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 Nov. 8, 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:

“Psycho” (1960; Netflix)

Classic thriller from the Robert Bloch story in which a private detective (Martin Balsam) tracks a missing person (Janet Leigh) to a lonely, back-roads motel whose affable but high-strung manager (Anthony Perkins) seems strangely preoccupied with the demands of his invalid mother in the eerie Victorian house atop a nearby hill. Director Alfred Hitchcock starts the proceedings with an impulsive theft, then smoothly switching gears, turns the ordinary into a scary, sinister nightmare with a compulsive murderer on the loose at the motel. Strong adult fare with much suspense, brief but shocking violence, most notably in the motel shower scene, and some sexual references. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association. (The sequels “Psycho II” (1983) and “Psycho III” (1986) as well as the eponymous 1998 re-make are also streaming.)

“Thief” (1981; Amazon Prime)

After a long prison term, a skilled safecracker (James Caan) wants to pull a couple of big jobs and retire on the proceeds but, when he deals with a mob leader (Robert Prosky), he discovers too late that there is no way out of mob connections. Written and directed by Michael Mann, the emotional depth in Caan’s characterization places it far above the usual standard of crime movies, though the story may be too grim for some tastes. A lot of tension, some violence and rough language. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

“The Hunger Games” (2012; Hulu)

Dystopian adventure tracking two teens (Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson) as they participate in the titular event, a televised survival tournament in which youthful combatants from oppressed outlying districts are forced to battle one another until only one remains alive, for the entertainment of their society’s decadent urban elite. Director and co-writer Gary Ross’ screen version of the first volume in Suzanne Collins’ best-selling trilogy of novels is an effective combination of epic spectacle and emotional drama during which humane values are pitted against Darwinian moral chaos. But sensibilities are not spared in the portrayal of the grim contest, so parents need to weigh carefully whether to allow targeted teens to watch. Possibly acceptable for mature adolescents. Considerable, sometimes gory, hand-to-hand and weapons violence and graphic images of bloody wounds. 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 four other films in the franchise are also streaming.)

Looking Ahead:

Sunday, Nov. 8, 10:15 a.m.-1 p.m. EST (AMC) “The Replacements” (2000). Surprisingly winsome comedy about a football team of assorted alternate players (including Keanu Reeves) put together during an NFL players’ strike by a veteran coach (Gene Hackman) plucked from retirement. As formulaic as it is funny, director Howard Deutch’s briskly paced film remains appealing despite a predictable storyline, timeworn cliches and stereotypical characters. Some sexually suggestive gestures, brief violence and an instance of rough language with recurring crass terms and profanity. 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.

Sunday, Nov. 8, 1:45-4 p.m. EST (TCM) “The Bad and the Beautiful” (1952). Gritty Hollywood melodrama about the rise and fall of a ruthless producer (Kirk Douglas) as told in flashback by the director (Barry Sullivan) he exploited to get his start, an actress (Lana Turner) he pretended to love and a screenwriter (Dick Powell) who blames him for the death of his wife (Gloria Grahame). Directed by Vincente Minnelli, the episodic story has a number of credible scenes about the business and craft of moviemaking, but the troubled characters never emerge as anything more than familiar stereotypes. Sexual situations and ambiguous treatment of Hollywood ethics. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-III — adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.

Sunday, Nov. 8, 9:03-11 p.m. EST (ABC) “Beauty and the Beast” (1991). Enchanting animated fairy tale of a young maiden who rescues her father from a ferocious beast only to fall in love with the creature’s gentler qualities. Computer graphics enhance classic Disney animation for eye-pleasing visuals enlivened by rousing musical numbers and delightful characterizations from directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale. Brief scary scenes. 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, Nov. 9, 3:30-5 a.m. EST (EWTN) “Holy Mass.” Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to preside at this Eucharistic liturgy marking the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Rome’s cathedral. The Mass will re-air 3:30-5 p.m. EST (TV-G — general audience).

Wednesday, Nov. 11, 10-11 p.m. EST (PBS) “Finding America’s Fallen.” This episode of the series “Secrets of the Dead” follows archeological excavations being carried out at the site of the 1780 Battle of Camden in South Carolina, between British forces and the Continental Army.

Saturday, Nov. 14, 8-10:15 p.m. EST (TCM) “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” (1948). A trio of down-on-their-luck Americans in Mexico (Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston and Tim Holt) pool their stakes to prospect for gold in the mountainous backcountry, stumble upon a rich vein of ore and then face dissension over dividing their sudden wealth and getting it past a local band of murderous cutthroats. Director John Huston’s suspenseful adventure tale features standout performances by his father Walter as a happy-go-lucky veteran prospector and Bogart as a penny-ante drifter driven over the edge by greed. Some intense menace. The OSV News classification of the theatrical version was A-II — adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.

Saturday, Nov. 14, 9:36 p.m.-12:38 a.m. EST (Cinemax) “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1” (2024). Kevin Costner directed, co-wrote and stars in this visually pleasing but unwieldy epic Western, set in the 1850s and 60s. As part of an ensemble cast, he plays a taciturn, self-reliant horse trader who gets drawn into a deadly dispute over the custody of a toddler after striking up an acquaintance with a prostitute (Abbey Lee) who lives with the child’s mother (Jena Malone) and helps out by babysitting. Other significant figures in the story, many united by a connection to the Arizona town of the title, include a pioneer woman (Sienna Miller), a cavalry officer (Sam Worthington), the leader (Luke Wilson) of a wagon train and a ruthless Apache warrior (Owen Crow Shoe). A sense of fatalism hovers over the script, on which Jon Baird collaborated with Costner, since it foresees the extinction of the Native American way of life. But the effort to convey the scale of this historical phenomenon leads to a lack of focus and some confusion for the audience, ultimately resulting in a loose-threaded tapestry. Although humane values are upheld, explicit treatment of period mayhem and some sexual material make the film strictly grown-up fare. Much stylized but sometimes harsh violence, including scalping, disturbing images, a semi-graphic nonmarital bedroom encounter, an incident of voyeurism involving upper female and partial nudity, mature themes, including prostitution, numerous profanities, several milder oaths, at least one crude term, a few crass expressions. 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.

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

Streaming Now:

Looking Ahead:

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