USCCB - (Office of Media Relations) - The Borrowers Stand Firm for Week Two

The Borrowers Stand Firm for Week Two

WASHINGTON (March 6, 1998) -- The 1-800-311-4CCC movie line reviews The Borrowers for the week of March 6-12.

The 800 movie review line is a project of the Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC).

The March 6-12 list includes the following theater releases and their classifications according to moral suitability. Movies are evaluated according to artistic merit and moral suitability by the U.S. Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting.

The Borrowers -- Because of comic violence and menacing situations, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested. The Borrowers is a whimsical fantasy in which villainous banker John Goodman sets out to drive a family from their home, then finds himself up against a resourceful family of miniature people living on the premises. Based on Mary Norton's children's stories, the movie has plenty of charm and gentle humor in telling the tale of two families joining forces to outwit a bully.
Twilight -- Because of intermittent violence, implied sexual encounters, brief nudity, rough language and profanity, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Twilight is a flawed suspense tale in which retired detective Paul Newman becomes involved with the wife of a terminally ill friend while trying to figure out what happened to her first husband. The contrived mystery story is of less interest than the aging characters played by a talented cast of veterans.
Dark City -- Because of occasional violence and brief nudity, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Dark City is a murky sci-fi thriller in which a man discovers aliens have manufactured his memories and physical surroundings in order to steal his soul. The mysterious proceedings are sustained by strange, nightmarish visuals, though the result fails to add up to a coherent story.
U.S. Marshals -- Because of gory violence, occasional profanity and an instance of rough language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents are strongly cautioned that some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. U.S. Marshals is a non-stop chase movie in which iron-willed lawman Tommy Lee Jones pursues fugitive Wesley Snipes, an innocent man charged with murder. This pale spin-off from the 1993 thriller, The Fugitive, keeps the action boiling but the characters are sketchily drawn and the plot is pure hokum.
Hush -- Because of menacing situations, an attempted rape, a traumatic childbirth sequence, fleeting nudity and profanity, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents are strongly cautioned that some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Hush is a failed thriller in which murderous mom Jessica Lange tries to get son Jonathan Schaech back by murdering his pregnant wife Gwyneth Paltrow. The trashy plot is too predictable to hold interest and the obvious schemes of the evil mother grow increasingly ridiculous.
The Big Lebowski -- Because of its mindless treatment of violence, sex, nudity, substance abuse, profanity and constant rough language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. The Big Lebowski is a leaden, foul-mouthed comedy in which shiftless characters Jeff Bridges and John Goodman are duped into a kidnapping scam that goes wildly awry. The picture focuses on an unsavory collection of Los Angeles egomaniacs whose mindless antics are more repellant than amusing.

The classifications are A-I - general patronage; A-II - adults and adolescents; A-III - adults; A-IV - adults, with reservations (an A-IV classification designates problematic films that, while not morally offensive in themselves, require caution and some analysis and explanation as a safeguard against wrong interpretations and false conclusions); O - morally offensive.

The movie reviews are produced by the U.S. Catholic Conference (USCC) Office for Film and Broadcasting, which each week provides full length movies reviews, brief capsules and film classifications of new theater releases.

Reviewers include Henry Herx, Director, and Gerri Pare, Associate Director, of the Film and Broadcasting Office, which is funded by the CCC.

The capsule reviews are available on the World Wide Web. They can be found on two sites: http://www.nccbuscc.org and http://www.CatholicDigest.org/stops/movies/movies1.html.

Full-length reviews of the above and other movies are available through America Online at the Catholic News Service site on AOL, and can be accessed by AOL members using the keyword, "CNS."