The following are capsule reviews of movies recently reviewed by the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Cassandra's Dream (Weinstein)
Fairly interesting but ultimately unconvincing London-based drama about two financially needy brothers (Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell) asked by their rich uncle (Tom Wilkinson) to kill a business associate for pay. The two leads are excellent, but writer-director Woody Allen's Hitchcockian script fails to avoid a sense of contrivance, and Allen's nihilistic worldview, as espoused here by McGregor's character, is beginning to grow tiresome. An off-screen murder, brief violence, much conversational profanity, drug references, some brief sexual banter and nonmarital relationships. (A-III, PG-13)
Cloverfield (Paramount)
Skillful, effective horror exercise in which the amateur videotaping of a going-away party for a young executive (Michael Stahl-David) hosted by his brother (Mike Vogel) and attended by the girl who's awakened his interest (Odette Yustman), as well as a number of other friends (Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas and T.J. Miller), is interrupted by the arrival in Manhattan of a rampaging monster. Director Matt Reeves' film cleverly contrasts the intimate feel of the ubiquitous camcorder with the vast scale of the havoc being unleashed and also benefits from believable characters and a script rich in deadpan humor. Some graphic images of the wounded, two uses of the f-word, pervasive crude and frequent profane language, and sexual references. (A-III, PG-13)
First Sunday (Screen Gems)
Lively ensemble comic drama in which two friends, one (Ice Cube) desperate for money to keep his ex-girlfriend (Regina Hall) from leaving town with his son (C.J. Sanders) and the other (Tracy Morgan) in debt to Jamaican gangsters, break into a church and end up holding hostage the pastor (Chi McBride), his daughter (Malinda Williams), a deacon (Michael Beach), the church secretary (Loretta Devine), the choir director (Katt Williams) and various prominent members of the congregation. Writer-director David E. Talbert's film serves up a serious message about bad decisions and second chances with more than a dollop of enjoyable humor. Occasional crude and profane language, pervasive crass language, some irreverent and sexual humor, implied nonmarital sex and an obscene gesture. (A-III, PG-13)
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (Freestyle)
Ludicrously overblown fantasy adventure, based on a video game, in which a peaceable farmer (Jason Statham) is victimized by an invading army of mutant dogs who are being controlled by an evil wizard (Ray Liotta) and goes off in pursuit of his kidnapped wife (Claire Forlani), eventually having to choose whether to abandon his stubborn independence and ally himself with a wise king (Burt Reynolds) and the good wizard (John Rhys-Davies) who serves him. Director Uwe Boll's banal, lumbering film offers some effective battle scenes, but virtually nothing else. Fantasy violence, an implied nonmarital sexual relationship and one crass insult. (A-II, PG-13).
Mad Money (Overture)
Clever, fast-paced caper comedy about three cash-strapped women --- a middle-class housewife (Diane Keaton) whose husband (Ted Danson) has just lost his job, a single mom (Queen Latifah) with two young boys to support, and a dippy but clever young woman (Katie Holmes) --- who join forces to smuggle money out of the Federal Reserve Bank where they work. The time-honored conventions of heist films, and the lighthearted "Ocean's Eleven"-ish tone throughout outweigh elements that would be morally problematic if viewed from a strictly literal point of view. The stars make a surprisingly effective and appealing team, and there's assured direction from Callie Khouri. Some crude expletives, crass expressions, one use of profanity, mild sexual talk and innuendo, an implied nonmarital encounter and brief drug reference. (A-III, PG-13)
27 Dresses (Fox)
Glossy but formulaic romantic comedy about a perennial bridesmaid (the engaging Katherine Heigl) and the wedding reporter (James Marsden) who pursues her incognito, while she silently pines for her boss (Edward Burns) who, in turn, has fallen for her glamorous but superficial kid sister (Malin Akerman). Anne Fletcher's smooth direction, Heigl's self-deprecating charm and the rest of the personable cast compensate somewhat for the predictable script with results never less than pleasant, and there's a satisfying and morally sound plot resolution. Some crude language, crass expressions, a superfluous bathroom scene, an implied nonmarital sexual encounter, and mild sexual banter and innuendo. (A-III, PG-13)
---CNS
Office for Film & Broadcasting classifications: A-I -- general patronage; A-II -- adults and adolescents; A-III -- adults; L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling; O -- morally offensive. |