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 July 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
“The Karate Kid” (2010; Netflix)
Stirring, satisfying update of the 1984 hit shifts the action to modern China, where an unassuming kung fu master (Jackie Chan) teaches an undersized American boy (Jaden Smith) how to confront a bully while imparting other life lessons. Director Harald Zwart balances fealty to the crowd-pleasing original with embellishments that, aside from a manipulative musical score, enhance the appeal of the timeless underdog story. Hard-hitting and occasionally cruel but not graphic martial arts violence, some mild toilet humor, one instance each of crass language and sexual innuendo. 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.
“Shanghai Noon” (2000; Hulu)
Delightful action-comedy set around 1881 about an imperial Chinese guard (Jackie Chan) who travels to America to save the kidnapped princess (Lucy Liu) he loves and is unexpectedly aided by an easygoing outlaw (Owen Wilson) in learning the ways of the Wild West. Although the film takes a while to get rolling, director Tom Dey packs plenty of kicky kung-fu action and East-meets-West antics into it, while the lighthearted treatment of force and innuendo suggests it’s not to be taken literally. Intermittent stylized action violence, implied sexual encounters, fleeting drug use, brief crass 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.
“Yours, Mine and Ours” (1968; Amazon Prime)
Fact-based story of a Navy widower (Henry Fonda) and a Navy widow (Lucille Ball) who fall in love, get married and merge their 18 children into one big, happy family. Director Melville Shavelson’s comedy has predictable but genuinely funny complications such as an interrupted honeymoon, identity crises, bathroom lineups, troop-movement planning and so on. Underneath all the broad humor is a gently moving story that manages to keep in touch with human reality. Truly a family picture. The OSV News classification is A-I — general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association. (The much-inferior 2005 remake is also streaming)
Looking Ahead
Sunday, July 28, noon-1 p.m. EDT (EWTN) “Pilgrimage Mass.” The Grandparents Association, which helps promote family communication following divorce or separation, presents this pilgrimage Mass from Ireland’s Shrine of Our Lady of Knock (TV-G – general audience).
Sunday, July 28, 8-10 p.m. EDT (TCM) “The Guns of August” (1964). Based on Barbara Tuchman’s book about the immediate causes of World War I, this documentary popularizes its scholarly study of the national aspirations of Balkan minorities, the political miscalculations of the Great Powers and their diplomatic blunders. Director Nathan Kroll’s film researchers have accumulated a mass of familiar and unfamiliar footage on the outbreak of the war, presented in a straightforward, factual manner. Heavy sledding for children. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-I — general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.
Sunday, July 28, 9-11 p.m. EDT (ABC) “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” (1989). A nutty professor (Rick Moranis) mistakenly throws out his own and his neighbors’ youngsters with the garbage after one of his inventions accidentally shrinks them to a quarter-inch in height. Director Joe Johnston does a great job concocting a backyard full of hurdles, including giant insects, for these miniature kids to conquer on their way back to the house. Very young children may be frightened, but older ones will enjoy the dizzy array of special effects and appealing young actors. Witless parents, some menace and minimal sexual innuendo. 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, July 29, 10-11:30 p.m. EDT (PBS) “Against the Tide.” Filmmaker Sarvnik Kaur’s documentary profiles two fishermen in Bombay, one committed to traditional practices, the other open to embracing new technology. A “POV” presentation.
Wednesday, July 31, 8-10:30 p.m. EDT (AMC) “Twister” (1996). As a series of killer tornadoes bears down on their puny van, meteorologists Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton forget their marital woes in hopes of making a scientific breakthrough — and escaping with their lives. Director Jan De Bont’s jolting special-effects thriller hits a brick wall each time the danger subsides and the script’s one-dimensional characters return to the fore. Much meteorological mayhem and recurring casual 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.
Saturday, Aug. 3, 5:45-8:45 p.m. EDT (TCM) “McLintock!” (1963). Western comedy about a cantankerous cattle baron (John Wayne) who spends his time battling with his estranged wife (Maureen O’Hara), uppity homesteaders, unhappy Indians and a college-educated daughter (Stefanie Powers) who’s courted by an earnest cowhand (Patrick Wayne) and a clumsy oaf (Jerry Van Dyke). Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, the result is a colorful collection of hard-hitting brawls and verbal squabbles, with an ending modeled on Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.” Comic violence and marital strife. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-I — general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.
Saturday, Aug. 3, 6:14-8 p.m. EDT (Cinemax) “Get Shorty” (1995). Black comedy finds parallels between moviemaking and racketeering when a gangster (John Travolta) tries to collect a debt owed by an inept movie producer (Gene Hackman), then decides to produce movies with him instead. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld from Elmore Leonard’s novel, the fast-paced, wickedly funny satire lampoons the Hollywood world of unabashedly greedy, would-be movers and shakers. Brief violence, restrained bedroom scenes and recurring 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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