Web site TV for May 2 – May 8, 2010

TV film fare -- week of May 2

The following are capsule reviews of theatrical movies on network and cable television the week of May 2. Please note that televised versions may or may not be edited for language, nudity, violence and sexual situations.

Sunday, May 2, 1-3 p.m. EDT (A&E) "The Great Outdoors" (1988). Director Howard Deutch chronicles the botched summer vacation spent by two mismatched brothers-in-law (John Candy and Dan Aykroyd) and their families in the Canadian North Woods. Scripted by John Hughes, the humor comes from its two stars whose characters seem to be hilarious retreads from "Saturday Night Live." Some vulgar language. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

Sunday, May 2, 1-4 p.m. EDT (AMC) "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" (2003). Lavish high-seas adventure, based on Patrick O'Brian's popular maritime novels, about an intrepid British naval captain (Russell Crowe) who must hunt down and destroy a superior French frigate during the Napoleonic wars. Combining grand swashbuckling spectacle with painstaking attention to detail, director Peter Weir weaves a salty yarn about honor, duty and friendship, which, while steering clear of the dehumanizing reefs of gratuitous violence, proves effective as both an engaging historical drama and entertaining escapist fare. Naval battle violence with related gory images, a suicide and minimum mildly crude language. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
 
Tuesday, May 4, 8-10 p.m. EDT (TCM) "Stagecoach" (1939). In this Western classic, a cowboy (John Wayne) wanted by the law on trumped-up charges joins an odd assortment of passengers (Claire Trevor, Thomas Mitchell, Donald Meek, John Carradine and others) on the stage to Lordsburg in the midst of an Apache uprising. Directed by John Ford, the characters are a microcosm of frontier types, each of whom has a different reason for the journey whose dangers are played out against the majestic vistas of Monument Valley, with a brilliantly staged Indian attack and a final showdown on the streets of Lordsburg bringing the story to a rousing finish. Stylized violence. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Friday, May 7, 10-11:45 p.m. EDT (Showtime) "The Spirit" (2008). Artistically crafted but ultimately insubstantial adventure in which a slain policeman (Gabriel Macht) mysteriously returns as the invulnerable titular hero, working with the local police commissioner (Dan Lauria) and a physician (Sarah Paulson) to fight the schemes of a maniacal drug dealer (Samuel L. Jackson) and a seductive jewel thief (Eva Mendes). Despite considerable retro-noir flair and mostly stylized violence, writer-director Frank Miller's screen version of Will Eisner's classic comic-book series -- his solo debut -- fails to gain a grip on the viewer's emotions, since its villain is more flamboyant than hateful, and its womanizing protagonist has little going for him besides a tough hide. Generally stylized but briefly graphic violence, fleeting rear nudity, suicides, occasional sexual references and innuendo, much crass language and at least a dozen uses of profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Saturday, May 8, 1-4 p.m. EDT (A&E) "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" (1997). Uninspired sequel to the 1993 blockbuster again pits a scientific team (notably Jeff Goldblum and Julianne Moore), as well as a rival group of armed mercenaries, against a rampaging colony of genetically re-created dinosaurs who are now thriving on another remote tropical isle. Director Steven Spielberg delivers the expected jolts of terror with special-effects wizardry, but the cardboard characters and formula narrative make the movie less than involving. Several violent deaths and much intense menace. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. (PG-13)
Saturday, May 8, 4-6 p.m. EDT (A&E) "Top Gun" (1986). The bravado of a Navy hotshot jet pilot (Tom Cruise) wins the grudging admiration of his comrades, the affection of his female flight instructor (Kelly McGillis) and audience commendation for his patriotic hip-shooting heroism. Director Tony Scott's high-flying celebration of peacetime military training is mostly a hollow exercise in macho derring-do. Fairly restrained bedroom scene, brief nudity and incidental profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG -- parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

Saturday, May 8, 8-9:45 p.m. EDT (HBO) "Land of the Lost" (2009). The innocent, mildly cheesy Saturday morning TV show from the 1970s has morphed into an overblown, special-effects-laden, but plot-thin star vehicle for comedian Will Farrell, a washed-up scientist who claims that his invention, the "tachyon amplifier," is a time machine. With a beautiful academic (Anna Friel) and a sleazy sideshow operator (Danny McBride) at his side, he opens a "space time vortex" and lands in a prehistoric world filled with menacing creatures, reptilian aliens and furry Cro-Magnon natives. What ensues is a "Wizard of Oz" adventure as the trio seeks a way home. Unfortunately, what is being marketed as a "family" film is far from one. Cartoonish violence and peril; rough language; sexual banter, innuendo and encounters; partial nudity; and drug use. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
 
Saturday, May 8, 10-11:50 p.m. EDT (Cinemax) "Fast & Furious" (2009). Overheated, morally swerving action sequel in which an ex-con (Vin Diesel) pursuing a vendetta and an undercover FBI agent (Paul Walker) renew their rivalry as they both use their driving skills to infiltrate a cross-border drug smuggling ring and identify its secretive leader. As directed by Justin Lin, the thin story is no more than an excuse for long sequences of reckless racing, while the characters move from one side of the law to the other as it suits them. Vigilantism, brief nongraphic sexual activity, partial nudity, cohabitation, occasional rough language and profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

TV program notes -- week of May 2
 
Here are some television program notes for the week of May 2 with their TV Parental Guidelines ratings if available. They have not been reviewed and therefore are not necessarily recommended by the Office for Film & Broadcasting.

Monday, May 3, 9-10 p.m. EDT (A&E) "Fame and Recovery." This special features the real-life journeys through addiction, survival and on to recovery of Hall of Fame football great Lawrence Taylor and former Miss USA Tara Conner.

Monday, May 3, 9-10:30 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Roads to Memphis." This "American Experience" presentation tells the wildly disparate yet fatefully entwined stories of an assassin, James Earl Ray, and his target, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., against the backdrop of the seething and turbulent forces in American society that led these two men to their violent and tragic collision in Memphis, Tenn., April 4, 1968. Based on "Ghost Soldiers," a forthcoming book by Hampton Sides (TV-MA -- mature audience only).

Wednesday, May 5, 9-11 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Perlman, Ax and Ma @ The Penthouse." Violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Emanuel Ax and cellist Yo-Yo Ma perform together in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, part of New York's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Alan Alda hosts. Part of the series "Live From Lincoln Center" (TV-G -- general audience).

Friday, May 7, 8:30-9:30 p.m. EDT (PBS) "Need To Know." Premiere of a new series, a cross-media news and public affairs magazine that culls stories from the best of the week's online reporting. The program will feature documentary-style reports, short features, studio-based interviews and more, and will cover five primary news beats: the economy; the environment and energy; health; national security; and culture. Alison Stewart and Jon Meacham co-host.