Joaquin Phoenix stars in a scene from the 2019 movie "Joker." The film will air on HBO Saturday, May 16, 2020, 8-10 p.m. EDT. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was L -- limited adult audiences, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association rating was R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. (CNS photo/Warner Bros.)
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NEW YORK (CNS) -- The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of May 10. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence, and sexual situations.
Sunday, May 10, 6-8 p.m. EDT (TCM) "Baby Boom" (1987). High-powered businesswoman (Diane Keaton) chooses the transforming love of motherhood and the ego boost of self-employment when she inherits a baby whose parents have died tragically. Director Charles Shyer's wry and insightful situation comedy has the good sense to affirm that new life is more important than new clients. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
Tuesday, May 12, 10:03 p.m.-12:01 a.m. EDT (Lifetime) "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous" (2005). Likable follow-up has the original's FBI operative protagonist (Sandra Bullock), this time teamed with a hostile and reluctant partner (Regina King), sidestepping her new role as celebrity front person for the agency and going back into action to discover the whereabouts of her pal, the contest winner (Heather Burns), and the pageant's master of ceremonies (William Shatner), both of whom have been kidnapped in Las Vegas, while a Nevada agent (Treat Williams) jealously attempts to block her efforts. Director John Pasquin succeeds in mixing the laughs and the action, and Bullock and King make appealing sparring partners and register genuine humanity underneath the slapstick. There's a solid message about friendship throughout. Some crass expressions, mild profanity, comedic action violence, cross-dressing, sexual innuendo. 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.
Wednesday, May 13, 5:55-8 p.m. EDT (Showtime) "Almost Famous" (2000). Poignant drama set in the 1970s about an aspiring rock journalist (Patrick Fugit) who lands a freelance assignment at age 15 with Rolling Stone magazine to interview a hot new rock band (led by Billy Crudup) as they tour the United States. Director Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story skillfully reflects the era, yet remains on a largely superficial level. Implied sexual encounters, fleeting nudity, an extramarital affair, some drug use including an overdose and intermittent rough language. 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 R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Wednesday, May 13, 8-11:05 p.m. EDT (AMC) "White House Down" (2013). Director Roland Emmerich, who previously laid waste to our nation's capital in "Independence Day" and "2012," does so yet again in this fast-paced thriller about domestic terrorists who take over the executive mansion. A security officer (Channing Tatum) heads to the White House for a Secret Service job interview, bringing his politically obsessed young daughter (Joey King) in tow. Caught up in the attack, Dad must help the president (Jamie Foxx) evade the bad guys and survive. Though weighty international issues are discussed along the way, they take a back seat to unabashed patriotism and the portrayal of heroic sacrifice for neighbor, family and country. Much intense but mostly bloodless violence, a fleeting sexual image, occasional crude and profane language. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
Friday, May 15, 5:30-8 p.m. EDT (TCM) "North by Northwest" (1959). Stylish tongue-in-cheek thriller in which a suave advertising executive (Cary Grant), mistaken for a spy by foreign agents (James Mason and Martin Landau) and suspected of murder by the police, is chased from the United Nations to Mount Rushmore, with some time out along the way for romance with a double agent (Eva Marie Saint). Though the plot is only an excuse for some dandy suspense sequences (most memorable, the deadly crop-dusting plane in the middle of nowhere), director Alfred Hitchcock is at his most playful in manipulating the innocent hero and the viewer through an intricate maze of menace. Stylized violence and discreet sexual references. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.
Saturday, May 16, 8-10 p.m. EDT (HBO) "Joker" (2019). Origin stories of Batman villains don't get any darker than this one. Director Todd Phillips and screenwriter Scott Silver turn the cackling maniac into a warped homage to Travis Bickle, the violent anti-hero in 1976's "Taxi Driver," and a bit of frustrated stand-up comic Rupert Pupkin in 1983's "The King of Comedy." To drive home the point, Robert De Niro, who played both roles, has a cameo as talk show host Murray Franklin, who, Arthur Fleck/Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) regards as a sort of father figure whose approval he craves. It's a familiar and unappealing narrative with no sense of moral uplift. A vengeance theme, gun and knife violence, some gore, fleeting rough and crude language. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was L -- limited adult audiences, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association rating was R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Saturday, May 16, 9:40-11:10 p.m. EDT (Cinemax) "Get Over It" (2001). Teen romance in which a high school senior (Ben Foster), crushed when his girlfriend dumps him, gradually springs back thanks to the encouragement of his best friend's younger sister (Kirsten Dunst), who gets him involved in a school production of "A Midsummer Night's Rockin' Eve." Director Tommy O'Haver spins a comic romance of little distinction save for a few sprightly song-and-dance numbers. Some sexual innuendo, brief comic violence, crude references, fleeting substance abuse and an instance of rough language and profanity. The Catholic News Service classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association rating was PG-13 -- parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
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Mulderig is on the staff of Catholic News Service.