DVD/VIDEO REVIEWS week of November 2, 2009
This week's DVD and Blu-ray 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.
Aliens in the Attic
Mostly harmless comic adventure in which a group of young cousins (principally Carter Jenkins, Austin Butler and Ashley Tisdale) battle a quartet of aggressive extraterrestrials (voices of Josh Peck, J.K. Simmons, Thomas Haden Church and Kari Wahlgren) who've invaded their vacation home as a preliminary step to world domination. Director John Schultz's mildly diverting fantasy offers lessons about family unity and the value of education, but also includes dialogue inappropriate for younger viewers, who might otherwise enjoy it most. A few sexual references, occasional innuendo and at least one crass term. Spanish titles option. A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) (20th Century Fox; also available on Blu-ray) 2009
Babe
Live-action barnyard charmer in which a kindly Australian farmer (James Cromwell) enters his unusual piglet (voice of Christine Cavanaugh) in a sheepdog competition, unaware that his farm animals can talk to one another as they pull together to make the little pig's dream of herding sheep come true. Director Chris Noonan's enchanting comic fable is filmed entirely from the animals' point-of-view, with delightful visuals and an endearing message of learning to live and work in harmony. A-I -- general patronage. (PG) (Universal Studios Home Video) 1995
Bruce Almighty
Be-careful-what-you-wish-for comedy about a frustrated TV news correspondent (Jim Carrey) whose life is changed when God (Morgan Freeman) entrusts him with divine power after the reporter angrily accuses the Almighty of being asleep at the wheel. Despite its lighthearted irreverence, director Tom Shadyac uses humor to explore such issues as free will, and offers a positive image of personal faith rare in Hollywood flicks. An instance of rough language, minimal profanities, some crass humor and an implied sexual encounter. A-III --adults. Spanish titles option. (PG-13) (Universal Studios Home Video; also available on Blu-ray) 2003
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Futuristic combat fantasy in which two soldier buddies (Channing Tatum and Marlon Wayans) join an elite international force (led by Dennis Quaid) to thwart an evil arms dealer (Christopher Eccleston) bent on world domination. Special effects are expensive and the lives of the extras are cheap in director Stephen Sommers' slick but uninvolving action excursion, developed from a line of Hasbro toys. Pervasive action violence, brief gore, at least two uses of profanity and about a dozen crude or crass terms. Spanish titles option. A-III --adults. (PG-13) (Paramount Home Entertainment; also available on Blu-ray) 2009
March of the Penguins
Exceptional nature documentary which details the annual mating migrations of emperor penguins in Antarctica, during which they endure treacherous treks across inhospitable terrain, facing sub-zero temperatures and starvation to ensure the survival of the species. Beautifully directed by Luc Jacquet and narrated by Morgan Freeman, the captivating film is as emotionally gripping as it is visually spectacular, and imparts a heart-warming message about the enduring power of love. A brief predatory image and some sad moments. Spanish titles option. A-I -- general patronage. (PG) (Warner Home Video; also available on Blu-ray) 2005
North by Northwest (50th Anniversary Edition)
Stylish tongue-in-cheek thriller in which a suave advertising executive (Cary Grant), mistaken for a spy by foreign agents (James Mason and Martin Landau) and suspected of murder by the police, is chased from the United Nations to Mount Rushmore, with some time out along the way for romance with a double agent (Eva Marie Saint). Though the plot is only an excuse for some dandy suspense sequences (most memorable, the deadly crop-dusting plane in the middle of nowhere), director Alfred Hitchcock is at his most playful in manipulating the innocent hero and the viewer through an intricate maze of menace. Stylized violence and discreet sexual references. Spanish titles option. The
A-III --adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America. (Warner Home Video; also available on Blu-ray) 1959
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
Brisk but gritty thriller that pits a New York subway dispatcher (Denzel Washington) against a psychopath (John Travolta) whose small gang (including Luis Guzman) has hijacked the titular train, taking its passengers hostage. Performances by the leads and supporting cast -- James Gandolfini as the mayor and John Turturro as a police negotiator among them -- are assured, but director Tony Scott's adaptation of John Godey's bestseller, previously filmed in 1974, treats its villain's Catholic upbringing ambiguously and has interludes of gory violence and relentlessly coarse language throughout. Brief but intense violence, pervasive rough and crude language, occasional use of profanity. L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (R) (Sony Pictures; also available on Blu-ray) 2009
Where God Left His Shoes
Somber but touching inner-city drama in which a down-on-his-luck professional boxer (John Leguizamo) and his 9-year-old stepson (David Castro) spend Christmas Eve crisscrossing New York in search of a job that will qualify him to move his family -- including his wife (Leonor Varela) and daughter (Samantha Rose) -- out of a homeless shelter and into a housing project. A brief but inappropriate sexual discussion aside, writer-director Salvatore Stabile's deeply felt but unsentimental portrait of life on the economic margins, with its social humiliations and bureaucratic stonewalling, quietly asserts the power of human dignity, marital fidelity and family solidarity in the face of challenging circumstances. Some instances of petty crime, one use of the F-word, some crude language, brief sexual references and a physical abuse theme. A-III --adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America. (IFC Films) 2008
The Wiz
Diana Ross stars as Dorothy, the girl who flies over the rainbow in a black musical version of "The Wizard of Oz." Chasing Toto into a snowstorm in Harlem, she winds up on the yellow brick road with the Scarecrow (Michael Jackson), the Tinman (Nipsey Russell) and the Cowardly Lion (Ted Ross) on their way to meet the Wiz (Richard Pryor). Directed by Sidney Lumet, it has lavishly staged musical numbers, opulent costumes and colorful settings, but is overlong and its humor seems addressed more to adults and teenagers than younger viewers. A-II -- adults and adolescents. (G) (Universal Studios Home Video) 1978
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.