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DVD/VIDEO REVIEWS week of April 7, 2008
This week's DVD and video releases
The following are capsule reviews of new and recent DVD and video releases from the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Theatrical movies on video have a USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification and Motion Picture Association of America rating. These classifications refer only to the theatrical version of the films below, and do not take into account DVD releases' extra content.
Gripping true-life story of an 11-year-old boy -- who together with his mother and siblings -- is caught up in the horrors of the civil war in El Salvador in the 1980s, including a subplot involving a brave priest who tries to stand up to the brutal government troops. Luis Mandoki's film is intensely moving, though there are lighter and even humorous moments to leaven the tragedy. The performances, especially that of Carlos Padilla as the young boy, are beautifully natural, and the overall message of the effects of war on youngsters -- with its present-day resonance -- is palpable. In Spanish, with subtitles. Some rough and crude language and expressions, wartime violence and bloody bodies make this best for older adolescents and adults. A-III -- adults. (R) (Warner Home Video) 2005
Well-intentioned but static plea for noncomplacency as a slick senator (Tom Cruise) plants an exclusive story about a new U.S. initiative in Afghanistan with a critical TV reporter (Meryl Streep); the idealistic students of a university political science professor (Robert Redford) decide to join the struggle in that country; and the professor tries to convince a disillusioned student (Andrew Garfield) to try to make a difference in the world. Redford's usually solid directorial gifts fail to give life to an exceedingly talky, heavy-handed and artificial script, while even the action scenes in Afghanistan are murky and bland. Pervasive conversational expletives, crude expressions, some profanity and wartime battle violence. L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (R) (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) 2007
Riveting drama about the efforts of an increasingly obsessive father (Joaquin Phoenix) to identify the driver (Mark Ruffalo) who killed his son in a hit-and-run accident, while the guilt-wracked offender, a father with a boy the same age, struggles to do the right thing. Director and co-writer Terry George's film has considerably more moral complexity than your standard revenge melodrama, while Phoenix and Ruffalo are each superb in difficult roles. A violent though nongraphic car accident; some profanity, rough language and crude expressions; and domestic discord. Acceptable for older teens. A-III -- adults. (R) (Universal Studios Home Video) 2007
Compelling film, based on true events, about the evolving friendship between a young sportswriter (Josh Hartnett) and a homeless former boxing champ (Samuel L. Jackson). Director Rod Lurie's deeply moving -- as well as moral -- film features morally complex characters who experience redemption, an excellent script and outstanding performances, though the boxing sequences may prove disturbing. Occasional vulgarity and profanity, boxing violence including one sequence with blood, skimpy costuming and suggestive movements, public urination and images of a disturbing body scar; probably acceptable for most older teens. A-III -- adults. (PG) (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) 2007
Extraordinarily fine drama loosely based on Upton Sinclair 1927 novel "Oil!" set during the early 20th century, about the rise and fall of a ruthless oil tycoon (Daniel Day-Lewis) who fleeces a poor central California family of their land, and eventually finds himself pitted against one of the family's sons, a charismatic preacher (Paul Dano). Director Paul Thomas Anderson has fashioned a classic piece of American cinema, with Day-Lewis' galvanizing performance among the great ones, though the confrontation between the tycoon and the preacher that forms the film's climax is truly disturbing. Some brief but brutal violence, murder, three uses of profanity and several crude expressions. L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (R) (Paramount Home Entertainment) 2008
Engaging but surprisingly intense fantasy adventure, set during World War II, in which a forlorn Scottish boy (Alex Etel), coping with the absence of his sailor father (Craig Hall), discovers an egg in the waters of the local loch that hatches a rapidly growing dinosaurlike creature. Director Jay Russell's screen version of Dick King-Smith's 1990 children's book, like its title character, starts off unthreateningly, but gets steadily more ominous and would likely frighten most young children. Fantasy violence, one crass expression and one profanity; acceptable for less sensitive younger viewers. A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) 2007
Movies have been evaluated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishop's Office for Film and Broadcasting according to artistic
merit and moral suitability. The reviews include the USCCB rating,
the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief
synopsis of the movie.
The classifications are as follows:
- A-I -- general patronage;
- A-II -- adults and adolescents;
- A-III -- adults;
- A-IV**
- L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
- O -- morally offensive.
** Discontinued classification. All archived movies that were originally in the A-IV category are now classified as L.
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