July 5 - July 11, 2009
TV film fare -- week of July 5
The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of July 5. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence and sexual situations.
Sunday, July 5, 8-10:30 p.m. EDT (AMC) "Jumanji" (1995). Eye-popping fantasy adventure about a jungle wildlife board game which springs to life, threatening to destroy a whole town unless its players (notably Robin Williams) successfully complete the game. Director Joe Johnston provides some frightening thrills as spectacular special effects put humans at the mercy of rampaging animals and a deadly hunter. Frequent life-threatening menace and intermittent gunfire. 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.
Monday, July 6, 10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. EDT (TCM) "Angels in the Outfield" (1951). Sentimental baseball fantasy in which the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates begin winning games after the team's ill-tempered manager (Paul Douglas) starts listening to an orphan who sees angels on the playing field. Directed by Clarence Brown, the proceedings are mostly good-natured hokum, though some may find them overly sweetened. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-I -- general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.
Monday, July 6, 8-10:30 p.m. EDT (AMC) "My Girl" (1991). Heartwarming drama in which an imaginative 11-year-old (Anna Chlumsky), whose widowed father (Dan Aykroyd) operates a funeral parlor out of their home, confronts some of her worst fears when her dad's attention is drawn to the new cosmetologist (Jamie Lee Curtis) and she loses her best friend (Macaulay Culkin). Director Howard Zieff handles childhood traumas with humor and sensitivity in an evocative story of memorable characters and life-affirming relationships. Brief but disturbing sequence of a juvenile's death, discreet scene about menstruation and a drug reference. 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.
Tuesday, July 7, 10 p.m.-midnight EDT (TCM) "King Solomon's Mines" (1950). Rousing good version of the H. Rider Haggard adventure yarn about an Englishwoman (Deborah Kerr) who hires a guide (Stewart Granger) to search for her lost brother (Richard Carlson) in the African jungle where they also find fabulous diamond mines. Directed by Compton Bennett and Andrew Marton, the movie's picturesque sights and colorful action make this a first-rate family safari. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-I -- general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.
Thursday, July 9, 8-10:30 p.m. EDT (TCM) "Union Pacific (1939). Sprawling saga re-creating the epic construction of the transcontinental railroad after the Civil War, centering on the title line's troubleshooter (Joel McCrea) who battles the disruptions caused by a gambler (Brian Donlevy) paid to delay the track's progress, while vying with the gambler's partner (Robert Preston) for the love of the line's postmistress (Irish-brogued Barbara Stanwyck). Director Cecil B. DeMille paces the character's melodramatics with some grand visual spectacle, including train wrecks, Indian attacks, an elaborate payroll robbery and numerous brawls and shootouts. Frontier violence and romantic complications. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-I -- general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.
Saturday, July 11, 8-10 p.m. EDT (HBO) "Eagle Eye" (2008). Well-executed action yarn about two strangers, a gifted underachiever (Shia LaBeouf) and a divorced mother (Michelle Monaghan), who are thrown together when they become the unwilling agents of an anonymous, seemingly all-powerful entity that uses technology and personal information to blackmail them into obedience, while an FBI agent (Billy Bob Thornton) and an Air Force investigator (Rosario Dawson) try to track them down. Though its solution is hardly original, director D.J. Caruso's sleek puzzler provides sufficient diversion along the way. Moderate action violence, brief sexual humor, one use of the F-word, much crude language and some uses of profanity; possibly acceptable for older teens. 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.
TV program notes -- week of July 5
Here are some television program notes for the week of July 5 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, July 7, 10-11 p.m. EDT (History) "That's Impossible." Premiere of a new series that evaluates the evidence behind mysterious stories from history, and uncovers the technologies and theories that are making the seemingly impossible a reality. This episode, "Invisibility Cloaks," investigates classified reports that the British military recently tested an invisible battle tank; examines recent scientific breakthroughs; and features the demonstration of an invisibility cloak capable of making a man vanish.
Tuesday, July 7, 10-11:30 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Life. Support. Music." Filmmaker Eric Daniel Metzgar's documentary charts New York guitarist Jason Crigler's recovery from a potentially fatal 2004 brain hemorrhage that left him in a near-vegetative state. Part of the "P.O.V." series (TV-PG -- parental guidance suggested).
Wednesday, July 8, 8-8:30 P.M. EDT (HBO2) "The Conscience of Nhem En." This documentary from filmmaker Steven Okazaki tells the story of Nhem En who, as a 16-year-old soldier in Cambodia, was instructed to photograph thousands of men, women and children as they passed through a processing center on their way to certain death during the genocide there.
Wednesday, July 8, 8-9 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Time Team America." Premiere of a new series exploring various U.S. archaeological sites. This episode, titled "Fort Raleigh, North Carolina," examines the nation's mysterious roots at Roanoke Island. In 1586, the first group of English colonists in the New World settled there. Yet when English ships returned with supplies just three years later, they found the settlement empty and the colonists gone (TV-PG -- parental guidance suggested).
Thursday, July 9, 10-11 p.m. EDT (Science) "Magic of the Muppets." This episode of the series "Science of the Movies" shows how New Deal Studios shrank the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum for the "Night at the Museum" sequel; explores the mechanics behind camera dollies; and includes a visit to Henson Digital Puppetry Studio to meet Sid the Science Kid (TV-G -- general audience).
Saturday, July 11, noon-2:30 p.m. EDT (PBS HD) (check local listings) "La Sonnambula." New York's Metropolitan Opera presents Mary Zimmerman's production of Vincenzo Bellini's 1831 classic "La Sonnambula," featuring Natalie Dessay and Juan Diego Florez. Originally set in a tiny village in the Swiss Alps, Zimmerman's version takes place in a contemporary rehearsal space where present-day actors are preparing to stage the opera. A presentation of "Great Performances at the Met" (TV-PG -- parental guidance suggested).