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 Oct. 4, 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:
“For Love of the Game” (1999; Amazon Prime)
While on the mound at the close of the baseball season, an aging pitcher (Kevin Costner) confronts not only the batters but himself as he ponders his future with the club, his passion to excel in the sport which has consumed his life and the loss of the woman he loves (Kelly Preston) because she feels he doesn’t need her. Directed by Sam Raimi, the pitcher’s thoughts are shown in flashbacks that mirror the mounting tension in the stadium as batter after batter is retired along the way to a possible perfect game, with equally satisfying results for both baseball fans and romantics. An implicit sexual affair, angry outbursts, some coarse language, occasional profanity. 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.
“Heretic” (2024; Hulu)
Unusually intelligent horror film in which two Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) visit the remote home of a British-bred recluse (convincingly twitchy Hugh Grant) who has requested information about their church. Only belatedly does the duo discover that their host already has a very decided view of religion and is determined to make his point about it in a thoroughly unnerving way. Edgy and intellectually trenchant, co-writers and directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ chiller initially favors the flow of dialogue over the spilling of blood. Yet, as the proceedings reach a climax, nasty mayhem comes to the fore, further restricting the appropriate audience for a film whose treatment of theology also requires well-catechized discernment. Relatively brief but intense gory violence, disturbing images, an ambiguous approach to faith, mature references, including to contraception and masturbation, a couple of mild oaths, at least one crass expression. 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.
“17 Again” (2009; Netflix)
Pleasant, though unremarkable romantic comedy about a dissatisfied middle-aged man (Matthew Perry) who gets his wish to be a high-school student (Zac Efron) again and, with the help of his lifelong best friend (Thomas Lennon), uses the opportunity to guide his teenage son (Sterling Knight) and daughter (Michelle Trachtenberg) and to revive his failing relationship with his wife (Leslie Mann). Director Burr Steers’ formulaic star vehicle sees its protagonist standing up for the underdog and promoting sexual restraint but thematic elements make it best for mature teens and up. Premarital sexual situations, some sexual humor and references, about a dozen crass terms, at least one use of profanity. 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, Oct. 4, 8:02-11 p.m. EDT (ABC) “Cruella” (2021). Live-action origin story for the villain of Dodie Smith’s 1956 children’s novel, first seen on screen in the 1961 animated adaptation “101 Dalmatians.” Originally called Estella (Emma Stone), she dreams of conquering 1970s London as a fashion designer and is thrilled to be taken under the wing of the ruthless reigning queen of the rag trade (Emma Thompson). But developments involving an heirloom and a family tragedy lead her to assume the titular persona and work secretly to bring on her mentor’s downfall, aided by her two long-standing best friends (Joel Fry and Paul Walter Hauser). While director Craig Gillespie’s glossy romp offers Stone and Thompson the chance to camp it up, as scripted by Dana Fox and Tony McNamara, the film never finds its moral footing since the screenwriters seem to want to let their ethically schizophrenic protagonist go over to the dark side yet keep her sympathetic. A frivolous treatment of theft and revenge as well as the presence of a transvestite character (John McCrea) make the proceedings even less appropriate for impressionable viewers. Skewed values, including a benign view of homosexuality and cross-dressing, a vengeance theme, some stylized violence, a couple of mild oaths. 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.
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 9-10:30 p.m. EDT (PBS) “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez.” Filmmaker David Alvarado’s documentary profiles the playwright and director of the title, known for both the stage and screen versions of his work “Zoot Suit” and for his 1987 biopic of musician Ritchie Valens, “La Bamba.” Part of the series “American Masters.”
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 8-10 p.m. EDT (TCM) “Matinee” (1993). Nostalgic period comedy set in Key West during the Cuban missile crisis as a horror movie director (John Goodman) tries out his gimmick-laden monster movie on an audience of kids already jumpy about a possible nuclear attack on the area. Joe Dante directs a flighty and fitfully funny look back at the era of radiation-mutation movies and backyard fallout shelters. Brief menace to children and comic treatment of monster movie violence. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
Friday, Oct. 9, 4-5:15 p.m. EDT (EWTN) “Holy Mass on the Feast of St. John Henry Newman.” This Eucharistic liturgy is broadcast live from the Basilica of Our Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk, England (TV-G — general audience).
Saturday, Oct. 10, 7:22-8:58 p.m. EDT (Cinemax) “A History of Violence” (2005). Intensely suspenseful thriller about an upright family man (Viggo Mortensen) who becomes a local hero after he successfully thwarts a pair of vicious killers’ holdup of his diner, but he then becomes the target of a threatening underworld kingpin (Ed Harris). Director David Cronenberg’s masterfully crafted film, based on a graphic novel, has overtones of those classic Westerns in which the peaceable hero is forced to resort to violence against implacable evil and features first-rate performances (including William Hurt and Ashton Holmes). Yet, despite a redemptive ending, the violence quotient won’t be to every taste. Much profanity, rough and crude language, violence with gore, including several murders, two graphic husband-wife sexual encounters, one quite brutal, drug use, full frontal female and rear male nudity. 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, Oct. 10, 8-10 p.m. EDT (AMC) “Tremors” (1990). When some huge, reptilian monsters suddenly begin gobbling up the locals in and around a desolate Nevada desert town, two losers (Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward) helm a monster-bashing survival team. Director Ron Underwood splatters a lot of comic-book gore in this send-up of 1950s sci-fi flicks which might have been innocuous fun if it hadn’t also been strewn with so much locker-room 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, Oct. 10, 10 p.m.-midnight EDT (TCM) “Babette’s Feast” (1987). Screen version of a story by Isak Dinesen, set in a rugged Danish fishing village in 1871, shows the impact of a French housekeeper (Stephane Audran) on two pious sisters who carry on their late father’s work as pastor of a dwindling religious flock. The conclusion follows the preparation and consumption of an exquisite French meal, with focus on its sensual and religious implications and its healing effect on the austere sect and the Frenchwoman who prepares it. Danish director Gabriel Axel’s low-key and understated work is rich with detail and fine, controlled performances. Subtitles. Cerebral treatment. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association rating was G — general audiences. All ages admitted.
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