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 May 17, 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
“Despicable Me 4” (2024; Amazon Prime)
Agreeable though unfocused animated comedy in which the villain-turned-crimefighter (voice of Steve Carell) on whom the series centers tries to protect his family from the promised revenge of an escaped convict (voice of Will Ferrell) he helped imprison. While the comic chaos wrought by the protagonist’s trademark Twinkie-shaped minions continues to evoke laughs, director Chris Renaud’s addition to a franchise he helped to establish and that dates back to 2010 goes down too many plot paths at once. Genuinely objectionable ingredients are kept out of the mix, but scenes of danger, a touch of potty humor and a minion mooning may give the parents of the littlest moviegoers pause. Characters in peril, a flash of nonhuman rear nudity, a scatological sight gag. The OSV News classification is A-I — general patronage. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
“Jumping the Broom” (2011; Netflix)
Faith-tinged family comedy about the lead-up to a Martha’s Vineyard wedding between a postal worker’s (Loretta Devine) son (Laz Alonso) and the daughter (Paula Patton) of a wealthy couple (Angela Bassett and Brian Stokes Mitchell). Director Salim Akil and screenwriters Elizabeth Hunter and Arlene Gibbs embrace all the familiar conventions of upscale vs. downscale. But they make poor use of a clergyman (played by real-life Bishop T.D. Jakes) who offers useful advice early on but is absent when the families have to deal with serious issues. Mature themes, fleeting, mild sexual banter, a couple of references to masturbation. 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.
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016; Hulu)
Interstellar derring-do is the order of the day in this rousing prequel to the 1977 kickoff of the “Star Wars” saga. With the evil Empire — served, most prominently, by a computer-generated projection of the late Peter Cushing and Ben Mendelsohn — on the verge of deploying a weapon so powerful that it would doom the gallant Rebel Alliance (headed by Genevieve O’Reilly), the daughter (Felicity Jones) of the brilliant scientist (Mads Mikkelsen) who unwillingly developed the technology while being held captive joins forces with an Alliance officer (Diego Luna) and an amusingly straight-talking android (Alan Tudyk) in an effort to sabotage the armament. In crafting an exciting epic, director Gareth Edwards keeps the mayhem inherent in his story of armed conflict virtually bloodless. And the script, penned by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy, celebrates altruism while also briefly tackling the morality of obeying some military orders. But the ambiguous nature of the spiritual “Force” cultivated principally, in this installment of the franchise, by a blind, Buddhist-style monk (Donnie Yen), may be a source of concern for the parents of some teens. Frequent but thoroughly stylized combat violence, religious elements requiring mature discernment, some frightening images including a scene leading up to mental torture. The OSV News classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
Looking Ahead
Sunday, May 17, noon-1:30 p.m. EDT (EWTN) “Solemn Mass of the Ascension.” Live broadcast from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington of the Eucharistic liturgy for the Feast of the Ascension. Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala of the Archdiocese of Washington is scheduled to serve as the celebrant and homilist (TV-G — general audience).
Sunday, May 17, 2:30-5:15 p.m. EDT (TCM) “The Nun’s Story” (1959). Sent by her religious community to be a nurse in the Belgian Congo, a young nun (Audrey Hepburn) resists her feelings of love for the doctor (Peter Finch) with whom she works, returns to Belgium and, after struggling with the routine of convent life, leaves for the world beyond the wall. Sensitively directed by Fred Zinnemann, the fact-based story focuses on the interior conflict between the nun’s idealism and her growing sense of her own needs as an individual. Convincing portrayal of religious life as a vocation requiring more than good intentions. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-II — adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.
Tuesday, May 19, 9-11 p.m. EDT (PBS) “W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause.” This episode of the series “American Masters” explores the life and legacy of the notable Black scholar and civil rights pioneer W.E.B. Du Bois, who died in 1963, aged 95.
Wednesday, May 20, 5-8 p.m. EDT (AMC) “White House Down” (2013). Director Roland Emmerich, who previously laid waste to our nation’s capital in “Independence Day” and “2012” does so yet again in this fast-paced thriller about domestic terrorists who take over the executive mansion. A security officer (Channing Tatum) heads to the White House for a Secret Service job interview, bringing his politically obsessed young daughter (Joey King) in tow. Caught up in the attack, Dad must help the president (Jamie Foxx) evade the bad guys and survive. Though weighty international issues are discussed along the way, they take a back seat to unabashed patriotism and the portrayal of heroic sacrifice for neighbor, family and country. Much intense but mostly bloodless violence, a fleeting sexual image, occasional crude and profane 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.
Thursday, May 21, 8-11 p.m. EDT (TCM) “The Bridge on the River Kwai” (1957). Epic World War II adventure based on Pierre Boulle’s novel about British POWs in Burma who build a military supply bridge for their Japanese captors while British commandos make their way through the jungle to blow it up. Though the anti-war ending is more hollow than ironic, director David Lean excels in depicting the rigors of prison camp life, the military discipline that sustains the prisoners and, at the story’s center, the battle of wills between the British commander (Alec Guinness) and his Japanese counterpart (Sessue Hayakawa) over who will command the work details. Some wartime violence and harrowing camp punishments. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-I — general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.
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