NEW YORK (CNS) -- The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of Aug. 7. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence and sexual situations.

Sunday, Aug. 7, 1:30-3:30 p.m. EDT (A&E) "Taken" (2009). Formulaic and contrived but effectively tense thriller about an ex-government operative (Liam Neeson) hunting for his missing teenage daughter (Maggie Grace) who's been kidnapped by Albanian sex traffickers in Paris. Director Pierre Morel keeps things moving with a flashy visual style, and Neeson plays with a genuine intensity that almost, but not quite, makes you overlook the improbable setup and ludicrous plot developments. Intense but nongraphic action violence including torture, multiple killings, vigilante justice, some crude language and expressions, and a single profanity. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Tuesday, Aug. 9, 10-11:45 p.m. EDT (TCM) "Dear Ruth" (1947). Wacky romantic comedy in which a high school girl (Mona Freeman) secretly writes love letters to a World War II bombardier (William Holden) using her older sister's name and photo (Joan Caulfield) in a deception which comes to involve the entire household when the soldier shows up for a visit on a two-day furlough. Directed by William D. Russell from Norman Krasna's play, the situation grows ever more confusing, nicely paced with comic bits by a solid supporting cast (notably Edward Arnold, Mary Philips and Billy De Wolfe) until the agreeably sentimental ending. Romantic complications and much duplicity. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.

Friday, Aug. 12, 8-10 p.m. EDT (TCM) "Royal Wedding" (1951). Genial musical in which a brother-sister song-and-dance duo (Fred Astaire and Jane Powell) take their show to London on the eve of Queen Elizabeth II's wedding, then get caught up in the spirit of the occasion and find mates of their own in a dancer (Sarah Churchill) and an aristocrat (Peter Lawford). Directed by Stanley Donen, the lightweight plot is helped by some pleasant songs and agreeable dance numbers, but what's most memorable is the eye-popping sequence in which Astaire dances on the walls and ceiling of his hotel room. Romantic complications. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.

Saturday, Aug. 13, 11:10 p.m.-12:54 a.m. EDT (Cinemax) "The Haunting in Connecticut" (2009). Reasonably effective, allegedly fact-based chiller about a Catholic couple (Virginia Madsen and Martin Donovan) who rent a former funeral home near the hospital where their teenage son (Kyle Gallner) is being treated for cancer, only to find themselves in a specter-ridden maelstrom, eventually turning for help to a clergyman (Elias Koteas) versed in the occult. While its efforts to place these supernatural goings-on within a larger spiritual and religious context may draw mixed reactions, director Peter Cornwell's old-fashioned spook story is understated and, though at times unsettling, largely free of bloodletting. Disturbing images, including charred and gory corpses, and a couple of profanities. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

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Mulderig is on the staff of Catholic News Service.