| The following are brief reviews of movies recently reviewed by the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classifications: A-I -- general patronage; A-II -- adults and adolescents; A-III --- adults; A-IV --- adults, with reservations (this indicates films that, while not morally offensive in themselves, are not for casual viewing because they require some analysis and explanation in order to avoid false impressions and interpretations); L --- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling; O --- morally offensive.
Broken Flowers (Focus)
World-weary womanizer (Bill Murray), deserted by his latest
amour (Julie Delpy), receives an anonymous letter from a long-ago
flame informing him he has a 19-year-old son, leading his
neighbor (Jeffrey Wright) to suggest he look up ex-girlfriends
(Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy, Tilda Swinton, Jessica Lange)
and determine which one might have sent the letter. Writer-director
Jim Jarmusch's quirky film is a telling commentary on relationships
and human interconnection, the performances are fine, and
Murray is effortlessly luminous. Scattered uses of rough language,
brief full-frontal female nudity, implied premarital sex,
underage drinking and brief drug use. Ratings: L, R.
The Dukes of Hazzard (Warner Bros.)
Sleazed-up film version of the popular television series
about redneck rascals Luke and Bo Duke (Johnny Knoxville and
Seann William Scott), who with the help of curvaceous cousin
Daisy (Jessica Simpson) and moonshine-running Uncle Jesse
(Willie Nelson) foil the shady land dealings of crooked local
politician "Boss" Hogg (Burt Reynolds). Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar,
the movie plays like an episode of the original TV show, capturing
its rip-roaring spirit, but also introducing a raunchier brand
of humor that pushes the envelope of its PG-13 rating. Recurring
action violence, sexual situations and humor, drug references,
Southern stereotypes, reckless behavior, flagrant if comical
disregard for authority, as well as some crude language and
gestures and profanity. Ratings: L, PG-13.
Grizzly Man (Lions Gate)
Fascinating profile of grizzly bear preservationist Timothy
Treadwell, who filmed himself alone in the wilderness over
a five-year period as he tried to "make friends" with wild
bears and protect them, fully aware of the dangers, until
he was killed by a bear in 2003. German director Werner Herzog
explores the life and death of a man by turns passionate,
eccentric and childlike -- using much of Treadwell's own footage
-- to which he added the recollections of Treadwell's parents,
colleagues and girlfriends. The result is a compulsively absorbing
psychological study of an obsessed man, alternately admired
and disparaged by those who knew him, as much as a nature
documentary. Profanity, much rough language including repeated
use of the f-word, some sexual musings, irreligious grumblings,
animal violence, and gruesome description of his death (not
shown). Ratings: L, R.
Must Love Dogs (Warner Bros.)
Amiable
but uneven comedy about a recently divorced teacher (Diane
Lane) whose well-meaning family runs a personal ad on her
behalf that brings her into contact with a lonely boat-builder
(John Cusack) in similar straits, but the possibilities of
romance are complicated by the woman's attraction to the handsome
father (Dermot Mulroney) of one of her preschoolers. Writer-director
Gary David Goldberg's script meanders, the plot turns are
sometimes implausible, but the central characters are decent
and played by likeable leads, with good support by Christopher
Plummer, Elizabeth Perkins and Stockard Channing. Freewheeling
attitude toward premarital sex, condom use, an instance of
profanity, scattered crude language, sexual banter, and a
scantily clad go-go dancer. Ratings: L, PG-13.
Sky High (Disney)
Fun-filled
and smartly crafted coming-of-age comedy about an adolescent
superhero (Michael Angarano) attending an elite academy for
the children of costumed crimefighters, who must live up to
his parents' (Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston) world-saving
reputation while navigating the equally trying teen trials
of high school. Director Mike Mitchell strikes the perfect
blend of campy humor, visual finesse and honest emotion while
exploring themes of self-esteem, peer pressure and parental
expectations. Comic-book violence and some mild rude language.
Ratings: A-II, PG.
Stealth (Columbia)
Turbo-paced but vacuous action movie directed by Rob Cohen
about a trio of elite Navy pilots (Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel
and Jamie Foxx) who must stop a highly advanced unmanned warplane,
whose artificial intelligence has run amok, from triggering
a world war. Combining elements of "Top Gun" and "2001: A
Space Odyssey," the film's criticism of using technology to
sanitize warfare sounds disingenuous given its video game-style
violence and, despite some spectacular, if dizzying, dogfights,
amounts to little more than an empty exercise in adrenaline
overdrive. Action violence, a suicide, an implied sexual situation,
some crude language, humor and gestures, a few instances of
rough language and profanity. Ratings: A-III, PG-13.
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