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WASHINGTON (May 22, 1998) -- The 1-800-311-4CCC movie line reviews Godzilla for the week of May 22-28. Also included on the toll-free line is a review of Anchors Aweigh, 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 22-28 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.
- Godzilla -- Because of recurring fantasy violence with much mayhem and intermittent 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. Godzilla is an overhyped monster movie in which New York City's landmarks and citizens are stomped on by the giant beast whose hatching eggs prove an even greater threat, especially to four adults in imminent danger. The special effects-thriller utterly lacks the consistent excitement or goofy humor that would make it fun-filled escapist fare.
- 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.
- Bulworth -- Because of some crude sexual references, fleeting violence, substance abuse, constant rough language and occasional profanity, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-IV -- adults, with reservations. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. In Bulworth Warren Beatty plays a U.S. Senator who after taking out a contract on his own life feels free to publicly express, in the sing-song rhythms of rap, that politics is aimed at keeping the rich in power at the expense of all others. While marred by a murky romantic subplot (with Halle Berry) and some simplistic political ideas, Beatty's bold satire serves up provocative entertainment.
The family video of the week is Anchors Aweigh -- The U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-I -- general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America. Anchors Aweigh is a musical romance with shy sailor Frank Sinatra and his slick buddy Gene Kelly on a four-day shore leave in Hollywood where they meet aspiring singer Kathryn Grayson and promise her an audition with a famed pianist they pretend to know. The thin plot offers plenty of period nostalgia along with some well-staged musical numbers, notably Kelly's dance with animated mouse Jerry from the MGM "Tom and Jerry" cartoon series.
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."