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 May 4, 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
“Conclave” (2024; Amazon Prime)
Ecclesiastical melodrama centers on the dean (Ralph Fiennes) of the college of cardinals who, in the wake of the sudden death of a fictional pope, organizes the gathering of the title. The leading candidates for the papacy include a down-to-earth liberal (Stanley Tucci), a flamboyant conservative (Sergio Castellitto) and a supposedly reactionary African (Lucian Msamati). But complications are caused by rumors of shady behavior on the part of another frontrunner (John Lithgow) as well as by the unexpected presence of a mysterious prelate (Carlos Diehz) whose appointment to the cardinalate the late pontiff had kept a secret. Rival viewpoints within the church are caricatured with a broad brush in director Edward Berger’s visually engaging adaptation of Robert Harris’ 2016 novel, and the deck is predictably stacked in favor of those who advocate change. As scripted by Peter Straughan, the film gets canon law wrong, implicitly slanders Benedict XVI and traffics in sordid secrets of varying plausibility in the lead-up to a climactic revelation that many will find offensively exploitative, others merely loopy. Elevates the pieties of the current zeitgeist over eternal truths in a way that warrants viewer caution. Murky moral values, plot developments requiring mature discernment, a couple of mild oaths. The OSV News classification is L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
“Rooster Cogburn” (1975; Netflix)
Two Hollywood institutions, John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn, spoof one another’s on-screen and off-screen images in a Western set against some beautifully photographed Oregon locales. Directed by Stuart Millar, it’s a self-indulgent exercise but, for all that, many will still find its stars most engaging performers, though youngsters likely will find it pretty tame fare. 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.
“Rushmore” (1998; Hulu)
Offbeat comedy about a hyperactive 15-year-old (Jason Schwartzman) whose crush on a widowed schoolteacher (Olivia Williams) leads him to extremes in trying to stop his closest friend, a married millionaire (Bill Murray), from romancing her. Directed by Wes Anderson, the bittersweet tale of teenage angst is helped by performances which aptly blend humor with pathos as the youth learns about rejection and forgiveness. Brief violence, an implied affair, a few crass sexual references and a flash of nude pin-ups, a scene of underage drinking, occasional rough language and minimal profanity. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Looking Ahead
Sunday, May 4, 3:30-6:30 p.m. EDT (AMC) “Independence Day” (1996). Compelling sci-fi thriller in which huge alien spaceships level three American cities before the president (Bill Pullman), a computer whiz (Jeff Goldblum) and a Marine pilot (Will Smith) mount a last-ditch effort to disable the spacecraft’s impenetrable shields. Director Roland Emmerich’s patriotic-themed disaster flick is powered by an action-packed story, spectacular special effects and sympathetic characters who provide some human dimension to the proceedings. Intense depiction of massive destruction but little gore, brief sexual innuendo and minimal 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.
Tuesday, May 6, 8-10:15 p.m. EDT (TCM) “The Big Trail” (1930). Colorful Western adventure in which a seasoned mountain man (John Wayne) tracks those who killed his friend to a wagon train, then serves as scout guiding the settlers across the wilderness while getting the goods on the killers. Directed by Raoul Walsh, the melodramatic plot fairly creaks today, though the picture still holds interest for its visual spectacle of a pioneer wagon train overcoming swollen rivers, rugged mountains and desert wastes on the journey from Missouri to Oregon. Frontier violence. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-I — general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.
Wednesday, May 7, 6-8 p.m. EDT (TCM) “Freedom on My Mind” (1994). Compelling documentary recalls the civil rights struggle in the early 1960s to register black voters in the segregated state of Mississippi. Produced and directed by Connie Field and Marilyn Mulford, the tautly edited archival footage, intercut with frank commentary by those who were actively involved in the movement, provides a chilling portrait of institutionalized racism as well as heartening testimony to the power of committed individuals to effect change. Scenes of racial violence. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-II — adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.
Wednesday, May 7, 8-9 p.m. EDT (EWTN) “EWTN Live.” On this episode of the weekly program, series host Jesuit Father Mitch Pacwa talks with St. Clare Sister Briege McKenna who has ministered to priests for decades (TV-G — general audience).
Thursday, May 8, 8-9:30 p.m. EDT (PBS) “Fascism in Europe.” On this edition of the series “Rick Steves’ Europe,” the well-known travel writer explores the rise and fall of Fascism on the titular continent.
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