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WASHINGTON (May 15, 1998) -- The 1-800-311-4CCC movie line reviews The Horse Whisperer for the week of May 15-21. Also included on the toll-free line is a review of Hoosiers, this week's suggested home video for family viewing.
The 800 movie review line is a project of the Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC).
The May 15-21 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 Horse Whisperer -- Because of a gory accident, mild sexual innuendo and a few instances of profanity, The U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents are strongly cautioned that some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. In The Horse Whisperer, a gruesome riding accident injures a 14-year-old girl and traumatizes her horse, prompting her mother to seek out Montana horse healer Robert Redford with whom the mother falls in love during the healing process. The visually stunning and sensitively observed drama makes a moral point while exploring troubled parent-child and adult relationships.
- Quest for Camelot -- Because of heavy fantasy violence and much menace, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is G -- general audiences. Quest for Camelot is an animated adventure fantasy about a spunky young woman who joins forces with a blind youth to save King Arthur from a false knight with evil powers. The thin story features numerous violent encounters on the perilous journey to Camelot which here is depicted as a pre-Christian stronghold of democracy built on the Druid ruins at Stonehenge.
- Deep Impact -- Because of a massive natural disaster, sexual innuendo, suicidal references, 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. Deep Impact is a low-voltage disaster movie about the chaotic proceedings after President Morgan Freeman announces the failure of a space mission to deflect a huge comet from its deadly collision course with Earth. The spectacular special effects are brief and fleeting while the personal stories are overly sentimentalized.
- The Spanish Prisoner -- Because of brief violence and fleeting sexual innuendo, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested. The Spanish Prisoner is a tricky tale of industrial espionage involving inventor Campbell Scott, his suspicious boss Ben Gazzara and helpful stranger Steve Martin whose advice may get the inventor framed for murder. Though the intricate plot is too far-fetched to be credible, the story more than holds attention as it unfolds in a series of unexpected surprises.
- Woo -- Because of brief violence, heavy sexual innuendo, fleeting nudity, racial slurs, profanity and frequent rough language, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-IV -- adults, with reservations. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Woo is a crude, dopey comedy about a madcap blind date between a timorous law student and an impetuous beauty who attracts trouble wherever they go. The lame battle-of-the-sexes scenario results in little more than tiresome situations and witless jokes.
- Little Men -- Because of a bloody fistfight, a dangerous knife game and a few curse words, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested. Little Men is about a street urchin in 1871 Boston who does well in a rural boarding school until his scrappy city pal turns up and causes severe problems before proving his worth. Based on Louisa May Alcott's sequel to Little Women, the dramatization re-creates the period well but fails to bring any fresh insights to the sentimental story and its sentimentalized characters.
The family video of the week is Hoosiers -- The U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-I -- general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested. Hoosiers tells an enjoyable tale about a small-town high school basketball team battling for the 1952 Indiana state championship under dedicated but dictatorial coach Gene Hackman. The 1987 production recalls a vanishing American rural ethic where integrity is everything and winning is the spice of life, though parents should know there are brief instances of mildly vulgar language.
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 movie 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."