Home viewing roundup: What’s available to stream and what’s on the 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 Sept. 6, 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:

“Beauty Shop” (2005; Amazon Prime)

Amiable comedy about a widowed mother (Queen Latifah) working as a hairdresser who, after a falling-out with the shop’s flamboyant owner (scene-stealing Kevin Bacon), opens her own establishment in the ghetto and, thanks to her styling prowess and warmhearted people skills, overcomes myriad obstacles to succeed. Director Bille Woodruff’s engaging film is a perfect showcase for the likable Latifah, the eclectic ensemble cast (including Alfre Woodard, Alicia Silverstone, Djimon Hounsou and Andie MacDowell) makes for interesting watching, and despite some salty street language and salon sex chatter the movie imparts solid messages about loyalty, friendship and parenting. Some profanity, crude language, crass expressions, sexual innuendo, suggestive dancing. 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.

“M3GAN” (2023; Netflix)

Wickedly funny send-up of the devil doll subgenre of horror films begins in a somewhat somber mood as a career-focused, emotionally repressed electronic toy developer (Allison Williams) tentatively tries to become a caregiver to her recently orphaned 8-year-old niece (Violet McGraw). But when the researcher employs one of her latest creations, the highly advanced young-girl android of the title, as a friend, full-time babysitter and substitute parent for her new charge, the robot takes the responsibility of protecting the lass to fatal extremes. Those with a taste for sardonic wit will relish the mechanical observer’s deadpan take on human foibles and social trends. Yet, while the mayhem wreaked by her wayward bodyguarding is depicted with restraint, and the movie’s few serious moments showcase the need for familial unity, director Gerard Johnstone’s wild satire is too highly-spiced for kids. Intermittent violence with some gore, scatological gags, several instances each of profanity and milder swearing, at least one rough term, about a dozen 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.

“She’s the Man” (2006; Hulu)

Breezy if uneven modernizing of Shakespeare’s comedy of mistaken identities, “Twelfth Night,” about a teenage tomboy (Amanda Bynes) who poses as her twin brother (James Kirk), enrolls in his coed boarding prep school to play soccer, and winds up falling in love with his/her jock roommate (Channing Tatum), who has a crush on a pretty student (Laura Ramsey), who, in turn, is smitten with the new “guy,” leading to predictable romantic complications. Director Andy Fickman cleverly updates Shakespeare’s plot devices — mixed-up lovers, triangular attractions and gender-bending deception — to mostly good effect, and the film overcomes forced humor in large measure due to Bynes’ effervescence, though its occasionally crude comedy makes it best suited for older teens and up. Some sexual humor and innuendo, a bathroom brawl involving three girls, brief implied nudity, sports roughness and a few crass expressions, as well as an instance of profanity. 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.

Looking Ahead:

Wednesday, Sept. 9, 8-11 p.m. EDT (AMC) “Shooter” (2007). Satisfying conspiracy thriller that plays like a Tom Clancy “Rambo,” with Mark Wahlberg as an ex-Army sniper framed by government bigwig Danny Glover for an attempted presidential assassination that killed a foreign bishop instead. Director Antoine Fuqua, who knows his way around guns ‘n’ ammo, keeps the grimly photographed action brisk and believable and the plot twists mostly convincing. Much military violence with bloodshed, a scene of immolation by napalm, visuals of the aftermath of torture, partial nudity, some rough and crude 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.

Wednesday, Sept. 9, 9:30-11 p.m. EDT (EWTN) “St. Peter Claver: Slave of the Slaves.” Documentary recounting the life of the titular saint, who died in 1654, aged 74, and his 40-year-long ministry to the enslaved Africans of Cartagena in what is now Colombia (TV-PG — parental guidance suggested).

Wednesday, Sept. 9, 10-11:30 p.m. EDT (TCM) “You Never Can Tell” (1951). Daffy offbeat comedy in which a dog, poisoned after inheriting a fortune, is sent back from “beastatory” in human form as a private investigator (Dick Powell) to find his poisoner (Charles Drake). Director Lou Breslow treats the fantasy premise in leaden fashion, though this doesn’t impede the dizzy humor with the private eye’s penchant for snacking on dog biscuits while his fellow “manimal” (Joyce Holden), a former horse, outraces automobiles on occasion. Those in the mood for silliness will not be disappointed. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-I — general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.

Thursday, Sept. 10, 8-11:30 p.m. EDT (TCM) “Spartacus” (1960). While two corrupt politicians (Laurence Olivier and Charles Laughton) vie for power in Rome, the enslaved title gladiator (Kirk Douglas) escapes his owner (Peter Ustinov) to lead a great slave revolt that shakes the ancient world. Directed by Stanley Kubrick from Howard Fast’s novel, the result is an epic spectacle that recreates the first century B.C. with flair and vigor, though the personal drama seldom measures up to the historical significance of the period’s events. Vivid gladiatorial combat, battlefield violence and veiled sexual innuendo. 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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Friday, Sept. 11, 9-10 p.m. EDT (PBS) (check local listings) “Man in Red Bandana.” Filmmaker Matthew J. Weiss’ documentary profiles Welles Remy Crowther, a 24-year-old office worker in the World Trade Center who saved at least 10 people’s lives on Sept. 11 before perishing himself. Narrated by Gwyneth Paltrow.

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

Streaming Now:

Looking Ahead:

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