Web site TV for May 22–May 28, 2011

TV film fare -- week of May. 22

The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of May 22. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence and sexual situations.

Sunday, May 22, 7-10 p.m. EDT (AMC) "U.S. Marshals" (1998). Pale spin-off from the 1993 thriller, "The Fugitive," with its iron-willed lawman (Tommy Lee Jones) doggedly pursuing an escaped murder suspect (Wesley Snipes) who is out to find whoever framed him. Directed by Stuart Baird, the action is nonstop, but the thin characterizations and hokey plot are unmemorable. Gory violence, occasional profanity and an instance of rough language. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Sunday, May 22, 8-10 p.m. EDT (TCM) "My Brilliant Career" (1980). Bright Australian dramatization of an autobiographical novel about a young farm girl (Judy Davis in a dazzling performance) raised in poverty but determined to make a life of her own as a writer at the turn of the century. Gillian Armstrong directs a work that besides being very funny, very human, very touching and always entertaining, is a tribute to the human spirit and the artistic imagination. Exhilarating family fare. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-I -- general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was G -- general patronage.

Monday, May 23, 8-9:45 p.m. EDT (TCM) "On Moonlight Bay" (1951). Pleasant nostalgia from Booth Tarkington's "Penrod" stories about a 1917 Indiana family whose bemused parents (Leon Ames and Rosemary DeCamp) try to keep up with their mischievous grade-school son and his big sister (Doris Day) who's in love with the college boy (Gordon MacRae) across the street. Director Roy Del Ruth relaxes with the mundane distractions of small-town life, the sweet innocence of period songs and the uncertain course of young love. Undemanding family entertainment. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-I -- general patronage. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Wednesday, May 25, 10 p.m.-1:30 a.m. EDT (AMC) "The Hurricane" (1999). Powerful fact-based account of the 20-year struggle of boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (Denzel Washington) to regain his freedom, aided by an African-American teen (Vicellous Reon Shannon) and his Canadian guardians, after Carter was wrongly convicted of a 1966 New Jersey barroom triple murder. Director Norman Jewison's study of institutionalized racism chronicles a man's personal agony and triumph as he spiritually transcends his confinement and is helped to heal by those committed to social justice. Brief violence, fleeting rear nudity, some profanity, recurring rough language. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

Saturday, May 28, 5-8 p.m. EDT (A&E) "The Pelican Brief" (1993). With her life in grave danger after figuring out who was behind the assassination of two Supreme Court justices, a New Orleans law student (Julia Roberts) turns to a investigative reporter (Denzel Washington) to get her incriminating brief in print. Abetted by exceptional performances from a fine supporting cast, director Alan J. Pakula's spiky thriller maintains suspense despite a convoluted plot. Some restrained violence and an instance of rough language. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Saturday, May 28, 8-9:45 p.m. EDT (HBO) "Our Family Wedding" (2010). Scattershot comedy, prone to physical gags, about the culture clash between two families when a Latina (America Ferrera) marries an African-American (Lance Gross). Director Rick Famuyiwa, who co-wrote along with Wayne Conley and Malcolm Spellman, leaves no stereotype untouched in this wildly uneven combination of "Father of the Bride" and "Abie's Irish Rose," but mostly manages to stay within tasteful boundaries. A fleeting instance of crass language and the implication of a premarital relationship. Probably acceptable for mature teens. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Saturday, May 28, 8-10:30 p.m. EDT (TCM) "Thirty Seconds over Tokyo" (1944). World War II morale booster depicting the 1942 raid on Tokyo by an Army squadron of B-25 bombers led by Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle (Spencer Tracy) which was launched from an aircraft carrier with only enough fuel to land in China. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, the movie centers on the pilots' training, the brief low-level raid itself and the difficulties facing survivors in occupied China, with human interest focused on one of the pilots (Van Johnson) and his pregnant wife (Phyllis Thaxter). Wartime violence, anti-Japanese rhetoric and some sexual innuendo. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Saturday, May 28, 8 p.m.-midnight EDT (A&E) "Titanic" (1997). Lavish re-creation of the 1912 sea disaster begins with an exploration of the sunken luxury liner today then follows its fateful voyage keyed to the improbable shipboard romance between a first-class passenger (Kate Winslet) and one in steerage (Leonardo DiCaprio) until an iceberg sends the ship and more than 1,500 people to the bottom. Writer-producer James Cameron reduces the human dimension of the tragedy to a paltry soap opera about two lovestruck youths, though the special effects re-creating the human drama aboard the sinking vessel are truly spectacular. Agonizing death scenes on a massive scale, sexual situations, brief nudity and sporadic rough language and profanity. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

TV program notes -- week of May 22 

Here are some television program notes for the week of May 22 with their TV Parental Guidelines ratings if available. They have not been reviewed and therefore are not necessarily recommended by Catholic News Service.
Sunday, May 22, 8-11 p.m. EDT (ABC) "The 2011 Billboard Music Awards." This awards ceremony, recognizing artists' popularity with the public, will be broadcast live from Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena. Performers will include Cee Lo Green, Nicki Minaj and Pitbull. Actor-comedian Ken Jeong hosts.

Monday, May 23, 10-11 p.m. EDT (CBS) "Clash of the Commercials: USA vs. the World." Model Heidi Klum ("Project Runway") and actor John Lehr co-host this special pitting American commercials against international ones. Broadcast live from Las Vegas.

Tuesday, May 24, 9-10 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Wikisecrets." Through interviews with Julian Assange, accused-leaker Pfc. Bradley E. Manning's father and others, this episode of the series "Frontline" reveals the story behind the biggest intelligence breach in U.S. history: the leaking of more than half-a-million classified documents on the Wikileaks' website.

Tuesday, May 24, 10-11 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Welcome to Shelbyville." Filmmaker Kim Snyder's documentary focuses on a small Southern town as it grapples with rapid demographic change and issues of immigrant integration. An "Independent Lens" presentation (TV-PG -- parental guidance suggested).

Friday, May 27, 6:30-7 p.m. EDT (EWTN) "Blessed Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury." Filmed on location at the site of her imprisonment -- the ruins of Britain's Cowdray House -- this documentary on the life of Blessed Margaret Pole explores its subject's undaunted bravery in the face of persecution brought on by King Henry VIII's break with the Catholic Church.

Friday, May 27, 10-11 p.m. EDT (EWTN) "Madonna House." A documentary look at the Madonna House Apostolate, a Catholic community made up of laity and priests in Combermere, Ontario, that espouses a spirituality of poverty, simplicity, love and duty to the demands of the moment. The program will be rerun Saturday, May 28, 2-3 p.m. EDT.