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 Nov. 3, 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
“IF” (2024; Amazon Prime)
Sweet but flawed fantasy about a young girl (Cailey Fleming) who, in the midst of the emotional crisis caused by the hospitalization of her widowed father (John Krasinski), discovers that she can see other children’s imaginary friends. She then sets out to help an irritable but kindhearted stranger (Ryan Reynolds) who shares her gift in his effort to find new partnerships for those among these varied creatures whose previous companions have outgrown and forgotten them. Krasinski, who also wrote and directed, sets out to celebrate the magic of childhood and does manage to marshal some endearing characters (especially those voiced by Steve Carell and Louis Gossett Jr.). Yet the effort to evoke a heartfelt response from the audience feels forced while an excess of exclamations invoking the deity taint an otherwise family-friendly script. Numerous mild oaths, brief scatological humor. 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.
“Selma” (2014; Netflix)
A crucial battle in the long struggle for African American equality is compellingly recreated in director Ava DuVernay fact-based drama. With the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act behind him, President Lyndon Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) is anxious to concentrate on promoting the economic measures of his Great Society program. But Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) is equally determined to secure long-overdue access to the ballot for minority voters in the South. With Alabama, under its implacably segregationist governor, George Wallace (Tim Roth), continuing to resist such reform, King agrees to lead a long protest march from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery. Screenwriter Paul Webb intersperses the inspiring rhetoric of the time with behind-the-scenes insights into heated debates over strategy among King and his associates, the constant threat of violence under which they were forced to live as well as the emotional burden placed on King’s wife Coretta (Carmen Ejogo) by her spouse’s numerous infidelities. Given its historical value, the film is possibly acceptable for mature adolescents. Some harsh violence, an adultery theme, about a half-dozen uses of profanity, a couple of rough terms, occasional 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.
“Under the Same Moon” (“La Misma Luna”) (2008; Hulu)
Touching story of a 9-year-old Mexican boy (Adrian Alonso) who, following the death of his grandmother and temporary guardian (Angelina Pelaez), pays two American siblings (America Ferrera and Jesse Garcia) to smuggle him across the border so that he can reunite with his mother (Kate del Castillo), an immigrant without legal papers. Along the way he forms an unlikely friendship with a tough, go-it-alone farm laborer (Eugenio Derbez). Director Patricia Riggen’s restrained feature debut movingly dramatizes a real-life plight affecting millions of children, with all three leads turning in luminous performances. Probably acceptable for older teens. In Spanish. Subtitles. Occasional crude, crass and profane language and a sexual reference. 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.
Looking Ahead
Sunday, Nov. 3, 1:30-3:30 p.m. EST (EWTN) “Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B Minor.” Philippe Herreweghe conducts the Amsterdam-based Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in this performance of Bach’s 1749 setting of the Mass. Part of the series “In Concert.”
Monday, Nov. 4, 8-10:45 p.m. EST (TCM) “A Woman Under the Influence” (1974). The woman of the title (Gena Rowlands) is a mother of three small children in the middle of a nervous breakdown while her husband (Peter Falk), a rough, callous but loving man, is totally unable to cope with the situation. Directed by John Cassavetes in his characteristic improvisational style, the result is full of the small realities and individual details that make up ordinary human experience but it is short on the sort of heightened drama one expects from a conventional movie narrative. 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.
Wednesday, Nov. 6, 8-9 p.m. EST (PBS) “San Diego: America’s Wildest City.” This episode of the series “Nature” explores the country’s most biodiverse urban landscape.
Thursday, Nov. 7, 8-10:30 p.m. EST (AMC) “Deepwater Horizon” (2016). Forceful but grim dramatization of events surrounding the 2010 disaster that destroyed the titular drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Drawing on a New York Times article by David Barstow, David Rohde and Stephanie Saul, screenwriters Matthew Michael Carnahan and Matthew Sand fix their focus on a quartet of principals: the vessel’s chief electronics technician (Mark Wahlberg), his worried wife back on shore (Kate Hudson), the craft’s respected crew commander (Kurt Russell) and the young officer (Gina Rodriguez) responsible for keeping the vast, free-floating structure in position. The tense opening scenes of director Peter Berg’s film find a visiting corporate executive (John Malkovich) pushing back against the safety concerns expressed by both Russell and Wahlberg’s characters, only to find himself caught up in one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history. Following the “blowout,” the race for survival against shooting flames, sudden explosions and deadly flying debris is fueled by self-sacrificing heroism and courage. It’s an admirable and well-crafted spectacle for grownups — with the background assets of a solid, positively portrayed marriage and some incidental religious elements. Still, it’s not an easy movie to watch. Pervasive, sometimes gory, disaster violence, a scene of nongraphic marital lovemaking, about a half-dozen uses of profanity, frequent crude and crass 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.
Saturday, Nov. 9, 8-9:40 p.m. EST (HBO) “Unstoppable” (2010). This gripping suspense tale charts the efforts of a veteran rail engineer (Denzel Washington) and a novice conductor (Chris Pine) to stop a runaway train before it derails on a twisting stretch of track running through a densely populated Pennsylvania town. Though opposed by a scheming railroad executive (Kevin Dunn), the pair are assisted by a competent but overwhelmed yardmaster (Rosario Dawson) and by a savvy federal official (Kevin Corrigan). Bolstered by adept performances and by the amusing asides in Mark Bomback’s script, director Tony Scott crafts a diverting entertainment solidly founded on its main characters’ heroic selflessness and incorporating themes supportive of marriage and family life. A few scenes of graphic injury, about a dozen uses of profanity, at least one instance of the F-word, frequent crude or crass 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.
Saturday, Nov. 9, 8-10:30 p.m. EST (TCM) “The Fisher King” (1991). Extravagant fantasy about a guilt-ridden former talk show host (Jeff Bridges) and his feisty live-in girlfriend (Mercedes Ruehl) who try to help a tragically widowed homeless man (Robin Williams) win over a new love (Amanda Plummer). Director Terry Gilliam’s exuberant dramatic comedy is a boldly imagined and beautifully cast fable of redemption that lurches out of control as it nears its sentimental wrap-up. Momentary gory violence, cohabitation, frequent rough language and fleeting, shadowy nudity. 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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