DVD/VIDEO REVIEWS week of February 8, 2010
This week's DVD and Blu-ray releases
The following are capsule reviews of new and recent DVD and Blu-ray releases from the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Theatrical movies have a USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification and Motion Picture Association of America rating. These classifications refer only to the theatrical version of the films below, and do not take into account the discs' extra content.
Catch That Kid
Cleverly conceived but morally misguided kiddie caper about a 12-year-old girl (Kristen Stewart) and her two best friends, rival suitors (Max Thieriot and Corbin Bleu) who decide to break into a high-security bank to steal enough money to pay for her dad's costly life-saving surgery. Despite a smart script and a fresh-faced cast that gives the flick's shopworn heist plot a youthful twist, director Bart Freundlich uses an end-justifies-the-means attitude to rationalize his improbable premise, which, though ultimately discredited, makes it difficult to wholeheartedly applaud this otherwise entertaining movie. An ambiguous attitude toward larceny, minimal mildly crude humor, some action violence. Spanish titles option. A-II -- adults and adolescents. (PG) (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment). 2004
Couples Retreat
Mostly dull, sexually wayward comedy in which a suburban couple (Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell) on the verge of divorce convince a group of their friends (most prominently Vince Vaughn and Malin Akerman) to join them at a South Pacific resort whose founder (Jean Reno) specializes in marriage therapy. While Peter Billingsley's directorial debut ultimately affirms marital fidelity, viewers have to endure waves of constantly suggestive, occasionally smutty humor and a tide of New Age psychobabble -- an obviously inadequate substitute for faith as a basis for lifelong commitment -- before reaching that safe shore. Strong sexual content, including brief but aberrant adulterous activity, fleeting nongraphic sexual activity within marriage, a flash of rear nudity, many sexually themed jokes, and some crude and much crass language. Spanish language and titles options. L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (PG-13) (Universal Studios Home Video; also available on Blu-ray.) 2009
The Time Traveler's Wife
A librarian (Eric Bana) afflicted with a genetic disorder that causes him to disappear from the present and travel -- involuntarily and randomly -- through time pursues romance with an artist (Rachel McAdams) who has known him since childhood, when he befriended her during visits from his future. At its core the enjoyable tale of a lifelong committed relationship, director Robert Schwentke's adaptation of novelist Audrey Niffenegger's 2003 best-seller features persuasive central performances that divert attention from the logical loose ends, though not from some behavior that would be objectionable in less far-fetched circumstances. Brief nongraphic premarital sexual activity, rear nudity, a sterilization theme, a few uses of profanity, and some crude and crass language. Spanish titles option. A-III -- adults. (PG-13) (New Line Home Video; also available on Blu-ray.) 2009
Pride & Prejudice (Collector's Edition)
Fine new version of Jane Austen's evergreen classic concerning the five unmarried Bennet girls, whose mother (Brenda Blethyn) is strenuously determined to marry them off in 18th-century England, and the crossed-signals romance between Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) and the wealthy Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) whose apparent dislike for each other -- because of his arrogance and her judgmental attitude -- masks a profound attraction. Director Joe Wright makes the settings more realistically rough-hewn than usual, but even so the film is visually stunning and its top-flight supporting players -- Donald Sutherland, Judi Dench, Penelope Wilton and Tom Hollander among them -- make this highly recommendable for all ages. Spanish language and titles options. A-I -- general patronage. (PG) (Universal Studios Home Video; also available on Blu-ray.) 2005
Movies have been evaluated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishop's Office for Film and Broadcasting according to artistic
merit and moral suitability. The reviews include the USCCB rating,
the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief
synopsis of the movie.
The classifications are as follows:
- A-I -- general patronage;
- A-II -- adults and adolescents;
- A-III -- adults;
- A-IV**
- L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
- O -- morally offensive.
** Discontinued classification. All archived movies that were originally in the A-IV category are now classified as L.