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 Feb. 15, 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
“The Hate U Give” (2018; Hulu)
Real-life issues of racial justice are explored in this compelling drama, adapted from Angie Thomas’ novel for young adults by screenwriter Audrey Wells and director George Tillman Jr. An African American teen (Amandla Stenberg) divides her time between her mostly black working-class neighborhood and the predominantly white private school she attends, adjusting her personality and behavior to suit each environment. But her uneasy equilibrium is thrown off balance when she witnesses the shooting of a childhood friend (Algee Smith) by a white police officer (Drew Starkey), an event that affects her relationship with one of her two best pals (Sabrina Carpenter) and with her boyfriend (K.J. Apa), both of them white. As an activist (Issa Rae) urges her to go public, a move that would put her at odds with the local drug kingpin (Anthony Mackie), for whom the dead lad was working, she looks to her wise parents (Russell Hornsby and Regina Hall) for guidance. Although passionate in tone, the film maintains credibility by its evenhandedness and ultimately points toward a solution to the problems it portrays that viewers committed to Gospel morality will easily endorse. Brief graphic violence with some gore, nonlethal clashes, a narcotics theme, a scene of urination, numerous mild oaths, at least one use of the F-word, pervasive 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.
“Lee Daniels’ The Butler” (2013; Netflix)
The personal collides with the political in this affecting fact-based drama adapted by director Lee Daniels from a 2008 Washington Post article by reporter Wil Haygood. Escaping the vicious racism of the early 20th-century Deep South, a plantation worker (Forest Whitaker) makes his way to Washington, where he eventually finds coveted employment on the domestic staff of the White House. But his patient hope that white Americans — led by the series of presidents he works with at close hand, from Dwight D. Eisenhower (Robin Williams) to Ronald Reagan (Alan Rickman) — will see the light on racial issues increasingly conflicts with the civil rights activism of his older son (David Oyelowo). And the long hours he puts in at the executive mansion leave his strong-willed but fragile wife (Oprah Winfrey) feeling neglected. Appealing performances, especially Winfrey’s complex portrayal, and a surprisingly nuanced view of the various chief executives — an irretrievably self-absorbed Richard Nixon (John Cusack) alone excepted — keep the unfolding events from feeling like a chronological checklist of postwar history. While vulgar language and other red-flag content would normally prevent recommendation for any but grown-ups, the moral significance of this uplifting journey — undertaken within a context of implicit religious faith and strong marital commitment — is such that at least some parents may consider it acceptable for older teens. Occasional action violence, an adultery theme, numerous mature references, a half-dozen uses of profanity, a couple of rough terms, some 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.
“Play Misty for Me” (1971; Amazon Prime)
Slick disc jockey (Clint Eastwood) has a near-tragic romantic involvement with one of his fans, a severely disturbed woman (Jessica Walter) who is given to very dangerous fits of jealousy. Also directed by Eastwood, his performance is less wooden than usual though still lethargic, and it is up to Walter to supply the spark, here of manic menace. Gripping but flawed psychodrama lacks any sense of the moral implications of the situation. Violence and gore with brief nudity. The OSV News classification is L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Looking Ahead
Tuesday, Feb. 17, 8-11:15 p.m. EST (AMC) “The Martian” (2015). Compelling sci-fi epic in which the crew of a NASA mission to Mars (led by Jessica Chastain) is forced to evacuate the planet on short notice due to the sudden arrival of a windstorm that threatens to destroy their rocket. As they scramble to depart, their botanist (Matt Damon) is struck by debris and swept away in the tempest, leaving his colleagues with no time to mount a rescue attempt. Though officially declared dead by the agency’s chief (Jeff Daniels), the astronaut is in fact still alive. Yet, with limited supplies of food and water and no means of communicating with Earth, his chances for long-term survival are bleak. Director Ridley Scott’s screen version of Andy Weir’s novel uses its protagonist’s plight to examine fundamental aspects of the human spirit: courage and ingenuity, the fear of isolation and the yearning for solidarity. Though screenwriter Drew Goddard’s script touches on religion only in passing, its references to faith are all the more eloquent for being apparently casual and all the more pointed because of a science-celebrating context in which such affirmations might mistakenly be thought to be out of place. Possibly acceptable for older teens. Some medical gore, a flash of rear nudity, scatological and other mature 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.
Wednesday, Feb. 18, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. EST (EWTN) “Holy Mass With the Blessing and Imposition of Ashes.” Cardinal Angelo De Donatis presides over the opening of the Lenten season in Rome (TV-G — general audience).
Wednesday, Feb. 18, 5:30-8 p.m. EST (TCM) “The Boy Friend” (1972). British spoof of 1930s Hollywood backstage musicals with Twiggy as the understudy who becomes the star. Writer-producer-director Ken Russell turns Sandy Wilson’s romantic musical set in the 1920s into an extravaganza of Busby Berkeley-like production numbers done on a lavish scale. Old-fashioned escapist fare, though a bit overlong for the small fry. 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.
Thursday, Feb. 19, 8-10:45 p.m. EST (TCM) “Papillon” (1973). Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman star in this generally entertaining drama of one man’s daring attempts to escape from Devil’s Island, an inhumane penal system designed to break both body and spirit. Director Franklin Schaffner neatly balances adventure and spectacle with a vivid depiction of the horrors of prison life. Viewers may not appreciate some of the brutality and references to masturbation and homosexuality, yet such scenes are necessary to the factual description of the convict’s world and are in no way sensationalized. 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.
Read More Movie & TV Reviews
Copyright © 2026 OSV News
