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WASHINGTON (April 29, 2002) -- The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting (OFB) will now provide full movie reviews online at www.usccb.org/movies.
"To better serve the Catholic moviegoer and those seeking a moral perspective on films, we will post the full movie review on the Web site," said Gerri Paré, OFB director. The OFB's Web site page had previously contained only capsule reviews.
Msgr. Frank Maniscalco, Director for the USCCB Department of Communications, noted the need to provide a Catholic perspective to a younger audience.
"Movies convey definite values," Msgr. Maniscalco said. 'The OFB's reviews offer a guide to choosing films with positive depictions of the human spirit while cautioning about those films which are exploitative and demeaning. Young people today are computer savvy, which means that placing our reviews where they are readily available to them is the way to go."
The USCCB Web site contains 10,000 archived capsule movie reviews, family video reviews, a listing of what's new on video, and the office's top 10 list from 1965 to the present.
The OFB produces weekly movie reviews which address moral as well as artistic considerations of individual films. In addition to the full review, each film is given a classification indicating its suitability for children, adolescents and adults. A-I is general patronage; A-II - adults and adolescents; A-III, - adults; A-IV - adults, with reservations, which designates problematic films that, while not morally offensive in themselves, require caution and careful analysis to avoid wrong interpretations; and O-morally offensive.
Reviews can also be found in Catholic diocesan newspapers and on the toll-free 1-800-311-4222 movie line. Capsule reviews from 1966-99 are available in The Family Guide to Movies and Videos, published by Our Sunday Visitor Books.
The Office for Film and Broadcasting is funded by the U.S. Bishops' Annual Catholic Communication Campaign, which supports national media efforts. Other projects include 1-800-MASSTIMES, a toll-free line for travelers seeking information on local Mass schedules; broadcast and cable TV specials; and the Catholic Radio Weekly. Information on the Catholic Communication Campaign can be found at www.usccb.org/ccc.