June 14 - June 20

TV film fare -- week of June 14

The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of June 14. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence and sexual situations.

Monday, June 15, 9:30-11:30 p.m. EDT (TCM) "On the Waterfront" (1954). Classic labor film about a punched-out boxer (Marlon Brando) who, despite the machinations of his shifty brother (Rod Steiger) and with some encouragement from the woman (Eva Marie Saint) he loves as well as a waterfront priest (Karl Malden), decides to stand up to the criminal boss (Lee J. Cobb) of a corrupt union of dock workers. Budd Schulberg's fact-based script is directed by Elia Kazan with stand-out performances and a gritty realism grounded in a working-class milieu, abetted by Leonard Bernstein's rousing score and Boris Kauffman's atmospheric photography. Much menace and some violence. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Tuesday, June 16, 8-10:15 p.m. EDT (TCM) "Citizen Kane" (1941). When a Hearst-like newspaper tycoon (Orson Welles) dies, a reporter (William Alland) interviews the man's former associates (Joseph Cotten and Everett Sloane, among them) and wives (Ruth Warrick and Dorothy Comingore) in an effort to pin down the essence of the contradictory, larger-than-life millionaire by discovering the meaning of his dying word, "Rosebud." Also co-written (with Herman J. Mankiewicz), produced and directed by Welles, the 1941 movie is a landmark in American cinema, both for its superb use of film technique and its intriguing story of a man who came from nothing, acquired fame and fortune but died without the love he sought. Marital infidelity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Wednesday, June 17, 9-10:30 p.m. EDT (TCM) "The Public Enemy" (1931). Classic gangster melodrama about a young hoodlum (James Cagney) during Prohibition who rises up the gang ladder until a mob war shows that he "ain't so tough." Directed by William A. Wellman, Cagney gives his definitive performance as the cocky tough in an era of lawlessness spawned by the demand for illegal booze. Stylized violence and implied promiscuous relationships. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Saturday, June 20, 8-9:45 p.m. EDT (HBO) "The X Files: I Want to Believe" (2008). Second big-screen version of the long-running TV series in which two former FBI agents, one now a full-time doctor (Gillian Anderson) and the other a fugitive (David Duchovny), are recruited by a current bureau official (Amanda Peet) to work with a purportedly psychic disgraced priest (Billy Connolly) to solve a kidnapping. Director and co-writer Chris Carter's rather ordinary film touches on issues of faith, forgiveness and medical ethics, but treats them only superficially as it pursues an unlikely, somewhat ghoulish plotline. Action violence, surgical gore including severed limbs and body parts, implied nonmarital relationship, sexual references, occasional crude and crass language, a profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Saturday, June 20, 8-10 p.m. EDT (ABC) "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" (2004). Delightfully macabre tale of three Baudelaire orphans -- one an infant -- navigating their perilous way through various guardians into whose dubious care they've been entrusted after the death of their parents in a mysterious fire: evil Count Olaf (Jim Carrey), who has an eye on their fortune; kindly but dimwitted reptile collector Uncle Monty (Billy Connolly); and hyperphobic Aunt Josephine (Meryl Streep), who lives in a house perched high on a cliff. Director Brad Silberling's adaptation of three books by Lemony Snicket (aka Daniel Handler; here voiced by Jude Law) makes for excellent Edward Gorey-like family viewing for all but perhaps the very youngest children who might find some of the situations scary, though the action is played humorously tongue-in-cheek throughout. Some mildly intense situations and a smattering of crude language. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

Saturday, June 20, 10-11:30 p.m. EDT (Cinemax) "Babylon A.D." (2008). Pointless futuristic action outing in which a mobster (Gerard Depardieu) hires a mercenary (Vin Diesel) to escort a mysteriously gifted young woman (Melanie Thierry) and her guardian (Michelle Yeoh) from Mongolia to New York and deliver her to the minions of her cult's high priestess (Charlotte Rampling). Though not excessively violent, director Mathieu Kassovitz's leaden adaptation of French author Maurice G. Dantec's novel, "Babylon Babies," is driven by a muddled mythology that includes the repetition of a Gospel miracle, a plot turn requiring, though hardly meriting, mature interpretation. Moderate action violence, one use of the F-word, some crude language, a couple of profanities and a brief background view of a stripper. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

TV program notes -- week of June 14

Here are some television program notes for the week of June 14 with their TV Parental Guidelines ratings if available. They have not been reviewed and therefore are not necessarily recommended by the Office for Film & Broadcasting.

Tuesday, June 16, 8-9 p.m. EDT (TNT) "Wedding Day." Premiere of a new reality series in which celebrity event planners Alan Dunn and Diann Valentine help engaged couples whose wedding plans have been hampered by adverse circumstances such as illness, injury or the demands of military service to tie the knot in high style.

Tuesday, June 16, 9-10 p.m. EDT (TNT) "Hawthorne." Series premiere of a medical drama starring Jada Pinkett Smith as Christina Hawthorne, the chief nursing officer of a hospital in Richmond, Va. Recently widowed, she struggles to balance her commitment to her patients with her responsibilities as a single parent.

Tuesday, June 16, 9-9:30 p.m. EDT (Sundance) "The Lazy Environmentalist." Josh Dorfman, the self-dubbed "Lazy Environmentalist," hosts this premiere of a new series in which he sets out to convince skeptics from a variety of professions that they can embrace a green lifestyle with little or no sacrifice.

Tuesday, June 16, 9-10 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Breaking the Bank." With brand-name banks on the brink of failure and the federal government contemplating a massive nationalization of the banking industry, this "Frontline" presentation examines how things went so wrong so fast, and documents efforts to stabilize the industry.

Wednesday, June 17, 8-10:30 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Chess in Concert." Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal and Josh Groban perform in a London concert revival of Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus' 1986 cult musical "Chess," a tale of romance set amid the Cold War-era intrigue of international chess tournaments. Part of the "Great Performances" series (TV-PG - parental guidance suggested).

Wednesday, June 17, 10-11 p.m. EDT (EWTN) "The Heart of Jesus in History." A documentary about the development of the devotion to the heart of Jesus, highlighting the histories of the two canonized saints most associated with devotion to the Sacred Heart: St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and St. Claude la Colombiere.

Thursday, June 18, 10-11 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Jackson Browne." Rocker Jackson Browne performs tracks from his latest recording, "Time the Conqueror," as well as selections from his previous 11 studio albums. A "Soundstage" presentation (TV-PG -- parental guidance suggested).

TV REVIEW

Callings

Many Catholics tend to identify the word "vocation" primarily with a call to the priesthood or religious life. In fact, of course, the term's true definition is much broader, embracing any career decision undertaken after prayerful reflection on God's will.

A thoughtful hourlong documentary profiling 10 individuals from a range of occupations whose faith has informed their professional choices, filmmaker John Altman's "Callings" will air on NBC affiliates beginning Sunday, June 14 (check local listings), as part of the "Horizons of the Spirit" series offered by the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission.

Among those providing a spiritual perspective on their work is professional baseball player Mike Sweeney. The first baseman and designated hitter -- whose combination of on-field accomplishments and community outreach garnered him Major League Baseball's Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award in 2005 -- always cites a Bible verse when signing his autograph.

"I don't play for the fans, or to please my coaches," he says. "I play to please my Lord."
Dancer Francie Huber cites both the Christmas song "The Little Drummer Boy" and Pope John Paul II's 1999 letter to artists as sources of inspiration, encouraging her, respectively, to make a gift to the Lord of her artistry and to imitate God's life-giving creativity.

Catholic Charities social worker Rita Flynn's efforts to serve God by assisting ex-convicts win her effusive praise from a trio of past clients.

Other participants include George Keiffer, a Marine biologist specializing in dolphins; Kansas City, Mo., councilman Alvin Brooks; and funeral director Steve Pierce, who emphasizes the opportunity his job gives him to comfort the bereaved.

Uplifting for all, "Callings" is an especially valuable resource for young viewers, inviting them to shape their future lives under God's loving guidance.

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