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 Jan. 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
“Gravity” (2013; Netflix)
This thrilling lost-in-space adventure — directed by Alfonso Cuaron, who co-wrote the screenplay with his son Jonas — offers up dazzling cinematography and top-notch performances. High above Earth, a Russian missile launched against a spy satellite causes a chain reaction, destroying the Space Shuttle and marooning its only surviving crewmates (Sandra Bullock and George Clooney). What ensues is “E.T.” in reverse, as our plucky humans — who were at work repairing the Hubble Space Telescope when disaster struck — search for a way to go home. Amid the mayhem, the film has another, deeper story to tell, as the nearness of death provokes reflections on mortality and the afterlife. These meditations are used as stepping stones toward a resolution that viewers of faith will find both satisfying and refreshingly pro-life. Possibly acceptable for mature adolescents. Scenes of intense peril and horror, brief gore, at least one use of profanity, a few crude expressions. 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 King of Comedy” (1983; Hulu)
Robert De Niro plays an aspiring standup comedian who kidnaps a famous talk show host (Jerry Lewis) in order to obtain an appearance on his show. Director Martin Scorsese transforms an act of desperation into a black comedy in an offbeat and menacing study of a social misfit. Attempted seduction scene is done with restraint. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
“Superman” (1978; Amazon Prime)
Reaching Earth from the dying planet Krypton, the comic-strip Man of Steel (Christopher Reeve) becomes a reporter in Metropolis, where he works with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) and encounters master criminal Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) and his cronies (Ned Beatty and Valerie Perrine). Director Richard Donner’s fun-filled fantasy adventure has some pyrotechnics that may be too intense for the very young. 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. (The sequels “Superman II” (1981), “Superman III” (1983) and “Superman IV: The Quest For Peace” (1987) are also streaming.)
Looking Ahead
Sunday, Jan. 14, 9-11 p.m. EST (ABC) “The Lion King” (1994). Animated tale of an African lion cub (voice of Jonathan Taylor Thomas) who, led to believe he caused the death of his father the king (voice of James Earl Jones), runs away in shame, enabling his evil uncle (voice of Jeremy Irons) to assume the throne until he returns as a full-grown lion (voice of Matthew Broderick) to discover the truth and reclaim the kingdom. Directors Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff combine stunning animation with deft comic touches and stirring musical numbers for an evocative allegorical story of a youngster coming of age and learning to assume responsibility as an adult leader. Some intense moments. 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.
Monday, Jan. 15, 10-11:30 p.m. EST (PBS) “Brief Tender Light.” Filmmaker Arthur Musah’s documentary profiles four African students attending his alma mater, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and striving to become agents of change at home. A “P.O.V.” presentation (TV-14 – parents strongly cautioned).
Wednesday, Jan. 17, 8-9 p.m. EST (EWTN) “EWTN Live.” On this edition of the weekly program, series host Jesuit Father Mitch Pacwa talks with Professor Paul Kengor, Director of the Institute for Faith and Freedom (TV-G – general audience).
Wednesday, Jan. 17, 8-9 p.m. EST (PBS) “Big Little Journeys: Survival.” This episode of the series “Nature” follows a Taiwanese pangolin and a Brazilian lion tamarin family as they travel to a strange new world (TV-14 – parents strongly cautioned).
Thursday, Jan. 18, 5:10-7:15 p.m. EST (Showtime) “Love and Basketball” (2000). Notable romantic sports drama spans 15 years in the life of a talented female basketball player (Sanaa Lathan) whose passion for the game is matched only by her love for her childhood adversary and sweetheart (Omar Epps), also a gifted player. But complications ensue when she must choose between the two. Deftly directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, the film’s foreseeable ending and slightly pat script are balanced by a natural weaving of the sport into the narrative and pleasing performances. An intense sexual encounter, an instance of rough language, some vulgar expressions. 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.
Friday, Jan. 19, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. EST (EWTN) “March for Life.” Live and complete coverage of the most important pro-life event of the year: the annual March For Life in Washington, D.C. (TV-G – general audience).
Saturday, Jan. 20, 8-9:47 p.m. EST (Cinemax) “Paranoia” (2013). Fundamentally moral but dramatically stale thriller about a professionally thwarted computer whiz kid (Liam Hemsworth) whose envy-driven ambition gets him caught up in the cutthroat rivalry between two former partners (Gary Oldman and Harrison Ford) who now head competing tech corporations. Sent by one to steal the game-changing product the other is about to launch, he falls for an executive (Amber Heard) of the company he’s infiltrating while ignoring the sensible guidance of his working-class father (Richard Dreyfuss). Though the twisting path of the plot feels well-rutted, the main character’s journey to redemption in director Robert Luketic’s screen version of Joseph Finder’s novel sees him ultimately rejecting ethical nihilism in favor of old-fashioned standards of right and wrong. Some action violence, semi-graphic premarital sexual activity, an off-screen casual encounter, numerous sexual jokes and references, a couple of uses of profanity, at least one rough term, occasional 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, Jan. 20, 8-10 p.m. EST (HBO) “Robocop” (2014). Man and machine merge — for the fourth time — in this addition to the science-fiction franchise, directed by Jose Padilha. His remake serves up some of the mindless mayhem and gratuitous violence of the 1987 original, but throws in some timely messages about greed, corruption and the dangers of playing God. In the year 2028, a Detroit cop (Joel Kinnaman) becomes a pawn in a wicked conglomerate’s attempt to convince the American people that the future of crime control lies in their manufacture of a new human-mechanical hybrid. The company’s CEO (Michael Keaton) and its lead scientist (Gary Oldman) soon learn that their creation has a mind of his own — and an agenda not necessarily to their liking. Intense action violence, including gunplay, some profane and rough 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.
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