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 Aug. 17, 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
“Despicable Me” (2010; Netflix)
This enchanting animated comedy about a slightly wicked but ultimately softhearted rogue (voice of Steve Carell) follows his rivalry with a nerdy newcomer (voice of Jason Segel) for the title of world’s most terrible villain — during which they compete to steal the moon, no less — and charts the life-altering effect a trio of orphans (voices of Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier and Elsie Fisher) have on him after he takes them under his wing, initially for his own nefarious purposes. Co-directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin, who also provide voice work for the main miscreant’s army of comically mumbling undersized minions, serve up a delightfully humorous conversion tale spun around themes of loyalty and the transformative power of family love with only a few effects that might scare the most timid and a touch of mild bathroom humor to raise concern among some parents. The OSV News classification is A-I — general patronage. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children. (The sequels “Despicable Me 2” (2013) and “Despicable Me 4” (2024) are also streaming).
“The Devil Wears Prada” (2006; Hulu)
Entertaining comedy-drama about an aspiring writer (Anne Hathaway) who takes a job as junior assistant to an imperious editor (a delicious Meryl Streep) at a high-powered fashion magazine, while her friends, including her boyfriend (Adrian Grenier) chide her for losing sight of her real values as she gets caught up in the competitive environment. Director David Frankel’s handsomely photographed adaptation of Lauren Weisberger’s 2003 best-seller is a fast-moving morality tale with a simple but commendable message about staying true to your ideals and not selling out, with good performances all around, including those of Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci. Admirably light on objectionable content. A couple of implied premarital situations (but no sex scenes), some crass expressions, brief profanity and innuendo, and a couple of uses of the S-word, making this inappropriate for younger teens. The OSV News classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (2024; Amazon Prime)
Spectacle outpaces substance in director Wes Ball’s sci-fi action adventure, the latest installment in a series that stretches back to a 1968 screen version of French author Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel. Generations after the action of this film’s immediate predecessor, 2017’s “War for the Planet of the Apes,” the legacy of that movie’s peaceable hero is under threat from his self-declared heir, a power-hungry bonobo monarch (Kevin Durand). Eventually teaming up to oppose this villain are a formerly sheltered chimpanzee (Owen Teague) whose father was killed and whose clan was enslaved by the ruler’s forces, a human lass (Freya Allan) who’s out to stop the bad guys from getting hold of some old but powerful technology and a sagacious orangutan (Peter Macon) who abides by the long-ago leader’s genuine teachings about unity and tolerance. Though the values promoted in Josh Friedman’s script are on target and it’s easy to root for the youthful protagonist and his allies, the pace is slow and there’s a lumbering feel to the proceedings. Probably acceptable for older adolescents. Much stylized combat violence, fleeting 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.
Looking Ahead
Sunday, Aug. 17, 7-9 p.m. EDT (EWTN) “Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Assumption.” Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, celebrates the Divine Liturgy at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church in Centralia, Pennsylvania. Part of the occasional series “Cathedrals Across America” (TV-G — general audience).
Sunday, Aug. 17, 8:33-11 p.m. EDT (ABC) “Sister Act” (1992). Having witnessed a mob rubout, a Reno lounge singer (Whoopi Goldberg) hides out in a cloistered San Francisco convent disguised as a nun and horrifies the mother superior (Maggie Smith) by turning their choir into a local sensation and getting the nuns involved in their neighborhood. Director Emile Ardolino parlays Goldberg’s sassiness into a lively comedy that treats nuns both as comic figures and spirited, caring individuals with a positive lifestyle. References to an extramarital affair and brief comic violence. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
Monday, Aug. 18, 5-8 p.m. EDT (AMC) “A Few Good Men” (1992). Insecure but glib Navy lawyer (Tom Cruise), goaded by a strong-willed Internal Affairs attorney (Demi Moore), takes on the politically sensitive murder trial of two Marines (James Marshall and Wolfgang Bodison) who are being used as scapegoats by their commanding officer (Jack Nicholson). Director Rob Reiner’s tautly constructed courtroom drama bristles with intense performances while tackling prickly issues of honor, responsibility and personal integrity. An off-screen suicide, a blatantly sexist remark and intermittent 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.
Monday, Aug. 18, 8-10 p.m. EDT (TCM) “Here Comes Mr. Jordan” (1941). Whimsical fantasy in which a saxophone-playing prizefighter (Robert Montgomery) is saved just before dying in a plane crash by an overeager novice angel (Edward Everett Horton) and then has to find a new body in which to live his allotted span. Directed by Alexander Hall, the quest for a suitable replacement may not be very logical but is lots of fun, thanks chiefly to its comic twists, otherworldly special effects and a fine cast, including James Gleason as an incredulous boxing manager and Claude Rains in the title role as the head angel. Not for literal-minded youngsters. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-II — adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.
Thursday, Aug. 21, 10 p.m.-midnight EDT (TCM) “Hud” (1963). Powerful drama pits a hard-working Texas rancher (Melvyn Douglas) against his cynical no-good son (Paul Newman) who, while scheming to take the ranch from his aging father, amuses himself by making a play for the old man’s housekeeper (Patricia Neal) and trying to corrupt his young nephew (Brandon deWilde). Directed by Martin Ritt, the picture’s sympathies are with the old man and his high moral standards. But Newman’s swaggering, devil-may-care performance turns the title character into an attractive anti-hero which goes against the story’s grain and adds ambiguity to the result. Stylized violence, including attempted rape, and a noxious central character. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-III — adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.
Friday, Aug. 22, 9-11 p.m. EDT (PBS) “Islam’s Greatest Stories of Love.” Documentary in which,
devastated by her father’s sudden death, a young woman seeks solace in five timeless stories of love and loss from the Islamic tradition.
Saturday, Aug. 23, 8-10:05 p.m. EDT (HBO) “Alien: Covenant” (2017). Competently shocking addition to the long-standing sci-fi horror franchise that dates back to 1979’s “Alien.” After a spacecraft on its way to colonize a distant planet is damaged in an incident that also kills several crew members, including the captain (James Franco), the vessel’s new commander (Billy Crudup) decides to divert to a closer world which seems equally suitable for settlement. But the landing party (Katherine Waterston and Carmen Ejogo, among others) soon discovers that welcoming appearances can be deceptive. As director Ridley Scott, who originated the series, unleashes his trademark eat-’em-up-from-the-inside extraterrestrials, the plot eventually turns on a duel between two androids (both played by Michael Fassbender). Grown viewers with a strong tolerance for gore will note an undeveloped theme regarding the religious motivations of Crudup’s character, as well as the virtual disappearance of some gay material tipped in pre-release publicity. Intervals of gruesome bloody violence, brief graphic marital lovemaking, a same-sex kiss, about a half-dozen uses each of profanity and milder swearing, pervasive rough and some crude language. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association rating was R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Saturday, Aug. 23, 9:54-11:40 p.m. EDT (Cinemax) “Trap” (2024). A suburban family man who is also a brutal serial killer (Josh Hartnett) brings his teen daughter (Ariel Donoghue) to a concert by her favorite pop star (Saleka Night Shyamalan) only to discover that the authorities (led by profiler Hayley Mills) had a clue indicating he would be there and now have him completely surrounded. Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller, which also features Alison Pill as the murderer’s wife, is an odd mix of interesting plot twists and yawning improbabilities. But the action is restrained, objectionable elements are few and, to the extent that any message is conveyed, it’s that decent people can be almost as resourceful as a homicidal maniac. Probably acceptable for older teens. Mature themes, brief harsh violence, a few gory images, a couple of instances each of profanity and crass talk, numerous milder oaths, a single rough term. 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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