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WASHINGTON (June 12, 1998) -- The 1-800-311-4CCC movie line reviews The Truman Show for the week of June 12-18. Also included on the toll-free line is a review of Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, this week's suggested home video for family viewing.
The 800 movie review line is a project of the Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC).
The June 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.
- Six Days, Seven Nights -- Because of brief violence, some sexual innuendo, recurring 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. Six Days, Seven Nights is a mildly comic adventure in which Harrison Ford and Anne Heche crash land on an uninhabited tropical island where they must fend off pirates from the sea and an unwanted mutual attraction. The tired formula is made palatable by the airy banter between appealing performers in an otherwise completely predictable movie.
- The Truman Show -- Because of mature themes, marital discord and a few instances of profanity, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested. The Truman Show is a beguiling fantasy in which 30-year-old Jim Carrey suddenly discovers his life from day one has been secretly televised 24 hours a day and all the people in his tranquil island community are paid actors. The emotionally involving tale gingerly scratches the surface of moral issues concerning media manipulation and the right to privacy.
- Can't Hardly Wait -- Because of an implied sexual encounter, some underage drinking, crass expressions and minimal profanity and 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. In Can't Hardly Wait -- an unsupervised high school graduation party becomes the occasion for couples to make up, break up or generally act wild and crazy. All the characters in this derivative party movie are reduced to predictable stereotypes whose lame shenanigans fail to amuse.
- A Perfect Murder -- Because of a fleeting sexual encounter, brief but intense violence, some rough language and profanity, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. A Perfect Murder is a glossy thriller in which heartless husband Michael Douglas plots to have rich wife Gwyneth Paltrow killed by her ex-con lover, but all goes murderously awry. Loosely based on Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 "Dial M for Murder," the twisty plot is weakened by adding scenes of adultery and hard-edged violence as melodramatic padding.
- The Last Days of Disco -- Because of momentary violence, a fleeting sexual encounter and nudity, implied affairs, a character's substance abuse and a few instances of profanity, the U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. The Last Days of Disco charts the fluctuating social lives of a half-dozen recent college grads who frequent a trendy New York City disco in the early 1980s. The talky comedy is a wryly observed cautionary tale in which opinionated twentysomethings learn that there are consequences to sexual permissiveness.
- Dirty Work -- Because of some slapstick violence, sexual innuendo and frequent crude humor, 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. In Dirty Work two losers start a revenge-for-hire business but are tricked into doing an undeserved nasty deed by a smarmy tycoon on whom they decide to turn the tables. The series of silly stunts and dopey pranks land leadenly in this creaky clunker of a comedy.
The family video of the week is Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland -- The U.S. Catholic Conference classification is A-I -- general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is G -- general audiences. Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland is an animated turn-of-the-century tale about a boy who in a series of dreams enters Slumberland where he must rescue kindly King Morpheus from the evil clutches of the Nightmare King. In adapting a classic comic strip, the delicate visuals are quite appealing although the movie's many characters and busy plot may not fully hold small children's attention.
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."