Movie Reviews

The following are capsule reviews of movies recently reviewed by Catholic News Service.

The Cold Light of Day (Summit)
Sluggishly unfolding action adventure in which an ordinary businessman (Henry Cavill) unexpectedly finds himself caught up in the world of espionage after his family is kidnapped during a vacation in Spain and he learns that his father (Bruce Willis), whom he believed to be a cultural attache, is in fact a CIA agent. Amid the mayhem of frantic gun duels and hectic car chases, director Mabrouk El Mechri fails to provide viewers with much reason to care. Considerable violence, some of it harsh and gory, adult themes, several instances of profanity, at least one use of the F-word, and occasional crude and crass language. (A-III, PG-13)

Dredd 3D (Lionsgate)
This adaptation of the British graphic novel series "2000 A.D” is a gory, blood-splattered good-vs.-evil story set in a post-apocalyptic future. America is an irradiated, crime-ridden wasteland, where the only source of law and order are the "Judges," who act on the spot as judge, jury, and executioner. One Judge and the rookie with whom he's been teamed set off in search of a drug cartel and its psychopath leader, who will stop at nothing to protect her evil empire. Pervasive brutal and gory violence, including torture, frequent drug use, implied oral sex, a few instances of profanity, and occasional rough language. (O, R)

End of Watch (Open Road)
Gritty police drama with a documentary feel and authentic look, putting the viewer front and center in a clash between good and evil in the inner city. Two police officers patrol a section of South Los Angeles, a haven for drug dealers and street gangs. Between calls, they banter about life and dream big, sharing their different cultural backgrounds and news about the women in their lives. Written and directed by David Ayer, the violence and trash talk will deter many from seeing a riveting, well-acted film with a powerful Christian message of brotherhood and laying down one's life for another. Pervasive, brutal, and gory violence and torture, frequent drug use, premarital sex, same-sex kissing, partial nudity, sexual innuendo, constant profanity, occasional rough language. (O, R)

Finding Nemo 3D (Disney)
Delightful aquatic adventure, now rereleased in 3-D, about a timid tropical fish who journeys across vast stretches of treacherous ocean in order to rescue his son Nemo, who has been captured by scuba divers and placed in a dentist's fish tank. With beautiful computer animation and memorable characters, director Andrew Stanton creates an enchanting fish fable about friendship, heroism and the love between a father and son. (A-I, G)

Hotel Transylvania (Columbia)
While director Genndy Tartakovsky's goofy comedy dips its toe into the swamp of vulgarity, the animated adventure has some surprisingly touching moments. These come in the form of Dracula’s relationships with his daughter and his long-deceased wife over whom he is still grieving. Although this theme is part of a commendable pro-family narrative that will have Catholic viewers nodding in approval, the few sad moments, along with the rude humor and slightly scary themes, may exclude younger audiences, Occasional mild scatological humor and a few scary scenes. (A-II, PG)

House on the End of the Street (Relativity)
Wild, weird stuff going on in the sub-basement, but overall, a somewhat elegant psychological thriller overstuffed with spooky music and with less gore than an old episode of "Murder, She Wrote." Director Mark Tonderia and screenwriter David Loucka have crafted a tale that floats on the star power of Jennifer Lawrence, who plays 17-year-old Elissa Cassidy, a sensitive girl who likes to "rescue" others, including troubled neighbor Max Thieriot. Gun and knife violence, fleeting crass language and a scene of drug use. (A-III, PG-13)

Last Ounce of Courage (Veritas Entertainment)
When a war veteran and small-town mayor sees a war on Christmas taking place across America, he is inspired by the memory of his deceased son to stand up and continue the fight for freedom. Yet as he seeks to encourage his fellow citizens to reclaim the feast of Christ's birth, he must face off against the sinister lawyer of the fictional American Civil Liberties Organization, while the younger members of the community try to hijack and inject tradition into their generic school pageant. Although the theme of directors Kevin McAfee and Darrel Campbell's picture of standing up for faith and liberty is laudable and refreshing in today's movie culture, the plot feels conspiratorial and an emotionally heavy afterthought to the message being promoted. The subsequent tidal wave of weak story and sentimentality that engulfs the movie may leave audiences feeling overwhelmed rather than inspired. A few instances of combat violence and occasional distressing scenes. (A-II, PG).

Looper (FilmDistrict)
Vengeance story set in the near and distant future, involving a group of assassins, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who has to give chase when his next victim is his future self, played by Bruce Willis. Director-writer Rian Johnson has produced a mix of science fiction and old-time Western that looks to have been concocted by a couple of 13-year-old boys with little consideration of logic but an endless supply of "What if this happened?" twists. Pervasive gun violence, including the murder of a child, two implied sexual situations, brief upper female nudity, fleeting rough, crude and profane language. (L, R)

The Master (Weinstein)
Literate but sterile drama in which a beleaguered, alcoholic World War II veteran becomes a drifter after being demobilized, then crosses paths with a charismatic cult leader. He becomes a favored follower of the would-be prophet, but his inner demons keep their relationship tumultuous. Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson embellishes his meticulously crafted period piece with striking visuals, and draws intense performances from his leads. But neither the tormented vet nor the clever peddler of crackpot ideas makes a particularly sympathetic figure, so that following them eventually becomes wearing. More fundamentally, a degraded view of human sexuality and excessive explicitness in its portrayal make these proceedings, however artistically impressive in some respects, unsuitable for all. Strong sexual content, including graphic nonmarital sexual activity, full nudity and masturbation, references to incest and venereal disease, some scatological humor, at least one use of profanity, frequent rough and occasional crude language. (O, R)

Resident Evil: Retribution (Screen Gems)
Nearly plotless shoot-'em-up, the fifth entry in the "Resident Evil" series based on the video game, retains its usual high body count but lowers the splatter factor quite a bit. Writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson again has Milla Jovovich as Alice in her black tights, this time with sidekick Bingbing Li, fighting off virus-infected, flesh-eating zombies and the machinations of the evil Umbrella Corp. Gun, knife and martial-arts violence, fleeting rough language. (A-III, R)

Restless Heart (Ignatius Press)
This biographical profile of St. Augustine of Hippo (Alessandro Preziosi in youth, Franco Nero as the older man) manages to inspire while steering clear of sentimentality. Director Christian Duguay's 127-minute-long film is arduous at times. Yet, as it covers Augustine's search for the meaning of truth and his eventual embrace of Catholic Christianity, the picture gives plenty of breathing room to the philosophical arguments with which he wrestled. It also highlights the influence exerted on him by his holy mother St. Monica (Monica Guerritore) and by his philosophical adversary — but future friend — St. Ambrose (Andrea Giordana), the bishop of Milan. The result is a well-produced, colorful piece of cinema that communicates uplifting messages. Some violence and a cohabitation theme. (A-II, no MPAA rating)

Trouble With the Curve (Warner Bros.)
Generally winning yarn about a cantankerous baseball scout (Clint Eastwood) who refuses to admit his eyesight is failing and cannot communicate with his daughter (Amy Adams), a successful but emotionally closed-off attorney. In his directorial debut, Eastwood's frequent producing partner, Robert Lorenz, capably manages the twangy material, although the middle innings lag and an excess of salty language narrows the film's appeal. As for the acting lineup, Eastwood is an old hand at playing the bad-tempered curmudgeon and both Adams and Justin Timberlake, who portrays her love interest, have charisma to spare. Frequent crude and crass language, much profanity, one instance of rough language, some sexual references and innuendo, and considerable alcohol consumption. (A-III, PG-13)

Won't Back Down (Fox)
A David-vs.-Goliath story, directed by Daniel Barnz, about a teacher (Viola Davis) and a parent (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who join forces to save a failing public school from a wicked bureaucracy, hoping to turn it into a charter school where students not only learn but thrive. Facing mighty opposition from the powerful teachers' union and its boss (Holly Hunter), and a school board whose chairwoman (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) resists change, teachers and parents unite for a showdown. Some intense emotional moments. (A-II, PG)

—CNS

Catholic News Service 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. Full-length reviews: www.catholicnews.com/movies.htm.