensity for tap dancing gets him banished by the puritanical elders who blame him for the colony’s dwindling fish supply, prompting the misfit to prove them wrong, get to the bottom of the food shortage and hopefully discover his “heartsong,” the mating call unique to each penguin that will help him find true love. Director George Miller combines terrific animation and voice talent (that also includes Robin Williams, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman) but packs too many themes — tolerance, conformity, environmental responsibility — into the sweet yet slender story. There are some dark and intense moments laced throughout and an unflattering view of religious authority, but the broader themes of love and self-worth should melt most objections. Some mildly rude humor and innuendo, as well as some menace and two frightening sequences that may upset very young viewers, but probably OK for older children. The OSV News classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children. (The sequel “Happy Feet Two” (2011) is also streaming)
“In the Heat of the Night” (1967; Amazon Prime)
One steamy night, an industrialist is murdered in Sparta, Mississippi, and the local police chief (Rod Steiger) has to rely on the scientific experience of a Black homicide expert (Sidney Poitier) who is passing through town. Though the movie begins with a very suggestive sex scene, the superior acting of the two principals and the sure hand of director Norman Jewison turn a rather muddled detective plot into a balanced and significant expression of the complex racial, legal and intellectual prejudice permeating many areas of American life. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.
“When a Man Loves a Woman” (1994; Hulu)
After an airline pilot (Andy Garcia) discovers that his wife (Meg Ryan) has become a secret alcoholic, they get professional help but each must learn to change destructive behavior patterns in order to save their marriage and nurture their two small daughters. Despite its sometimes soggy treatment, director Luis Mandoki’s inspirational drama is credible in its depiction of the tragic consequences of alcoholism on a family and its wrenching struggle for recovery. Scenes of drunkenness with fleeting nudity and minor violence as well as intermittent rough language. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Looking Ahead
Sunday, Feb. 16, noon-3 p.m. EST (AMC) “The Fugitive” (1993). Having escaped while being transported to the state pen, a Chicago surgeon (Harrison Ford) convicted of murdering his wife must evade the ever-tightening net of a relentless U.S. marshal (Tommy Lee Jones) while desperately tracking down the one-armed man (Andreas Katsulas) who actually killed her. Director Andrew Davis knits together a strong narrative, crackerjack performances and taut editing for a fine thriller not dependent on constant, glorified mayhem for mounting suspense. Brief, sporadic violence. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
Sunday, Feb. 16, 2-4 p.m. EST (TCM) “The Adventures of Robin Hood” (1938). Rousing costume adventure tale pitting the good Robin (Errol Flynn), Little John (Alan Hale), Friar Tuck (Eugene Pallette) and the rest of the Merry Men of Sherwood Forest against the nasty Prince John (Claude Rains) and the Sheriff of Nottingham (Melville Cooper), with the lovely Maid Marian (Olivia de Havilland) serving as pawn. Directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, the story’s fight against injustice is treated with sincerity but told playfully, the color photography adds zest to the action scenes and the Warner Brothers’ cast of supporting players seem to be having as good a time as the leads. Vintage but still sparkling. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-I — general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.
Monday, Feb. 17, 10-11:30 p.m. EST (PBS) “Skin of Glass.” Brazilian-born filmmaker Denise Zmekhol’s documentary charts her discovery that the skyscraper of the title, designed by her architect father, is now inhabited by the unhoused and this becomes the basis for a broader look at the inequalities that beset her native country.
Wednesday, Feb. 19, 8-9 p.m. EST (EWTN) “EWTN Live.” On this edition of the weekly program, series host Jesuit Father Mitch Pacwa talks with author and broadcaster Teresa Tomeo (TV-G — general audience).
Friday, Feb. 21, 8-9:30 p.m. EST (TCM) “The Circus” (1928). Charles Chaplin wrote, directed, produced and starred in this silent feature for which he has written a musical score as well as a song for the sound version. Charlie, on the run from the police, hides in the circus and becomes a prop man but inadvertently proves funnier than the clowns. He falls in love with the bareback rider (Merna Kennedy) but she loves the high-wire artist and the circus goes on leaving Charlie walking off alone. Admittedly not his best, it is nevertheless a real gem of comic invention and sympathetic understanding of human nature and the human condition. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-I — general patronage. The Motion Picture Association rating was G — general audiences. All ages admitted.
Saturday, Feb. 22, 8-9:39 p.m. EST (Cinemax) “Mechanic: Resurrection” (2016). Jason Statham returns as the hitman protagonist of this action franchise, the renewed version of which kicked off with the 2011 remake of a 1972 movie starring Charles Bronson. Though retired since the end of the last installment, the assassin is forced to take up his craft again after a mysterious friend from his childhood (Sam Hazeldine) kidnaps his true love (Jessica Alba). To spring her, he’ll have to carry out three kills. Director Dennis Gansel, who thankfully downplays the gore, seems anxious to deliver the audience from any danger of having to think too much. As a result, his film, which has a vaguely well-intentioned but thoroughly off-kilter moral core, plays like a cut-rate “Mission: Impossible.” Pervasive, mostly stylized violence, an implied nonmarital sexual encounter, frequent rough 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.
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