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 March 31, 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
“Field of Dreams” (1989; Amazon Prime)
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 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.
“Godzilla” (2014; Netflix)
Grandiose special effects, the showcasing of strong family bonds and a few religious undertones compensate for an over-elaborate back-story and uneven tone in director Gareth Edwards’ monster movie. Fifteen years after his mother (Juliette Binoche) was killed in a disaster at a Japanese nuclear power plant, an American Navy officer (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is still trying to convince his grieving dad (Bryan Cranston) to accept the official explanation for the catastrophe and stop obsessively pursuing his own wild theories about it. But an encounter with two scientists (Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins) working in the quarantine zone that surrounds the site of the cataclysm reveals that Dad has been on to something all along. Mayhem ensues for a number of cities, including the seaman’s hometown of San Francisco where his wife (Elizabeth Olsen) and young son (Carson Bolde) come under threat. The legendary lizard of the title is only one of the outsized creatures rampaging the globe in this latest take on a sci-fi scenario that dates back to Ishiro Honda’s 1954 original. But at least the human toll they exact is portrayed in a stylized, bloodless way. Pervasive action violence with minimal gore, brief marital sensuality, a few uses of profanity and of crude language. 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 Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” (2005; Hulu)
Wacky and whimsical sci-fi comedy about the space travels of an ordinary guy (Martin Freeman) who escapes an imminently exploding Earth moments before it is destroyed to make way for an interstellar highway and who travels aboard a starship to the farthest reaches of the galaxy with an extraterrestrial researcher for the eponymous guidebook (Mos Def); the buffoonish galactic president (Sam Rockwell); a chronically depressed robot (voiced by Alan Rickman); and the sole other remaining earthling (Zooey Deschanel). Based on the hugely popular 1979 sci-fi novel and BBC radio play by the late Douglas Adams, the long-in-the-works film adaptation is an entertaining, if disjointed, surrealistically silly potpourri of space adventure, absurdist philosophy and rib-tickling satire. Think “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Independence Day” meet Monty Python. Some irreligious humor, comic violence and mildly crude language. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
Looking Ahead
Sunday, March 31, 4-5:30 a.m. EDT (EWTN) “Solemn Mass of Easter Sunday.” Live coverage as Pope Francis celebrates the Solemn Mass of Easter Sunday in Vatican City, and gives the traditional address and blessing “Urbi et Orbi,” to the city of Rome and to the world. The events will re-air 7-8:30 p.m. EDT (TV-G – general audience).
Sunday, March 31, noon-2 p.m. EDT (TCM) “Godspell” (1973). Sparkling screen version of musical based loosely on the Gospel according to Matthew, featuring an off-Broadway cast with Victor Garber as the Christ figure and David Haskell as both John the Baptist and Judas. What makes the movie so high-spirited is director David Greene’s turning the entire city of New York into a giant stage set, with its buildings, streets and parks all strikingly used to great effect. The parables are presented in imaginative skits, many of which serve as springboards for the irresistible tunes — such as “Day by Day” and “God Save the People!” — that made the play so popular. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-I — general patronage. The Motion Picture Association rating was G — general patronage. All ages admitted. (Four other holiday-themed movies follow: “The Greatest Story Ever Told” (1965), 2-5:30 p.m. EDT; “The Robe” (1953), 5:30-8 p.m. EDT; “Easter Parade” (1948), 8-10 p.m. EDT; and “King of Kings” (1961), 10 p.m.-12:45 a.m. EDT)
Monday, April 1, 10-11 p.m. EDT (PBS) “A Thousand Pines.” Filmmakers Noam Osband and Sebastián Díaz Aguirre’s documentary profiles a crew of 12 Oaxacan guest workers who travel the United States planting trees. An “Independent Lens” presentation.
Thursday, April 4, 8-10:30 p.m. EDT (AMC) “Jason Bourne” (2016). Matt Damon returns in the fifth big-screen outing for the memory-damaged and monosyllabic government agent who first appeared in the novels of Robert Ludlum. Director Paul Greengrass, who co-scripted with Christopher Rouse, bookends the story with extended car and motorcycle chases, with the result that vehicle casualties considerably outnumber the body count from weapons. Although the number of shootings does necessitate an adult rating, the film’s lack of gore and relatively mild language make this possibly acceptable for older adolescents — especially those who understand that the longer the car chase, the thinner the plot. Frequent gun and physical violence, fleeting profanities. 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 6, 7:57-10 p.m. EDT (HBO) “The Social Network” (2010). Engrossing but strictly adult drama, based on real events, recounting the circumstances surrounding the creation of the website Facebook as its socially inept but technically gifted founder (Jesse Eisenberg) testifies in separate but simultaneous lawsuits brought against him by a pair of former associates (Armie Hammer and Josh Pence) and by his ex-best friend and first investor (Andrew Garfield). All of them claim to have been betrayed and cheated. Drawing on Ben Mezrich’s book “The Accidental Billionaires,” director David Fincher weaves a subtle narrative of shifting personal loyalties and ethical uncertainties. But the college setting in which the story begins is a morass of excessive drinking and meaningless sex while, one enduring crush aside, the immature, ill-adjusted male characters treat women as disposable accessories. Non-graphic, casual sexual activity, same-sex kissing, brief partial nudity, drug use, some sexual references, several instances of profanity, at least one use of the F-word and much 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.
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