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NEW YORK (CNS) -- The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of May 6. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence, and sexual situations.
Sunday, May 6, 2:55-5:25 p.m. EDT (AMC) "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life" (2003). Entertaining action film about globetrotting archeologist and adventurer Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie), who must find Pandora's Box before a maniacal scientist (Ciaran Hinds) can unleash its power and destroy the world. Though Jolie shines, director Jan De Bont's roller-coaster sequel, while a marked upgrade from the 2001 original, deviates little from its predecessor's recipe of repetitive action sequences at the expense of story and character. Much action violence, brief sensuality and some 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 are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
Monday, May 7, 10:15 p.m.-1:15 a.m. EDT (TCM) "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness" (1958). Ingrid Bergman gives a warmly sympathetic performance as a Christian missionary in 1930s China where her patience and sincerity gradually win over the district's crafty mandarin (Robert Donat), his people and a cynical Eurasian army officer (Curt Jurgens), until the Japanese invasion forces her to lead a column of orphans across the mountains to safety. Director Mark Robson finds some delicious humor in the worldly mandarin's increasing bafflement at the woman's selfless kindness, then grows quite serious as her spiritual convictions are tested midst the ravages of war. Despite tense moments and wartime violence, it's richly rewarding family fare. 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 9, 6-8 p.m. EDT (Showtime) "Shanghai Noon" (2000). Delightful action-comedy set around 1881 about an imperial Chinese guard (Jackie Chan) who travels to America to save the kidnapped princess (Lucy Liu) he loves and is unexpectedly aided by an easygoing outlaw (Owen Wilson) in learning the ways of the Wild West. Although the film takes a while to get rolling, director Tom Dey packs plenty of kicky kung-fu action and East-meets-West antics into it, while the lighthearted treatment of force and innuendo suggests it's not to be taken literally. Intermittent stylized action violence, implied sexual encounters, fleeting drug use and brief crass 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.
Thursday, May 10, 8-11:04 p.m. EDT (Lifetime) "We Are Marshall" (2006). Moving true-life story about the aftermath of a 1970 plane crash in West Virginia that killed 70 players, coaches and fans of a college football team, and how the grieving university town came to recover its spirit by the formation of a largely new team galvanized by the leadership of a new coach (a dynamic Matthew McConaughey), working in tandem with the Marshall University president (David Strathairn) and the assistant coach of the former team (Matthew Fox). Director McG's (actually Joseph McGinty Nichol) film, though to some extent formulaic and predictable, is several notches above average, bolstered by solid performances including that of Ian McShane, and a script that mostly avoids cliche, with good messages about winning not being everything, accepting loss, and healing from it, with a good sense of this being a faith-based community. Several uses of the S-word as favored by the coach, a few other crass expressions and a discreetly handled plane crash. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
Saturday, May 12, 8-10 p.m. EDT (HBO) "Dunkirk" (2017). Compelling historical drama, set in the spring of 1940, recounting the surprisingly successful evacuation of hundreds of thousands of British and French troops from the port of the title following their rapid defeat and encirclement by the forces of Nazi Germany. Taking an Everyman's view of the situation, writer-director Christopher Nolan follows the exploits of three ordinary soldiers (Fionn Whitehead, Aneurin Barnard and Harry Styles), the owner of a small yacht (Mark Rylance) who, like hundreds of others, answers the call for civilian vessels to join in the rescue, and a duo of RAF Spitfire pilots (Jack Lowden and Tom Hardy). The perils of the desperate operation are fully exploited for dramatic tension, and the questionable measures resorted to by some characters in their efforts to survive are balanced by a general sense of heroic pluck and by incidents in which humane justice and generosity of spirit are upheld. While not for the fainthearted of any age, the film's educational value makes it probably acceptable for older teens. Intense stylized combat violence, brief gore, a couple of uses of profanity, at least one instance each of rough, crude and crass 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 12, 10 p.m.-12:10 a.m. EDT (Cinemax) "La La Land" (2016). Inspired by the musicals of Hollywood's golden age, this comedy-drama set in present-day Los Angeles chronicles the gooey romance of two star-crossed lovers: an aspiring actress (Emma Stone) and a jazz pianist (Ryan Gosling). She wants to be a movie star, while he hopes to open his own club. The path to success is rocky, and their relationship is put to the test. Writer-director Damien Chazelle dreams big in this over-the-top fantasy where drivers exit their cars on a freeway overpass and burst into song, and lovers dance on air amid the projected stars in a planetarium. Beautifully shot in widescreen CinemaScope, it's a unique film, though also a self-indulgent one, and tends to lose its way when the song and dance take over. Fortunately, that's largely made up for by Chazelle's engaging script, a cast of first-rate actors, and superb music. An implied premarital relationship, a few rough terms, some crude 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.
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Mulderig is on the staff of Catholic News Service.