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 Jan. 28, 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
“Flawless” (2008; Hulu)
Stylish heist film set in 1960 London as an executive (Demi Moore) in a diamond corporation and the soon-to-be-retired night cleaning man (Michael Caine) join forces to steal gems from the firm’s high-security vault, after she learns she will be dismissed from her position. Director Michael Radford, working from a first-time script by Edward Anderson, captures the milieu of the corporation and the era well and builds taut suspense, with Moore, Caine and Lambert Wilson as the detective assigned to investigate the robbery all in top form, while objectionable elements — apart from some language and the robbery itself, of course — are practically nil. Brief profanity, a single use of the f-word and some crass language. Probably acceptable for older teens. 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.
“Maestro” (2023; Netflix)
The high-energy yet brittle personality of its subject sets the tone for this fact-based look back at the tangled personal life of composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper, who also co-wrote and directed). Early on in his storied career, Bernstein meets and falls for actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). Although she is fully aware of his many dalliances with men, and resolves to tolerate them, these liaisons eventually strain their marriage. Cooper’s script, penned with Josh Singer, seems to suggest that, as long as Bernstein’s extramarital activities remained casual, his spouse was able to ignore or overlook them but that once he formed a more emotional bond, she felt threatened. While the film is sober in its approach to these matters, it takes no decided moral stance, making it inappropriate for youthful viewers. Mature themes, including bisexuality and adultery, premarital and same-sex bedroom scenes, drug use, brief scatological humor, a couple of profanities, a few milder oaths, several rough terms, occasional crude and crass talk. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” (2023; Amazon Prime)
A duo of human characters (Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback) get caught up in the struggle between heroic and wicked factions of the titular car/robot shape shifters (the former group’s leader voiced by Peter Cullen, the latter’s by Colman Domingo). Directed by Steven Caple Jr., this seventh installment in the franchise features lessons about cooperating as a team and the importance of sacrificing personal ambitions in order to save the lives of others. But there are too many sonorous monologues about the clash of good and evil while the battle sequences go on so long as to be numbing. The intensity of these dustups makes the film a poor choice for youngsters. Robot violence, automotive mayhem, a fleeting glimpse of nonhuman gore, a couple of coarse words. 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, Jan. 28, 8-10:29 p.m. EST (ABC) “The Parent Trap” (1998). Slow-paced but often charming remake of the 1961 tale of 11-year-old identical twin sisters (Lindsay Lohan as both) whose parents had divorced when they were infants, one going to England with the mother (Natasha Richardson) while the other remained in California with the father (Dennis Quaid), until the siblings finally meet in summer camp, then switch places on their return home and set to work reuniting their parents. Directed by Nancy Meyers, the sentimental premise yields a number of heartwarming moments and the mischievous antics of the twins provide some comic relief, but the feel-good results are superficial at best. Some unamusing pranks and a scene of amateur ear-piercing. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
Monday, Jan. 29, 8-9 p.m. EST (EWTN) “The Journey Home.” On this edition of the weekly conversion-themed program, series host JonMarc Grodi welcomes husband-and-wife Andre and Angèle Regnier, co-founders of Catholic Christian Outreach, a university student movement dedicated to evangelization (TV-G – general audience).
Monday, Jan. 29, 10-11:30 p.m. EST (PBS) “Razing Liberty Square.” Filmmaker Katja Esson’s documentary examines the controversy over the future of the Liberty Square public housing community in Miami. An “Independent Lens” presentation (TV-14 – parents strongly cautioned).
Wednesday, Jan. 31, 8-9 p.m. EST (PBS) “Gorilla.” This episode of the series “Nature” provides an intimate look at a family of silverback gorillas in Gabon’s Loango National Park (TV-PG – parental guidance suggested).
Friday, Feb. 2, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. EST (EWTN) “Holy Mass With Religious on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.” This Eucharistic liturgy, broadcast live from Rome, marks both the Feast of the Presentation and the annual World Day for Consecrated Life (TV-G – general audience).
Saturday, Feb. 3, 6-8 p.m. EST (HBO) “The Box” (2009). In 1976 Richmond, Va., a cash-strapped suburban couple (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden) find themselves in a moral dilemma when a mysterious, disfigured stranger (a haunting Frank Langella) presents them with a device that, if they choose to activate it, will kill someone unknown to them but also will gain them a $1 million payment. Spiritually well-grounded adult viewers willing to overlook some improbabilities in writer-director Richard Kelly’s intelligently challenging, if over-elaborate, screen version of Richard Matheson’s 1970 short story “Button, Button” may be intrigued by this reflection on ethical choices and consequences. But the evolving parable includes actions that would be blatantly unacceptable in a more realistic context. Mature themes, complex moral issues, a few uses of profanity, a couple of sexual references. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
Saturday, Feb. 3, 6:04-8 p.m. EST (Cinemax) “The Bourne Ultimatum” (2007). This lightning-paced, globe-trotting follow-up to “The Bourne Identity” and “The Bourne Supremacy” wraps up Bourne’s (Matt Damon) quest to discover his true name and history. The CIA project head (David Strathairn) orders his immediate termination but is continually stymied by Bourne’s lethal skills at evasion and unexpected help from female CIA operatives (Joan Allen and Julia Stiles). Director Paul Greengrass orchestrates sustained and eye-popping action-excitement throughout while top-notch cast members (including a climactic appearance by Albert Finney) manage to flesh out their characters, resulting in a satisfying if somewhat exhausting thriller. Much intense and fierce violence and intermittent profanity. 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.
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