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 Sept. 1, 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
“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956; Amazon Prime)
Classic sci-fi thriller in which a small-town doctor (Kevin McCarthy) and his girlfriend (Dana Wynter) discover that their fellow citizens are being replaced by pod people from outer space. Tautly directed by Don Siegel, the nightmarish concept becomes frighteningly credible as the townspeople gradually turn into their emotionless alien counterparts bent on keeping the terrified pair from escaping to warn the outside world. Mounting suspense, menacing atmosphere and an incidental marital complication. The OSV News classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.
“Midway” (2019; Hulu)
Vivid fact-based epic recounting the period from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941, to the Navy’s decisive victory in the battle of the title in June 1942, a triumph that turned the tide in the Pacific Theater of World War II. The ensemble drama follows, among others, top brass, including Adms. Chester W. Nimitz (Woody Harrelson), William “Bull” Halsey (Dennis Quaid) and Isoroku Yamamoto (Etsushi Toyokawa), a brilliant intelligence officer (Patrick Wilson), two daring pilots (Ed Skrein and Luke Evans) and Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle (Aaron Eckhart) whose air raid on Tokyo in April 1942 was a major propaganda coup for the Allies and helped lay the groundwork for the positive outcome at sea less than two months later. As this partial list suggests, director Roland Emmerich has a lot of personal storylines to keep bound together with the result that the details of his film are sometimes confusing. But there’s a good balance in Wes Tooke’s script between action scenes and human interest and the patriotism, courage and tenacity on display go a long way to maintain attention. Possibly acceptable for older teens despite a lot of realistic sailors’ talk. Frequent stylized violence with little gore, brief gruesome images of a burned corpse, about 10 uses of profanity, an equal number of milder oaths, at least one rough term, considerable crude and 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.
“Monster House” (2006; Netflix)
Macabre computer-animated fairy tale about a trio of suburban kids (voiced by Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner and Spencer Locke) who set out to investigate the haunted happenings of an eerie old house that comes to life to terrorize their neighborhood. The film is full of wildly imaginative visuals; director Gil Kenan taps into childhood fears, crafting a smart and scary thrill ride that, though darker in tone than most children’s fare and therefore inappropriate for very young tykes, is more fun than fright. Some scary images and sequences, minor earthy and suggestive humor and innuendo, theft, mildly crude 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.
Looking Ahead
Sunday, Sept. 1, 4-5:45 p.m. EDT (TCM) “Lassie Come Home” (1943). Before television, the faithful collie got her start in this story of a poor English family who has to sell its dog, Lassie. But the canny canine crosses the Scottish Highlands, despite the elements and all manner of hazards, to return to the little boy (Roddy McDowall) who loves her. Directed by Fred M. Wilcox, the movie’s charm holds up quite well as family entertainment, especially for youngsters enthralled by Lassie’s intelligence and perseverance. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-I — general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.
Tuesday, Sept. 3, 5-8 p.m. EDT (AMC) “We Are Marshall” (2006). Moving true-life story about the aftermath of a 1970 plane crash in West Virginia that killed 70 players, coaches and fans of a college football team, and how the grieving university town came to recover its spirit by the formation of a largely new team galvanized by the leadership of a new coach (a dynamic Matthew McConaughey), working in tandem with the Marshall University president (David Strathairn) and the assistant coach of the former team (Matthew Fox). Director McG’s film, though to some extent formulaic and predictable, is several notches above average, bolstered by solid performances including that of Ian McShane, and a script that mostly avoids cliche, with good messages about winning not being everything, accepting loss and healing from it, with a clear sense of this being a faith-based community. Several uses of the S-word as favored by the coach, a few other crass expressions and a discreetly handled plane crash. 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.
Wednesday, Sept. 4, 6:30-8 p.m. EDT (EWTN) “Mass for Servant of God, Father Vincent Capodanno.” Broadcast live from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, this Eucharistic liturgy honors Fr. Vincent Capodanno, killed while serving as a U.S. Navy chaplain in Vietnam. Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services is scheduled to serve as the main celebrant and homilist (TV-G – general audience).
Thursday, Sept. 5, 10-11 p.m. EDT (PBS) “Istanbul.” On this episode of the series “Ancient Invisible Cities,” Professor Darius Arya explores the city at the crossroads of Europe and Asia that was once the capital of the Christian Byzantine Empire.
Friday, Sept. 6, 8-10:15 p.m. EDT (TCM) “The Battle of Algiers” (1967). The 1954-58 Algerian struggle for independence from French rule is re-created in this French production directed by Gillo Pontecorvo. Sympathetic to the rebels, yet compromising neither the facts nor the personalities involved, the film’s documentary-like authenticity is achieved without resort to actual newsreel footage. It is a remarkable look at the process of revolutionary terror and counterterror that victimizes ordinary citizens on both sides. Subtitles. Stylized violence. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-II — adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.
Saturday, Sept. 7, 6:14-8 p.m. EDT (Cinemax) “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” (2014). Enjoyable espionage thriller in which a wounded Marine (Chris Pine) with a business-school background is recruited by a CIA operative (Kevin Costner) to join the agency as a financial analyst. But when he uncovers portentous investment manipulations by a sinister Russian oligarch (Kenneth Branagh), he’s compelled to cross the line from desk work to perilous field activity, an unsought career move that eventually endangers his live-in girlfriend (Keira Knightley) as well. In crafting this origin story for a character created by novelist Tom Clancy, Branagh, who also directed, provides mature viewers with a diverting adventure that gains moral credibility from its protagonist’s qualms about the use of fatal force. Russian Orthodox Christians may be less than pleased, however, to see the villains of the piece lighting candles in church and using a liturgical reading as the coded signal to put their evil scheme into action. Some harsh violence, much bloodless gunplay, images of gory combat wounds, premarital cohabitation, several instances of profanity, at least one use of the F-word, about a half-dozen crude terms. 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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