Home viewing roundup: What's available to stream and what's on horizon

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 Dec. 14, 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

“Kung Fu Panda” (2008; Netflix)

Winning animated fable about an out-of-shape, awkward bear (voice of Jack Black), the son of a humble noodle-maker (James Hong) in ancient China, whose martial arts dreams come true when he is identified by the inventor of kung fu (Randall Duk Kim) as the prophesied “Dragon Warrior” but who must then transform himself under the direction of a skeptical master (Dustin Hoffman) to combat a villainous snow leopard (Ian McShane) only he can defeat. Co-directors John Stevenson and Mark Osborne’s wholesome film, by turns amusing and spectacular, features impressive computer-generated special effects and promotes determination and self-confidence. Mild fantasy violence. 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 “Kung Fu Panda 2” (2011) and “Kung Fu Panda 3” (2016) are also streaming.)

“The Man in the Iron Mask” (1998; Amazon Prime)

Lavishly mounted adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ 1850 novel in which the imprisoned twin brother of King Louis XIV (Leonardo DiCaprio in a dual role) is rescued by the three aging Musketeers (Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich and Gerard Depardieu) while the fourth (Gabriel Byrne) opposes their plan to secretly replace the evil monarch with his identical twin. Director Randall Wallace’s historical drama has rousing scenes of derring-do, but is burdened by the king’s one-dimensional character and the story’s sentimentality. Occasional violence including a suicide, brief rear nudity, as well as sexual situations and references. 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.

“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011; Hulu)

This iteration of the successful screen franchise based on the science fiction of French novelist Pierre Boulle is a prequel set in modern-day San Francisco. James Franco plays a master geneticist who believes he’s found the cure for Alzheimer’s disease using primate test subjects. When the apes run amok, however, the project is canceled and the animals are put down. Yet one chimp survives, with ultimately disastrous consequences for mankind. While this is primarily a special effects-driven action film, as directed by Rupert Wyatt, it’s also a cautionary tale about human hubris and misguided science out to achieve a good end through morally unmoored means. As such, its real-life resonance is all too easy to recognize. Intense and bloody action violence, including animal attacks, gunplay and moments of terror, implied premarital sexual activity. 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. (The sequel “Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes” (2014) is also streaming.)

Looking Ahead

Sunday, Dec. 14, 7-9 p.m. EST (AMC) “The Polar Express” (2004). Visually captivating animated fantasy — in which Tom Hanks plays five separate roles — about a doubting young boy who is whisked away on Christmas Eve aboard a magic train bound for Santa’s village in the North Pole. Based on the children’s novel by Chris Van Allsburg, director Robert Zemeckis’ hauntingly beautiful fairy tale celebrates childlike wonder and — though secular in tone — imparts a profoundly faith-friendly message about the importance of believing in things that can’t be seen. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-I — general patronage. The Motion Picture Association rating was G — general audiences. All ages admitted.

Tuesday, Dec. 16, 8-10 p.m. EST (TCM) “Wuthering Heights” (1939). Classic romantic melodrama from the Emily Bronte novel about the doomed love between Cathy (Merle Oberon), a Yorkshire doctor’s daughter, and Heathcliff (Laurence Olivier), the downtrodden orphan who grows up with her, then runs away to make his fortune only to return to find Cathy wed to another (David Niven) and his riches meaningless without her. Directed by William Wyler, the well-crafted melodrama succeeds in evoking the fierce passion of Heathcliff’s tormented yearnings for his lost love which allow him no peace until their spirits are united after death. Physical and mental cruelties, romantic obsessions and a spite marriage. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-III — adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.

Friday, Dec. 19, 9:45-11:30 p.m. EST (TCM) “The Shop Around the Corner” (1940). Delightful romantic comedy set in a Budapest, Hungary, department store where two clerks (James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan) nurture a mutual dislike while each exchanges love letters with a lonely-heart’s pen pal until ultimately discovering they have been corresponding with each other. Director Ernst Lubitsch treats the workaday friction between the clerks with some wry humor while building sympathy for both, then brings them together in an emotionally satisfying conclusion that has charmed viewers ever since. Romantic complications. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-II — adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.

Saturday, Dec. 20, 8-10:45 p.m. EST (HBO) “One Battle After Another” (2025). Considerable acting and filmmaking talent is put to questionable use in this off-kilter action feature from writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson. An aging and drug-addled former revolutionary (Leonardo DiCaprio) finds his past catching up with him when, after a hiatus of a decade-and-a-half, the Army officer (Sean Penn) who succeeded in neutralizing his equally radical live-in girlfriend (Teyana Taylor) resumes the hunt for the activist, endangering the couple’s now teenage daughter (Chase Infiniti). The artistic flair and humor with which Anderson approaches his tale are blunted by the script’s distorted politics, which involve winking at violent left-wing extremism while grossly caricaturing the far-right conspirators with whom Penn’s character longs to hobnob. Although some gripping suspense as well as humane family values partly compensate for this imbalance, gritty sexual content raises yet another barrier for casual viewers. Skewed values, much stylized mayhem with brief gore, aberrant sexual behavior, narcotics use, several profanities, about a half-dozen milder oaths, pervasive rough and crude language, obscene gestures. 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, Dec. 20, 10-11:30 p.m. EST (EWTN) “The Catholic University of America’s Christmas Concert.” This annual concert features holiday favorites (TV-G — general audience).

Saturday, Dec. 20, 10:58 p.m.-1:10 a.m. EST (PBS) “The Bells of St. Mary’s” (1945). Director Leo McCarey’s sequel to “Going My Way” (1944) pulls out all the emotional stops in a sugary confection that takes happy-go-lucky Father O’Malley (Bing Crosby) to a poor parish with a crumbling school run by overworked Sister Benedict (Ingrid Bergman). Though their conflicting views on education have less to do with the plot than the chasm between their personalities, Bergman’s shining performance as the idealistic nun is still worth watching. Sentimental yet warm picture of Catholic life in an age of innocence. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-I — general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.

Home viewing roundup: What’s available to stream and what’s on horizon

Streaming Now

Looking Ahead

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