DVD/VIDEO REVIEWS week of October 26, 2009
This week's DVD and Blu-ray releases
NEW YORK (CNS) -- 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.
Clancy
Thoroughly wholesome, if somewhat sentimental, drama about a devout 12-year-old girl (Christina Dawn Fougnie) who runs away from her alcoholic, physically abusive mother (Stephanie Vickers) and befriends a hard-bitten homeless Army veteran (Jefferson Moore), but the two become unwitting pawns in the corrupt local mayor’s (J. Robert Bailey) potentially dangerous scheme to win reelection. Moore, who also wrote and directed, presents his young heroine’s Christian faith as the source of her plucky optimism and, via a collection of drawings she makes for her unbelieving pal, showcases a nondenominational version of salvation history accessible to viewers of almost any age, though a few mature themes may preclude sensitive little ones from what is otherwise faith enriching family entertainment. Brief abuse and combat violence, wounds, alcohol and drug references. A-II -- adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America. (EMI Music CMG Distribution) (www.clancymovie.com) 2009
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Mostly delightful animated sequel in which a mammoth couple (voices of Ray Romano and Queen Latifah), a tiger (voice of Denis Leary) and two possums (voices of Josh Peck and Seann William Scott) search for the missing sloth (voice of John Leguizamo) who rounds out their improvised herd, and discover the underworld of dinosaurs to which he has been unwillingly carried. A few touches of vaguely crude humor aside, director Carlos Saldanha's epic quest, which also features Simon Pegg voicing the adventurers' wacky weasel guide, is well calculated to charm viewers of all ages with its portrayal of loyalty and teamwork. Spanish language and titles options. A-I -- general patronage. (PG) (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment; also available on Blu-ray) 2009
Orphan
Atmospheric but ultimately exploitative chiller about a couple (Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga) who adopt a 9-year-old Russian-born girl (Isabelle Fuhrman) from a Catholic orphanage, only to find that her inexplicable, manipulative behavior is tearing their marriage apart, and may pose a physical threat to their two other children (Jimmy Bennett and Aryana Engineer). Director Jaume Collet-Serra's horror outing begins promisingly enough by relying on Fuhrman's ability to unsettle the audience, but interludes of excessive violence and distasteful psychosexual complications soon take hold, leading to a conclusion that plays on viewers' most visceral emotions. A few scenes of gory violence, brief graphic sexual activity, fleeting images of upper female and rear nudity, some rough and crass language, and a couple of uses of profanity. The DVD includes four brief deleted scenes and an alternate ending. Spanish language and titles options. L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (R) (Warner Home Video; also available on Blu-ray) 2009
Nothing Like the Holidays
A wounded Iraq War vet (Freddy Rodriguez) returns to his Puerto Rican neighborhood in Chicago for Christmas where he pursues an old flame (Melonie Diaz) as his parents (Alfred Molina and Elizabeth Pena) announce they're divorcing, and his siblings -- an aspiring Hollywood actress (Vanessa Ferlito) and an up-and-coming lawyer (John Leguizamo) married to a career-focused banker (Debra Messing) -- grapple with their own problems. The ensemble cast adds Latin zest to a familiar story in director Alfredo De Villa's frequently humorous drama, and there's a strong emphasis on family unity and the permanence of marriage, but the Catholic atmosphere, though pervasive, is marred by the appearance of a gluttonous, ineffectual priest. Frequent sexual humor, much crude and crass language, and a few uses of profanity. Spanish language and titles options. A-III --adults. (PG-13) (Anchor Bay Entertainment; also available on Blu-ray) 2008
Stargate (15th Anniversary Edition)
Woodenly acted sci-fi tale in which an Egyptologist (James Spader) accompanies a military reconnaissance team (led by Kurt Russell) to another planet where they discover an enslaved civilization whose evil ruler (Jaye Davidson) is prepared to destroy the visitors and explode their mother planet. Director Roland Emmerich relies on lavish production design and exceptional special effects to maintain interest in a derivative story that depends on tired movie cliches to advance its jumbled narrative. Some physical brutality, stylized shootouts, fleeting sexual innuendo and an instance of profanity. Spanish titles option. A-III --adults. (PG-13) (Lions Gate Home Entertainment; this edition Blu-ray only) 1994
Z
When a leftist minister (Yves Montand) in the Greek government is assassinated, the investigating magistrate (Jean-Louis Trintignant) tries to untangle the shadowy affair in order to find those responsible. The French dramatization directed by Costa-Gavras is a taut political thriller that goes beyond Greek politics and party labels because it is interested in justice and critical of any system of government that justifies criminal acts and violence in attaining its objectives. In French. Subtitles. A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) (Criterion Collection) 1969
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.